by Nikki Andrade
Chapter 2
A Soul Reunion
"Not You Again,"
The mermaid strains her eyes from beneath the ocean's surface to find four tiny reindeer-like feet barely supporting their weight in the middle of the grand ocean. She pops her head above water and flips her tail around to stop the boats momentum.
"Esmeralda! Finally, I nearly caught a current and drowned myself out here waiting for you," the antelope says. "Where have you been my love?"
"What are you doing in Neptune's forsaken ocean Hercules? You have no idea the lengths I've had to go through to save your rear end, again. Again and again and again. Can't you find another more useful physicality to circumvent in this gazillionth of a lifetime. ¡Ah, qué putas! You haven't figured it out yet Hercules, really?"
"And that's why I love you Esmeralda," the antelope softening his gaze and his eyes melting away at the sight of Esmeralda's soul once again, but this time in the form of a breath-taking mermaid. How mystical, how magical she is, to simply exist out of the minds and into the imagination of all things in all ways in all times.
"You've always been the intelligent one. You still look as beautiful as ever, Esmeralda," Hercules begins caressing the bow with his left cheek, as he settles in on the head to finally retreat.
"I will cut you, I will eat you. Just like last time."
Hercules, fighting back laughter, apologizes, "you have every right. I am so sorry."
Esmerealda releases the horns. Hercules goes on, :"it was incredibly selfish of me to cross the Atlantic, in flee, flor my life!"
"you know how to manage hungry lions and greedy men Hercules, don't start with that victim, oh woe is me, all over again.
"Easy for you to say, you've been at the bottom of the ocean drowning in Stacy's plastic this whole time, haven't you?"
A goldfish flops on deck, in her high pitched morally correct righteousness, "you know we've actually implemented a lot of recycling programs down there that seem to be really helping. There are skater fish now eating shrimpy shrimp because there were well so many shrimpy shrimp eating well everything except the plastic, can you imagine that? And well now, we have, yea we still have a lot of plastic but a lot less shrimpy shrimp which makes things more bearable. because the majority of beings down there never really liked the shrimpy shrimp. so that's progress. Everything is progress.
Hercules and Esmeralda stare at her, precariously, anger boiling in its tension in the air as Hercules and Esmeralda turn to find how this bit landed on one another. At least they can agree on their mutual dislike for Stacy, the little goldfish that always needs to be right.
"Alright. I need a moment," Esmeralda flops down to the deck. Hercules wraps aroudn the other side of the boat to meet her.
"Yea so, what's the plan," Hercules turns to Esmeralda.
"You don't remember anything" Esmeralda squeamishly rolls her eyes.
"What?"
Esmeralda walks to the back of the boat.
"What?" Hercules follows. "This is going to be fun you and me, tu y yo, ortra vez!
Esmeralda mutters to herself, "I can't believe i'm stuck with again. again and again. again and again. Does this ever end?"