ever a pretty girl, what you’d call, you know, pretty. I wasn’t
repulsive either, I don’t mean that. Well, when they had the school dances in
the gymnasium, and they told all the boys to go one by one and choose a
partner, I never got to be the first one. I was never the last one left either,
but sometimes I was afraid I’d be. I got a job the day after I graduated high
school. Not a good one, but not bad, and I still work there. I like some people
more than other people, but not very much, you know?... A touch of strange. I
always knew there was a name for the thing I never had, and you gave it a good
one. Thank you, Mr. Smith.”
“Oh that’s all
right,” he said shyly. “And anyway, you have it now... how was it you happened
to meet your... him, I mean?”
“Oh, I was
scared to death , I really was. It was the company picnic, and I was swimming, and
I—well, to tell you the actual truth, if you’ll forgive me, Mr. Smith, I had a
strap on my bathing suit that was, well, slippy. Please, I don’t mean too bad, you know, or I wouldn’t
ever have worn it. But I was uncomfortable about it, and I just slipped around
the rocks here to fix it and... there he was.”
“In the daytime?”
“With the sun on
him. It was like... like... There’s nothing it was like. He was just lying here
on this very rock, out of the water. Like he was waiting for me. He didn’t try
to get away or look surprised or anything, just lay there smiling. Waiting. He
has a beautiful soft big voice and the longest green eyes, and long golden hair.”
“Yes, yes. She has, too.”
“He was so beautiful. And then all
the rest, well, I don’t have to tell you. Shiny silver scales and the big curvy flippers.”
“Oh,” said John
Smith.
“I was scared,
oh yes. But not afraid. He didn’t try to come near me and I sort of knew he couldn’t ever
hurt me... and then he spoke to me, and I promised to come back again, and I
did, a lot, and that’s the story.” She touched his shoulder gently and embarrassedly
snatched her hand away. “I never told anyone before. Not a single living soul,”
she whispered. “I’m so glad to be able to talk about it.”
“Yeah.” He felt
insanely pleased. “Yeah.”
“How did you...”
He laughed. “Well,
I have to sort of tell something on myself. This swimming, it’s the only thing
I was ever any good at, only I never found out until I was grown. I mean, we
had no swimming pools and all that when I went to school. So I never show off
about it or anything. I just swim when there’s nobody around much. And I came
here one day, it was in the evening in summer when most everyone had gone home
to dinner, and I swam past the reef line, way out away
from the Jaw, here. And there’s a place there where it’s only a couple of feet
deep and I hit my knee.”
Jane Dow inhaled
with a sharp sympathetic hiss.
Smith chuckled. “Now
I’m not one for bad language. I mean I never feel right about using it. But you
hear it all the time, and I guess it sticks without you knowing it. So
sometimes when I’m by myself and bump my head or whatnot I hear this rough
talk, you know, and I suddenly realize it’s me doing it. And that’s what
happened this day, when I hurt my knee. I mean, I really hurt it: So I sort of
scrounched down holding on to my knee and I like to boil up the water for a
yard around with what I said. I didn’t know anyone was around or I’d never.
“And all of a
sudden there she was, laughing at me. She came porpoising up out of deep water
to seaward of the reef and jumped up into that sunlight, the sun was low then,
and red; and she fell flat on her back loud as your tooth breaking on a
cherry-pip. When she hit, the water rose up all around her, and for that one
second she lay in it like something in a jewel box, you know, pink satin all
around and her deep in it.
“I was that hurt
and confused and startled I couldn’t believe what I saw, and I remember
thinking this was some
repulsive either, I don’t mean that. Well, when they had the school dances in
the gymnasium, and they told all the boys to go one by one and choose a
partner, I never got to be the first one. I was never the last one left either,
but sometimes I was afraid I’d be. I got a job the day after I graduated high
school. Not a good one, but not bad, and I still work there. I like some people
more than other people, but not very much, you know?... A touch of strange. I
always knew there was a name for the thing I never had, and you gave it a good
one. Thank you, Mr. Smith.”
“Oh that’s all
right,” he said shyly. “And anyway, you have it now... how was it you happened
to meet your... him, I mean?”
“Oh, I was
scared to death , I really was. It was the company picnic, and I was swimming, and
I—well, to tell you the actual truth, if you’ll forgive me, Mr. Smith, I had a
strap on my bathing suit that was, well, slippy. Please, I don’t mean too bad, you know, or I wouldn’t
ever have worn it. But I was uncomfortable about it, and I just slipped around
the rocks here to fix it and... there he was.”
“In the daytime?”
“With the sun on
him. It was like... like... There’s nothing it was like. He was just lying here
on this very rock, out of the water. Like he was waiting for me. He didn’t try
to get away or look surprised or anything, just lay there smiling. Waiting. He
has a beautiful soft big voice and the longest green eyes, and long golden hair.”
“Yes, yes. She has, too.”
“He was so beautiful. And then all
the rest, well, I don’t have to tell you. Shiny silver scales and the big curvy flippers.”
“Oh,” said John
Smith.
“I was scared,
oh yes. But not afraid. He didn’t try to come near me and I sort of knew he couldn’t ever
hurt me... and then he spoke to me, and I promised to come back again, and I
did, a lot, and that’s the story.” She touched his shoulder gently and embarrassedly
snatched her hand away. “I never told anyone before. Not a single living soul,”
she whispered. “I’m so glad to be able to talk about it.”
“Yeah.” He felt
insanely pleased. “Yeah.”
“How did you...”
He laughed. “Well,
I have to sort of tell something on myself. This swimming, it’s the only thing
I was ever any good at, only I never found out until I was grown. I mean, we
had no swimming pools and all that when I went to school. So I never show off
about it or anything. I just swim when there’s nobody around much. And I came
here one day, it was in the evening in summer when most everyone had gone home
to dinner, and I swam past the reef line, way out away
from the Jaw, here. And there’s a place there where it’s only a couple of feet
deep and I hit my knee.”
Jane Dow inhaled
with a sharp sympathetic hiss.
Smith chuckled. “Now
I’m not one for bad language. I mean I never feel right about using it. But you
hear it all the time, and I guess it sticks without you knowing it. So
sometimes when I’m by myself and bump my head or whatnot I hear this rough
talk, you know, and I suddenly realize it’s me doing it. And that’s what
happened this day, when I hurt my knee. I mean, I really hurt it: So I sort of
scrounched down holding on to my knee and I like to boil up the water for a
yard around with what I said. I didn’t know anyone was around or I’d never.
“And all of a
sudden there she was, laughing at me. She came porpoising up out of deep water
to seaward of the reef and jumped up into that sunlight, the sun was low then,
and red; and she fell flat on her back loud as your tooth breaking on a
cherry-pip. When she hit, the water rose up all around her, and for that one
second she lay in it like something in a jewel box, you know, pink satin all
around and her deep in it.
“I was that hurt
and confused and startled I couldn’t believe what I saw, and I remember
thinking this was some
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