Not a Happily Ever After (Short Story)

Not A Happily Ever After

Once upon a time, there was a man named Jack. Tomorrow would be Jack's first year anniversary in the Navy. He thought of all his accomplishments he made that year while he walked down the stone-paved walkway of the base towards his housing. Hawaii's island air was crisp today and smelled of sharp seafood, which was a smell Jack had grown to get used to. The palm trees looked happy today as if they were alive with celebration to Jack. Boss had just told him that he could have the day off the next day and so Jack planned to go out fishing with a couple friends and the skies were red: a good sign. The sun sat on the water and the sky was laden with puffy white and red clouds.

Tommy and Lane were sitting on a couple bamboo chairs outside the house. They sat and talked while listening to the radio. Jack stopped before he walked inside and told them it was approved that they could take a boat to the seas the next day and so they whooped joyously.

The house inside was small and plain. It held a small kitchen and dining area for eight. On the left, there were two couches and a radio. Upstairs held four bunk beds and outside, there was a bathroom which held toilets and showers for themselves and the two houses next to them. Three other of his friends were playing cards on the table when Jack walked in. Too into their game of poker, with a stack of coins and a couple dollar bills in the middle, they didn't seem to notice Jack walk in.

As he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, he walked over and pulled a seat to sit on as Ron dealt new cards to everyone. At the end of their game, a Hawaii native, who goes by Kini, stuffed fifteen dollars in his pocket. The sky had already became dark, so they shuffled into their bunks.

The next morning, Jack and his friends sailed off onto the high seas. They drank and fished while music played through a record. The day was left free of wind and rain. Nothing could have made him happier. As they pulled in their reels for the last time, Jack heard a peculiar sound coming from the water on the other side of the boat.

"Ey, boiiiis!" The water seemed to say. Jack and the crews rushed to one side of the boat, wanting to catch a glimpse of what it could be. Seconds later, a girl reached the surface with long blonde hair and a shimmering tail the color of the water. All the guys oo'd and awed at the goddess they set their eyes on. Jack rushed to the back of the boat, where there was a small platform at water level. The mermaid was intrigued by this and swam to him, hopping onto the platform. He stared at her, slightly scared, but couldn't keep his eyes off her. He now could see that she had deep blue eyes and a coconut bra. The men gathered around and dared not speak.

"Hello boiiiis!" She spoke in a beautiful melody that they could not move.

Finally, Timmy spoke. "A-are you a mermaid?"

"Why yes of course. My name is Mer. I am actually the last of my kind and there is not many creatures left, I have to say. One of my dearest friends was a quadricorn, the last of her kind too. Lovely thing was murdered by a dragon, which actually died trying to eat her. " She responded, sighing, but quickly changed the subject. "Are you bois from that city called Boise? I've heard it is full of bois just like you and that it is a wonderful place."

"No. We live on that Island over there." Jack said. The mermaid looked slightly disappointed, but then looked into Jack's eyes, smiling.

After a bit, the mermaid jumped back down into the depths of the ocean after saying "bye boiiiis" which seemed like her favorite thing to say. The men couldn't believe what had just happened to them, and they weren't soon to forget it. They packed up and left back to the base. Jack couldn't stop thinking about Mer. She was the most beautiful thing he ever laid eyes on.

The next morning, he thought it all to be a dream and felt that they should have his party today. He took his shift, wallowing around like a drunkard. All he thought about was Mer and those thoughts blinded his mind from even seeing a chair or pole in his way, which he ended up conjuring a few bruises from. After visiting the nurse-- which he had gone in after walking into the sea where he stepped on a sea urchin then almost drowned himself-- he limped to the house where Kini, Ron, and Timmy were sitting on the couches with a drink in hand. Jack hopped to a seat near Ron. 

"Jack, are you trying to put a hole in your foot?" Kini said, chuckling with the others. Jack didn't answer, but gave Kini a stern look.

Lane stammered into the house walking straight to the radio. "Boss has a announcement." He started turning the knob and the channels became fuzzy while he messed with it. When Lane fund the right one, there was a loud voice of their boss on the radio.

"Today at 7:00 tonight, there will be a missile launch into the ocean. This is only a test. All boats should be back in the bay and no one is to go out past the line." Lane turned it back into their regular radio station.

"I have to go." Jack stood up. "You guys need to help me get a boat out there to warn Mer. She can't be where it hits."

"Oh come on, Jack." Ron said.

"I'm going with or without you guys, but I need help." Lane was the only one who went with Jack, for the others knew he was crazy. They snuck a boat out into the bay and set off. The sun was beginning to set and more and more, Lane was regretting his decision to be out there. Jack was crazy, screaming out Mer's name. Mer finally came to the surface, saying "hi, boiiiis!" Jack told her about the situation and that she needed to get out of the area. As she said her goodbye bois, Jack and Mer looked deeply and sadly at each other. Before she was able to leave, a giant Megladon broke the surface and ate both Mer and Jack, for he was leaning over the side to kiss her goodbye. However, the boat was still intact, and so Lane rushed back to base as fast as he could out of fear and shock.

Underneath the ocean, inside the belly of the great Megladon, Jack and Mer were somehow still left intact. They cried together, yet were happy that they could to die together. They held hands and talked before they died. Every once and awhile, Mer would say, "bye boi" incase they died right then. The belly of the shark stunk with dead fish and acid. It was a gross smell, and even with a full year of living with fish smell on the island, it would have never prepared him for this. They knew that acid was to come soon and give them a slow painful death, before being digested, and so they tried to make the most of the sad situation.

Now, the Megladon also did not have a good relationship with the Giant Squid. They were the last two of the creatures in the world now and both wanted to rule it all by themselves. The Squid attached itself to the Megladon with its deadly suckers and the Megladon tried fighting back. This made the ride for Jack and Mer very bumpy.

Back on the Island, it was 7:00 and time to launch the missile. The missile fired beneath itself in a beautiful red hue. It launched high into the air, across the ocean, and found its way straight into the Megladon and the Giant Squid. Both creatures were blown to bits.

Everyone was deeply sad about this happening to Jack. Lane was scarred for life, for he watched the gigantic Megladon snatch up his friend. Not long later, Lane resigned and went back to his home in Boise, never getting close to the ocean again. Kini and Timmy stayed in the Navy. Kini sacrificed himself to an ancient Volcano after Timmy told him that he got a letter from Kini's mother saying she quit her job as a Dentist and decided to be a coconut farmer, which Timmy greatly regretted saying because it was only a joke. Timmy was killed in the attack of Pearl Harbor. Jack and Mer died in each other's arms. This was not a Happily Ever After. The End.