CH 29
The impossibly big mess was cleaned up. Bulldozers, front loaders and dump trucks arrived to dig holes, dump the remains of bodies in and cover them up as anything burnable was torched and the metal chopped up and sent to recycling centers. In a couple days, there was no sign of anything where the camp was. To the south of the town, investigators found a terrorist organization had struck, killing a bus load of people who had yet to be identified from their charred remains. It was such a heinous crime, Homeland Security was heading the investigations and collecting the evidence. General Watson himself was overseeing the operation.
Mark and Sonya, both grinning like fools, had a few rounds to make.
Mark went to his Sister and brother-in-laws place first. Sonya's head wasn't quite healed yet, so she kept the bandage on when they went to visit. The Saturday afternoon cookout became a little more exciting when Mark and Sonya showed up in the big black SUV. Mark hugged his sister then announced, "Darleen,This is Sonya, the most amazing woman I've ever seen!"
"She sure is a tall one!" Darleen said, then hugged her. "So you gonna keep an eye on Mark here for me?"
Sonya wrapped an arm around Mark. "I am at that. Marks a good man, you should be proud of him."
A girl looking to be ten or eleven years old came up to gaze up at Sonya. "Wow! We got giants too? You're taller than Uncle Mark!"
Sonya chuckled. "You have something here besides giants?" she asked.
"We do! We got mermaids in the small lake!"
"Cindy! stop that. That's just a rumor." her father grumbled.
"But we do Dad! Arty and Nick swear they saw a mermaid in the lake!" the girl stated.
"What does this mermaid look like?" Sonya asked.
"They said it was far away, but they saw her jump up waaay out of the water and dive back in like those dolphins. They watched, but she didn't come back up."
"It was a fish," her Father stated.
"Oh, I don't know," Sonya said in a musical tone. "I suppose it's possible. Not many people up there, is there?"
"There's not," Darleen said. "Everyone knows that lake has alligators, the other lake is bigger anyway."
"Sounds like the perfect place for mermaids to be then," Sonya said in a musing tone.
Cindy smiled at her. "Have you seen any mermaids?" she asked.
"I have."
"SEE!" Cindy cried as she looked at her Dad.
"Please don't tell her things like that," Darleen pleaded. "She goes on enough about them already."
To Sonya, Cindy said, "I saw the show about these girls who were mermaids, they had fins in the water, and legs out of the water, so anyone could be a mermaid!"
Mark chuckled and asked, "Got a swim suit on so I can throw you in and see of you're a mermaid?" he asked Sonya.
Sonya stuck her tongue out at him and said, "I wouldn't fit in the car to get back home."
"Why, a tail makes you even taller?"
"Nine and a half feet," Sonya replied.
"Oh come on!" Darleen said with a laugh. "You mean to tell me you're a mermaid?"
"Something sounds fishy here," Mark said with a grin.
Cindy caught what Sonya said, "So are you a mermaid?" she asked eagerly.
Sonya put a finger to her lips. "Shh, it's a secret."
"YES!" Cindy screamed. "See Dad, I told you!"
"She's messing with you, Cindy," Darleen stated.
Mark chuckled, "Sonya don't tease her."
Casting him and impish look, she asked, "Who's teasing?"
Mark rolled his eyes.
"Sonya, why don't you come to the lake with us tomorrow?" Darleen asked.
"Yes, get my brother-in-law here to do something besides steer the boat."
"Do you swim, Mark?" Sonya asked.
Mark winced. "Not in a long time."
"But you do know how?" Sonya prodded.
He cast her a smirk. "If you wear a bikini, OK."
Sonya grinned at him. "This is going to be fun."
.
While Sonya was having fun with Mark and his relatives, John frowned at the alligator in the front yard.
"How did he get over the fence?" Cameron asked and looked at Joan.
Joan shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know! He was just … here. Maybe he used the dock."
"Alligators can't climb," John stated.
Cameron frowned. "He's stubborn."
"We should pitch him back over the fence," Delilah said.
"He'll just come back," Cameron replied.
"We can still make boots out of him," John said.
"Dad, no!" Joan cried. "I'll get him out of the yard," she said with a huff.
"You're the reason he's in the yard," Cameron reminded her.
"I know Mom, I'll get him out." Joan went inside.
Joan knew he'd follow her. Instead of many chunks of ham she only got two. She was going back out. John called to her, "Joan what are you doing?"
"I'm going to lure him out of the yard, Dad!" she called back. Going over by the alligator, she waved a chunk of ham at him. he turned and opened his mouth a bit. Joan walked slowly down to the dock. The alligator ambled after her.
"Joan! What happens after you get to the dock?" Delilah asked loudly.
"You will be between the water and the alligator!" Cameron announced.
Joan slowed. Oh, yeah. Shit. Seeing the edge of the fence was on the dock, she got another idea. Getting to it, she dropped a ham chunk so she could climb up on the fence. On the other side, the alligator grabbed the ham she dropped and ate it. Balancing herself on the top rail, she hand walked back to the shore and dropped down.
The alligator watched her from the inside of the fence.
Joan made a sweeping motion with her arm as she coaxed. "THIS side, go around to THIS. SIDE! Come on, the food's over here!"
The alligator ambled up to her on the inside of the fence.
"NO dummy, THIS SIDE!" Joan cried.
Louise and Jackie were giggling helplessly at her.
"Dad! He won't cooperate!" Joan complained.
Cameron and Delilah started walking towards her. "Joan! Feed him just before we get to you," Cameron called.
Joan looked at her and put the ham atop the rail. The alligator got against the fence and pulled itself up. Seeing how close it was, she yelped out and dropped the ham on the other side. The alligator caught in and dropped down. It no more than swallowed when Cameron landed on it's head, gripping it's mouth shut. Delilah grabbed the middle.
"Joan jump over here, now!" Cameron snapped. Joan jumped, Cameron and Delilah lifted the alligator over the fence and dropped him down on the outside.
Free, the alligator let out a hiss and moved down the fence line. It went a short ways then stopped and laid down.
"He isn't very smart," Joan complained.
"It's an alligator, hon," Cameron replied with a smirk.
"If he hangs around long enough to get bigger, we could have a real problem here," Delilah noted.
"But, how did he get inside the fence?" Joan asked.
.
Sonya came home the next morning and breezed though telling everyone the wonderful time she had with Mark, and they were going to meet at the big lake today with his sister's family. Breezing back out, with her mermaid tail over her shoulder and in a bikini and wrap, she promised to come back home later and tell them about the boat her and Mark were making. She came in and out so fast, John wondered it there was a wind blowing behind her.
They concluded she was having a very good time with Mark.
.
Sonya knew where Mark's family was going, the public boat ramp at the near end of the lake. Coming to the sign marking the ramp, she saw there were two separate in and out lanes. She followed a truck towing a boat in the 'enter' side. A large parking lot was in between. A couple men in yellow and orange vests were directing traffic. Seeing a parking area close to the water off to the side, there were spots left right by the water. Going into the lot, she backed into a spot. Just beyond the curb was the bank that went down to the water. Great! She got out and opened the back and got her tail out.
.
Mark hooked up the tow bar on the boat to the back of Jimmy's truck. Darleen and Cindy waited for them patiently in the trucks' back seat. The men got in, Mark kept looking around the area.
Jimmy looked at Mark. "Something wrong?"
"I just thought Sonya was going to meet us here," Mark said.
"She knows where we're going, right? Maybe she'll meet us at the lake?" Jimmy asked.
"Yeah, you're right." Mark said, hoping so.
Sundays were a busy day at the lake, Jimmy was third in line, waiting to get the boat in the water. As he waited, Mark was scanning the parking lot. "That looks like Sonya's Excursion over there," he noted.
"Yeah, it does. She's probably around here someplace," Jimmy agreed.
The man in the yellow and orange vest selling the 'offload' tickets came up to the window. Jimmy paid him and asked, "Have you see a real tall, I'm talking over seven foot, red head today?"
"I did!" the man said. "Kinda looked like that chic from Saving Atlas on TV. She was built too! Had a bikini on, and wow, did she ever look great! Seen her go down to the water, but by the time one of us got a break to get a picture she was gone. Nowhere around and she wasn't in the water."
"Where'd she go?" Jimmy asked.
The man shrugged. "Could have been picked up by a boat, but we didn't see any around near where she was."
The truck at the ramp drove up and off with the trailer. The man called, "Next, go on down!"
Mark was wondering where Sonya went also as they inched ahead towards the ramp. She didn't go buy one of these expensive boats they sold here, did she?
.
Sonya understood one thing right away as soon as she got in the water.
This was no place for mermaids. The water was noisy with all the boats coming and going, and some of them were running around fast. All this boat motion also churned up the water and the bottom, making visibility limited. If water had a city, she was sure she found it. Seeing posts in the water, she did find the pier. By the boat right over her head drifting out, this had to be the pier beside the boat launch. She swam over to hug a post and climb up it to peek above the water. Her nose out of the water, she also noted this area smelled like burnt gasoline. She was never going come here to swim for fun! She moved to the end post and watched boats go in, and waited for Mark and his family to show up.
.
They finally got they turn to float their boat. Mark got on the boat as Jimmy backed it in. Floating now, he started the motor then pulled the lever up to raise the wheels, then when Jimmy got the tow bar off the truck, he retracted it. He pulled back to the end of the pier and waited as Jimmy parked the truck. A worker on the pier helped him tie up next to the ladder.
"Hey, Mark!" a voice whispered to him from the water.
That sounded like Sonya. Looking down, he saw her near a post under the pier as she waved at him.
"Sonya, what are you doing? The ladder on is in the front, come on up here." he told her.
Sonya whispered, "I got a surprise for Cindy, it's not safe to swim here, so tow me out if you would."
"Yeah it's not safe! You could get run over," Mark said, "Get up here."
"Mark? Could you help with the cooler?" Darleen's voice asked.
Sonya disappeared into the water. Mark looked, but she was gone. He reached up and got the cooler into the boat.
As they loaded up, Mark kept a watch out for Sonya. She didn't show herself again. He looked down the sides and back before he started the motor up again. "Jimmy, check the front to be sure nothing's there," he said.
"I'll do it!" Cindy cried with a hand in the air. Leaning on the rails she said, "Nothing here Uncle Mark!"
Mark hit the starter, praying Sonya wasn't under the boat. Hearing no scream and seeing no blood in the water, he moved out slowly. He took a look behind them. There were no body pieces floating on the water.
"Mark, what are you looking for?" Jimmy asked as he got the grill set up.
Mark frowned. "Just thought I saw something."
Darleen brought him a beer and cracked it open for him. "I'm sorry Sonya didn't come," she said.
"She's here, someplace," Mark told her quietly.
"We can scan the shores and look for her," Darleen offered. "You did see her car here, right?"
"I don't think she's on the shore," Mark said quietly. "I saw her under the pier. She wanted me to tow her out. She was in the water."
Casting him and odd look, she asked, "Why? With all the boats, that's a dangerous place to be swimming!"
"Yeah." Mark agreed. While the sped boats and cabin cruisers headed out for mid lake, Mark took a less traveled route to sail only a hundred yards or so off shore.
"LOOK!" Cindy screamed as she pointed off to the left near the boat. she then yelled, "I saw one! I saw a mermaid!"
Her parents hurried to the left side to look. Jimmy scrutinized the water. "Hon, you just saw a big fish."
"I don't see anything," Darleen said.
Mark was looking that way now. Motion caught his attention. A long dark form raced along beside the boat, coming shallow fast. It jumped out of the water just ahead of the boat in a perfect dolphin like jump, arms in front. The Mermaid had long red hair. He saw that before it plunged back into the water and out of sight ahead of them.
"A MERMAID!" Cindy cried in joy, pointing there the form had gone.
"I'll be damned," Jimmy whispered as he stared at the spot.
"SEE DAD, I WAS RIGHT!" Cindy cried in joy at the top of her lungs. Face shining in joy, she turned and said, "Uncle Mark, follow her!"
Mark was flabbergasted. "How?" Red hair, just like Sonya's, but that couldn't be her, could it? "how?" he asked again to no one. She was made of metal, and heavy. Wouldn't she sink to the bottom?
Up ahead, the mermaid jumped straight into the air, did a flip and dove back in head first.
"Up there, follow her!" Cindy cried, jumping up and down in her excitement.
Wow, that certainly did look like Sonya, only a couple feet longer. Then Mark remembered, nine and a half feet. That's what Sonya said. That mermaid did look about that long.
"Was that Sonya?" Darleen asked.
"Looks like it," Mark agreed.
"Really?" Cindy asked, eagerly. "That was Sonya? She IS a mermaid?"
Everyone was looking off the front of the boat. From the side, Sonya called, "Hi everyone", and waved.
They all turned to see her swimming along side the boat not far away. When Cindy ran over to the right side Sonya pointed to her. "You found me out!"
"YES!" Cindy cried happily, clenching both fists as she raised them up. Jimmy and Darleen just stared at her.
Mark noted while swimming on her side, Sonya was tipped up some, one arm out as her tail moved quickly. She was making her own wake, keeping up with the boat. "Sonya, you are amazing. How do you swim so fast?" he asked.
Sonya winked. "You really energized me, baby!" she said with a grin.
"But, how?" Jimmy asked, "And that jump. That's not humanly possible!"
"Dad, Sonya's not human, she's a mermaid!" Cindy chided.
"If I hadn't seen it, I never would have believed it," Darleen said.
"If you want a fish, give me a sharp pole," Sonya told them.
Mark shrugged. "We don't have one."
"A big hook maybe?"
"Fresh fish does sound good," Darleen said. "We don't have anything to catch one though."
"Open the gate on the front, I'll be back shortly," Sonya said, turned on her back and disappeared into the depths with a flip of her tail.
Mark cut the motor. "Jimmy, I think you better get the grill going."
Cindy then ran over to Mark. "Uncle Mark, you are soooo lucky! Your girlfriend is a mermaid!" she gushed.
"Yes, Sonya is many things, and very special," he agreed.
Since they were drifting down to a stop, Mark helped Jimmy light the grill. Cindy was in front, looking over the side. Darleen got out the sharp knives and got another beer. She put a flat pan on top of the food cooler. She then asked, "How is Sonya going to catch a fish, when she had nothing to catch it with?"
"She's a mermaid Mom," Cindy said, "She probably does this all the time. Her she comes!"
A couple seconds later, Sonya shot up out of the water, grabbed a rung on the ladder with one hand. In the other she had a big lake trout by the gill, she flopped it onto the deck. "Lunch!" she announced.
"Damn, that's a nice one," Jimmy said, eyeing the fish that had to be two feet long it it was an inch.
"26 inches," Sonya said, lifting herself up to the deck on her elbows. She crossed her arms like she was lying her arms on a table. "That should be some good munching."
Mark went over and offered her his hand to help her up.
Sonya shook her head. "I can't stand or walk like this," she said.
"She's in the water, Uncle Mark, she doesn't have legs," Cindy explained.
Sonya chucked. "I'm fine for now. Just sit here with me."
Mark sat down on the deck by her with his back to the railing. "Got any more surprises for me?"
Sonya frowned in thought, then said, "You haven't seen me run as fast as I can yet."
Mark laughed. "Let me guess, can you catch the Road Runner?"
Sonya giggled. "I don't know, it would be fun to try."
Cindy sat down on the other side of Sonya. "Do you normally swim here?" she asked.
"Oh no!" Sonya replied. "The small lake is much better. Here the noise of the boat engines is loud, they kick up the silt making the water cloudy, and some of them being so fast, I'm afraid of getting run over when I come near the surface. I came here today just because you were."
Jimmy tried to cut into the fish, it flopped violently. Sonya chuckled at him. "It's still alive, wait until it stops moving," she suggested.
"Sonya? Doesn't the small lake have alligators?"Cindy asked.
"It does," She agreed. To Mark, she said, "By the way, that alligator came back again. Somehow, it got over the fence and into the yard. Cameron and Delilah had to toss it back out."
"That is one stubborn alligator," Mark agreed. "How big is this fence?"
"Four feet chain link. They are trying to figure out how it did that."
Jimmy poked the fish again, it flopped around a little more.
"Excuse me," Mark said, and go up to help Jimmy.
"Why is there an alligator in your yard?" Cindy asked. "Is it trying to eat someone?"
"Joan fed it, so now it keeps coming back for more food," Sonya explained. "One time not long ago, she went swimming and it followed her. Joan jumped in Bob's boat with him and his mother, That's when Joan realized it was following, it was right behind the boat."
Mark chuckled, "They get a little nervous?'
"More than a little," Sonya said with a grin.
"Is Joan a mermaid too?" Cindy asked intently.
Sonya nodded.
"Dad, can we go out on the small lake?" Cindy asked in a plea.
.
Joan sat and watched the alligator on the other side of the fence. Sooner or later, it was going to try to come back into the yard, and she was going to find out how it did that. JJ and Louise went for a bike ride on their 4 wheeled bike for another test, Jackie went to town with Delilah and John to go buy fishing gear. Cameron came out in the yard to see Joan sitting motionless, watching the motionless alligator.
Joan, why don't you go do something?" Cameron asked.
"Mom, I want to see how he's getting in."
Cameron sat down by her. "Hon, you are becoming obsessed with that alligator. Go for a swim, go visit Bob or Allison."
Joan frowned. "If he gets back in then you'll have to kick him out again."
"And if you keep sitting here, he might try harder to get in. Go do something. As soon as you're grounded again, you can sit here all day." Cameron told her.
Joan looked at her mother. "I'm going to be grounded again?"
"It's inevitable," Cameron assured her.
.
Allison rode her bike, headed up to Big Me's house to see what trouble Joan had gotten herself into recently. She was liking being able to ride along and not have to worry too much about cars. There were some things here she had to get used to. The boots were for protection against snakes. Taking a walk, she'd see a small rattlesnake and an ugly looking lizard, so she knew the need for wearing boots. The wide brimmed hat also kept the sun off her, and if it rained, the rain didn't get in her face. If felt weird wearing her 9mm everywhere, but knew that was for protection also. This was wild country. She was loving it, but knew there was danger here also.
Up ahead she saw JJ and Louise on their two person bike coming this way. They waved to each other. Coming close, they stopped.
"Hey Allison!" JJ and Louise chorused.
"Hey guys. Where's Joan, going to see Bob?" Allison asked.
JJ said, "Naw, she's watching the gator."
Louise grew a smirk. "Joan is waiting for it to get back in the yard again so she can see how he's doing it."
"Joan and that gator," Allison said, grinning. "Hasn't she been grounded for feeding it?"
"I was too," Louise said, "But after once, I learned my lesson."
Allison giggled. "Joan hasn't?"
"No, she keeps messing with it," Louise said. "She went to see Bob, and it followed her."
"Now it follows her around," JJ said. "Our Moms had to toss it out of the yard again. Building the fence didn't keep it out like they thought it would."
"So, Joan's got a new friend?" Allison asked with a grin.
"Yeah, with long jaws and big teeth. With it snaps it's mouth shut, it's loud," Louise said.
JJ extended both his arms in front of him, one above the other, then slapped them together as he said, "ker SNAP!"
Back the way JJ and Louise had come, a shot sounded out, and the squeal of pigs sounded. then there was another shot.
They decided to go look. Turning around, JJ followed Allison as she pedaled on.
Following where the sound came from, they found Joan in the road, dragging a large pig to the side.
"Need pork?" Allison called.
"Hi Allie!" Joan called back. "I got the mother and one piglet, the others ran off down towards the lake."
"But why? We got tons of pig meat," Louise said.
"The Sheriff told us they want all the wild pigs gone," Joan reminded her. "Plus, this will be meat for the alligator."
"How are you going to get it home?" JJ asked.
Joan looked at her bike, then theirs. "There's room on the back of your bike," she said.
"Oh no!" Louise stated. "We don't want any bloody pigs on our bike!"
Joan looked over at Allison. Allison raised her hands up. "Me either, I didn't shoot them."
"Just drag it into the woods and leave it. Something will come eat it," JJ said.
Joan let out a huff, then dragged the pig back across the road and into the brush. She then grabbed the little one by a back leg and said, "At least I'll take this one to throw over the fence to the alligator."
"Yeah, feed your buddy," Allison said with a smirk.
"He's not my buddy," Joan grumbled.
"Not a boyfriend, right?" Allison asked. "Bob would get jealous."
Joan stuck her tongue out at her.
They rode back to their house, Joan holding the dead piglet by it's leg. Turning into the driveway, they heard a piglet squeal in terror. It was coming from down by the lake. Shortly after that, another terrified squeal sounded.
Hearing someone running, they stopped. A piglet ran onto the driveway. Behind it, Cameron raced up and kicked it to fly high in an arc as it squealed out. She ran after it.
"What's Mom doing?" Louise asked. They all pedaled after her to see.
They got down to the house to see the piglet bounce and roll to a stop in the front yard. The alligator was half on the dock. Cameron kicked the little pig again to sail right at the alligator. The pig's squealing was stopped abruptly by the SNAP of the alligator's jaws. The alligator dropped back into the water with his prize and went under.
"Mom! What are you doing?" JJ cried.
Cameron turned to them. She stared for a few seconds then said, "Keeping the pigs out of the yard."
"By feeding the alligator?" Allison asked. "Didn't Joan get it trouble for that?"
Cameron paused again, then said, "That was not intentional. He just happened to be there."
Allison burst out laughing.
"But, you kicked the pig into the yard," Joan noted.
"Yes ... because it was headed there anyway. I just helped it along," Cameron explained, then headed into the house.
"I wonder if that was how soccer was started," Joan wondered. The other kids laughed at her.
.
Putting the pontoons together, there were hundreds of fat rivets to put into all the holes Sonya had made. First was strips of silicone sealant down the edges on both sides of the holes, before she began using the pop-rivet gun to rivet the sides together. The pontoons were not perfectly round. The four foot wide sheets when curled up, had a wide gap along the tops. To cover this gap, a ten foot long section of aluminum flat sheet was folded on the edges to match the upper curve of the rest pf the pontoon. This flat sheet had a 2X6 attached to it. The 2X6 was a 18 inches short of the 'front, and extended past the end of the ten foot pontoon section. The rear section, the other ten foot long curved piece, fit onto the overhanging 2X6.
Sonya found getting the second curved piece on took time and was a little frustrating to get it lined up correctly with the first piece and the 2X6 with the top flat piece on it. Luckily, Mark had a break and came out to help her line things up.
"Wow, you got far on this by yourself," Mark said.
Sonya cast him a crooked grin. "I'm a working machine."
Mark chuckled. "You know, Cindy can't wait for Sunday. She's already told all her friends about Mermaid Sonya, they want to see pictures."
Sonya pop-riveted the last hole holding the two pontoon pieces together. "A video maybe?" she asked.
"OH, she'd love that," Mark agreed. "Let me show you how to fold the end up here."
He put a 36" wooden circle in the end by tapping it in place directly below the end of the 2X6. Takin the foam can he foamed both sides of the wooden circle in place. Then flattened the sides of the end of the pontoon to form a vertical flat edge on the front. Pointing the the inside edges, he said, "Silicone the crap out of it, then put the rivets in right away. Don't worry if the silicone squishes out. After it cures, we'll trim off any excess on the outside. This has to be well sealed on the inside."
"Yes, dear," Sonya replied.
"I better get back in. Joe's charging you fifty an hour for me to be out here working on this."
Sonya cupped the back of his neck and said, then give me a $25 dollar kiss."
Mark chuckled. "As my lady wishes."
Sonya loved working on this boat
.
By the end of the day, with help from Mark as he was able to, both pontoons were done with the back vertical flats having stainless steel piano hinges bolted in between the flats. There were for hooking the rudders on later. After work, Mark and Sonya got the pontoons up on supports, level and squared with each other spaced 11 feet apart.
This time, Mark was coming home with her to have dinner with her family. they got in the Excursion and went to Mark's house first so he could get a set of clothes for tomorrow. He was staying overnight.
.
Allison's new tail was here, so she had to go take a swim. Joan and Jackie went with her. Louise decided to brave a swim in the lake also. Since Louise was coming, they girls didn't take off fast, but went easier to stay near Louise. Louise swam mostly on the surface but did do a few short, shallow dives to practice holding her breath.
"You're doing good, Louise!" Joan complimented, swimming on her back.
"Yeah few more times and we can race!" Jackie beamed.
Swimming on the surface on her belly, Allison looked up. "Louise, if you're doing OK, I see Bob's boat over there!" she said and pointed. Joan dove under and swam hard.
.
Bob had met a boy his age in town who wanted to go fishing in the small lake, but didn't have a boat. He heard there were plenty of big fish there because no one every fished that lake.
Bob took him out. Harold was thrilled. He brought his pole and tackle box. He also tried out the big 8 inch long lure he had.
"Wow." Bob asked, "Going for alligators?"
"Dad said only big fish will grab this lure. I want to see if it will catch anything," Harold told him.
Bob shrugged. "Give it a try. You fish off the front, I'll fish off the back."
They fished for a while. Bob got a hit and had to fight the walleye in, then use the net to get it into the boat. He measured it before putting it in the holding tank. "27 inches," he said with a grin.
"Nice! I hope I get something that big," Harold said. He tossed his lure out and let it sink for a while before starting to reel it in slow. The pole bowed. He thought he had something, but it was his pole and the boat was moving, not his line. "Man! I got a snag," he grumbled.
"Hang on, I'll reel this in and move the boat, maybe we can free it," Bob told him.
Harold was waiting for bob, then his line moved closer to the front. "Bob, Wait, the line's moving! I DO got something!" His pole then bend down hard. "Whoa! It's BIG!"
Harold was then jerked towards the front of the boat. The boat moved forward.
"Bob, you see this!" Harold cried.
Bob did. Whatever he had was big enough to move the boat. "You probably got a gator, Harold. We'll try to force it up."
The brake on Harold's reel began to pay out line. "It's pulling faster!"
Bob rowed, watching Harold's line. His reel whined, paying out line, then stopped and the line moved to the right. Bob turned the boat, the line went taunt again. Harold turned and pulled, gripping his pole hard. "are gators this fast?" Harold asked.
"No, it's not a gator," Bob replied. He did see the pull of the line was turning the boat around. "Damn, whatever it is, it's big."
The line slacked some, Harold reeled in fast. "I see a shadow, it's gotta be five feet long!" Harold said excitedly.
Bob looked over the side. As the shadow got closer, he groaned, "Oh no."
"Get the net ready!" Harold cried.
"You don't have fish, you caught a girl," Bob told him.
"What?" Harold asked, looking at Bob.
The line went slack, Joan surfaced and grabbed the edge of the boat and tossed the lure in. Beaming at Bob, she asked, "Now you caught me, what ya gonna do with me?"
Bob pointed to Harold. "He caught you, not me."
Harold was staring at her tail, moving back and forth in the water. "Holy SHIT!" he squeaked.
"Joan, this is Harold, Harold, Joan." Bob said.
Joan frowned. "Bob! you were supposed to catch me."
"Sorry," he offered. "You alligator didn't follow you, did he?"
"Nope." She pushed herself up to look over the boat, then said, "But Allison, Jackie and Louise did." To Harold, she said, "Sorry, Harold, you can't keep me. I'm already Bob's."
"That's not fair," Harold said blankly.
"Hey Bob, got anything yet?" Allison called from the other side. Harold turned to see three more girls swimming towards them, flukes of their tails intermittently splashing behind them.
"Finally caught Joan?" Jackie asked. They all giggled.
"Mermaids are real?" Harold asked blankly.
"Of course not!" Joan told him. "We're just figments of your imagination." Seeing some line on her, she let go of the side to pick it off. "Hang on, I'm tangled up here," she said. Pulling line off her, she put it in the boat. She kept putting more line in the boat until the llne she had in her hand went straight to Harold's pole.
Louise announced, "I'm getting a little tired, I'm heading back."
"Hey Bob! Give her a ride?" Allison asked.
"Yeah! Give us all a ride!" Jackie announced.
"What?" Bob asked, looking at their expectant faces. "You won't fit!"
"Awww, please?" Allison asked with a pout.
"I sit by Bob!" Joan announced. She dropped down then came up fast to turn and sit by Bob. "Move over a bit," she chided.
"But..." Bob complained as he moved over.
Louise came over to grab the other side. Joan coaxed, "Kick had and pull, turn as you come up."
She did and managed to get her butt partway in the edge. Allison and Jackie helped push her on. Jackie swam around to the other side and jumped up onto the middle seat. Allison launched herself up to sit by Harold. "Move over a bit," she chided.
Harold did, staring at her.
"Joan, I only have one oar on this side." Bob told her.
"That's OK, I only got one, let's row!"
Working out their coordination in a fit of giggles, they did manage to row towards their house, but the path was far from straight.