The next morning Skipper let Gilligan sleep in as he quietly joined the others.
"How is he?" Mr Howell asked.
Skipper sighed. "We were up most of the night. He couldn't get to sleep." He smiled at the Professor. "He told me the merman story you told him."
Roy nodded. "Actually I have an idea that just might help Gilligan."
"We're all ears Professor," Mary Ann said looking hopeful.
"The story I told him was about a wizard meeting a merman and how they spend a day in each other's worlds. As you can guess Gilligan was the merman. The wizard represented myself and with it I was able to convey the importance of his survival...even making Kinkaid to be a shark and having the merman defeat him." He smiled a bit. "I have an idea. What if we all wrote a story with Gilligan as the merman and encountering everyone. I already have mine. In it we can essentially tell Gilligan what he's done for us and why we have all grown to care so much for him since we began our island exile. You all can be whoever you want but Gilligan must remain the merman."
Ginger smiled. "That's a wonderful idea!"
"Once finished I'll bind the stories together and we can present it to him for him to keep and read as many times as he likes whenever he feels depressed again and thinks he is unloved and unimportant," the Professor said and was delighted to see all of them agreeing and thinking up their own stories. He smiled. "In mine I essentially told him how I saw him: as a younger brother. All of you make sure you create a page just for the title and leave room for an illustration. I will be more than happy to sketch out a scene."
They nodded before going their separate ways.
The Skipper sneaked into his hut and over to his sea chest before pulling out his Captain's Log book. Feeling sentimental he opened it to the cover and smiled softly at the inscription.
"Skipper,
Every captain needs a logbook to record his adventures!
First Mate Gilligan"
He stood up and looked at the young man still asleep in the hammock as he wondered what kind of story he could write. His own first encounter with his first mate had been when the new recruits had boarded. His first close encounter had been when Gilligan had saved his life. The captain then turned to the picture on the wall of the two of them smiling at the camera. His own smile grew as an idea hit.
Skipper grabbed his fishing pole before going to the lagoon. Once he cast off and set it down beside him Skipper began to write.
"Once upon a time there was a ship's captain that sailed the seven seas with his crew. He was a good captain and knew the seas well. His crew respected and feared him but no one made an offer to befriend him because of his gruff exterior. One day a terrible storm hit and sent the ship tossing and turning. The captain ordered his crew to abandon ship when a candle fell and set the ship of fire. Unfortunately the lifeboat didn't have room so the captain chose to go down with the ship."
Skipper checked his line but there was no bite. He continued.
"The flame hit the powder kegs and the ship blew up. The captain landed hard in the water and began to sink knowing that it was the end of him. All of a sudden he saw a young merman swim up and grab his arm before swimming with all his might to the surface. Once they broke the surface the captain coughed and sputtered as the merman pushed him towards a floating plank of wood. The merman asked the captain if he was alright before he began to tow him to the nearest land saying that he had a friend that he knew could help. At one point the captain looked beneath the water and saw the merman's tailfin had been torn and asked what had happened. The merman had said that when he had swam to save him something sharp from the ship had cut it. He reached into a bag he had and pulled out a broken bottle asking what it was."
The Skipper sat back and looked out to lagoon. His mind went back to the day Gilligan had saved his life. He remembered talking to him when he had come out of surgery. Most of all he remembered the strange connection he had felt with the boy as well as the new surge of protectiveness. Sure he could be a mother hen at times but Gilligan couldn't be left alone for five minutes without getting into some kind of trouble!
A chuckled escaped him and he shook his head. He'd had no time to get drunk and chase women and besides...what kind of example would that have been to Gilligan? In fact every time he even so much as thought about taking a drink that would send him over the edge he thought about Gilligan. The more time he spent with his first mate the more his heart healed from the war and his little buddy became his best medicine.
It was time Gilligan knew.
"The captain felt ashamed as he explained that it was a bottle of whisky. The merman hadn't known what that was and the captain was afraid to tell him. Sensing his unease the merman just shrugged and put it back in his bag before resuming his towing. As they traveled they talked and the captain found that he enjoyed the merman's company. As they neared land the captain was sad because he thought for sure he'd never see his new little buddy again. Once on shore the captain stood up and looked at the merman meeting his eyes. The merman's smile warmed him before he dove under water and swam away. The captain sat on the beach and watched him disappear before he was met by the wizard who knew instantly that he had come in contact with the merman. After recounting his story the wizard told him that the merman was a bit of a guardian of the sea and a dear friend to him. The captain asked if he ever came to shore. The wizard told him that yes, the merman visited every sunset and pointed to a rock that was close to the shore but still within the sea should he need to leave quickly. The captain told him about the tailfin and the wizard was concerned. They went into town to gather a bandage to try to help the merman before returning to shore to wait."
Skipper frowned as he remembered Gilligan's broken foot. His act of bravery had earned him a medal and a medical discharge. He remembered hearing the tail end of a conversation before the phone was slammed shut and he heard crying. One look had told him that something was horribly wrong.
"Are you alright Sailor?"
The eighteen year old kid looked up at him and wiped his eyes. "Yes sir."
Grumby frowned in concern as he made his way over to the hospital bed. Just three weeks prior this kid had shoved him out of the way of a fallen depth charge that would have killed him. "What is it Gilligan?"
The boy sighed. "It's my Dad. He's not coming to the ceremony."
Sympathy welled up in the officer's heart. "Working?"
"No he...he just doesn't want to. Said he's had it with me and my accidents. Told me not to come home because I'm too much of a burden."
He was speechless for a moment. "Is anyone coming?"
"My Mom with my brother and sister. I'm the baby of the family." He smiled a little but the sadness was still there. "I was hoping he'd be proud of me for a change. They sure are."
"I am," Jonas said placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm proud of you little buddy. You saved my life."
The shy smile he received warmed him and it made him look impossibly younger than he already was. It was then that Jonas Grumby made a decision that would impact his life for many years to come.
He poured out every drop of alcohol he owned and swore sobriety. This boy needed a father figure and it was his most important mission in his life to give him one.
Skipper looked back down at his story before continuing.
"Sure enough when the sun began to set the merman got on the rock and the wizard asked to see his tailfin. With an eyeroll he told them that it wasn't even hurt and the captain had to smile at the merman's annoyance. He did finally move his tail into their line of sight and the wizard looked at it. After a moment they bandaged in a way that wouldn't interfere with his swimming. The merman then pulled out a few items and asked the wizard what they were. The captain watched as the wizard explained what each was for. The fascination and wonder made the merman seem like more of a boy and the captain felt a sense of warmth towards him. The merman then turned to the captain and smiled in a way that melted his formerly cold heart before reaching into his bag and pulling out something saying that he'd found it in the ship's wreckage. It was a compass but not just any compass. The compass had belonged to his father before him. He had feared it lost forever and knew that he could never thank the merman enough for it's return. When the sun hit the water the merman bid them goodbye before returning to the sea. As they watched him go the captain looked at the compass and had to wonder if the needle pointing towards where the merman was heading was mere coincidence, magic, or a sign."
Skipper put down the book when the line started tugging and he pulled in a large bass. Once he got it off the hook he put it in his basket and shut the lid before casting off again. He picked up his book again and thought a moment.
"The next day the captain reunited with his crew and when he told them about the merman they thought he had gone mad. He returned to the beach and met with the wizard. WHen the wizard offered to turn them both into merpeople so they could visit him the captain was more than happy to do it. Once they received their fins they swam through the ocean. Luckily the wizard knew where the merman lived and lead him to a cavern. Inside the captain was amazed at all of the human things the merman had collected. The merman saw them and greeted them before showing them around his humble home. They then left and the merman showed his undersea world."
Skipper smiled as he added the next part. He'd always thought of this animal as Gilligan's spirit animal.
"At one point a family of dolphins swam up and around the merman playing and nuzzling him affectionately. The merman happily joined in the games. The captain and wizard smiled as a baby dolphin went right up to him unafraid and the merman pet him. He looked up and told them that it was alright. He spoke to the dolphins and soon enough they were joined in the playfulness. It made the captain feel young again. When they returned to shore the captain went into town and bought a gift for the merman. That evening he placed a white sailor hat on the merman's head and pushed it back a bit letting his bangs show. He told the merman that if he ever wanted to sail on a ship then he'd hold a very important job on the ship. The merman's excitement made both human's chuckled. The next day the merman was turned human and he got to sail for the first time as the captain's first mate. The crew was surprised at their captain's change in demeaner. He was still gruff of course but he didn't seem so burdened. They quickly realized that it was this new sailor that had done something to change their captain and welcomed him among their crew. When it became night the crew couldn't help but stare as the boy's legs turned into fins. They turned to the captain and only seeing him grin at their surprise. The merman bid them goodbye and thanked them for the adventure before jumping off of the ship and into the sea. The captain looked over and watched as the merman swam away. From then on it wasn't uncommon for the merman to swim alongside of the ship or for them to hoist the merman on board where he would use his magic to change his fins into legs and become the well loved first mate. The captain grew to love the merman as if he were his own son and he promised protection for the rest of his days. The End."
The Skipper put the book away and once he caught enough fish he returned to camp seeing Gilligan awake and eating a small breakfast. "Hey Little Buddy. How are you feeling?"
Gilligan looked at him tiredly. "I'm ok."
Skipper sighed as he went over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about chores for awhile. Give yourself time."
The first mate only nodded before getting up and heading towards the jungle. The Skipper watched him go in worry before going to see the Professor. He tore out his story and gave it to him.
The Professor took it and read it. "Somehow I knew you'd have an ocean theme." His expression softened as he read it. "Gilligan really means a lot to you."
"More than he'll ever know. This story just scratches the surface."
"What's it called?"
He thought about it for a moment. "The Captain's Little Buddy."
The Professor nodded before sketching out a picture of Gilligan as the merman sitting on the rock and looking up out at the sea where a ship was sailing. He then added the story with his own in a small box and pushing it under his cot for safe keeping. He stood up and sighed. "How is he?"
"Tired and he barely ate anything." The Skipper said sighing as well. "I'm worried Professor."
"We all are Skipper. I assure you we all are. Just give him time. He'll bounce back but it will take time. Just be there for him."
"I plan to Professor. Believe me. I plan to."