"I forgot to ask you where you work."
"I'm a mermaid."
"A ... beggin' your pardon?"
She laughed, fluttering her fingers over her mouth.
"I'm an attraction here at the park. I dress up in a costume with a tail, and there's a big fish tank rigged so it looks as if I'm lying underwater, and people pay their dime to come look at me. I get a dollar a week and a place to live. It's not much to do, but it lets me daydream all day."
***
Featured as Daily Literature Deviations' Pick of the Day: "Highly polished, this is a complete and
enjoyable short story. Excellent dialectic
dialogue and pretty descriptions work together
to create a realistic scene, which allows the
storyline to work on a literal and metaphorical
line. Beautiful fiction."