Fins and Flippers

Fins and Flippers - Chapter Three

The next morning was just as grim as the first, if not even more grim. If that was even humanely possible. Or mermainly possible, or whatever. Stop picking out little things, okay? The fact is that the next morning was pretty grim.

I, of course, had been far from happy to give up my house. And while anyone else in the village would have whimpered at old mad man Oran's feet, I can tell you now - I'm not anyone else in the village.

So, to put it relatively simply, I surrendered my bed and reluctantly sulked to the sofa. Then upon seeing the state the sofa was in, with spillages of instant food and stacks of ancient homework from back when I was at school piled up on it, I marched back upstairs and reclaimed my bed, tossing merteen Walter out of my bed as you would shrug. After all, he wasn't exactly anything special was he?

Of course he took my lack of amazement at his species rather oddly and confined himself to whispering to Hot Fish in the pond and generally annoying cat in the process. And me, of course. But I didn't need to mention that, did I? Everything he did annoyed me. I found the whole village lining up around my garden, staring at him and poking each other in brief murmurs alongside the odd whisper. I found it pretty funny after a while of annoyance, yelling at everyone to go away. Maybe in less polite terms though...

The point was I discovered that having him invading my house was so annoying I felt like setting up a noose and a chair, directing him to it and watching him swing. Or shoving him in the pond and waiting for him to drown. Wait a second, could merteens drown? Or mermaids, or mermen or whatever? Well, I supposed there was only one way to find out. Of course I wasn't about to go around drowning him. Not yet...

"Hey Josie," grinned Walter excitedly, waving at me frantically and jolting me out of my thoughts.

"Don't do that to me you moron!" I yelped and then suddenly found his deep eyes staring into mine as if examining me. It felt kind of... relaxing.

"STOP IT!" I yelled and slammed the front door between us, knocking him backwards onto the lawn, almost tumbling into Hot Fish's pond. A shame, I would have paid good money to see him fall into the pond. Hey, his wobbling feet might have to be given a slight nudge in the right direction. Or rather, the wrong direction. Whatever it would take to make that clown fall in. Hey, I wonder if his legs would turn back into fins then, or just stay the same. Did water affect them or what? A sigh found itself escaping from my lips. Who cares really, it was no big deal, right? Right?

"Hey Josie," smiled Walter, ripping the front door open once again.

"Get lost freak," I growled and slammed the door in his face once more. I barely relished in the silence for a second before I found it yanked back open again.

"What do you want?" I huffed, flashing my look of ultimate hatred at Walter merteen. Yes, my look of ultimate hatred. That is one of the greatest evils I think I've ever given off, but somehow Walter brushed it off as if it was nothing.

"Just wanted to ask you something," he murmured.

"Well cough it up," I snapped, the glare still fixated on my face.

"I just wondered why you're not, well, totally freaked out by me like everyone else," murmured Walter.

"Maybe I am," I grinned, then hastily shoved my glare back onto my face. I had to keep up appearances, didn't I?

"Well, if you're sure that I'm not freaking you out or anything," mumbled Walter merteen, causing yet another glare to be shot at him from me.

"I guess it's time for me to collect on my rent, come on, spill the beans," I barked and Walter's face became furrowed with confusion.