The Mermaid and the Astronaut

“I found the homing beacon,” Specialist Forman radioed back to Captain Freeholder who remained in orbit on the ship, The Everforth. He stood on the remote island looking over the remains of a make-shift camp left by Captain Mancur, the missing astronaut, and Forman’s lifelong friend, whose homing beacon he and his team had tracked to this location.

The beacon sat on a large flat boulder out of reach of any threatening waves that might crash ashore. Next to the homing beacon was a small notebook pinned beneath a large rock so it wouldn't blow away in the ever present sea-breeze.

Forman lifted the large rock with a bit of effort and let it fall behind the boulder into the sand with a soft thud. He lifted the notebook and inspected it.

“There's not much here,” he reported back over the radio. “Just the remains of a camp, an opened E.E.P. (emergency equipment pod), and a notebook. I don't see any of Captain Mancur's equipment, other than the homing beacon from his ship.”

He opened the notebook to the first page and began to read.

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 1,

I don't have my recording device so this notebook will have to do. Hopefully, someone finds it…finds me. I can't reconcile what happened or why I crashed. I was on course to the rendezvous coordinates, then there was a strange anomaly. My best guess is, it was a wormhole. The next thing I knew I was out of control plummeting with complete system failure toward an ocean of this planet.

My ejection pod didn't even work. Luckily I was able to short-circuit the door's controls to get it open before the ship sank too deep. Then I swam to shore. I see an E.E.P. floating among some rocks, I think I can get to it. Gods know I'll need the rations inside it. This island is tiny and I only count a dozen or so fruit-bearing trees. They look strange though...am I on earth? If that was a wormhole chances are that I'm not. I'll keep my gear on for now, but I only have enough oxygen for a few days, maybe more if I just sit and relax.

Forman sat down to continue reading, and called back to the ship, “He left a log book. It might have a clue as to what happened, hang tight and I’ll look through it.”

“Copy that, Specialist,” Captain Freeholder's voice called back.

Forman moved on to the next page.

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 2,

I retrieved the E.E.P. only now I realize it won't do me much good unless I can breathe the air here. It certainly looks like earth. The trees have green leaves. The ocean is blue, the sand is the color it ought to be. I wish I had Angela with me. Her specialty was ecosystems. If only I had some equipment to test the air. This E.E.P. has rations, and an extra oxygen tank, but no testing equipment whatsoever.

Before deciding if I want to risk taking my helmet off, I should try to find the ship's homing beacon. My suit can detect it, and it isn't that far. There doesn't seem to be a tide here which is odd, so waiting for low tide won't be an option. I'll just have to work up the courage and go out there. Wish me luck.

Almost forgetting that he was supposed to be looking for clues, Forman sat more comfortably on the boulder and read on, now invested in the Captain's Log.

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 3,

That was a stupid idea. I managed to get the homing beacon, sure, but I almost got sucked into the abyss. I dove down, following the signal from the beacon, and found the ship fairly easily. On the way down I noticed the fish seemed pretty normal. A good sign if I'm stuck here long. If I can figure out how to catch some to eat.

When I got to the ship, it was a wreck – no pun intended. It had smashed against the rocky coastline and had a huge gash on one side. So much for any hopes I may have had of repairing it. I found the beacon jammed into its compartment that was designed to be easily removed in the event of a crash. As with most things the Armada does they probably got the designs from the lowest bidder.

Note to self: redact that part later.

I was beating on it, trying to get it free, when I somehow caused an electrical surge. The surge triggered the ejection pod, which immediately deployed its parachute. My boot got caught in the parachute and the force of the ejection pod rocked the whole ship right over the edge of an underwater cliff.

Luckily the ejection pod also triggered its floating device and by the time I cut my boot free, I was pulled to the surface. Now I have a few more supplies, including the parachute and the beacon. But everything else is gone, sunken to the depths far beyond my capabilities to reach.

It was strange for Forman to be searching for Mancur. They had come up in the academy together along with Freeholder. Those two advanced into leadership roles rather quickly, while Froman proved a valuable asset in the field and so he stayed a specialist. The waves crashed peacefully against the shore as Forman continued to read.

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 8,

I set up camp and settled in. I used up all the oxygen in the tanks and had no choice but to remove my helmet. The air is not only breathable but it is the freshest air I have ever had the privilege of breathing! Really makes you wonder how we didn't notice we were destroying our own air.

Nothing happened in the last few days other than that. I am just waiting and rationing the best I can. I saw something watching me from the ocean. But I didn’t get a good look at it. Could just be a curious animal.

Forman perked up at that last entry. Captain Mancur saw something. Maybe he was attacked? There were still several entries to read through, though, so he read on.

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 10,

I'm not going crazy. I have spent longer than this alone. During the war on Enceladus, I spent a month hunkered down behind enemy lines, so believe me I don't say this lightly; I saw something in the water. Watching me. It may have been a seal or some other mammal. I didn't get a good look at it. It didn't seem to want to be seen and disappeared quickly once I realized it was there. But make no mistake, it was there.

The difference between Enceladus and here, besides the weather, is that on Enceladus I knew what to hunt, what I could eat, and what to avoid. If I am here too much longer I'll have to try to catch some fish and hope they aren't poisonous.

Forman paused in his reading to report back to Captain Freeholder, “Captain Macur’s log book says he saw something in the water.”

There was a pause before Captain Freeholder responded. “What did he see?” He asked.

“I'll have to read further, Sir,” Forman answered. “I'll let you know if I find anything useful here.”

“Make it quick,” Captain Freeholder said. “We need to find our man.”

Forman turned the page.

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 17.

I hadn't seen anything else in the water since day 10. I have been keeping an eye on the water almost constantly, but there's been no further sign of anything or anyone watching me. I don't know, maybe I am going crazy. Maybe the air isn't as pure as it seems and I am hallucinating.

The rations are low, only one more day's worth and even that is a stretch. There is some fruit hanging low enough to climb to, that somewhat resembles coconuts. With any luck, it will have water in it. If not, I'm not sure what I'll do.

There looks to be a storm on the horizon, if it comes my way I can collect some of the rainwater. But that brings up the question yet again, “am I on Earth?” If not, the rain could be poisonous. But my rational thoughts tell me with air this pure, the rainwater would be just as pure.

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 19.

I had to tuck the notebook into my suit to keep it dry. That was one hell of a storm, it rained from sun up to sun down, and then some. Though it did allow me to collect some rainwater in the emptied-out E.E.P. It's only enough for a few days.

As I write this entry, I can see it out of the corner of my eye. The thing watching me from the water. I'm going to risk looking at it again because unless I am mistaken I am being watched by a humanoid creature.

I looked right at her. She was there just underneath the surface watching me write. She locked eyes with me for a brief moment before sinking away.

Now I know I am not on earth. Mermaids are mythical creatures. Science has proven this, at least on earth. Yet that is what she is; a mermaid, tail fin and all. Just like the stories and movies portray. And for that moment we locked eyes...I think I fell in love. I have never seen someone so beautiful.

To say her eyes remind me of the ocean would be the greatest of understatements. But this Captain is no wordsmith and that is the best I can come up with. Her skin is a shimmering blue-green, her hair a lavender purple. But her eyes...I wonder if she is using some form of hypnosis.

Forman began to worry that maybe the Captain had gone mad and drowned himself. There were only a few pages left in the logbook. Forman leaned his elbows on his knees reading on eagerly searching for answers.

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 23,

I haven't been able to write these past few days. The fruit was a bad idea. I'll spare you the gory details and suffice it to say my digestive system did not like the fruit. I tried catching some fish, but without the proper gear, I was unsuccessful.

I thought I would be going hungry again today, but when I woke, there were three plump fish near my camp. She must have seen me struggling and felt bad for me. Perhaps she isn't hostile. I think I will try to make contact after enjoying these fish.

There she is! She is watching me again, looking to see if I will eat the fish. I will eat a little at first and see how my body reacts. But with how long I have been here, the hope of rescue has all but left my mind. Making a local friend might be my best chance at surviving this ordeal. Maybe my only chance.

There aren't enough trees to make a fire so I'll eat the fish raw. I always enjoyed sushi.

“Or maybe he poisoned himself,” Forman thought out loud as he turned the page

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 24,

She doesn't swim away anymore. I can see her there and she looks back at me, though her expression is hard to read. I can't get over her eyes. There's some jewel back on earth that they remind me of, but the name of it escapes me. Sapphire perhaps?

She has a strange physical relationship with the water. As she reaches the surface, her head stays below the water, even as she raises it above. It is as if the surface tension doesn't get broken by her, similar to a bubble I suppose. Though comparing her to a bubble feels like an insult.

She left me some fish again, and I am happy to report they seem to be digesting properly. I am eating today's offering while I write. I will try to further this friendship today by approaching her.

“Looks like he made contact with a local species,” Forman reported back. He heard Captain Freeholder curse over the radio.

“Why would he break protocol?” Captain Freeholder asked rhetorically. “He's a decorated war hero. He was going to be promoted to General. That's where he was headed when he crashed! He knows not to make contact with an underdeveloped species!”

“I'm not sure yet, Sir,” Forman said, “He seemed pretty desperate from what I read. Didn't think he'd be rescued, I suppose. There are only two more entries to read, maybe he sheds some light on what happened.”

“Copy that, Specialist. Keep me posted,” Captain Freeholder responded.

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 30,

She is absolutely fascinating. She does vocalize, though I can't make heads or tails of what she is trying to say. We have been able to somewhat communicate through gestures. She has hands with five fingers, just like a human, but where her legs and feet should be is a large tail fin. Her hair seems slick, like an otters coat, though much longer.

She moves with such grace and beauty, she is mesmerizing to watch. I get the feeling I am similarly strange to her, for she rarely takes her eyes off me. Through our limited communications, I believe she wants to help me. She has kept me fed all these days, why shouldn't I trust her? Though I don't quite understand how she plans to help.

Forman rolled his eyes as he turned the last page. Everyone has a weakness and Mancur’s has always been that he far too easily falls in love. “The fool got love-struck and followed her into the ocean didn't he?”

Captain Mancur's Log – Day 35,

I have no doubt, now, that I will not be rescued by my people.

Over the last five days, I have spent every waking moment with her. I have started calling her Sapphire and she responds to it. Sapphire and I have developed our mutual language to a point where we can mostly understand everything the other is trying to say. What she had to say surprised me. She has told me of another land across the water filled with land walkers like myself.

If anyone ever finds the beacon and reads this log I want you to take a message back home to my brother for me. Tell him I said, “the quark is nimble.” He will know what that means. Tell Forman and Freeholder that I always valued their friendship.

I have given it a lot of thought and I am going to go with Sapphire.

Forman shook his head in disbelief and read on.

She has shown no hostility toward me, nor has she given me any reason not to trust her. So if anyone does find this journal, this will be my last entry. Either she will drown me and eat me, or she will do as she said and bring me to the land with people like me. Either way, I will leave this near the homing beacon in hopes that someday someone will find it.

That was all of it. there were no more entries. It was like Mancur said, she either brought to land or killed him. Forman closed the book. He looked out over the vast, seemingly endless sea, and wondered if his friend had been led to salvation or damnation.

He heard a, “blub,” sound and looked down to see two big sapphire eyes watching him from just below the surface of the water.

The End