Of the Sea

Chapter One

It could be seen from the cliff above: down where the sea clashed with the jagged rocks, a creature writhed within a fishing net. Its presence had been brought to Astrid's attention by the great shaggy dog that stood beside her, barking incessantly as they watched the thing being bashed against the rocks. It was desperately trying to free itself. The identity of the creature was hard to define through the pelting rain of the brewing storm, and the sound it bellowed cut through the howling wind like a knife. It was a sound like no other, only remotely compatible to that of a wailing siren.

Astrid could no longer watch the animal struggle and began making her way down the slippery slope to free the animal. She kept her eyes on her feet, treading carefully over the mossy rocks, keeping her gaze away from the daunting sea. A blunder on rocks like these would be painful, and one wrong step could send her tumbling into the violent waves below.

As she neared the thing, she noticed dark hair that bore no resemblance to that of any other sea creature, and when it turned its piercing blue gaze to her the shock froze her where she stood. The sea roared in her ears and the rain soaked through her jacket, sending a cold chill across her skin. Her heart stopped in her chest and she could not believe what her eyes were seeing: What had been thrashing within the net was no sea creature: laying before her was a young man. A human.

"Oh God!" She gasped, rushing to his side. "Are you alright? Let me help you!" The boy didn't answer, but continued to struggle against the net. The slimy cordage had wrapped around his upper torso, cutting into his stomach, and had pinned one of his arms to his side, making it near impossible for him to free himself. The rest of the net was wrapped around his lower abdomen and had disappeared beneath the waves. The way the rope went taut as Astrid pulled on it led her to believe it was hung on a crag below the surface. Instead, she began by unhinging parts of the rope that had been snagged on surrounding rocks nearby, loosening the net enough so that the boy's arm could be freed.

"Rough day for a swim, eh?" She commented stiffly, trying to hide her anxiety when the water brushed her ankles. The boy remained silent, panting from exhaustion, though his eyes were wild. He's in shock, Astrid thought, tugging at the cords around his ribs. She was taken aback to see such deep lacerations on his sides, expanding as he took in deep gulps of air. "My father leaves these nets out..." She felt she needed to explain, but wasn't sure he could hear her through the moaning wind.

A wave pulled at her knees, dragging her down across the rocks. She clung to the jagged shore with all of her might, but her fingers slipped over the green algae. She feared for a moment that the malevolent ocean would win, but a sudden, violent gush pushed her against the rocks. For a brief second, she thought about leaving the swimmer and climbing as fast as she could back up the cliff face. She'd let the authorities handle this perilous situation, and she would not have to risk her own life. But she knew if she left now, with the storm getting stronger and the sea getting rougher, that the boy would be dragged out to sea before authorities could reach him. Exhausted and trapped in a net, Astrid knew he wouldn't stand a chance.

So she boldly went back to work trying to untangle him, discovering that the wave had knocked the net free below the surface, and Astrid was now able to hoist his legs onto the rocks to untangle them. But as she pulled him to the surface, she noticed that where his swim trunks should've been there were silver, iridescent, fish scales. She thought perhaps a fish had become ensnared with him, but upon closer inspection, she realized the scales lined his entire leg. She supposed the rain was obscuring her view, but in the process of pulling the rest of his lower abdomen from the tide, she discovered that he had no legs; only one, solid fluke, similar to that of a fish.

She sat on her knees momentarily, skeptical that what she was seeing could actually be real. "Oh, God..." She breathed, looking at him with new revelation. "What are you?" She dared not say what she was thinking out loud. Instead she turned and scampered back up the rocks, ignoring the bruising of her fingertips and the cuts on her hands. She blindly fled, her mind in a whirl from what she thought she had seen. Surely it was only her imagination. He was a boy, and then suddenly a fish. He was a boy first, but the rest of him... She couldn't comprehend it, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to.