Adrift in the Lagoon

The lagoon was perfect; crystal clear, teeming with sea life, and devoid of all other humans. Your tiny boat drifted in the waves as you sorted through your meager collection. You had been diving all afternoon but were having terrible luck in finding anything of interest. So far you had; a half-dozen broken seashells, a few bottle caps, and enough spare change to buy a soda.

You set your diving mask and net bag to the side. As you were debating finding another diving spot, something splashed to your left but when you looked, nothing was there. When you turned back, something new was in the boat. You picked it up, finding a pebble of sea glass, droplets of water still clinging to its surface.

Another splash, this time on the right. Once again, the water was clear when you looked. And, just as before, something had appeared in the split second you were distracted. This time, it was a conch shell, large and bright pink with ornate spikes swirling towards the top.

You heard another splash but as you turned to look, something else caught your eye first. A hand reached over the side of the boat and dropped something to the floor before disappearing back into the water.

It was only a split second but you clearly saw it. It was big, covered in white scales with slight webbing between long, claw tipped fingers. You peeked where the hand had appeared from but clear waters revealed nothing all the way down to the sand bottom.

Glancing down, you notice what the mysterious hand left you. A small crab, scuttling along the bottom of your boat and heading straight for your vulnerable toes with snapping pinchers. You yelp and jump up, saving your feet in time but not your balance. With a splash, you tip out of the boat and into the sea.

Bubbles dance around you as you kick to orient yourself, trying to find the surface. Before you make much progress, you feel something wrap around your calf. It feels like a hand.

Your panicked shout only adds more bubbles to the confusion and wastes what little air you had. A second hand wraps under your arm and no amount of struggling can break the firm grip on you.

One moment, you’re underwater, fighting to escape whatever has caught you. The next, you’re coughing and wheezing in precious air while the hands hold you to the surface.

“Woah, take it easy, you’re alright,” a male voice soothed. You shake the saltwater from your eyes, blinking till the shape floating next to you comes into focus.

He was humanoid but not quite human. His skin was covered in tiny white scales that sparkled in the sunlight. Larger pieces of carapace covered his human-like shoulders, chest, and abdomen like armor. Fins framed either side of his face, edged with delicate frills that arched into sharp points above his head. His facial features were the most human; a nose compressed down to a bump with slits, brilliant blue eyes watching you curiously, and a mouth fitted with razor sharp teeth.

You stared in shock, body frozen and mind processing the strange creature holding you. After a few moments, he frowned, eyes narrowing in concern.

“You’re not about to freak out, are you?”

Despite your panic, you shake your head slowly.

“Good!” The creature smiled, the points of his teeth peeking through. “This is going better than expected. Let’s get you back to the boat.”

He holds you steady as he swims forward, quickly catching up to the unmanned dinghy. The hands let go the instant you grab the side of the boat and clamber in. You turn back to see the creature still floating next to you. From above, you can see the rhythmic swaying of an ivory fishtail trailing behind him.

“You’re a mer!” you finally spoke.

The mer in question tilted his head. “Technically I’m a mer-shark. Though most people call me Drift.”

“But mers are just sailor’s stories; they aren’t real.”

Drift smirked, draping his arms along the side of the boat and propping his chin on them. “What, I’m not real enough for you? And here I rescued you from drowning, just like the legends say.”

You hesitantly reach a hand out to brush along his scales. Smooth, wet, and cool to the touch. Either he was real or you were still drowning at the bottom of the lagoon and hallucinating mer-sharks in your final moments.

“Okay, so…why are you here?” you decide to ask.

Drift scoffed. “Because I live here? This lagoon is mine. At least, that’s what I tell the other sharks before chasing them off.”

“Other sharks?” you ask, glancing around the lagoon but seeing no other legendary creatures lurking about.

“Don’t worry, they know better than to bother me. I like my privacy.”

Drift gave you a pointed look and you blushed, catching the implication. “Sorry I sort of invaded your home and took your seashells? You can have them back if you want…” You trailed off as Drift continued to stare, a slight smirk pulling at his lips. “You’re not going to eat me, are you?”

He blinked in surprise. Then started to laugh, nearly slipping off the boat in the process. “No, I’m not going to eat you,” he chuckled, shaking his head at the idea. “And I don’t mind if you come to the lagoon. I’ve been watching you since you started visiting.”

“The whole time? But I never saw you.”

“Mers are very good at hiding from humans.” Drift said, his tone taking on a bitter edge. “We stay hidden to avoid being caught or hunted. Not all humans are safe for mers to befriend. You though!” His expression brightened, head fins fluttering with excitement. “You seem different. I wanted to talk to you but wasn’t sure how without scaring you. Did you like the gifts? I don’t know what all you’re looking for so I brought a few different things.”

You glance down at the assortment of objects he had tossed into your boat. “I’m usually looking for seashells,” you explain, gently picking up the fancy conch. “Ones this nice are impossible to find. Thank you, it’s a wonderful gift. Could have done without the attack crab, though.”

Drift snickered. “You’re brave enough to swim with mer-sharks but can’t handle one little crab?”

“To be fair, I didn’t know there was a mer-shark here until today,” you sassed back.

“Well now that you do know,” Drift smirked, leaning forward to hover in your personal bubble. “Do you think you’re still brave enough?”