Read Boy-Mermaid :: Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Bath-Time!

She dumped him heavily on the sofa like a sack of potatoes.

‘Ow!’

‘Oh, that didn’t hurt.’ She scolded.

‘What is this thing?’

‘It’s a sofa. I’m sure you have plenty in the ocean.’

Tuna began to bounce up and down.

‘It feels weird.’

‘Ugh.’

Sayu turned away from him, pulling out her phone and scrolling through the contacts, searching for her sister’s name.

‘Hello? Yeah………don’t worry he’s here.’

‘Who are you talking to?’ Tuna asked the back of Sayu’s head.

‘Please hurry’ Sayu said. ‘He’s really annoying. He wouldn’t shut up the entire way home. Yeah… k bye.’

‘Have you gone mad?’ Tuna asked.

Sayu hung up the call, turning back to him.

‘Melody’s on her way’ Sayu told him.

‘How do you know?’

‘I just spoke to her.’

This seemed to confuse Tuna, so he chose another approach.

‘Are you really Melody’s sister?’

‘Yes,’ Sayu replied. ‘I already told you.’

She moved across the small room, sitting in an empty armchair. Tuna took in her muscular frame again.

‘What did you say your name was again?’

‘It’s Sayu.’

‘You don’t look like Melody’s sister.’

‘Then what am I supposed to look like?’

‘I don’t know’ Tuna shrugged. ‘A little more like Melody I guess.’

‘Sometimes… people look different’ she answered shortly. ‘You should know.’

Tuna narrowed his eyes.

‘You don’t act like Melody either.’

‘Just because we’re sisters, doesn’t mean we’re anything alike.’

‘You don’t like her?’ Tuna murmured.

‘I never said that. God, you ask a lot of questions.’

‘That’s because I have a lot of questions.’

‘Well stop. Save it for when Melody gets here.’

Tuna stared at her for a few moments. Then asked another question.

‘How do you even know about me?’

*Heavy sigh* ‘My sister.’ Sayu raised an eyebrow, ‘She told me. Obviously.’

‘Oh.’

Tuna pouted his lips. He flopped his tail back and forth.

‘So how do you know Melody’s on her way?’

‘I just spoke to her’ Sayu replied.

‘How?’

Sayu leant forwards, eyes wide as she whispered dramatically.

‘Telepathy’ she said.

‘Oooohhhh,’ Tuna replied in fascination, his eyes growing wide too. ‘That’s ey-mei-zing…’

Sayu leant back in her seat, crossing her legs and folding her arms.

‘Are you suuuuuure you and Melody are related?’

‘Of course I am’ Sayu replied stoically. ‘I hope that isn’t a problem.’

‘Of course not. So when are you leaving?’

‘Leaving?’ Sayu let out a bark of laughter, a sound that Tuna found most unpleasant. ‘Why would I be leaving? This is my home.’

‘It is?’

‘Of course.’

Tuna’s attention slid away from Sayu then, and he took in his surroundings properly for the first time.

‘What is this place?’ he breathed.

‘I told you. It’s my home. Well… our home. Melody and I live here together.’

‘Ah’ Tuna said, continuing to look around him at the small living room, a tiny kitchen was through an open archway, and behind him was a narrow staircase, leading to bedrooms upstairs. ‘Gosh…um…’

Tuna made a peculiar expression, closing his eyes for a few seconds, before opening them again.

‘Are you ok?’ Sayu asked.

‘I … uh…… um….’ he let out a slow breath. ‘I just feel overwhelmed. This is all so strange.’

‘I’m sure it is’ Sayu replied, for the first time, a hint of tenderness was in her voice.

‘What is that over there?’ Tuna asked, pointing through the archway.

‘Um. We make our food in there.’

‘And what’s through the tunnel behind me?’

‘Tunnel? Uh ….’ Sayu faltered. ‘That is where we sleep. And we call that a corridor.’

‘Oh. Is it in a small place like here?’ Tuna asked, indicating the room they currently sat in, the living room.

‘Uh… I guess… yeah it is.’

‘It’s so close’ Tuna uttered, head bobbing back and forth. ‘I guess it must make you feel safe… I’ve never seen such smooth and oddly-coloured rocks before.’

Sayu glanced uncertainly towards the walls. It was an older home, a little out-dated in places. The wallpaper was pale-pink, with sunflowers dotted in random patterns.

‘Um…’ Sayu uttered.

‘I could see a human sleeping in here’ Tuna continued in a quiet voice, continuing to look around, examining everything he could from where he sat.

‘Where do you sleep?’ Sayu asked.

‘In the middle of the ocean floor.’

‘In the middle?’

‘Yes,’ Tuna nodded.

‘Isn’t that dangerous? What if a shark comes and tries to eat you?’

‘That would never happen’ Tuna said, laughing at the absurdity of the idea. ‘I can sense a shark coming from a long way away. They may be fast, but I can out-manoeuvre one easily. They couldn’t catch me, no matter how hard they might try.’

‘What about dangerous ocean currents?’

‘That would be no concern for me that far down. And besides, I’m a very strong swimmer.’

Tuna smacked his tail on the floor to emphasize his point.

‘Oh. Ok.’ Sayu wasn’t sure how else to answer.

‘Are you a strong swimmer?’ Tuna asked.

‘Yes,’ Sayu nodded. ‘Though I doubt I’m better in the water than you, I am an excellent runner.’

‘Well…’ Tuna smiled, ‘I wouldn’t be very good at that at all.’

Sayu smiled in return. ‘No, I guess you wouldn’t be.’

‘The only time I’ve really come up onto land’ Tuna reminisced, ‘is to see Melody.’

‘Right.’

‘I would sit with her’ Tuna smiled, ‘and she would sit with me… and tell me things… and give me strange, new and tasty foods.’

‘Hmm’ Sayu replied, as if she already knew this.

‘Where is Melody?’

‘She’s on her way here. I told you. Hey, I have a question.’

‘What is it?’

‘Can you breathe underwater at all?’

‘No’ Tuna shook his head. ‘I need air, like dolphins and orcas.’

‘But you sleep deep underwater.’

‘I can hold my breath for a very long time.’

‘How long?’ Sayu asked curiously.

‘Long enough for me to get enough rest.’

‘I guess mermaids don’t have the same concept of time as we do. How long is an hour?’

‘What’s an hour?’

‘Never mind’ Sayu waved him away.

‘I have a question’ Tuna asked, echoing her tone from moments earlier.

‘What is it?’

‘What’s a telepathy?’

Sayu could only sigh, feeling overwhelmed herself.

‘Let’s just wait for Melody’ she suggested.

They waited a few more minutes in awkward silence. Occasionally Tuna would try to speak, but Sayu would always shush him, reminding him that they should just wait for Melody.

She eventually appeared, and the both of them turned towards the sound of the front door opening.

Melody stumbled into the room, looking flustered and dishevelled.

‘I found your fish’ Sayu said to her.

‘Melody!’ Tuna was so excited to see her, he fell out of his seat, sliding ungracefully to the floor.

‘Tuna!’ Melody hurried towards him. ‘Thank heavens! I was so worried.’

‘You were?’ Tuna asked, allowing Melody to help him back into his seat.

‘Of course I was. I went to meet you and you weren’t there! I was scared something bad might have happened.’

‘I…didn’t realise you felt the same way’ he told her. ‘Why were you late?’

‘It was my stupid fault’ Melody said, still a little angry at herself. ‘If I wasn’t late, I wouldn’t have made you worry. I wouldn’t have made you climb onto land and get seen by people. Oh, Tuna… I'm so sorry.’

‘It’s ok’ Tuna waved happily. ‘All that matters is that you are here now, and you weren’t kidnapped after-all.’

‘What? Kidnapped?’

‘Never mind.’ Tuna added hastily.

Melody took a seat beside him, ‘I just missed the bus.’ She explained.

‘You mean like in that story book you showed me before?’

‘Yes,’ Melody grinned triumphantly, glad he was understanding. ‘Clara Misses School.’

‘Are you talking about that kids book we used to read?’ Sayu voiced.

‘Yeah’ Melody said, turning towards her sister. ‘I borrowed a lot of children’s books from the library, and read stories to him.’ She glanced towards Tuna lovingly. ‘His favourites were the ones about the ocean.’

‘Of course,’ Sayu droned.

‘You know’ Melody began, ‘I had to fight through a crowd to get to the stairs.’

‘What?’ Sayu exclaimed.

‘I think the media is here.’

‘What!’ Sayu said again, louder this time, rising to her feet and marching towards the porch.

‘Oh Tuna,’ Melody said reaching out to him. ‘Your tail is so dry…’

‘It does feel a little uncomfortable’ Tuna lamented, touching his ‘knees’ tenderly.

Sayu stomped back into the room.

‘I can’t believe it’ she uttered, ‘that was so fast.’

‘I guess word travels quickly in a small town’ Melody added.

‘Well, the good news is, they don’t seem to know which apartment we’re in…’ she trailed off. ‘They’re staying off the stairs….it seems like they’re watching the entire building. We have to be careful.’

‘What’s going on out there?’ Tuna asked innocently.

‘Nothing you need to worry about fish-boy,’ Sayu crossed her arms sullenly.

‘My name is Tuna.’

‘That’s a dumb name.’

‘Sayu!’ Melody interrupted, before Tuna had a chance to protest. ‘We have to make sure he doesn’t dry up.’

Sayu hesitated. ‘Let’s get him in the tub.’

‘How do you like your water?’ Melody asked.

‘Like the ocean’ Tuna replied. ‘Similar temperature.’

‘Want any bubbly soap?’ Melody asked.

‘What is bubbly soap? I don’t know what that is.’

‘Don’t be silly’ Sayu scolded her sister. ‘Soap wouldn’t be good for him; he’s part fish remember? Imagine giving a trout soupy water.’

‘Yeah, I know’ Melody scowled moodily at Sayu. ‘But he’s also part-human.’