A FISHY TALE (a short story)

It was late by the time I’d left my local haunt 
the night was cool for September and the wind sent a chill down my spine as I was only wearing a t shirt  
I remember this so well, although intoxicated. still i decided on a short cut and headed for the beach.

I remember the waves lapping  at my heels and nearly losing my balance as the waves dragged the sand from beneath my feet.
That’s when I heard that beautiful song. At first I thought I was imagining it but as I continued down  the beach it became clearer. 
She sounded beautiful. Totally in tune, a voice of an angel, enchanting even.
I looked out across to the breaker and there she sat a beautiful woman with beautiful golden blonde hair. 
Her voice although beautiful seemed to call to me and enticed me to enter the water. 

The water was freezing and came just above my knees as I begin to wade in and make my way towards this thing of beauty. To be fair it never even crossed my mind why this beautiful woman was sat in the starker’s apart from the  hair covering her modesty. 
She had me hook line and sinker as the saying goes. I was totally besotted with her yet I knew nothing of her. Strange thinking back. 

I reached the breaker, and pulled myself out of the water and sat adjacent  to her and just listened to her beautiful melody, I was mesmerised. She turns to face me. Her eyes lit up the night so piecing blue and her face so young, almost angelic.  She reached out and took my hand.  I remember they felt clammy which I thought strange being as the night was cool.

As I looked  into her eyes  she spoke to me yet her lips never wavered, yet I savoured every last word she spoke. 
She said, “Come with me into the water, swim with me under the pale moonlight.”
I accepted knowing full well I couldn’t swim. 

I slid into the water and it rose just above my knees. I turned in her direction when I heard the splash as she entered the water.  We waded out further  and further hand in hand until the water was just under my chin.  I felt  happy which was strange because usually I’d be terrified with the water this high.  

We continue out further, all the time that angelic song followed.  My feet no longer touched the bottom, I was floating now, normally I would have been thrashing around in a panic, but this woman had this calming effect, I did feel as though I wanted to panic but somehow as if  by magic she repressed my fears. 

We continued out. the salty water entered my nose and mouth and made me cough. I remember thinking I’m going to drown but even though I knew this something was pulling me to follow her deeper and deeper and away from the sanctity of the shallows.
I looked back towards land. It seemed a million miles away now. 

I wanted to turn around and go back towards the shore or at least far enough in so I could feel the bottom with my feet but I couldn’t my mind was telling me turn back yet my body was failing and had given in to this mysterious woman.  We floated out further. I remember looking up at the moon and thinking how full it was. Suddenly her grip loosened and I was treading water and thinking to myself why I didn’t learn to swim. Yes I’d had a few lessons when I was younger and just about learnt how to tread water but that was it as far as my abilities to swim went. 

The serenity  that I’d felt before had packed its suitcase and took off to pastures new. And all that fear that she had repressed came flooding back. It was like a tidal wave of truth towering over me. 

Suddenly something brushed my leg. At first I thought shark but I dismissed that moments later as I didn’t see that prominent dorsal fin racing towards me. I was cold  and scared  and as this thing made another pass I felt a sharp pain on my left leg, the pain that followed was excruciating and it didn’t help when the water began turning red  from the blood seeping from my wound.  Shit! Shark I thought and turned and rapidly threw myself into a ridiculous  doggy paddle and headed  towards the shore. 

That’s when I felt a hand grab my leg and pull me back. It wasn’t human it felt wet and scaly   like a fish and its claws dug into my soft flesh. I let out a whimper. I wasn’t ready to die yet I knew I would if I couldn’t make it back to the shore. 
Suddenly a bright light came from nowhere, it was Bobs trawler coming back in from a day out at sea fishing. I waved frantically and watched as the lamp bobbed around on the water surface before settling on me. 

“Jack is that you?” he shouted. I tried to reply yes but my legs where tired and where no longer keeping me afloat and I was bobbing on the water like a fisherman’s float that had a bite and every so often I’d find myself submerged then I submerge again moments later. 

The hand that had me in a death grip now pulled from below me and the light from the trawler began to fade. 
The salt from the sea water encased all my senses and I choked it down as I screamed by the gallon. 

Suddenly I heard  voices directly over me. I saw the bubbles race to the surface as Bob plunges his hand into the water and grabs hold of my arm, I felt like I’d been put on an a medieval rack as he pulled one way and something else pulled the other.  I thought this is it I’m going to be torn in half. 

Another splash followed, more bubbles raced to the surface as another hand grabs my other arm. I can hear them talking above me but it wasn’t clear it was muffled. 
Suddenly a sense of weightlessness enveloped my whole body and I begin to rise to the surface whatever had hold of my leg had now let go and relinquished it death hold on me. I looked down into the depths and saw something that I still can’t believe to this day. This thing, gone had the lovely blonde hair, instead replaced with a fine mane of jet black hair, gone had the angelic face instead ‘im now faced with something that resembles and angler fish with sharp serrated  teeth and its eyes no longer blue now black as the ace of spades. Her lovely legs had vanished too instead transformed in what can only be described as a fish’s tale. 
I passed out shortly after that, due to the intake of water into my lungs. 

The next thing I’m waking up to my wife staring at me from my bedside with a concerned  look on her face. She looks at me and tutts. And says, “Drink will be the death of you.” She was almost right it nearly was.