Tail to Tell - 1. Tail to Tell

Marcus had gotten up while it was still dark, grabbed his surfboard and wet suit, and then headed out to his car to head to the beach. He hoped to get his wave of the day shortly after sunrise.

“Good morning, Long Island. This is Danny K, bringing you the news this morning. First on the list is a violent storm that’s due in shortly after day break today. High winds and violent thunderstorms are expected. All beaches are due to be closed down as riptides and strong currents are expected. A fire in—”

Marcus turned off the radio and hurried down the highway to the beach. He knew if he got there before the dawn, chances were damn good that he could get a few rides in before the patrols caught him and forced him off the beach.

The parking lot was empty. He parked as close as he could to the tunnel so he could get through to the ocean. He changed into his wetsuit, grabbed the board, and made his way toward the beach. He only paused when he heard some of the beach patrol talking near the boardwalk. He waited ‘til they moved on, and then slipped out onto the narrow beach. Already he could see the giant waves crashing into the sand. The wind whipped across the beach and the sounds of the surf filled the area. As a giant breaker crashed, Marcus could almost swear he heard a horn blowing, but with the appearance of the morning sunlight, he paid more attention to the water.

“Wicked. I should catch some excellent waves.”

He ran his hands through his unruly mop of hair, and made a dash into the water. It took some real effort to get out to where he could catch the good waves, and the sun was barely above the water now. The dark clouds could be seen moving up from the south, and would be there soon enough. He made his first run of the day, and smiled at how fast the wave brought him to shore. He smiled and was pleased to have the waves to himself. Normally, he would surf with his father, but since he had just graduated and had a job, they couldn’t do as much together anymore. Marcus felt guilty as he realized he was doing this without his dad, but they both loved the water, so he felt he would understand. Marcus couldn’t forget it was his father who made him take swimming lessons and surfing lessons. He stood on the edge of the water watching another killer wave slam into the beach, before he was ready for another run.

The trip back out seemed to take longer, and as he was trying to catch one wave, a rogue wave knocked him off balance. Marcus felt the riptide suck him under, and the last thought he had was that no one was around to help him. All he could do was say a prayer that someone had seen him and would help him if he needed it. His last sight was the water swirling around him as everything went dark.

The first thing to reach his mind was the sound of the waves crashing and the smell of salt. Marcus reached out his hand, feeling the wet sand and even the shells. He was out of the water but still near the edge. It felt like he had weights on his eye-lids, and he rested a moment. It was then he noticed someone breathing close to his face.

When he finally did open his eyes, he spotted a shock of blond hair and what he swore was a blue wetsuit dive beneath the waves. He looked to his right and found his board, split into two pieces off to his side. Who was the blond stranger who saved him? Before he got a chance to pull himself together, three members of the beach patrol showed up. They had found his car in the parking lot and had been looking for him.

“Jesus, kid. Are you all right?” the oldest of the three asked, looking down at Marcus’ destroyed board.

“Yeah. One of you guys must have seen me go under and got me out.” Marcus shook his head slowly and unzipped the top of his wetsuit.

The three guys looked at each other, and then down at Marcus.

“Um, it’s just the three of us here. We didn’t expect anyone here so early, and none of us have been in the water.” The youngest guy shook his head as he reached down to help Marcus stand.

“You had to see him. He has blond hair and a blue wet suit. He dove into the water seconds before you got here.”

“I didn’t see anyone else.” The middle guy stated as he glanced at the other two, who both nodded. He took his binoculars and began to scan the ocean that was becoming more and more violent even as they stood there. “I don’t see anyone out there now either.”

The three of them took turns scanning everything they could see for the mysterious man who had saved Marcus. Marcus stood there, feeling more and more bewildered. Eventually, they walked him back to his car, and made sure Marcus left the beach. It was as he was driving over the bridge back to Long Island that the storm he had seen coming finally made landfall. His drive home was in the blinding rain.

It was two days later that he headed down to the local surf shop. Barry Scrampton was the owner and an instructor on surfing at Suddenly Surf. Marcus had taken the lessons, and remembered all too well how often he had fallen, gotten caught in the riptides, or just lost his footing while he learned from Barry. Marcus knew how much Barry prided himself on making sure his students could ride, and ride safely. Barry would have a stroke when he found out how Marcus had ended up destroying his board.

“Marcus, my boy. How is my favorite student doing? Did you catch some of the waves yesterday? They were still fantastic from the storm.” Barry stood, running his fingers through his beard as he looked over at Marcus.

“Nah. Didn’t make those waves.” Marcus looked down and refused to meet Barry’s eyes.

“Those waves?” Barry stood watching Marcus. “Tell me you weren’t stupid enough to try to go surfing in the storm, Marcus!”

Marcus nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“Oh, man. How many times did I tell you those waves are dangerous? I lost too many friends to things like that. I thought you were better than that, Marcus.”

Marcus shook his head. He knew he had made a mistake. He was still wondering about the blond guy who had saved him.

“I wanna—”

“Don’t even ask, Marcus. You need to take a reminder course if you were that stupid. I’m not selling you another board so you can go kill yourself. When you have the money, and the time for that course, come see me. Until then you are barred from the shop.” Barry stood with his arms crossed and looked at Marcus.

Marcus looked down, defeated. He knew it would take time to save up for the course and then the new board. His surfing was over for a while, until he made his bank account healthy again.

Marcus made his way out the door and climbed into his car and drove slowly toward home.

“Marc? Where were you? You didn’t answer your phone!” Marcus’s mother stood on the stoop as he climbed out of his car.

“Sorry, Mom. Just had the ringer off. What’s up?”

“You had the … never mind.” She shook her head and waved her son into the house. “Your job called and wants you in. Seems someone called out sick. Call them back, one way or the other.”

Marcus watched as his mother went back in to take care of his baby sister. He smiled as he realized that his mother and father had children about every six years since the time they got married. He was the second of four kids. His older sister had graduated from college with her masters when he graduated from high school this past June. His younger brother was about to start sixth grade, and the baby was three months old. He shook his head as he looked at his mother. At forty-two she barely looked twenty-five, and his father came from similar stock.

Marcus called his job and found they wanted him in at Captain Andy’s Restaurant and Marina. It really wasn’t named Captain Andy’s anymore, but it was what the locals called it. It was presently named Paisley’s, but the old name still stuck to it like the aroma of a cheap cologne.

Marcus knew he would need the money for the board, so he agreed to go in. He went to his room and slipped into his work attire. He worked the docks, helping people tie up their boats to go to the restaurant, or get gas. His outfit was given to him by the restaurant, so he wore dock shoes, white shorts, and a white polo shirt with the name Paisley’s emblazoned on the front. He also had a white baseball cap. He hated all the white, but considering the pay, he was more than willing to put up with it. Besides, being outside he got a great tan, and it wasn’t really hard work.

Marcus parked and checked in with Rebecca, the manager.

“Hey, Becca.”

“Marcus, thank god. Daniel called out, and I’ve had to send Chris out to cover the docks. I hate not having the wait staff where they are needed. Besides, he doesn’t even know where to look to help gas up the boats.” Rebecca slipped a wisp of her long brown hair behind her ear as she glanced over the mostly full dining room. “Thanks for coming in. Grab a bottle of water, and then send Chris back in, would you?”

“Sure thing.” Marcus headed into the kitchen, stopped and grabbed a large bottle of water out of the fridge, and waved to Angela and Sam who ran the kitchen. He slipped out the back door and onto the docks. Marcus found Chris out on the dock trying to tie up one of the boats that had just pulled up.

“I’ll get it, Chris.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Chris whispered. “Glad you got here. I don’t know how to tie these friggin’ things up.”

Marcus laughed, waved Chris off, and tied up the boat.

“Thanks, kid.” The boat owner climbed onto the dock and helped his daughter and wife off the boat.

Marcus went around double checking all the boats, when he spotted someone sitting on the end dock closest to the bay. As he got closer he noticed the bright blondish-white hair and the slight blue tinge the end of the hair had. He also noticed the muscular back and deep blue shorts he wore.

“Hey. Sorry, but they don’t allow fishing off these docks,” Marcus called as he approached the guy.

The stranger turned, and for a moment Marcus lost his whole train of thought. Marcus knew guys who were handsome, and a few who were cute, but none who simply took his breath away. The guy on the dock was absolutely stunning. The blond hair was long and curly and seemed to frame his face, which wore an easy smile. His eyes were the color of a stormy sea, and Marcus found himself lost staring into them. With a mental shrug he glanced and noticed the man’s strong arms and his pronounced six pack. He also noted a small shell hung around his neck on a cord.

“I’m not fishing, Marcus.”

The deep voice seemed to reach out and caress Marcus. For a moment, he felt like running over and jumping into the stranger’s lap, but then his senses came back. How had this guy known his name?

“Oh. Um … who are you?”

The stranger laughed, and even the laughter was deep and shook Marcus.

Marcus found himself unwilling to go closer, but couldn’t turn to run either.

“I think you have a customer. Don’t worry, Marcus. I will be here when you come back.” The stranger turned and looked out over the bay and the inlet that let out to the ocean.

Marcus watched for a second, and then realized there was indeed a customer pulling up to the gassing area. Marcus ran over and helped the captain pull up. A woman with fiery red hair tossed out a line to help tie up her boat.

“Can you fill her up for me?” she asked as she leapt onto the dock. “I want to use the restroom and grab some food to go.”

“No problem, ma’am. Do you want me to bring in the bill so you can pay it all at once?”

“Yes, that would be a great help.” She shook her red hair and reached back into the boat, grabbing a bag and hat out of the back. “Thanks. Let them know it is for Trisha.”

“No problem.” Marcus walked over to the pump, and glanced back to see the stranger still sitting at the end of the dock. Almost unconsciously, Marcus adjusted himself and got back to work. He filled the tank, cleaned the glass on the front of the boat, and brought the bill inside.

“What’s up, Marcus?” Rebecca stood behind the counter as he walked in.

“Customer came in to use the restroom and is ordering food. This is her bill for the gas. Said her name is Trisha.”

“Oh. She came by boat today? She is in here fairly regularly now. I got it. Thanks, Marcus.”

Marcus waited a minute. “By chance do you know the guy sitting on the dock by the bay?”

Rebecca walked over, looked out the window toward the bay and Fire Island, and spotted the blond man sitting there. “No. Is he fishing or causing an issue?”

“Not really. He is just sitting there, but he knew me by name, and I don’t know him at all.”

“Well you are the one usually out there, Marc. Can’t say it is a surprise. People talk, you know that.”

Marcus nodded and headed back out. He stood unsure, whether he should go talk to him again, but before he could go, Trisha came bounding out with a bag of food and a big smile.

Marcus took the bag, and helped her back into the boat before handing over the food.

“Thanks, handsome. I left you a tip with Becca.” She winked and waited while he untied the boat. A few moments later she was pulling out into the bay again.

Marcus turned to see the stranger was now standing on the edge of the dock. Before Marcus could say or do anything, the man dove neatly off the dock and into the water. A moment later his head popped out of the water, and he turned to see Marcus. He waved and then dove under the water again. Marcus looked, but didn’t see him come up again. Before he could walk over, another of the customers from inside came out and he had to help them onto the boat and untie them.

The rest of the day was busy, but Marcus kept finding himself looking out at the bay and noticing the inlet to the sea.

Marcus got off work and headed home. When he pulled up, he spotted his father’s car in the driveway. He hurried in to spend some time with his family. He was barely in the door when his father’s voice called to him.

“Hey Marc. Come into the kitchen will you?”

Marcus headed into the kitchen, and found his father sitting with Janet in his arms, feeding her.

“Hey, Pop. What’s up?”

His father shook his head and smiled. “Just don’t get to see you often. Wanted to make sure you are doing okay. What happened to your board? I saw the pieces in your car last night when I got home.”

Marcus blushed. He had been lucky his mother hadn’t seen. Forget the look of disappointment Barry had given Marcus; his mother would have read him the riot act and then grounded her nineteen-year-old son. Marcus had been saving for his college classes but now was focused on his surf board instead. He had hoped to replace it without letting his parents know. That was now not a possibility. Marcus swallowed and looked at his father.

“Um, well … I had an accident. Wave caught me, and, while I’m okay, the board is toast.”

His father moved Janet to his shoulder and made to burp her. “I didn’t think the waves would be that rough on Tuesday. Did something happen?”

Marcus blushed again. He knew he had been caught. “I don’t know how the waves were Tuesday, Dad. I went out early Monday.”

“Marcus!” His father’s voice rose, and Janet began to cry. He sighed and began to rock Janet, trying to comfort her. “You know better than that. You know I love to surf, and I would have gone with you, but those waves Monday were killer. I’m glad the board is all that was hurt. You could have been killed.” He stared at Marcus, who looked at the floor, and shuffled his weight from one foot to the other. “Does your mother know?”

Marcus looked up, suddenly pale. “No!”

“Good. Don’t you ever do something that stupid again.” His father looked at the baby in his arms before returning his attention to Marcus. “Don’t you dare touch the money you have for college for a new board.”

“Barry is making me take the class again before he will sell me a board.”

His father looked at him and then nodded. “Marc, is this because you and Alex split up?”

“No. I just wanted to catch some great waves.” Marcus looked down, feeling stupid and embarrassed that Alex was brought up. Alex was going to a university in Texas and didn’t want to be caught up in some high school romance, so he broke it off the day after graduation. Marcus was relieved in a way, because he didn’t think Alex was being faithful and this made it easier.

“All right.” He walked over and ruffled Marcus’s hair. “If you need to talk, I’m here kiddo. I’m going to put Janet down for a nap. Your mother is at her yoga class, and James is at his karate class. We are getting pizza tonight. Do you want Meat Lovers or Hawaiian?”

“Meat Lovers.”

“Okay.” He wandered down the hall, cooing to the baby.

The following morning Marcus got up and realized he didn’t have to be to work ‘til noon. He drove over to Fire Island and just sat down on the beach. The warm sand felt good against his bare feet, and he could hear the gentle crash of the waves here. He loved the water, and the ocean was his favorite place to be. He lost himself in the view, when suddenly he heard a familiar voice call him.

“Hello again, Marcus.”

Marcus turned to find the handsome stranger standing right beside him. This time he could clearly see everything about him. The hair on his body almost seemed blond, but even the hair on his stomach had a bluish tinge to it. And that stomach was heavily muscled and looked more like an eight pack this close. When he looked up, he was again caught in the gaze of those intense sea-green eyes. He noticed the smile and the pearly white teeth.

“Oh.”

The stranger smiled wider and then laughed. Again the deep sound took Marcus’s full attention. He sat down next to Marcus and shook his head.

“We seem to keep meeting.”

Marcus looked at him and nodded.

“It helps if you talk too.” The stranger smiled again.

“I don’t even know your name.”

“You can call me Triton.”

Marcus looked at him and smiled.

“Triton? Really? Like the cartoon dude in the Little Mermaid?” Marcus shook his head as he again noticed the muscular man beside him.

“We share the name and maybe a few other traits, but I can assure you I have no daughters.” Triton’s eyes never left Marcus’s face.

“All right. So, where do you know me from?” Marcus watched the smile become wider on Triton’s face.

“Here.” Triton made a move that encompassed the water and beach. “I’ve seen you often here at the beach. I’ve seen you with your family, and with the man I suspect is your father. You seem happy here at the water. Though, I have never seen you as reckless as you were the other day.”

Marcus looked carefully at Triton, and had a flash back to the blond hair and blue wetsuit he swore he’d seen when rescued.

“It was you! You were the one who got me out of the water. Why didn’t you stay so I could thank you?”

Triton reached out and touched Marcus’s arm, and the young man shivered. “I managed to get you out of the sea and restored your breathing. I saw the beach patrol coming, and didn’t feel like having to explain what happened. I knew you would be safe.”

Marcus realized if Triton had to give him mouth to mouth, he must have been worse off than he had thought. He felt more foolish than ever over trying to surf during the storm.

“I remember seeing you diving in the waves.” Marcus paused as he looked out at the sea and remembered the bright blue wetsuit similar to the shorts Triton had on now. “The storm was coming. How did you make it out without being hurt?”

Triton smiled. “I’m a good swimmer.”

Marcus stared at Triton open-mouthed.

Triton laughed. “I just knew when and where to go, Marcus. Trust me, I was perfectly safe.” Triton absentmindedly played with the shell around his neck.

Marcus sat quietly, looking at Triton. He had blue flecks in his hair, and his smile was killer. Marcus could feel himself getting hard inside his swim trunks, and moved to cover himself.

Triton looked over and smiled. “Can I ask you something?”

“Umm … sure.” Marcus sat nervously, watching the rise and fall of Triton’s chest.

“You’re gay, aren’t you?”

Marcus was silent. It wasn’t that he was afraid of people knowing he was gay; he had come out to his parents and his friends when he turned sixteen. It was just he didn’t know Triton at all. The man was older than he was, and he didn’t know how Triton knew him.

“Are you okay, Marcus?”

Marcus took a deep breath. “Yeah. I’m okay. I’m also gay.”

Triton smiled and patted Marcus’s arm. “I knew it. I’m pretty good at knowing things. Besides, I’ve seen you surf, and you used to come all the time, when not with your father then you were with the taller blond guy.”

“Alex,” Marcus said, before he stopped himself and blushed. He looked out at the ocean waves just so he could recover.

“Your boyfriend?”

“Ex,” muttered Marcus again.

“Good.”

Marcus found his gaze drifting back to Triton’s body. This time he followed the slight trail of hair to his dark blue trunks. As he watched, he spotted movement, and then looked up to see Triton scrutinizing him.

“Good?”

Triton leaned in and kissed Marcus suddenly. There was a taste of the sea and honey in that kiss. Marcus found himself captivated.

“I start college next month. I’m going to be studying the ocean. I want to be a marine biologist.” Marcus found himself telling Triton all his plans for the future.

“My parents will love you. They always want more people interested in protecting the seas.” Triton smiled as he held Marcus’s hand tightly.

“Your parents? I…” Marcus paused as he realized he had been here talking to Triton for hours. He had missed his shift at work. “Crap. My parents are going to kill me. I missed work.”

Triton laughed, and Marcus felt himself get hard again.

“It’s all my fault. I’ll talk to your boss. Trust me, there won’t be a problem.” Triton leaned in and kissed Marcus again.

“Are you really asking me to date?” Marcus felt totally overwhelmed. A man he barely knew had just spent the whole day with him at the beach and was now talking about making sure he didn’t get fired. He might be stunning, but who exactly was he?

“Marcus, I’ve only one question for you. If you could date someone who really appreciated you, could help you with your college classes, and could even show you things you never knew existed in the world, would you take a chance on dating him?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t really know you.”

“I’m glad you didn’t just give me an easy answer. Here”—Triton passed Marcus a large pearl—,“when you want to see me again just call my name while holding it.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to call you on the phone?” Marcus looked at Triton and thought maybe the man was crazy.

Triton smiled again. He slowly stood, and all his muscles rippled and flexed as he did.

“I know you don’t understand, and you think I might be stalking you, or out to hurt you. You might even think I’m crazy.”

Marcus bit his bottom lip to stop from saying anything. He watched as Triton strode down to the water’s edge.

“I’ll give you a day to think about it, Marcus. While you think about dating me, I want you to remember what you see here. Remember, I can offer you things you might never know about, but only if you are comfortable and want to attempt to be a part of my world too.”

“What do you mean?” Marcus looked around and noticed they were alone.

Triton stepped to the water’s edge and a moment later his swim suit vanished as scales covered the lower part of Triton’s body and merged to become a tail. Once the transformation was complete he leapt forward, diving beneath the waves. In what appeared to be no time at all, Triton seemed to bound out of the deeper water and then dove beneath the waves, his tail flailing in a powerful stroke as he vanished from sight.

Time seemed to stand still as a part of Marcus’s mind tried to accept the incredible thing he had just seen happen. Triton had transformed into a giant merman. Hell, he might even be a god of the sea. A wave crashed, and Triton once again split the waves, shooting out of them like one might expect a dolphin to. A large golden triton was clutched in one hand while a huge conch shell hung from his neck. Triton’s blue-green scales flashed in the late afternoon sun, before he pierced the water, disappearing from sight again.

As Marcus watched Triton vanish, all he could think about was the tail and how could explain this day to his parents. Triton seemed to be a merman, and he wanted to date Marcus. This was going to be an interesting tale to tell, but if he was being honest, he really wanted to see where it would go. Now all he had to do was go home and see what he could find out about Triton on the internet.