A long day

Ian reeled the line in slowly. He'd been sat there, the main course for midges, for six hours with nothing but lumps to show  for it. Until now. His rod arched as man and beast fought for dominance.

"See. I told you that you'd love it. Looks like you've got a big one." Marty said, ignoring his own idle rod to focus on Ian's.

"Get the net." Ian snapped. One fish was not going to make up for a lost day, no matter how ruddy big it was.

"What is it?" Marty asked, as with a Herculean effort Ian landed his catch.

" You're the fisherman."

"It's not a fish, I know that much. It's a little irritated though."

"Irked. Not irritated,  would you not be? There you are swimming along, minding your own pay attentions, and suddenly some fool in a stupid hat's yanking you out the water because you get caught up in a line you can't see. Irked is generous."

"You're a mermaid?"

"Maid!" It yelled. " The beard too subtle for you? I happen to be a well trained hybrid. Designed for underwater attacks. I demand you release me." He added already trying to free himself from the fishing line around his tail.


Ian bent down and cut the line away. His catch made his way  to the water with as much dignity as he could muster. Belatedly Ian recalled his phone had a camera, no one would believe him without evidence, not even with Marty  vouching for him.


"Ian, wake up, I brought you here to relax, not sleep."

"I was relaxed," Ian mumbled, folding the paper up. Genetic cross breading was highlighted again, no wonder his dreams were so weird, he thought.

Ian's line suddenly went wild....

The end...?

For another Ian and Marty adventure try "A strange encounter"   by Ginfla