From Bunkers to Palaces

Part 10 - A Hilarious Dilemma

Kate found the water to be warm. It was calm with gentle waves washing to the shore.

The tide was full, just on the turn so it was easy to swim out.

Moving into an overarm motion, she swam as fast as she could until she was out of breath, slowing down her pace until she felt she needed to rest.

Turning on her back, forcing her feet under the water to view the land shape from where she had swum, she saw it was a good distance away, maybe more than five miles. Searchlights, looking like dots sent shafts of light in the waters and Kate could imagine people being on top of the bunker, wondering how far down the sand dune she had made it and if so, where in the water she would be by now. 

She tried to recall, had they called it 'the ocean', or 'the sea', or had it been she, herself who called it 'the ocean'. Having the Pacific ocean out from her home town, didn't mean it was ocean here.

She wondered how far she would have to float, or swim, to find land. A raft, or in the least, a log big enough for her to hold to would be of great use now. Her feet, straight down in the water, would keep her afloat, but if she lay on her back and slept, she wondered how long she would last before she turned over and drowned? If only she had her watch, she would be able to float and sleep safely without a worry. She could also contact her father if she wanted to but as it contained a cloak of its own, he couldn't use it to contact her. 

What useful invention, she told herself, he should have kept to devices like that, not tampering with my body. Crazy man he is...

Kate didn't feel tired, but wide awake and remembered she had slept the four hours in the box-car. But who could have slept with all the drama going on after that?—She asked herself.

Remaining on her back and kicking with her feet, she made good speed. Her feet and legs didn't grow tired, so she kept it up before becoming upright again and resting a while.

The sky seemed duller, the stars were misty, not clear; she could no longer discern that she was still moving west and again wished for her watch as it contained a digital compass. 

Something loomed close. Lights appeared. It was some kind of vessel. Kate tensed. She didn't want to be hit by a vessel of any kind. It drew alongside her, sliding by like a huge whale in the darkness.

She pulled away from it. Turning, she saw another on the other side of her. She guessed that fishermen were trawling for deep sea fish. She hoped she wasn't caught in the middle. As long as the net was deep down, she should be safe, she thought.

As the net was drawn along, the back of it, with its many floats, moved fast and she felt it pulling her. Could she get over the top of it? Her foot went between the open weave and she felt herself going under with her foot caught. Swinging upwards, she grabbed to the head rope, not wanting to be swept down into the cone where she would be trapped underwater.

Flicking her foot until it came free, she decided to hold the rope until she might be able to dive over it when the fishermen dragged it upwards to take the fish aboard.

It was a huge net; longer, wider and much larger than either of the ships dragging it along. The higher it was pulled from the water, the more fish, small, large and huge, rose to the surface, flapping for their lives, and soon becoming a sea of scales, fins and tails. Smaller nets were lowered in the water, both sides, pulling a load of fish up into the ship while the larger net was dragged up wards; on and on; up and up. 

The head rope was still in the water. Shouts filled the air, sounding out above the drone of the engines. The net came to a halt, swinging back and forth from the sudden stopping...

A spotlight blinded Kate who was half out of the water, clinging to the outer rope for her life. She managed a wave with one arm before holding to the head rope again.

Laughter joined the shouts, "It's alive! A mermaid! A mermaid!" 

More laughter and more men joining in, calling, "Mermaid! Mermaid!" 

"She has golden hair," on man called as the spotlight shone off her wet hair, making it appear as though she wore a halo.

"A golden-hair angel mermaid!"

She expected the net to keep rising, but  a ring buoy was thrown out towards her. Falling short, it was too far away for her to risk letting go of the rope to join the thick pool of thrashing fish. 

The fishy smell, the scaley, slimy feel of the bodies as they writhed against her feet and lower legs, made Kate cling more to the rope, not wanting to risk swimming across the the ship. 

The men shouted for her to come...

Hauled in and re-launched, again and again, the buoy landed just a foot away from her. 

"Come now!" the men shouted. Releasing her hold, she pushed herself out into the seething water to grasp the buoy. Flipping it over her head with both hands, she clung to it as it dragged through the fish to the trawler. They pulled her up, up, up, dragging her over the side of the ship, patting her on the back, saying, "Alive, glad you alive," and calling, "Mermaid! Mermaid."

Another said, "A mermaid with feet? Not a mermaid." They all laughed, some of them doubling up at the humor they found in this.

"Not an angel; no wings..."

A large woman pushed her way to Kate, saying, "I'll take care of our mermaid!"

Led by the hand,  down into the bowels of the crews' quarters, another woman, also laughing and saying how good it was to have another maid aboard, greeted her. 

Kate was undressed and dried off before being dressed in a long kimono kind of garb with matching long pants. They took her to the mess hall and dished a large bowl of what they called 'slop and rice'. It was then that Kate realised they spoke a foreign language. She understood everything they said, but couldn't determine just what language it was. It didn't matter. They weren't expecting her to understand them or to speak to them. 

She ate everything in the bowl but when they offered more, she shook her head. A large tin mug of strong coffee was brought with a bowl of dark brown sugar. Nodding at the sugar, Kate felt pleased to see two scoops go into the mug. At least she could keep her energy levels up.

The women continued with their preparations for the men to come, looking at Kate, smiling laughing and discussing her.

She felt safe and so glad that they found the dilemma of finding a 'mermaid' to be so hilarious.