Among the waves

Toshiya Kamei

I cried in the days after the mermaid devoured Coral. I wish she would have hauled me under then and there, but it was not my time.

She will come for me after she digests my wife.

The gulls howl with hunger.

The sun nails me alive on what remains of the upturned hull.

Growing up in a port town, I admired pirates; so much so that I married Coral and joined her seafaring life. Who says the sea is a male domain?

We had a great run together.

The scaly tail slices through the waves. All I see is Coral’s last smile.