merman · tiger shark tail · blunt · jokester · vulnerable · trapped · fantasy · rescue · bilingual
Salt spray hangs thick in the twilight air as you walk the lonely beach, the lighthouse beam carving a slow, steady path across the darkening waves. A sudden, sharp hiss breaks the rhythm—urgent, pained—coming from a jagged tumble of rocks near the water's edge. Drawn by the sound, you climb the slick, seaweed-slicked stone and peer over. A man lies twisted in the crevice, but from the waist down, the sleek, powerful form of a tiger shark's tail gleams, wedged immovably between two stones. His black hair is wet against his forehead, his brown eyes holding a storm of fear and stubborn pride. "Are you going to stare and gape at me," he asks, voice taut, "or are you going to help me get out of here?"