GIVE ME A TITLE

CHAPTER ONE

The warm summer air breezed over our ship as a wave came crashing down. My hand grasped the edge, trying to not be taken overboard by the water.

Why had my father decided to have me, his only son, work the docks? Way above my head. I never understood him. The wave receded, and I was able to stand on my feet again. The water drained off the deck, attempting to take our catch with it.

I gripped the net, the rope burning my hands as I attempted to pull it back onboard. My shoes were slipping under the wet wood as I managed to pull the net back on board.

Now I had two options, throw it back and get yelled at for taking too long, or take out the dozen of fish that were in the net and get yelled at. The first option seemed less dangerous, so I threw the net back. My muscles strained from the weight of the net.

I sighed, wiping what was either sweat or salt water off my forehead before stepping toward the breakroom to get a drink of water.

Reaching the refrigerator, I bent down and opened the door, taking a bottle into my grasp. I unscrewed the cap and took a sip. My Adam's apple bobbed as I chugged desperately. The cool water running down my throat felt like a relief from the sun's hot beams. I ran my hands through my dark curls as I put the bottle back, closing the door and leaving the breakroom.

As I stepped back out onto the deck, the ship was rocking from small waves crashing into the side. The net was still in place, but something big was trying to swim away inside.

I turned the handle connected to the net, pulling it up with all my might. Still struggling after multiple attempts, my feet slipped up from under me, causing me to fall and slam into the wall.

That was going to leave a mark.

Destined to bring my father something other than disappointment, I called out to the crew, Aaron and Zade, for help. They were two of my father's most trusted workers. They rushed over, helping me pull up this mysterious underwater creature.

With all our combined strength, we pulled the net. The quick transfer of pulling the weight to having it sit on our deck swept us off our feet. I sat up rubbing my head from where it hit the deck. Aaron and Zade had stood up already, surrounding the creature. A wave of concern washed over their faces, as if they had seen a ghost.

"Mateo, dude, get up. Come see this," Aaron stated. His eyes were wide as he stared at the flopping creature in our net.

I stood up, curious as to what was in it. What I saw was something out of a fairytale.

A mermaid was in our net. Alive.