After Aleksandr had helped Jacob with the fishes, Jacob had come in contact with him again a few days later. This time, the request was a bit peculiar. He was to accompany Jacob and take pictures of Mermaids with a 'polaroid' camera. He thought that mermaids showing up was rather unlikely. There had been no Mermaid sightings in Hargeon for a long time. That is if they existed at all. He did not know. But he knew that the boy, while very enthusiastic and hyper-active, was not off his rocker. He had this glimmer of conviction in his eyes. Strangely enough, Aleksandr almost believed him. The boy wanted to prove that he was not a liar, and Aleksandr was up for the ride. Still, the money happened to be the primary incentive. Plus, if they didn't find a mermaid, it'll just be sightseeing. That was good enough for him. He still wasn't a fan of warm weather, but he was chasing the bag, so it didn't matter.

He put on some slim fit regular shorts and his dull (but beloved) plain white cotton shirt, with the same slippers he had worn when he had helped Jacob the last time. He would probably be there for a long time under the sun, and comfort mattered. At the last moment, he decided to get a summer hat. He now looked like a middle-aged man on vacation. 'Ugh, cringe.' he muttered. But yet again, comfort. He was supposed to meet Jacob in the same spot they had sailed from to catch the 'magical' fish last time. That was a fat fucking fish. He had to wrestle it with his bare hands so that it wouldn't jump off-board and destroy all their hard work. At least he got paid for that bizarre experience. It also taught him that Jacob wasn't a fool.

They met at the same place, and then set out on Jacob's boat once again, to the same place Jacob had seen the mermaid last time. "Are you sure about this?" Aleksandr asked him, his eyebrows raised. Without a single hair of doubt in his voice, Jacob answered him with a resounding "Yes. I know what I saw." Aleksandr sighed. He hoped he was right and hadn't got deceived by the heat and hallucinated. Then it would likely be a waste of time, yes, sightseeing but it would still be a waste of time, even if he might enjoy it.

They rowed to the general vicinity of the spot Jacob had seen the mermaid, stopped the boat right in the middle of the water, and began having a look around. Seconds, minutes, hours went by just like that. They kept staring at the sea. Jacob had his camera in his hand. The water did not even stir. It was morning, so the tide was low, and the water calm. By now, Aleksandr had grown weary of this engagement. With each passing second, he was more convinced that Jacob had hallucinated and perhaps mistaken a dolphin for a mermaid. "Maybe we should go." Aleksandr said, disappointed. "No" was the only thing Jacob said.

"Come on. Maybe you were mistaken." Alek continued with his efforts to get them back to land. He was also getting hungry. "No, I was not!" he said, the conviction still there. It did not matter if Aleksandr believed him or not. For the past three hours, they had just been sitting here staring at the empty sea. He was bored. He didn't have the patience to do this anymore. "Well, maybe they don't want to show themselves today, perhaps we can return later if you want?" Of course, Aleksandr had no intention of doing that. He was only attempting to trick him. "Alright..." Jacob said, finally giving in, clearly disappointed. Aleksandr felt pity for him, but it was probably best of Jacob not to dwell on this. Jacob handed him the jewels, as promised, and they started sailing back. Aleksandr turned back for one last look. Strangely enough, he saw a shiny tail retreating into the water. He looked back at Jacob, alarmed. Was Jacob right all along?

Jacob, however, was down in the dumps. He was rowing back with his eyes focused on the ground. Aleksandr was now perplexed as to whether he should tell him about the mermaid or just leave it be. 'Hmm.' Well, if what he saw was a mermaid, they clearly did not want to be disturbed and had maybe even been waiting for the two of them to leave. It was for the best this remained a secret. If no one would know, no one will bother them, including any potential hunters. And he also understood that the supposed 'mermen' didn't show themselves for a reason. He did not want to disrespect their wishes, for he had as much compassion. Telling people about them would attract unwanted attention. Even if Jacob would have to endure some embarrassment, it was better than the whole of mermen having to experience the whims and wishes of men. So he kept his mouth shut and drove back to the coast without saying a word. After a few brief words, both of them went their way. He still felt bad for Jacob, but he was happy with his decision.

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Word Count: 881/500