Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: TASTE (07/01/21)
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TITLE: A Yummy Excursion | Previous Challenge Entry
By Art Westefeld
07/08/21 -
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Out for a swim near the shore, she was surprised to see people she remembered from her church youth group. She swam closer. Since her swimsuit was decent, she decided to take a rare trip out of the ocean to see her friends. As she walked up to the group, she smelled grilled food. Her mouth watered. “I could devour a burger,” she said under her breath.
The youth pastor saw her first and called out, “Lori, long time no see. How you doing?”
She appreciated the warm welcome, since she had been away for months.
“Fine, Pastor Steve. Sorry I haven’t attended in a while, but I’ve been living with my dad.”
While not a lie, telling a half truth to her former pastor left a bad taste in her mouth.
Pastor Steve, was delighted to see her again and waved her over to the group, most of whom remembered her. Someone pressed a paper plate into her hands and she was led to the food table. Her throat felt a bit dry as she wasn’t in water, but Lori felt she could handle being on land long enough for a taste of Christian fellowship, and the savor of land food.
She was served a cheeseburger and chips, and grabbed a soda from the cooler, as well as a bottle of water to moisten her dry throat. She settled amongst some of her old friends. After Pastor Steve offered a blessing, she bit into the burger. The taste of the beef, cheese and bun practically exploded on her tongue. It was all she could do not to shark it down and race back for seconds. Instead, she inhaled the contents of the water bottle.
An instant later, her mermaid physiology betrayed her. Her gills let the excess water run out. She felt the water run down her neck and hoped no one had noticed. That hope was in vain. Rod, the guy on her right, stopped talking to the girl across from him and asked, “Lori, why’s your neck leaking?”
Lori was torn between wanting to scarf down the rest of the food and make a break for the ocean, and telling Rod the truth. She decided on a middle ground and told a fib, “Leaking? No, I was sloppy, Rod.”
Rod wasn’t buying her story, touching her gills. “What are these slits in your neck?”
Finishing off the tasty burger, and trying to stall by filling her mouth with chips, she shrugged. She drank some soda, and some of it leaked out too. Rod murmured, “Sloppy again? Not buying it.”
Lori knew she had to explain something, or he was going to keep asking questions. Leaning towards him she whispered, “I’ll explain, but you can’t tell anybody. Please get me another bottle of water.” Handing him her plate she added, “And another burger. I haven’t tasted one in months.”
Rod rose to fulfill her requests, his curiosity piqued.
As soon as he returned, she grabbed the water and inhaled the contents, the fresh water tasting better than the salt water to which she had become accustomed. Rod held the burger just out of her reach and demanded, “Talk.”
Lori stood, grabbing Rod's arm, and led him a short distance away. After she ate the burger, she began to explain that she was a merperson. Rod’s response wasn’t totally unexpected. He blurted out, “What?”
She replied, “What you touched are my gills. As I’m a halfbreed, I can live for a little bit out of the ocean. Can I ask you to keep my secret?”
While he considered it, she finished the burger. She walked away, returning with two hot dogs. “Yummy! I’d forgotten how good surface food tastes. Last night my stepmom served tuna, raw.”, She shuddered.
Rod asked, “If I don’t tell, will I see you again?”
Lori answered honestly, I don’t know. If it wasn’t for the group beach trip, I’d still be swimming around before dinner at home. In fact, I need to head home soon. Those water bottles helped but…”
She turned back to the water and dove under the waves, the ocean washing the taste of the food away.
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I loved the Lori character :-).