Heart of the Sea

Isla being a mermaid came as a shock to Quinn, but it made a lot of other shocking things make sense. It was no wonder she had so many questions about everything and had nowhere to go. The next few days, Quinn had just as many questions. Enough that they took turns while she helped him around the kitchen.

“So where does an egg come from?” Isla asked. “Do the chickens make it like… poop?”

“No,” Quinn said quickly as he looked down at an egg in his hand. “It comes out of a different hole, I’m sure. Different tubes and the such. But farmers will rinse and wipe them before selling them. I think so, anyways.”

They both paused and looked at the egg for a moment, then Quinn shook his head and cracked it into the bowl of chicken marinate he was making.

“So do mermaids have families?” he asked. “Like we do on land?”

“Not really,” Isla shrugged. “I mean, I obviously have a mother. A father was required, but there was no romance. It’s just breeding, really. Then after a mermaid is born, the mother takes care of it until it’s done nursing and can fend for itself. Then we usually find ourselves a nice cave or grotto to live in while we explore the seas.”

“So you have one, too?” Quinn asked.

“Sure,” she nodded. “I wish I could take you there. I don’t think you’d be able to hold your breath that long. I have so many nice things in my collection. Maybe I can bring them up to show you, occasionally.”

“I’d like that,” he grinned. “Are there other mermaids in these waters?”

“Sometimes they pass through,” she shrugged. “No one ever stays. They’re afraid of the fishermen. If they get caught, it’s bad.”

“They’re probably right,” Quinn admitted. “I’m a fisherman too, you know.”

“But you wouldn’t hurt me,” she said. “Would you?”

“Of course not,” he frowned. “I wouldn’t. Others… well, I can’t speak for others. I can keep you safe to an extent, but I don’t know if I’d go around trusting everyone.”

“You trusted me to Dr. Peters.”

“To be fair, I didn’t know at the time,” Quinn told her. “But he is a doctor. They can be trusted. That being said, I probably would’ve explained it to you better if I knew the truth.”

“Did you think I was strange?” she asked.

“Yeah, but that’s not a bad thing.”

She turned a little pink and looked down as Quinn moved to set the marinating chicken aside.

“Can you tell me another sailor story?” she asked. “A romantic one, this time.”

“Sailor’s don’t really romantic stories,” he chuckled. “Just raunchy ones.”

“What does raunchy mean?”

“Indecent,” Quinn said. “That’s the politest way I can describe it.”

“I don’t want raunchy,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “There’s really no romantic ones? Surely sailors yearn for love too.”

“Sure, but they’re usually not open about it,” Quinn said. “Let’s see… I guess the tale of Dexter Doop and his dolphins.”

“Dexter Doop and dolphins,” Isla said with a giggle. “That doesn’t sound romantic.”

“It’s more of a children’s tale,” Quinn shrugged. “I don’t remember it too well, but I’ll try my best. Dexter Doop was a poor boy who was in love with the mayor’s daughter. Her name was Charlotte. One day, the mayor of the town found out about their secret romance and enlisted the help of pirates to get rid of him.”

Quinn expected Isla to scoff at him, but she watched him and listened with wide eyed wonder. He was never one to talk much or make a spectacle of himself, but he decided she was worth putting more effort into his story.

“So they did,” he said menacingly. “A crew of big, scary pirates kidnapped him right from the streets while he was on his way to bring flowers to his beloved Charlotte. He tried to call out her name, but they covered his mouth. And then…. WHACK!”

She jumped when he startled her, but was grinning so wide that her cheeks probably hurt.

“They hit him on the back of the head and he blacks out,” Quinn continued. “When he wakes up, he’s all alone on a deserted island. No land around him to be found. Just his tiny island, open sea, and a single loaf of bread they had left him. A joke, so he would think he had a chance of surviving. Dexter, however, chose not to eat the bread. Instead, he went to stand on the beach rocks and noticed fins nearby. He tossed some bread, and a small group of dolphins came to nibble at it.”

“Dolphins don’t even like bread,” Isla said.

“Fine,” Quinn said, rolling his eyes. “What do dolphins like?”

“They like squid,” Isla said.

“Scratch the bread,” he smirked. “They left Dexter Doop with one single squid. Anyways, he fed the squid to the dolphins and they began splashing around him with gratitude. He expected them to leave, but they stayed close to shore and kept an eye on him for three days, until the man was truly starting to starve. He told them his woeful story, assuming they would never understand. Until one day, they splashed around and drew him into the water. One dolphin swam right under him, then took off with Dexter on its back. The dolphins swam all day and night with Dexter, until he reached his home again. When he got there, he embraced his Charlotte and told her his story. She was so infuriated with her father that she agreed to leave with Dexter, and the two moved away to live near the beach and their dolphin friends. Blah blah, happily ever after, the end.”

“He crossed the sea to be with his lover,” Isla said dreamily. “Can there really be a love like that?”

“I don’t know,” Quinn shrugged. “I hope so. The world would be a nice place with real love.”

“But how do you know if you’re in love?”

“I don’t have an answer for that,” he shrugged. “I guess you just know. You feel it in your soul. Like a flutter in your chest. You know what I mean?”

“I think so.”

She went quiet for a while and seemed to be in deep thought as Quinn continued getting dinner ready. The next few days were uneventful, until Kent told Quinn they’d have to put work on pause while he went into the city for a few days. That didn’t work for Quinn, though. He needed the money.

“I can do it alone,” he insisted. “Really, I can.”

“No, it’s not safe,” Kent said. “If something happens and you’re alone at sea, then what?”

“I‘ll be fine,” Quinn said. “If I can’t find anyone, I’ll hire some kid for cheap.”

Kent didn’t like it, but gave Quinn permission to use his boat while he was gone. Honestly, Quinn didn’t like it much either. He wasn’t sure he could do it alone. It was worth a try, though. Better that than scraping for change.

When he told Isla, she perked up and jumped from where she was lounging on the couch. Tubbs flew off her lap and mewed in protest, but she ignored him.

“I can help!” she said. “I catch fish all the time.”

“I don’t know,” Quinn said. “This isn’t catching a single small fish to eat.”

“How do you know I eat small fish?” she frowned.

“Where are you packing an entire tuna?” he teased, poking her in the stomach.

“I want to help,” she said. “I want to come on the boat with you. If I can’t help catch fish, I can find more shiny shells. Or maybe even pearls. Please?”

“Isla, do you think I catch fish with my hands?”

“You put the net in the water to gather them, then jump in and catch the good ones,” she said. “Right?”

Quinn sighed in defeat.

“Fine,” he said. “I have to explain how nets work, but fine. Just don’t force yourself to do anything you don’t want to. Deal?”

Isla beamed, surprising him when she suddenly threw her arms around him in a hug and kissed his cheek.

“I’m going to be such a good helper!”

Quinn had turned bright red. He wasn’t sure how much she would help. If anything, she’d be a distraction. But a welcome distraction, for sure.