A Twist of Fate: The Tale of a Mermaid

    The fog rolled across the ocean, slow and ominous. A small fisherman’s boat floated in the distance, only one man aboard. He didn’t seem to care about the thick fog as he cast his line into the water, whistling a quiet toon.     I bobbed in the water, careful to stay out of his sight. He was too busy reeling in his line to notice as I swam closer. From my position, I could see his ugly green hat covering his bald head. He wore a tan shirt and multicolored shorts.     The fisherman reeled in a black seabass. It was small – a young fish. The man cooed to the fish and he released it back into the water. After that, he laid his pole in the boat and started the motor.     As the front of the boat turned to face me, I ducked under the surface of the glossy water. I heard it roll past, grunt, and stall. The man cursed.     Slowly, I rose back to the surface until my eyes were level with the water. The man was only a few feet in front of me, alone and stranded. Right where I wanted him.      The man looked up. His brown eyes met mine right before I dove back into the ocean. I swam right beside his boat surfacing once again. The man’s gaze was still fixed on the spot I’d been moments before.     A low hum began deep in my throat. The man whipped his head to the side as the hum grew louder, more enticing. He peered over the edge of his boat. I reached up, touching his face with one of my webbed hands. I opened my mouth as the song escaped my lips like so many times before.     I could feel the man’s frightened heartbeat pulsing against my hand. I watched his eyes gloss over as my song took hold. My other hand came up to cradle the other side of his face.      With one swift yank, I pulled him into the water.