Tears of the Sea

Chapter 6

   After driving the sort drive to the aquarium, Sanosuke parked his car at the first parking space he found.

“Alright, time for some fun.” Megumi cheered. Shippo let out a happy bark as he was ready to take off. Before he got out of reach, Sanosuke grabbed his collar.

“Whoa, hold on there, boy. You remember the deal? This isn’t some ocean parade. This is an aquarium. Which means you’re allowed to come as long as I keep you on a leash.” Shippo let out an agitated snort. He hated having to wear a leash. Yet, he realized it was the only way he would be allowed to come. So, he reluctantly let Sanosuke tie a leash around his neck. After Shippo was securely fastened, the friends headed for the front gate. Once inside, they felt like they were back underwater. The walls were covered with fancy wall paper which featured pictures of waves and bubbles.

“Wow, these new lifelike wall paintings are so realistic.” Megumi stated.

“Nah, you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it a hundred times. Besides, nothing compares to the real thing.” Sanosuke pointed out. As they made their way along the path, they came across huge windows which were at least thirty feet high. On the other side, they could see several different life forms. There were sharks, turtles, dolphins, even killer whales.

“I wonder how big these tanks really are? They have to be pretty big to hold three killer whales in a single one.” Megumi stated.

“I guess so. Hey look. There’s the one with the sunken ship.” Miroku pointed. Looking to her right, Megumi spotted the ship. It appeared to be just as covered with sea moss and seaweed as the one they had found in the reef. As the crowd moved along, they were able to get a good look at it from the window.

“Gosh, it's surprisingly small compared to the one we found.” Megumi stated.

“I was just thinking the same thing. Than again, maybe it's just not that impressive to us seeing as how we’ve already seen the real thing.” Miroku pointed out.

“That is true.” Sanosuke mentioned. Shippo let out a bark in agreement.

“I guess that makes it unanimous.” Megumi remarked. The three friends laughed as they moved along. Before long, they came across a huge crowd. There was a large red curtain covering something.

“What's all the commotion about?” Megumi asked.

“Oh, this is where the display for the mermaid is supposed to be.” A man from the crowd explained to them.

“Not that again. I bet you 50 bucks it turns out to be someone in disguise.” Sanosuke grinned.

“You’re on.” Megumi remarked with a grin. As the crowd began to quiet down, a tall man in a white suit appeared.

“Good day ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us in our grand opening to Sea World's Wonders.” The crowd let out a cheer of excitement.

“First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I am Konzake, the manager of this brand new aquarium. Some of you may recognize me from one of the many aquariums I run from around the state. I hope you’re all having as much fun as I am. I am proud to admit that, out of all my other aquariums I already own, this one is by far my greatest success. And the reason for that is behind this curtain. Now I am certain some of you are thinking this must be some kind of trick or disguise. Well, let me be the first to guaranty to you all that what you are about to see is 100% the real deal.”

“Here we go.” Sanosuke whispered as he rolled his eyes.

“So now, without further ado. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...Emerald, the one and only mermaid!” As soon as he was finished speaking, he reached behind him and pulled a long rope. As he did, the red curtain dropped to the ground. Right away, the crowd awed in complete amazement. Several bright lights began to flash as almost everyone flashed their cameras. Megumi rose up on her tiptoes trying to see.