Thirty Nine Minutes (COMPLETE)

Chapter Twenty Eight: A Price Worth Paying (FINAL)

Neil took off his shirt, feeling the warmth of the morning sun kissing his torso. He'd slept well; he always slept well when out at sea, and his skin was becoming suitably leathery and bronze again. He was starting to resemble his father. 

The few years spent pen pushing was easily forgotten by his body, and clambering up and down the rigging of his small fishing boat had made his muscles lean and supple. He scratched at his stubble as he checked the compass.

Shouldn't be too long now.

Life in the Mediterranean wasn't all that hard to adjust to. There was always good food for a talented fisherman like himself, and his trade was always welcomed by the locals for a bit of odd cash if he needed it to fix his ship or buy new rope. A particularly helpful family had jogged his memory in tying various nautical knots and also had loaned him some lobster pots to get himself started without any kind of work permit or state of residence. Turns out his dad had made some excellent connections around these parts, and had laid some excellent groundwork.

However, today was not a day for fishing, but a day for seeing friends. 

He dropped anchor and locked up his cabin by a large, looming cliff that belonged to a rocky island that took around a day and night to sail to. As he strapped his satchel to his back he saw the familiar dark blur watching him below the surface. Neat as a pin, Neil dove into the blue waters to meet the merman.

He never gave his name, as merfolk spoke in a language that was impossible to be comprehended beyond simple inference. However, they both understood the procedure here to keep the secret they both protected forever undiscovered. Neil grabbed around his neck and held his breath.

The journey to where he needed to go took fourteen seconds, and no less. Twisting and turning through an underwater cave system would be impossible to navigate on his own. He hoped his bag remained airtight as they swirled and darted through the crevices.

As always, the water of the lagoon was the brightest of blues. It lapped onto the white sand where the white foam kissed and shushed gently. They surfaced, and Neil shook out his hair and looked out onto the shore. Sitting on a grass bank and idly drawing pictures in the sand was his dear friend.

"Ahhh!" Several children launched from out of the water and enveloped him in an all-encompassing bear hug. Before Neil could dodge it they had already pushed him back in the water, almost squeezing his lungs completely empty.

"Hey!" He spluttered as they surfaced, giggling and snorting at the one they adored. The merman had already disappeared to the safety of the deeper water, looking on thoughtfully. They all pulled and pushed him, some batting him with their tails for him to come play catch with them, but that would have to wait. He held his hands up, and pointed over to the shore.

Sunning himself beside the grass bank was Craig, engrossed in something Neil couldn't see. His hair was longer, a little wilder now. Neil called out.

Helen looked up, and beamed. She waved as she rose, running at full pelt into the water.

They embraced for a long time. For good reason as they hadn't seen each other for well over a year. They pulled apart and Helen grinned, pointing at the stubble. "Hey Helen," he said.

"Neil, long time no see." Craig emerged from the water like a crocodile. The kids piled on his back. "Hey! Off!" he scolded. "Off!" He made a sign at them, but they just giggled.

Helen made the sign, and all three children responded immediately and rolled off into the water. Craig groaned. "Why don't they ever listen to me? That's not fair."

Helen shrugged, and smiled. Neil observed the scars on her neck. "Any luck with your voice?"

The mood softened, and Helen shook her head. But she was smiling, with no hint of sadness in her eyes whatsoever.

"Who knows if it will ever come back?" Craig looked away, watching the children swimming around the quiet merman trying his hardest not to be noticed. "Maybe if we find that stupid plant that doesn't exist, or my barbs suddenly start leaking serum instead of venom. They only serve two purposes: protection and peacocking."

Neil looked to the sky, "I wonder what Fleur thought when she finally realized what she'd be seeking her whole life would never have healed her. Not in a million years."

Helen led Neil back to shore as he unclipped his satchel. "As ordered! Some cases of beer, and…!" He paused for dramatic effect. "A new greaseproof pencil and a board, so now you guys can communicate in the water."

She grinned and kissed his cheek, wrapping one arm about his neck. Her eyes were like the sun, and they caught the sparkles on the water as she smiled. It lit a fire in Neil's belly, but it was quenched seeing the scars across Helen's neck. The price she had paid to save people they didn't even know. With one hand she took the board, and with the other the pencil. She wrote only five words.

We're now free. Thank you.   

THE END