Inktober Prompts 2020

Go Fish

The ad in the paper had promised half a grand for a photo for a mermaid, a full grand for physical proof. Rob had laughed so hard that his neighbor banged on the thin walls of their duplex. Mermaids in the cape? It was such a ridiculous concept that he almost felt sorry for the guy who had wasted the money on the ad.

Tanya was the one who dreamed up the idea.

"This is so dumb," Rob snickered. He crouched on the shore. Dark waves gently crashed against the rocky outcroppings hiding the small beach. The full moon reflected off the mirror of the water's surface. "I haven't done something so stupid since skinny dipping in my neighbor's pool."

Tanya tossed her long hair over one shoulder. It was a bright red now after a cycle of other colors. Perfect, she had said, to pull off this scam. Her swimsuit was just as ridiculous, with that seashell bikini top and a bejeweled mermaid tail draped across her lap. Rob would have questioned the convenience of the outfit, but for Tanya, something like that was a mainstay in her closet. She loved dressing up in those ridiculous outfits.

"You just point that camera and shoot," Tanya said. She shimmied into the mermaid tail and slapped the water with the large fin. "It's an easy grand. Take a few pictures, and we'll find some shells or something and claim it came off the tail."

"Like someone's that stupid to believe that story."

"He was dumb enough to put an ad in the paper."

Rob snickered. "True."

Tanya slipped into the water with small gasp. "Shit! It's cold. Be careful with that camera too. I spent a small fortune on it for my blog."

"Yeah, yeah." Rob focused on the glow of the camera screen. The lighting was horrible, but that was the point. They wanted a picture with just enough to say they saw a mermaid. Tanya would clean up everything when she transferred the picture to her laptop. "You want a few headshots to post on your blog?"

"Later." Tanya drifted deeper into the water. Rob snickered at every soft gasp that escaped her. "Shut up! How about we dress you up as a merman and throw your ass in here?"

"I can't pull off the shell boobs like you." Tanya released a breathy laugh. "Dunk your head under the water real quick. It looks to poofed out to be wet."

Tanya huffed, but she disappeared under the water without protest. Rob fiddled with the buttons on the side of the camera, zooming in and out on the spot she disappeared. Seconds ticked by until Rob lowered the camera. "Tanya?"

The water continued to roll onto shore, lapping at his toes. Hadn't he heard something about riptides this morning on the local news? He wasn't a native to the cape, or to the ocean really, but he had lived long enough in the area to hear the dangers of riptides. Hadn't some dumb teenager just drowned last week?

Rob dropped the camera on the sand and pushed into the water. The freezing water soaked his jeans and stole his breathe, pulling him deeper. "Tanya! This isn't funny!"

The water was at mid-chest when Tanya's head rose above the surf. Her long hair slithered in the water surrounding her shoulders. Rob swept his arm across the surface of the water, sending a wave of water towards her. "What the hell? Were you going for a new record? Now I've got to drive home in wet jeans. Let's finish this shit and get out of here."

Rob turned back to shore. The waves pulled and pushed against him, his feet slipping against the loose sand as he felt his toes going numb. The water was at his waist when he felt a harsh tug on the back of his shirt. He stumbled backwards and sputtered from the water that splashed his face. The waves pulled him with more force, and his arms spiraled in an attempt to regain his balance. "What the—"

The grip on the back of his shirt jerked him deeper into the water. A wave managed to roll over his head, and Rob choked on a mouthful of salty water. He remerged with a chocking gasp and dug his heels into the shifting sand. A final tug took the ground from beneath him, and he floated weightless in the water.

Rob splashed and twisted to regain control. "What are you..."

A pair of luminescent eyes stared at him from a heart shaped face. Dark hair tangled around him as the eyes drifted closer to him. Fingers dug into the front of his shirt and pulled. Rob swallowed and realized his body had begun to tremble from the cold. Something long and solid struck his side. "Who..."

The woman smiled. A failed scream squeaked out of his mouth at the row of shark-like teeth. A strong pull sent him careening towards that grin and into the inky depths of the water.