(A/N): Warning- not a typical Disney fanfic. Will contain some graphic images.
Two men sat in the boat, wading in the waters alongside hundreds of other fishers. Wood creaked at every wave, water leaking slightly through the cracks. Seagulls cawed above their heads, circling for any remnants of fish remains. Chatter had long died down, for the sun had risen and the hours had passed away. One man smoked a cigar, the ashes falling onto his ragged clothes that were tattered from overuse and sweat.
"Phil," Dave suddenly said towards the other. Phil, whose chin was bobbing up and down, was holding the rod weakly, his eyes closed shut. "Phil," he said once more, pushing Phil's shoulder with his boot. Phil was still sound asleep, swatting his hand at the foot as if it were a fly. "Stop bein' such a load of crap. Come on, you big piece o' junk." He slapped the back of his head, jolting Phil awake.
"Your mum needs us home. And whut'd I tell ya 'bout sleepin' on the job?"
"Sorry, Pa."
"Yeah, that's right son, you'd best be sorry. Your mum and I didn't go through all the trouble to raise a lazy son, now did we?" He gave Phil another slap on the head and handed him the oars. "Come on, we're late."
As his son rowed through the traffic, Dave went through their catches, muttering to himself about the sizes and prices, occasionally throwing uselessly small ones back into the murky waters. He was about to toss out his cigar when a jolt made it fly out of his mouth. Phil cursed under his breath when the rickety boat collided with another. "Hey, watch where'ya goin' next time!" the other fisher cried out, baring his yellow teeth. Phil muttered an apology before swiftly steering away from the old man's glares.
Dave gave him another slap on the head.
"Sleepin' on the job again," he muttered bitterly. "When I was workin' the docks, my father put me in my place. I worked hard, and I made a-livin'. You young folks ain't disciplined 'nough, I tell'ya." Only the waves answered him.
Dave started to clean out the gear, putting their bait back in their bag when another jolt rocked the boat. "Ya little bas-"
"Pa, that wasn't me," Phil said, leaning dangerously over the boat and looking into the dark waters. "I think I caught one!"
"What?"
Phil quickly caught his rod, reeling it in and leaning back. He looked at his father and mouthed one word so no others could hear.
Dave said, "Your dreamin', Phil. We 'aven't saw one in years. Even if..." He stopped as the tip of a green tail splashed on the surface of the water. It shimmered in the sun, too large to belong to any fish. "My lord..."
"Pa, help me!" Dave took hold of the rod. It bent under the weight as the creature started to thrash against it. Other fishers began to watch in curiosity.
"Our boat ain't big 'nough, son! We need to get to shore!" Dave started to climb out of the boat, standing in knee-deep water. His son joined, bringing the boat to land before running back into the river. Phil followed the string, wading with the water up to his chest before diving his head underneath. He emerged after a few seconds, wiping his eyes with a tremendous grin on his face. With one hand still in the water, he trudged through the dirt back to shore. The surrounding fishers stared at him in aw, and soon shouting rumors spread through the hoard. A chatter of excitement brewed as the creature was dragged back to shore, a hook piercing its lip. Sand and dirt tangled its hair, its gangly arms fighting weakly at Phil's, an immense cry gurgling out from its mouth. Blood dripped from its lips as the hook pulled it to land, cutting through the skin. Soon a green tail emerged from the waters, its once bright scales tarnished and darkened, and the crowds cheered. The hoards started to come to shore, gathering slowly in devilish delight.
After it was dragged from the waves and onto solid land, Dave motioned for his tools. "Make sure ya get the sharp one, will'ya? We need'ta get'em fresh." Phil sprinted back with all the supplies, his heart beating in excitement as the fishers gathered around. "We got'a male one, too," Dave said, pulling back the creature's hair to see the clouded blue eyes and opened lip. Its mouth hung open, shallowly gasping for air, its eyes wandering around the crowd in confusion.
Dave let go of its hair, letting the creature's head fall onto the ground. "We can't let it die on us yet, Phil. Help hold it down, will'ya?" His son obliged, putting his hands on the creature's shoulders and pressing a knee on its back, making its wheezes louden.
Flourishing his knife, Dave started on the tail, cutting off the beautiful fin and showing it to the crowd. They cheered, staring at it in wonder. As Dave placed it in his bag, none dared to steal it, for they knew that depriving one of their luck will only bring on a darker fate for themselves. A soft moan erupted from the creature's lips, its warning echoing through the ground and into the waters. Its mouth opened wider, gasping for air as the knife began to cut more and more. After reaching half-way up the tail, blood pooled out of the wound, and a gasp emitted from the crowd. No one had noticed the creature's darkened eyes stare into space, its mouth barely opened, its wheezing silent. A great moan erupted from the ocean miles away, but not one fisher heard it over their cries of excitement.
Phil unclenched the creature's hand, revealing a white, glowing pearl as well as a crudely made band on its ring finger. "Legends say, pearls are important to them creatures. Heals them, some say." Dave nodded eagerly to the ring. "He's one of 'em married ones, I see. Drives the prices up, fifty percent maybe."
Dave had finished cutting the rest of the creature, packing it gently into the bag. They ran to the market, its head in hand to show proof of their luck. "How much ya think we made, Pa?" Dave only grinned, slinging his arm around his son's shoulders as they made their way towards their fortune.
(A/N): This was a much darker twist on what could happen in the future, after "The Little Mermaid." This was inspired after watching a makeup tutorial on a 'hooked' little mermaid, as well as watching a whale shark being cut open alive. It's surprising what could inspire you all of a sudden.