Surface Tensions

by Jordan, G R

  "So, Hayley, is it the sauna and steam room we're going to use?" asked Tommy. Hayley giggled.

  "Actually, Tommy," said Kiera, "could we use the pool too?"

  "The pool? Heck Kiera, that's a lot of work getting it ready. The safety covers on it and everything."

  Blast, thought Kiera, he's not going to go for this. Think girl. Think. We're going to need that pool ready for Donald's arrival. There'll be no point having a stand up argument whilst holding a mermaid. Then an idea entered her mind. Ah…I know, thought Kiera, suppressing a smile.

  "But skinny dipping's better in a pool, Tommy. Don't you think?" She really did think he was going to faint. His jaw dropped, and Kiera could see him questioning if she really had just said that.

  "Kiera!" said Hayley.

  "What's the matter?" asked Kiera. "Once he sees that bikini, he's going to want more. Come on Tommy, you ready to go kit off?"

  "Yes …yes, definitely, sure…the pool, no problem Kiera, the pool." Tommy looked at Hayley in terrified hope.

  "Go on lover, get it ready," laughed Hayley. "We'll get changed, and I'll pour some wine. No point going half-ers on a night like this."

  Kiera breathed a sigh of relief as Tommy almost ran to sort the pool out. Grabbing Kiera by the arm, Hayley gave her a cheeky look and dragged her towards the changing rooms. There were no lights on and Kiera at times thought she could see things moving in the dark. Part of her kept remembering Alyssa, in her exposed state being attacked, and a little trepidation crept in as they neared the cubicles.

  Hayley, on the other hand, was bouncing with excitement. She removed two bottles of bubbly from her bag before cursing under her breath.

  "What's up?" asked Kiera.

  "No glasses. Damn, I had this all planned."

  "Like he's going to notice the lack of glassware. Get in there and come out stunning."

  Kiera forced an encouraging smile, hoping Hayley didn't see her worry underneath. Donald still hadn't called. When they had been out that day, she received several voice messages left by various news outlets. This would be the worst time for them to look for an interview.

  Changing out of her sweats, Kiera was quickly in her bikini. She hadn't worn it before, purchased by her older sister for a holiday she was booked on with both of her siblings. At the time, she thought it was outrageous and had no intentions of wearing it, preferring to hide herself in a swimsuit. As it happened, her younger sister broke her leg two weeks beforehand and they had cancelled, and so far hadn't rescheduled. The heating in the centre had been switched off now for three hours and there was definite chill across her skin as she undressed. Stepping out of the cubicle, her phone started to ring.

  "Donald, where are you?"

  "Got trouble, Kiera. I just spent the last hour fending off the press."

  "Is everything still okay?"

  "Yeah. So far. I told them I was going home, and you were at your uncle's."

  "But he's dead. Well, Uncle Declan is, as for Seamus, he's in Canada."

  "Kiera, I didn't actually think you would be going to them. Was just trying to get these clowns off out tail."

  "Oh yeah, sorry."

  "I may be a while, but I am coming. It's too hot for her to stay here. Keep them occupied for me."

  "Is that Donald?" asked Hayley emerging from her cubicle.

  "Yes," replied Kiera, then sunk into silence as Hayley's full figure came into view. All Kiera could think was how she was going to keep Tommy sorting out the pool once he saw Hayley. She was practically ready to skinny dip as it was.

  "Hand him over," instructed Hayley. Before she could argue Hayley had grabbed the phone, placed an arm around Kiera and set the device up to take a selfie of the pair of them. A few presses later and an image was on its way to Donald.

  "Donald, it's Hayley."

  "Oh, right. Hi there Hayley."

  "Did you get the image?"

  "No. Oh hang Hayley. Just in. Oh….."

  "Like it Donald? Donald…do you like it?"

  "Yeah, well…wow. I mean both of you, wow. Well, obviously Kiera mainly. Not that you don't look…but yeah, wow."

  "Get here, Donald, she's hot for you!" Hayley laughed as Kiera grabbed the phone back.

  "Donald, you there?" asked Kiera.

  "Yes Kiera. Here."

  "Good. Just get here. I'll be…here." This was tricky now Hayley was listening. She figured Hayley probably could only hear her half of the conversation, but Donald didn't realise this.

  "Okay, Kiera. Be as quick as I can, but no promises."

  "Be quick. Please"

  "Sure. Oh and Kiera. I so wish I didn't have a mermaid with me. You look so beautiful. Wow, girl. Just wow. Bye."

  "Bye." Kiera took the phone from her ear and smiled to herself. I wish so too Donald. I wish so too.

  14

  Handling the Livestock

  They had seen her on the rocks, fifty meters from their boat. Although it was dark, the moonlight caught her pale skin against the rich, red hair. Swishing occasionally behind her, the tail was as evident as the subtle song she was singing. The captain thought it was reminiscent of the whale sounds on the wild life programme but was somewhat softer and higher pitch. For the last thirty minutes, they had stared silently from the boat, caught up in a wondrous mix of sheer disbelief in her appearance and captivation of her form.

  Times had been hard for the master of the small fishing boat. Indeed, he was out checking creels late this evening out of pure desperation. The bank manager had warned him that his overdraft would be recalled unless some signs of positive growth of his "business" were shown. Business! This was his livelihood, this was his passion. All he had ever known was the sea and its bounty, just as his father and grandfather had known. All of them had known fallow times, but these last few years were the worst ever, and the threat of looking for something on-shore was now becoming a reality. Well, the sea may take him before that happened.

  But instead, she had been gracious. Once again she had opened up her depths to provide him with a catch to sustain one who worshipped daily at her tides. The mermaid before him would provide not just a monetary solution but would guarantee him fame like his forefathers had never known. All that stood between him and preservation was the catch. For the last half hour, he had been pondering on how to bring in this beauty.

  At first, he thought he could simply kill her. On board, he had a small rifle, and he thought about letting go a shot to the head. Would any of the vultures he would present her to really be bothered that their meat wasn't alive? The taste of observing the unknown would be sated either way. But the thought of a missed shot combined with denying his skill as a fisherman, made him give up on that course. No, he would catch her, net her and present a live specimen for all to marvel at. In the morning light at the harbour's edge in front of the world's press, he would have his glory.

  The small mackerel was bait on the large hook, hanging from his hand and the boat drifted silently closer. She seemed unaware of their presence with the wind blowing away from them and continued her song until a small fish landed beside her. Whether from curiosity, hunger, or foolishness, the mermaid immediately picked up the fish and bit into it. A large hook emerged through her cheek and her song changed to a wail.

  "Quick boys, pull her in. She may rip her own cheek to escape."

  Pulling hard against them, the mermaid fought to latch onto the rocks. Her powerful tail flapped uselessly on the dry surface and there seemed to be a lack of muscular definition in her resisting arms. Quickly she fell backward and was dragged into the water.

  The men in the boat were almost dragged overboard as the resistance increased. The line was tied to the wheelhouse of the boat and looped around the largest deckhand who was a balding figure, some six foot two in height and sported a bushy beard. The other charge was holding on in this grim tug of war, gloves protecting his hands from rope burns, and feet planted against the boat's edge. The Captain stood at the front, surveying the dark
waters for signs of his catch and directing when to pull and when to release.

  The boat was dragged toward the rocks, making the Captain fear for its breaching, but then the mermaid turned towards the open sea and began to pull the boat out. All three men were astounded at the speed with which the boat left the small inlet they had found her in and began to panic. The thought of the mermaid diving deep and tipping the boat worried the Captain, and he decided to throw out the anchor behind him. There was no difference for the first half minute. Then the anchor caught and the boat's manoeuvres came to a sudden halt and the tension in the line grew harder.

  "Let her fight boys, let her fight. She'll tire in a moment and then we'll pull her in."

  It was four minutes before there was any slackness in the line. The Captain remained focused, for on sight of the mermaid's momentary rest, he yelled at his boys to pull, and pull hard. Slowly the line came, and they dragged her in. There were brief moments of parity, but she was losing—she was caught and her doom complete. The Captain smiled, watching his crew reel in, his status and livelihood renewed.

  There was no warning. It just leapt out of the water in front of the boat on the Captain's right hand side. A tail caught him powerfully about the face, and his hat sailed into the dark. He spun and collapsed to the deck. There was a brief moment of spasm, but then he lay motionless. Before the crew could react another tailed figure leapt from the water into the boat impacting the bald anchor man in the chest. He pummelled backward, cracking his head off the boat's edge. The final member of the crew ran from the creature now lying in the boat. It had a mermaid's tail but of a larger size. There was long black hair flowing from its head, but there were no mammary glands on the chest, instead sporting the translucent skin the female creatures had and faint, almost see-through, scales. The crewman ran from his first merman.

  Racing into the wheelhouse, he grabbed the rifle before returning to the deck with it fully loaded. The merman was writhing on the floor attempting to haul himself along the deck. Watching him carefully, the crewman walked up slowly behind him. The merman managed to place a hand on the boats edge but was unable to haul himself over. His rifle raised, the crewman blew his shock, anger, and vengeance through the merman's head, the boat's side and into the water. The fishing line, previously treasured, made its way out of the boat until it bucked hard caught around the wheelhouse. The line went tight several times before eventually becoming slack. Sitting down and curling himself up on the deck, the crewman never noticed.

  ***

  Donald sat in the old, blue Astra and watched the car park closely. For five minutes he had seen no one but then a late night reveller had crossed the tarmac. Stumbling about in a drunken fashion, the man had come perilously close to the car before swerving away at the last minute to disappear at the far end of the car park.

  It would have been ironic, thought Donald, to get caught by some random lackey after avoiding those press bloodhounds.

  The reporters from the nationals were more persistent than the local reporters who showed at least some respect for the privacy of those involved in events. It had helped that Donald had grown up with some of the local ones and had promised them a fuller report in the morning. But the mainland hacks had remained, and with it, the prospect of missing the rendezvous at the pool to assess the mermaid's progress.

  Time had marched on, and they hadn't left, pushing Donald into extreme measures. An idea had come to him, brought to mind by some long forgotten gangster movie. It was mad, but also so obvious it might work.

  Kiera had a lot of photographic equipment and also the luggage to carry it. Immersed in her photography room, Donald was taken aback by the quality of her work. Not that he was an expert, but it certainly seemed inventive and entertaining. Maybe he was biased though, after all he was deeply interested in the artist. Donald only hoped she would forgive his intrusion into her tools.

  The trunk was quite large and seemed to hold stools and different boxes to make up shooting sets. "Portrait set-up" had been stamped on the side, and as Donald unpacked, he found the contents beginning to fill the room, unable to recreate the configuration they had in the trunk. But the luggage was adequate, possibly roomy, the premise tested by Donald from inside. All that remained was to test the mermaid's co-operation.

  He had gently coaxed the mermaid into looking at the box by throwing some fish into it. In a complicated mess of English and sign language, backed up with some "fish sounds", Donald explained his plan. The mermaid showed no comprehension or rebuke, preferring to stare at the fish in the trunk. Donald then tried to make a grab for the mermaid and to lift her but was treated to a loud shriek in his ear. With the reporters still outside, he dropped her instantly back into the bath. She went silent almost right away, much to his relief. This would be more difficult than anticipated.

  With a roll of carpet tape behind his back, he sat next to the bath watching the mermaid feed. After feeding, she was usually dopey, and he now thought this would be the best chance to execute his plan. Watching her closely, he saw her eyes close. Quickly he slapped some tape across her mouth. She panicked and twisted, making the tape slip. Donald countered by taking the roll and wrapping it right around her head and mouth. Her hands thrust up to stop him but he was able to subdue them easily and tape them behind her back.

  His mother had kept chickens and Donald remembered when they were moved, it was the best practice to keep them in the dark, as this seemed to make them calmer. Quite how this applied to fish, he wasn't sure, but he forced the logic to make that jump and taped a towel over her eyes. With the blind in place, the mermaid did indeed calm down although he thought her body still showed a nervousness. Time to pack her up.

  Looking back at this from the front seat of his car, Donald was amused at himself. He had forced the creature to be his captive without much remorse, believing it to be in her best interest. But lifting her into the trunk he had become uncomfortable, possibly embarrassed. Whilst not engaging in full sex, Kiera and Donald had become very intimate, and he felt awkward at the mermaid's bare breasts. There was a strange betrayal to Kiera by even observing them, and he felt compelled to throw a towel over her torso. As if in honour of Kiera, or maybe as a defence mechanism against thoughts about his captive, Donald took a moment to think about the evening ahead and of how Kiera would look when he arrived at the pool. A mix of hunger, pride, joy and excitement flowed through his mind and suddenly nothing could stop his task.

  Lifting the mermaid, he gently placed her into the trunk, before setting padding around her. It was a tight fit but he wanted to prevent her from moving and hurting herself. Quickly, he closed the clasps on the trunk and turned the container onto its end. There was a brief rustle inside and then calm. Donald entered the living room and crossed to the window, peering out from the darkened space. They were still there, and all his drive and excitement from dreaming of Kiera got destroyed. He needed help. That was when he decided to ring Kiera. With thoughts bouncing in his head about tapped phones, Donald decided to use his mobile and was relieved to see a single bar registering on the phone. At least something was in his favour. Usually it was a barely readable signal, useful for texting only.

  When Kiera had spoken, he was picked up again. When Hayley sent the picture, Donald was pumped. After all the madness of the previous night, Donald felt like he was on a wild adventure again with this glorious beauty at his side. Now, sitting in the car, he wondered if this was just a man's hyped up thoughts or was this what life actually is before the sceptics drag you back down? He didn't know, but she was glorious.

  Getting the trunk into the boot had been ridiculously easy. This had been his main worry, that his plan would be incredibly obvious. When asked what was in the trunk, he had laughed that it was Kiera's and who can tell what a woman takes with her. Throwing a small rucksack into the boot afterwards, he had commented how little a man took along. The reporters had laughed. Well, except for the tall, black-haired woman. To be fair, it was an ins
ult. And not one he would normally make.

  Scanning the car park, Donald reached a decision. The mermaid had been in the trunk long enough and he needed to get this night moving. Calmly, he got out of the car and approached the boot. Quickly, he gave a call to Kiera on her mobile. All was good. Donald opened the boot and found his knees starting to shake. Was it the mermaid, was it Kiera in her bikini, was it the whole crazy situation? Maybe it was this being the crux of it all, the first time they had shared their secret.

  Whatever, he was shaking.

  With the strength given by adrenalin, he carried the trunk over to the front door without a hint of struggle. Hayley opened the door looking bemused at Donald's luggage. Despite his rush, Hayley's state of dress didn't escape Donald. A brief involuntary check of her was broken up by the sound of Kiera's voice. Donald was dumbstruck as Kiera came up to kiss his cheek and embrace him. It was strange how he had seen her wearing even less before but the location and situation made this even more erotic. If he could choose his dreams, this would be on the menu.

  "What's in the case?" asked Hayley.

  "One moment," answered Donald breathlessly and brushed past her carrying the case with Kiera racing behind him. Hayley followed them to the edge of the pool which was uncovered. From the far end, Tommy ran down the side. All lights were off, but Tommy could see the bizarre trunk lying flat at the side of the pool.

  "What's that?" he asked.

  "Sorry guys but we had to get you here for this," said Donald and he unsnapped the clasps on the trunk.

  "Bloody hell," gasped Hayley, looking at the tied up mermaid.

  "Damn, Donald, now that's kinky," marvelled Tommy.

  15

  Private Pool

  "That's a mermaid," said Hayley.

  "Yes," said Donald, "and not a well one, which is why we need you."