It slid through the water like a shadow, the dark gray of its back hiding it from view in the murky water. The great fish cruised slowly toward the dark mass a few hundred yards ahead. Only one thought went through its head as is zeroed in on its target: Eat.
Joshua Hickson sat in the chair in the back of his boat, holding a sturdy sport fishing rod. He looked like your stereotypical fisherman, dressed in a denim brown jacket, unbuttoned and with the sleeves rolled up, a pair of stonewashed jeans, a plain white t-shirt and white running shoes. A Red Sox hat sat tilted slightly backward on his head, and almost fell off as he leaned back to take a sip from his beer can. Fishing was going extremely slow today, and it was getting dark anyway, so Josh started thinking about turning in for the night.
CRACK Josh slammed his head off the deck. He had no idea what had happened, and couldn't recall falling over. As he stood up he notice the boat was shaking. As it steadied, he looked around and saw that the waters were completely calm. Figuring he had maybe just hit a reef, he continued to pack up his supplies. CRACK This time Josh kept his balance. Something had hit the boat, and hard. He was still moving so he knew it wasn't a reef, which made him begin to worry. He dropped all his tackle and gear and ran for the wheel. He turned the key in the ignition and...
Nothing. There must be water in the engine below, he thought. He struggled desperately to get the boat to start. He turned the key in the slot over and over again til it finally broke off. "Crap!" Josh yelled at the top of his lungs. Suddenly he was thrown straight upward. His head slammed into the ceiling as the floor was hit again. As he looked down, he saw not what should have been his floor, but a swirling mass of ocean waves. He fell into the depths. As he frantically clawed his way back to the surface, he spotted a shadow in the distance, but it was closing in fast. As he broke the surface, he had just enough time to spin around and catch a glint of white before he was he disappeared from the world.
The sun rose early in the morning for the small coastal community of Averdash. Dave Crawford's eyes fluttered open and he grunted as he tried to shake himself out of sleep. Dave was the best fisherman in the town, mainly because he knew all the secret spots where groups of small tuna liked to congregate. He was an average sized man, with a buzz cut that made his black hair almost look like a hat. His eyes were small, but bright and vibrant. His childish face made him look years younger than 42. He had a circular scar near his nose where a hook ha pierced him as a teenager. He was muscular from a lifetime of working on the boats. He always wore loose fitting jeans and converse sneakers. He rolled out of bed and put on a pair of each, along with a t-shirt and ball cap as he prepared for another day at sea.
As he walked into the kitchen, he could smell the scrambled eggs his wife was preparing at the stove. The smell slid through the window above the pan, and out over the ocean, mixed with the sea breeze. As he looked out the window, Dave was reminded, as he was every day, of how he had met this woman who was now serving him his food. It was right on top of the sand dune directly in front of the house. It was during spring break during his senior year if college. He had seen her tanning, in a silk white bikini, and immediately fell for her. He had walked up to her and sat down. She gave him a questioning look and he smiled and winked. Her pretty face smiled back and it was sealed from there. Her name was Katie, and she was the most visually stunning woman he had ever seen. With long, flowing blonde hair that the sun bounced off of as if it was glass. Her pearly blue eyes and athletic body hadn't changed much in twenty years, and as he watched her sit down across from him, he smiled and winked, as if to remind her of that day as well. She blushed, and leaned in towards him. "I heard there's going to be a big storm today. So try not to stay out too long with the boys, will you? Oh, and Mrs. Hickson called. She said to tell you that when you see Josh today, tell him to call her because he never came home last night," she explained rapidly. He only caught every other word, as he was staring out at the sea while 'Piano Man' played softly on the radio, and the words danced through his head, "Sing us a song, your the piano man. Sing us a song tonight. While we are all in the mood for a melody, And you've got us feeling alright."