One Shots

A Mermaid's Tail (kellic)

I should be updating tdonl lmao.
But yeah, there's a pov change in this, just a heads up :)

***

Kellin's POV

The nets are everywhere. The fishing business is erupting and life under the water is becoming rocky. It's not safe here anymore. My people have retreated into the depths while the other fish and animals, our communities, die.

I have a knife in my hand, and I'm hacking away at the ropes of a net that is filled with silver fish. They're all shouting pleas of help. I need to save them, or else they will inevitably die.

Saving people has become a daily activity for me. I don't believe in hiding like the rest do; I believe in change. We can't be ruled by fear forever. Humans will hunt and fish, yes I know, but can't I at least try?

Finally, the net bursts as I manage to cut it loose. The silver fish erupt from it in a frenzy, shouting 'thank you's my way. I can't help but smile at my success. They're free and I freed them. It's an amazing feeling to know you're doing something good.

The net that I just destroyed begins drifting upward. There's a boat above me, so there must be people on board. I sink back, away from it. I watch it though. I watch the net now shoot up and out of the water quickly, almost as if the person just knows there are no fish left and that there's no need to be careful.

I swim a little farther away. I'm curious. I've seen fishermen before but this boat is always around. They don't all look the same from underneath, you know.

Once I'm a safe distance away, I swim up to the Surface. I lean against a large rock that is protruding over the water. The sun on my shoulders feels nice and the rock serves as a shield, of some sort.

I can see the boat easily from this vantage point. I can see two men, a smaller one and a taller one. The taller one steps back a little, away from the smaller one. I can hear him all the way from hear. The small man is talking loudly and angrily. He actually sounds furious.

"This has been happening for three fucking months," I can hear him saying, "We're going to go bankrupt. Do you know what this means Mike?"

The tall man, Mike, nods his head quickly, but doesn't say anything. The small man that I still do not know the name of walks away from the other man, the torn net clenched in his fist. I can see him better now from here.

He's not that bad looking at all really. I kind of just stare at him for a second, admiring his shoulders and hair. It's not often that I get to see nice looking humans. Many of them are ugly.

Then I remember that this man is killing innocent people, and I immediately regret what I was thinking. I begin to sink under the water, but before I do, I hear the man say one more thing to the other.

"This needs to stop. This is the last time I'm gonna let this happen. Whatever is doing this, I need to find it. I have to get rid of it." Then the man storms over to the wheel and begins steering the boat away from this spot.

I go back under the Surface, just staring off into the water. Am I not safe anymore?

I shake my head quickly. I was never safe in the first place. There is no way I'm going into hiding. Not a chance.

I swim off to my resting place. I'm in need of a nap.

***
Vic's POV

"Vic, you've been looking for this thing for days. I don't think you're going to find what's cutting your nets and lines." Mike says to me as I prepare myself for another day on the water.

"Don't come with me then," I tell him, "I have a feeling I'll catch it today. I know I am."

Mike shakes his head in defeat. He knows he won't stop me from finding this thing. Whatever beast is hacking up my nets and making my business suffer will pay for it. It needs to be gone from the water.

"Fine," Mike sighs, "Do what you want."

I finish getting ready and haul a few of my things out the door and down the street. If Mike doesn't believe in me, he won't be joining me. I make it to the port and walk across the dock to my boat. I get on and set the boat up. Once I'm ready to leave the port, I pull out.

My boat isn't very big but my business is good. Or well, used to be. I'm furious at whatever it is that's lurking under the waters surface. I was making money, I was feeding the family, everything was great. But of course, the fish started disappearing and the nets were destroyed. Every single day. If I get lucky, I'll get one net full of fish maybe once a week. Probably less.

I drive the boat to my usual spot. This is the spot where the nets are normally cut anyways. Whatever is under the water will probably be here, waiting to cut my ropes. Little does it know though that I am waiting for it.

I cast a net in. I don't step away from it like I usually do. Maybe that's my downfall. Instead. I stand by it with a hand on the part of the net that is above water, so I can feel the tug of the thing. I know what fish feel like tugging at the ropes, but this is different. This beast will be much bigger and stronger than fish.

I wait. For hours maybe, minutes. But I finally feel something. It's a subtle tug, but it's there. It feels much stronger than a fish though. It feels like there's only one.

I grin in success, rushing over to the crank to haul the net up. I do this quickly, using all my strength. I'm very surprised though. It's not as heavy as I expected.

I get the net over the boat now. I can't see the thing in it clearly, but it's moving a lot. It's trying to escape, but it doesn't seem like it can. If it doesn't stop moving around though, the net might snap or swing to the side and it might be able to get free.

I lower the net onto the floor of the boat. The thrashing doesn't stop, but now I can see the thing so much more clearly.

There's a tail. But it's bigger than any fishtail I've ever seen. It's big enough to fit on a human my size. The tail is silver and shining. It has a few scars on it, maybe from getting caught places or other nets.

But then I keep looking. I move my eyes past the tail and to the torso. And I'm shocked to find that the thing has a human torso. And human arms. And a human face.

A mermaid. I can't fucking believe what I'm looking at. The mermaid looks too pretty to be a merman but I'm almost sure that it's male, seeing as there are no boobs on it's-his-chest. He's trying to get out of the nets, but he's too tangled. On his left arm, I can see a band where a knife would be stuck into. There is no knife there. He must have dropped it.

I step closer, not wanting to be struck by his tail, which is also trying to aid him in his escape. I used stronger nets this time. He won't be able to get free, I'm hoping.

But now I can see his face. It's pretty, very pretty, and part of it is obscured by his dark brown, almost black, hair. I can't stop staring at him. I've only ever heard stories about mermaids, though I never believed them. But now I've caught one.

I can't kill the mermaid. There's no way I can. He's just too fascinating. He's real. A real fucking mermaid. But if I can't kill him, what's going to happen?

"Fuck." I mutter to myself.