Caspian the Merboy

Becca skipped down the stony slope to the small beach at the foot of the ruins of St Andrews castle with a torn piece of paper in her hands.
"Look, Wallace," she beamed to her brother as she jumped onto the soft, loose sand, waving the paper in her hands. "I was right. I was right!"
"Right about what?" said Wallace without severing his attention from the rock pool he and his friend were peering into.
"The fish boy!" huffed Becca.
"What fish boy?" said Wallace's friend, snapping his head round to look up at Becca.
Wallace was still more interested in studying the contents of the pool than his sister. "Becca thinks she saw a boy in the water with a fish tail, last week, Evan," Wallace mocked.
"And I'm not the only one," Becca announced as she shoved the torn piece of paper under Wallace's nose. "Read that."
Wallace snatched it from her hands and skim read the print.
"Coastguards were called to the West Sands yesterday when several people spotted what they thought was a boy being swept out to sea. However, when rescuers arrived at the scene the boy could not be found. Fearing he had drowned a team of local divers scoured the sea bed where the boy was last spotted but also found nothing. A few local residents who witnessed the incident were hesitant to describe what they saw. One, who was willing to speak to The Citizen, claimed that he had seen the boy dive under water, but instead of seeing legs he saw a fish tail. Further questioning has revealed that others saw the same thing but were in disbelief and reluctant to admit as much fearing ridicule. As a result of this strange phenomena, The Citizen," Wallace continued, his eyes suddenly lighting up, "is launching a competition, with a prize of five hundred pounds, for the first genuine photograph of the fish boy."
He looked up at Becca, his eyes were as wide as saucers and his jaw was flopped open.
"Five hundred pounds!" exclaimed Evan. "Do you know what we could do with that?"
"New bike!" said Wallace, dreamily.
"Endless Big Mac Meals."
"Anyway I still don't think you saw it cos you said he was on the East Sands, not the West Sands," said Wallace.
"It makes no difference. You didn't believe me when I told you and now you have to believe me cos I'm not the only one that saw him," she snapped and stuck her tongue out at him.
"So are we gonna enter this competition then or what?" asked Evan.
"Of course," said Wallace. "And we split the winnings, three ways."

The next day when Becca, her brother and Evan crossed the old golf course to the West Sands they were dumbstruck by the number of people that were out to find the fish boy.
"I thought the streets looked a bit deserted for a Saturday," said Evan.
"We don't stand a chance of getting the first shot now. The entire town must be down there," said Wallace a little crestfallen as he leaned over the white fence by the 18th fairway, and stared out across the throng of eager photographers.
"I saw him at the East Sands," said Becca. "Why don't we try there?"
Wallace glowered at her. "He's not going to be at the East Sands, Becca."
"How do you know? Have you asked him?" she replied stamping her feet.
"Fine, but if I find you've cost me...a third of five hundred pounds," Wallace said. "I'll snap the heads off all your dolls."
"And if I don't I'll snap the heads of all yours," she said and strode off along the gravel pathway that led to the East Sands.

As Becca suspected there wasn't a soul on the East Sands. She jumped over the wall at the harbour end of the beach and made her way down to the shore, with her brother and Evan in tow.
"He's not here, Becs," said Wallace as he kicked a branch of driftwood.
"That's because we've only been here thirty seconds," she replied as she scanned the shoreline for anything poking above the breaking waves. "Beside he's not exactly going to stand up and pose the moment he sees you."
"We need to be stealthy, then," said Evan. "Like them ninjas, except without the balaclavas."
"Ninjas don't wear balaclavas, stupid," Wallace said, slapping Evan on the arm.
Becca ignored them and continued to trudge over the waterlogged sand, getting ever closer to the rocky shoreline at the foot of the cliffs ahead.
With no sight of him Becca was about to concede defeat when Evan began bouncing up and down, gasping for air and pointing at the rocks in the water.
"Over there, over there," he said excitedly.
Waves were crashing over the rocks making it difficult for Becca to make out what he was looking at, but when the water receded Becca's heart leapt into her mouth. There lying belly down with his chin resting on his hands was the unmistakeable figure of a boy. He looked normal from his head to his waist-naked body with short brown hair and blue-white skin-but from the waist down he wasn't. Where he should have had legs he had a long, sleek fish tail instead. Its smooth scales glimmering with pearlescent hues of blue, pink and green-a stark contrast to the slimy, green seaweed strewn rocks . Becca let out a sigh. The boy seemed to be sad as he was staring down at the sea, barely flinching as the waves crashed over him. His eyes were lowered and the corners of his mouth were turned down.
Wallace reached for his camera and began fiddling with the controls and when he began snapping the sounds alerted the fish boy. He sat bolt upright and was about to dive into the sea when Becca called out.
"It's okay, it's okay," she said holding her hands up. "We're not going to hurt you."
The fish boy hesitated. He looked down at the sea and then across to Becca and her brother.
Becca gingerly approached the rocks, wanting to get closer but not wanting to alarm the boy. But when she got within ten feet of him the boy started to twitch. He shuffled himself back, away from Becca. Becca stopped and crouched down between a couple of rock pools.
"Hi," she said. "My name's Becca. Do you have a name?"
"C-C-Caspian," he said.
"That's my brother over there. His name is Wallace. And the other boy is his friend, Evan."
Caspian raised a hand and pointed to Wallace. "B-brother?"
Becca nodded. "Do you have a brother?"
Caspian nodded. "And sister, and mother, and father," he said as a lone sparkle of a tear trickled down his cheek.
"Why are you sad?" asked Becca.
Caspian wiped a hand across his eyes. "Lost," he said.
"Where do you live? Perhaps we could find your home."
"Island," Caspian replied and turned, searching for a direction in which to point but gave a huff of frustration when he couldn't get his bearings.
"There are hundreds of island in Scotland," said Wallace. "For all we know he could've come from as far out as the Hebrides."
"With puffins," said Caspian.
"May Island has puffins," Evan proffered, diffidently.
Becca could see that Wallace was about to come back with a quick quip and stepped in before he had even taken a breath. "You're right,Evan. May Island does have puffins."
She turned to Caspian.
"How long have you been lost?"
Caspian counted on his fingers. "Seven suns."
"And do you think you've swam far away."
Caspian nodded.
"But did you always see land whilst you were swimming?"
Caspian pondered the question before giving a confident nod.
Becca turned back to Wallace and Evan. "That must be where he lives."
"Are we going to help him get home?" asked Evan.
"Of course," Becca replied.
"Yeah but how?" asked Wallace with his hands on his hips. "I'm not about to jump in the north sea and swim with him. Do you have any idea how cold it is in there?"
"We don't have to swim stupid," said Becca. "The coastal path snakes right round the east neuk. As long as we can see Caspian and he can see us we can direct him to May Island."
"But that's a long walk," said Evan, staring up at the cliffs.
"You could use it, Evan," she said looking down at his portly frame before turning her attention back to Caspian.
"Now, Caspian, you have to listen very carefully," she said. "We'll get you home. You have to follow the coastline south, but you must look out for us. We'll be walking to guide you."
Caspian nodded and smiled. He cautiously reached out a hand to Becca. Becca was hesitant to take it at first, after all he was an unnatural being. But when she did she felt a rush of excitement that made her heart skip a beat. His skin was cold and clammy, but as soft as velvet.
"You'll be okay," she said softly.
Caspian dived in the water and waited as Becca, Wallace and Evan scaled the side of the cliff and began walking along the narrow pathway. All the while Becca kept a keen eye on the sea below to check on Caspian's location. He appeared to have perked up and was leaping into the air, twisting and performing somersaults before crashing down into the waves. Becca liked to think that he was showing off for her. The idea of it made her skin tingle.
As they continued on, the pathway dipped and climbed and wove round dunes and thorny gorse bushes but where it curved inland and out of sight Becca worried that Caspian would loose his bearings again and end up swimming north. But she needn't have as when they returned to the coastline there was Caspian, sloshing about in the twinkling water.
A couple of times her heart leapt into her mouth when she spotted boats and yachts skim past where Caspian was swimming. But Caspian seemed to know what to do when they neared and dived into the water, popping his head back out only when they were sufficiently out of sight.
Onwards the three of them walked, passing a number of golf courses, towns and farms before the coastline curved round past a campsite. Becca knew they were getting near to Caspian's home.
"How much further is it Becca?" Wallace moaned. He stopped and bent over, resting his hands on his knees. "My feet hurt."
"Stop complaining you big sissy," she said. "Once we get Caspian home we can get fish and chips from the Anstruther fish bar."
Wallace stood bolt upright. With an expectant and greedy glint in his eye he strode on past Becca. Evan clearly was just as excited by the prospect of making up for lost calories and trotted after him. "So which way is it?" Wallace asked.
When they past by the coastal village of Crail they neared their goal. With the Isle of May clearly in sight Becca stared out to the Firth of Forth and waved to Caspian. When she caught his attention she, Wallace and Evan all pointed to where May Island stood proud of the water. Caspian recognised his home and back flipped in the water. Becca laughed. But rather than swimming off into the mist, Caspian bobbed in the water for a moment or two, staring back at them. Becca waved to him. He waved back then leapt and twisted in the air, diving back down into the deep blue without so much as a ripple on the surface of the water. It was a display of acrobatic grace that made the hairs on the back of Becca's neck stand on end.
And then he was gone.
"Bye," she said choking back tears that threatened to cascade down her cheeks at any moment.
Wallace stepped up to her side.
"What do I do with these photos?" he asked delicately.
Becca smiled at him. "I think you know."
Wallace peered down at his camera and flicked at the controls. "Delete, delete, delete," he said.