A WEEK WITH MERMAID

( five years later )

" Hey, Joseph boy, get up. Time to set off. " I squinted my eyes to avoid the light. The hangover of the yesterday's orgy hadn't passed, and Mr. Bennett, an experienced fisherman who had almost grown to be the symbol of fishery was glaring at me with his face almost touching mine.

" Calm down, man. It's still six o'clock. " He gave me a kick on my butt.

" Get up, you sleepy dog. I want to end up starving to death for being lazy? "

" Okay, I supported my head with my elbows and started to dress myself reluctantly.

The lodge was positioned near the harbor. I shared it with Mr. Bennett, the man who helped me after I left my hometown and changed my name from Matt to Joseph. It overlooked the splendid view of the sea like a sentry.

We took off after a brief breakfast of bread and milk. " Time for a new day, boy. " we boarded on our fishing boat. The sun was rising above the horizon like a big fireball. I felt for a sudden that I wanted to cry.

" What happened to you, Joseph boy. Are you okay? "

" Yeah. " I tried to gather myself, " It's a beautiful view. " I exclaimed.

" Oh, yes, Joseph boy. " he nodded in a sense of proud:

" My dad was a fisherman too and we have been living in this place for a long time. " Hands on his long goatee he smiled.

" Hey let me tell me something. " he bent down and put his mouth close to my ear deliberately as if it was a secret spell to open the door of cave where thieves hid gold and jewels in the story of Ali Baba.

" Every time I looked upon the sea and sun, it brought me a sense of contentment, like there was something inexplicable about it that made everything I did worth. " He peered at me and I shot back a glance of understanding.

" You feel it too, don't you. "

Eyeing the sea, I grinned in satisfaction. I knew what the feeling was. Kate had given it to me in those days when she was with me. It was hope.

( Hi, I'm John. Thank you everybody for reading my work. This is my first finished work and I'm very happy about that. If you have something you don't quite understand about mermaid, go to http://mermaidsworld.com. Thank you for your supports. :)