capsize me and douse me in your bay

prologue

Toni Topaz loved the ocean. At six years old, she could tie knots almost expertly and differentiate east from west just by looking at where the sun lay in the sky. She knew the ins and outs of sailing with the help of her father, who seemed to know the waters like the back of his hand. He had a sixth sense when it came to the ocean. Just by looking out the window of their beachside house, he could tell whether it was a good day for sailing or not, as if the ocean had told him itself.

The Topaz family had been living in the small fishing town of Riverdale for generations, each father had been teaching their sons the ins and outs of the sport pretty much since the town was founded. But after the untimely death of his wife three years ago, Anthony Topaz knew that their only daughter could continue the family tradition just as well as any boy. And he worked tirelessly to make sure of it.

"We watched The Little Mermaid and Ariel kissed the prince at the end, it was gross," six year old Toni's squeaky voice just barely registered over the crash of the waves against the shore as she chased a few seagulls on the dock. "She lives in the ocean and has a tail. Why would she wanna come on land? And kiss a yucky boy?"

"Probably the same reason you wanna spend all your time on the boat instead of at school," F.P. chuckled as he and Anthony tied the company boat to the wooden dock to keep it grounded for the night, "School's boring and the oceans mysterious and exciting. Allison probably felt just the opposite."

"Ariel," she corrected him with a sassy roll of her eyes, the spitting image of her mother, "Daddy, are mermaids real?"

"As real as the sun setting over that horizon," Anthony smiled at his daughter as he ran over to scoop her up, making her giggle as he tickled her sides.

"Come on, Tony, don't fill the kid's head with those old fish tales," F.P. shook his head and tightened the rope once more for good measure.

Toni's giggles stopped as her face fell, "You don't believe in mermaids, Uncle F.P.?"

"Don't gimme those sad eyes, kid, I just think it's a little far-fetched. I mean, if mermaids were real, don't you think I woulda seen one by now? Or heard about it from someone else? I mean come on, the ocean's our backyard."

"Maybe your face just scares'em all away," Anthony chuckled, making his daughter laugh as he carries her back to the house with F.P. trailing behind. He was very grateful for F.P. Jones. The two had been like brothers all their lives, since their great-grandfathers started the Serpentine Fishing Company back in the early 1900's. Tony had been there for F.P. after his wife took off with their infant daughter, leaving him alone with their six year old son. And being the loyal and grateful friend he was, F.P. had been there for Tony in return after Violet passed away.

It wasn't easy being a single dad, but Tony always made sure to keep his daughter happy and safe like he promised his wife he would. She had been the best mother to Toni, and he could only hope that he could fill her shoes. But with F.P.'s help, it got a little easier with each passing day.

That night after dinner, a bath, and a short bedtime story, Toni looked up at her father with a sleepy smile as he moved around the room, checking her closet and under her bed for monsters. "Daddy, you don't have to check for monsters anymore," she yawned, rubbing her eyes with a little fist.

Anthony turned around, surprised. He'd been checking Toni's room for imaginary monsters since she was three when the nightmares began to plague her after her mother's death. "Are you sure?"

"Mmhm," she nodded, "I'm not a'scared no more."

"Oh. Well...okay," he sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed, bringing a hand up to run through her curly brown hair before leaning over to kiss her forehead, "Night, Toni-bug."