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 Post subject: Songs of the deep
PostPosted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:45 pm 

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Over the years the story of mermaids have circulated the world, swept across the nations. Told from one sea aged sailor to another. They say the tears of a mermaid could grant you a wish. That even if you don't speak, they will know what your heart desires. Tales like these, of creatures, half human, half fish, popped up when a man claimed he caught one. Of course no one knows if that claim is true, but it's highly unlikely. Magic isn't real, and neither are fairies, or goblins, or any such thing. Harper never believed in that stuff. Even as a child. Realism was what she clung to, believing only in things she saw with her own eyes. That fact rang true through out her life, and now, in college, she was finishing up her last year of grad school, all she needed was to finish her thesis. After much debate, she chose the origin of fairy tales as her subject. More specifically, mermaids.

To be honest, though she knew in her mind, they were unreal, silly superstition, she still found them fascinating. So, she set in determination to study the stories. In doing so, she met one other who wanted to tag along. They were a fellow student, and colleague, and over the first two months of planning, and research, they found a small village in israel that could prove useful to their study. Within the next weeks days, she had booked three tickets to their destination. Today they were setting out on their journey. She bounced in her seat, excited for the flight. Their professor had picked the two up from the school about an hour earlier, the old man chuckling at the excitement, his own nerves buzzing.

"Man, this is going to be so fun. I've never been out of the city, let alone the country," she exclaimed happily. She was much like a little kid, going on vacation for the first time. All smiles, and jittering amusement. The man in front glanced back to her in the mirror, a smile on his face. Professor Wilks, an older man, maybe in his late sixties, had agreed to help with the research when Harper came to him at the beginning of the semester. Now he was going with them to Israel. He had to smile at that, how fast it all seemed to go by, and how much they learned.

"I do get your excitement, Harper, but calm down my girl,"he chuckled" We're almost to the airport. Are we ready? We have a long flight ahead of us."

"Oh, yes, I am. Thank you again, Professor for helping us,"she gave the an a soft smile, which he returned in kind. They arrived at the airport shortly after, and boarded their plane. The flight was going to take a good few hours, so it gave them time to go over what to do.

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Please excuse my slow replies. I currently work 6 or 7 days a week, and now with Hurricane Irma effecting my county I wont know when I might have access to power next. Hopefully things will get fixed soon. Thank you for understanding!


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 Post subject: Re: Songs of the deep
PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 1:02 am 
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The long flight was about over as Samantha Tremaine closed the lid on the laptop and returned the tray table to an upright position. She slipped her precious electronic device in her backpack and stretched to remove the kinks the Aeroflot airlines had ironed in over the 7500 miles. Professor Fuller had a hired car and a driver to take the three of them west by northwest to Kiryat Yam, the fabled city where mermaids sunned on rocks in the surf.

Sammy looked over at Harper, her comrade in arms, so to speak and grinned. She wished she looked half as put together as Harper but she knew with her short spiked black hair that she looked quite androgynous and not at all lovely. The heavy black eyeliner had been permanently tattooed on one night after a party and so she was a permanent Goth. No biggie, the look went with the black tee shirt and cargo shorts quite well. No one expected more than the high top boots she wore either, so packing for the trip had been quite simple. Her one girly concession had been gold hoop earrings. Harper on the other hand, looked, cute. No other word for it. The fact that Sammy was some older than the typical grad student didn’t help her to look fresh faced and precious, either.

The prof was sleeping with his mouth opened and lightly snoring as the flight attendant gently asked him to sit his seat back straight and fasten his seat belt once more. The professor was an older man, short with this mass of curly brown hair shot through with grey. He had round glasses that looked as if they had come via the 1970s and never been replaced. He was still trim and to some of the girls in their class, was attractive. Not really her type, Sammy thought, but then her type was her own business.

She pulled out the newspaper article about Kiryat Yam and the sightings of the mermaid. They were offering a huge reward to anyone who provided hard evidence. Sammy patted her backpack to assure herself that her camera was intact. Check. The Department of Oceanic Research allowed for a liberal studies attitude to the students’ thesis papers. Harper’s was research on mermaids via literature, the humanities and folklore. Sammy’s was more a scientific base.

She had read of Charles Foley’s expose on Animal Planet and it was controversial at best. Her theory was based on anthropology and human evolution. If she could gather enough evidence, maybe she could prove, not that humans evolved into mermaids, but rather that dolphins had mated with human females and the offspring that resulted were the mermaids, or merpeople. The little reward that Kiryat Yam was offering was quite a tasty morsel too. One stain on the otherwise rosy plan was the disturbing reports that governments worldwide were working to cover up any hard evidence of Mermaids. One whispering conspiracy theorist posited that these governments were killing people that wouldn’t take the hush money.

Sammy didn’t worry about wing nuts. The weather was perfect, sunny and 74. She was with people she cared about and respected. The entire summer stretched ahead of her with possibilities and beaches. What more could she asked for? She leaned across the aisle and called,

“Hey, Harper. I want to show you these videos that I found online. See what you think about this evidence. I want to find this beach as soon as possible.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_eUKBrHKYM

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 Post subject: Re: Songs of the deep
PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 4:41 am 

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The brunette looked up to her partner in crime, and placed her notebook in her lap. Over the course of the flight her long hair had been pinned up into a messy bun to allow her freedom in looking over the evidence. That was what she was doing now, when she was called. A video of evidence? Evidence they existed? She giggled softly to herself. Sammy's constant hope for that which was undoubtable, and irrefutably fake was cute, and Harper admired her child like charm when it came to these kinds of subjects. Even still, one couldn't deny that she was one of the best at what she did. Combining Harpers Folklorist attitude with Sam's Oceanographer mindset the two were going to have the best thesis in the whole school at this rate! It was undeniable. Not to mention with the help of Harpers gung-ho attitude about life in general. But that was all unimportant at the moment. They still had a long way to go.

Leaning over in her seat, the girl looked at the video the other presented. She gave it a skeptical look, studying the so called mermaid that they caught on tape. It looked so fake. Obviously it was some CGI effects. Not hard to do at all with the right equipment. She turned her honey coloured eyes to the other. It was plain what they meant. They might as well have had the word fake printed in them in big bold letters. Of course she didn't want to be mean about it, so she straightened in her spot and folded her hands in her lap. Oh no. Here it comes. The grade school teacher attitude and the lecture. Samantha got one of these about every month or so, whenever she showed Harper any of the so called 'evidence' she had found. It usually consisted of the same points, over and over again, about how they weren't here to prove mermaids excited, they were here to study the lore. These talks usually took about five minutes of precious time out of the lives of all those involved. Luckily this time she kept it short, stating;" We're here for the lore, not evidence that they're real, ok?"

Honestly it was more cute, then serious at this point, and it was mostly always light hearted. The brunette would never dream of putting the other down for her beliefs in the matter. At Least not purposefully. She would listen to the theories, and reports the other found, and would give points as to why they didn't hold weight when it came to proof, doing so nicely and patiently. Maybe that's why the two worked so well.Harper was usually the voice of reason, while sam was the opposite, allowing herself to do the crazy, and unexplained. They were a perfect balance. They also relied on each other for support, and neither one was ever unattentive to the other.

As the two discussed the facts over fiction, the announcement came on, letting the people know that they would be landing soon. Harper quickly scooped up her notes, and shoved them into her bag, along with all her other personal effects. There was that excitement again. It slowly built in her belly, bubbling up, and making her whole body buzz. She was back to bouncing in her seat, each moment closer to landing becoming increasingly long for her. She nearly hopped right out of her seat from impatience, and when they finally touched down, and were able to depart from the plane, she was the first of her group to get her things, and bolt out.

_________________
Please excuse my slow replies. I currently work 6 or 7 days a week, and now with Hurricane Irma effecting my county I wont know when I might have access to power next. Hopefully things will get fixed soon. Thank you for understanding!


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 Post subject: Re: Songs of the deep
PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 6:45 pm 
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The driver let them out at the beach cottage that had been rented for the rest of the season.

“We would have stayed at the hostel had not a generous donation been made to our department and earmarked for this trip.” Professor Fuller said as he pulled his luggage from the back seat of the van.” We also have this private vehicle and a driver who speaks good English for the duration due to this benefactor.”

“Don’t you mean, Benefactress?” Sammy asked with an arch of her eyebrow. “Everyone in the department knows what a ladies’ man you are. Bet you sweet talked old Kilgore’s widow.”
The prof went red to the tip of his little round nose and pushed his glasses back to his face with a tip of his index finger.

“Samantha, you did say you wanted to graduate this semester, didn’t you? Well, deviling your instructor is not the best way to go about that.” His words were sharp but his eyes were merry as he handed her the key to the cottage.

Sammy unlocked the bright blue door and stood in amazement at the layout of the rooms. The room was open and airy, large picture windows opened out onto a sandy beach straight in front of the back door and looming volcanic rock breakers on either side. She stood mesmerized by the white foam as it broke into the air, sparkling like diamonds as the surf on the sand crept in and slid back so docilely.

“We are staying here?” she asked in amazement, turning to look at Harper who was going across the open expanse of the living room where turquoise slipcovers graced the old, yet comfortable looking sofas and wing back chairs.

The living area's furnishings were awash with blue and yellows A patchwork rug reflected the sun and the sky and anchored the room. The glass top on reclaimed-oak coffee table displayed a collage of vintage art and family photos. The kitchen was tucked into a corner and opened into a dining area with a white washed trestle table and benches. The pots and pans were gleaming from a rack on this ceiling, lending to the genial atmosphere.

Sammy followed Harper to the doors that opened up from the living room.

“This one is the bathroom,” she announced. “Nice. Lots of thick white towels. Double sinks, a soaker tub and a shower. The potty is is in a water closet.” She opened another door while Harper opened the third. “Oooh, a nice cozy room with a king sized bed.”

“That would be my quarters. Notice the desk in the corner?” the Prof said, coming to stand beside her. “Now go join your room mate.”

Sammy did and grinned at the small room. “Whoever made this house was not really planning on having company. All the room had to be taken from this one and put everywhere else.”
The room held a bunk bed covered with blue quilts , an old kitchen table with two straight back chairs and one worn armchair by the window with a small table which held a round pink lamp.

“Do you have a preference for which bunk?” Sammy asked, setting her luggage on the wood floor. She slung her backpack on the table. “I hope they have wifi. Looks like there are enough plug ins.”

“I have the lead of some people to interview,” Sammy said as she unpacked her few clothes and her toothbrush. “ I don’t want to waste anytime, although just walking on the beach at the moment sounds wonderful.”

She shook her head and zipped up the suitcase.

“We are not here on vacation.” She set up her laptop and arranged her research papers. “All set. What do you want to do?”

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 Post subject: Re: Songs of the deep
PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 4:03 am 

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The house was beautiful. Harper got a sense of welcome from the home. The open floor plan was great, it had plenty of room for the three of them, but it wasn't to open, making everything seem disconnected. Over all the living room was by far her favorite. Nice and cozy.

"Wow, this place is wonderful! Professor whom ever this benefactor is, she or he needs a giant pat on the back! Look at this house,"she squealed in delight, following Sam into the bathroom to look around.

"A water closet?How fancy, and my god! Look at that huge tube! Oh I have to use it later,"She gushed, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, looking over the beautiful porcelain. Oh yeah, she decided. That tube was going to be her ****ing tonight.

When Sammy brought attention to the room, she walked over, looking in at the lavish bed. He face lit up, then fell as the man claimed dibs.

"So not fair,"she huffed, following the other into their shared room. Two dressers, two desk, a closet they'd have to share, and a wonderful view.This one wasn't as extravagant, smaller than the others, but big enough, but it did make her think of her childhood. She grew up in a crowded home with four older sisters. Of course rooms had to be doubled up, so she was use to sharing. As a kid she shared a bunk bed with her elder sister Lily, and was stuck with the top bunk due to her sisters fear of heights. She didn't much like them either.

"I'll take the bottom one if you don't mind. Heights aren't my thing you know,"she pointed to the bed, and set her bag down on it, before pulling her clothes out, and arranging them in neat piles to be put in the proper order in the dresser. She listened to Sammy ramble a bit about Wifi, and the beach, chuckling as she went on.

"We can take a day to relax. We just got off the plane, and I'm a bit jet lagged. If you want we can take a walk on the sand, before making contact with our leads,"she jabbed a finger towards the window, which showed a beautiful view of the ocean below. That walk sounded wonderful right now.

She shook herself out of it, realizing she had been day dreaming. Sammy was right. This wasn't a vacation, but, that didn't mean they couldn't rest up a bit.

_________________
Please excuse my slow replies. I currently work 6 or 7 days a week, and now with Hurricane Irma effecting my county I wont know when I might have access to power next. Hopefully things will get fixed soon. Thank you for understanding!


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 Post subject: Re: Songs of the deep
PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:16 pm 
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Sammy debated the work vs take it easy point of view for the rest of the day with Harper and finally they reached a compromise. They would take a walk on the beach, go have a nice tourist style dinner and IF Sammy found a suitable person, she would interview them. She changed into a clean black tee shirt and pulled a black and white striped sweater from the closet
“It isn’t cold, exactly, as a matter of fact the sun feels pretty good, but if we walk on the beach, the sea air will have a chill to it and I am always cold. Better to be prepared than to freeze. I can always tie it around my waists.” Sammy said as she climbed up to get her iPhone from her top bunk.

“By the way, the top bunk is ****ing’. I feel like I’m in a tree house. And I don’t have to worry about you stuffing a dirty sock in my mouth during the middle of the night.”

Out of the beach, the gulls were crying, high and plaintive as they skimmed the shore for bits of crab or left over sandwiches. Sammy used the camera on her phone to snap pictures of the flotsam on the sand: a lone sandal, ropes of seaweed, crushed crab shells, pebbles, sand dollars.

“Just think, Harper, this pebble might have started out in Spain and now it is here. The ocean currents..” and she was off and running about ocean trivia. Sammy was happy to snap pictures and rattle on about her favorite subject. “ and, I plan to go out with a crew from the British Petroleum company on one of their sub rovers. There have been reports of sightings of merpeople at incredible depths, one reason why we don’t see many of them. Just like with other wild animals, their habitats have been compromised, driving them deeper and deeper into the crevices in the ocean floor.”

On a distance jetty, Sammy saw a man with rolled up white pants scanning the horizon with binoculars.

“There is a likely candidate for an interview.” She said, plowing on down the shoreline with Harper protesting behind her. When she reached the man, a handsome, playboy type with flip flops, a tight white tee shirt and a brilliant white smile, Sammy called out,

“Excuse me, excuse me.”

He turned and pointed to himself with a pantomime of “Me?”

“ Yeah, you. Hi,” Sammy put out her hand to shake while Harper grumbled behind her. “I’m Samantha Tremaine. This is my associate, Harper. We are graduate students from California doing our thesis on Mermaids. You were scanning the water with binoculars and I wondered if you would answer a few questions for me as part of my research.”

“You trying to get the million dollar reward too?” he asked, giving her a look that suggested he found her Goth looks a little less refined than he liked.

“No, well, I mean, a reward would be great but seriously, I’m just writing a thesis paper.”

“Yeah, sure, My name is Richard Cohen. I did see a mermaid. I did, which is why I come back every day to see if I can catch another glimpse of her. She looked like a cross between a fish and a young girl. The only time I have ever known her to appear is at sunset. The old girl performs a few tricks for onlookers before disappearing for the night. “

“Where were you when this happened?” Sammy asked, recording this on her phone.

“Right here on this beach. I was with friends when suddenly we saw a woman laying on the sand in a weird way. At first I thought she was just another sunbather, but when we approached she jumped into the water and disappeared. We were all in shock because we saw she had a tail. That sighting began several months ago but I haven’t seen her in a while. I told Michael that we should have circled around and caught her, but everyone was so busy watching her tricks. Now, I’m busy. “ He snapped the lenses back to his eyes and ignored them.

The girls walked along in silence. Finally Sammy said,

“Not only do I need a good meal. I think I need a drink.”

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