Lake Effect

The next day, Patrick decided he was going to take the boat out and try and find Pete. He was convinced it was Pete, so he got Hemingway into the boat and set out into the lake.

He got about a mile out when he cut the engine and looked around.

“Pete! I know you’re out there!” He shouted. “Come on dude, I saw you yesterday!”

Pete stayed hidden. He shouldn’t have turned around when Patrick said his name yesterday. He should have just disappeared. But he wanted to go over there, talk to Patrick, see Hemingway, but he couldn’t. He knew he couldn’t.

He sighed and ducked more under the water.

“Pete, please, please come talk to me!” Patrick’s voice sounded desperate.

Hemingway put his paws on the edge of the boat and barked, spotting Pete. He jumped over the side.

“No, Hemmy!” Patrick shouted, trying to grab the white bulldog.

Pete didn’t even think. It was as if his child had fallen in. He swam over to the dog and picked him up.

“Pete, pass him here!” Patrick said, going to the back of the boat and opening the small door. Pete cursed quietly that he had revealed himself to Patrick but he passed Hemingway up to him. But before he could sneak back into the water and hide away, Patrick grabbed both his arms and pulled.

“Patrick, let me go.” Pete pleaded.

“No. I knew I saw you yesterday. Andy and Joe, they laughed at me, but I knew it was you.” Patrick said. “I want answers.”

“Let go of me Trick!” Pete pulled his arms back and he flew back into the water, along with Patrick. They both went under, but Pete surfaced first.

Then Patrick broke the surface, his hat still on and staring at Pete.

“So?”

“What?” Pete asked, wanting to get away.

“Are we going to do this in the water, or on the boat?”

“We aren’t going to do anything.”

“We sure as hell are, because you’ve been missing for 5 weeks and then when I see you next, you have a fucking fish tail! We’re talking Pete.”

Pete sighed. He couldn’t resist Patrick, not now. It was better when Patrick didn’t know about him, he could have resisted. “Fine.”

“You promise to stay and talk?” Patrick asked.

“Yeah. I promise.” Patrick pulled himself up onto the boat and looked at Pete. “You staying in there?”

“For now.” Pete stared at him. Right now, he felt a lot more comfortable in the water rather than on the boat.

“Right, so you’re a mermaid.” It wasn’t a question.

“Trick, if you’re gonna call me something like that, then at least say merman.”

Patrick smiled. “Fine. You’re a merman. How?”

“I don’t know.” Pete sighed, running a hand through his soaking wet hair. “I remember the fair we went to, some woman shouting something to me about changing forms and about finding true love, but I thought she was crazy. Obviously not.”

“Obviously not.” Patrick repeated.

“So, the morning after, I found myself here and I’ve been here ever since. I saw you when you were moving in, but I kept my distance. I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

“Pete.” Patrick looked down at him.

“Trick, it was fun at first, the whole underwater thing, but I wanna go home. I’m sick of it, I miss you guys.”

“Pete, let me see you.” Patrick said. “All of you. I need something to tell me that this is actually real.”

Pete looked up at him. He saw Patrick’s eyes pleading to him. “Ok.” Pete said. He grabbed the boat and pulled himself up onto the deck. His red tail shimmered in the warm Chicago sun. Patrick’s eyes widened when he looked down at his tail.

“Whoa.” He said quietly, eyes still wide. He leant down and gently stroked down the scales on his tail. “Holy fuck.”