Fishing

The chance of a life time, something I’d dreamed of since watching the movie “Splash”. I am attracted to the idea of mermaids and mermen, with so much of the earth covered in water, and yet so little that we can visit, a whole new world to be explored is just waiting.

Vacation in March, this year I’d decided to visit New Orleans. Having never been there before Katrina, I had a morbid fascination with what I would see, in addition to the usual reasons to see the city of jazz.

On the fourth day of my weeklong visit, I went out to tour the damaged areas. I found demolition, some rebuilding, and a few people still sorting out their belongings and lives, even a few yard sales. I stopped at many, talked with the host or hostess, and moved on. At dusk, as I made ready to go back to my motel, I stopped at one last one. Unknowingly attracted to some cheep Middle Eastern trinkets, I paused and decided to buy several as gifts for my family. I needed some thing to bring back for the kids.

Two days later, now at home, I’ve unpacked. What ever possessed me to select such gifts for the kids? Perhaps a bit of Brasso will make these look better, and indeed using the polish, I had shined up the pile of coins, knives, and knickknacks. With just the oil lamp left to go I paused, what if? No, I was not surprised when the trail of green vapors started to coalesce and take on the form of a short balding man in a green turban and robes.

After listening to his presentation, I asked him to wait, I needed to think this over, and bid him to return to his repository.

With three wishes, I could use two to try out mythical or otherworldly life forms and use the last to return to my own life.

I had taken my vacation alone due to differences between the children’s school year and the only availability left by my employer, but my wife and kids would be leaving to visit with her family on Easter break. Perhaps...

I started moving work schedules around to create a five day break, than I prepared.

At last the Easter week is here, unknownly the family has gone. I had set up and filled a swimming pool in the recreation room, brought in a supply of lobster and escargot, and called the Genie forth. I explained my first wish to become a mermaid and bid him to stay available for a follow on wish for my second choice.

As my body turned to vapor and reformed, I felt the emergence of breasts, fins, and tail, with a short travel through the air I splashed into water.

The view was all wrong, I was submerged, the waterlogged world around me seemed immense, with bridges, treasure chests, water plants and rocks, I knew this was not the pool. There were large fish here with me, as large as I am, Oh... The children’s gold fish.

Water logged and small, my calls to the genie, go unheard, he is free until all wishes are granted, and I am here.

P.S. the picture shown is from issue #41 of tsat, as found at http://tsat.transform.to/i.41/index.41.html