Ken's mermaid

There's a guy round the corner who drinks his coffee out of a cup with Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid on it. Whenever I see it outside his lab I smile. "The illusive mermaid," I think, "Ken's holy grail..."

He scuba dives. He went to Bonaire this month for two weeks. Before he left I asked, as always, "do you think you'll find her this time?" He always gives a hopeful answer, but every time comes back without having met with any undersea company.

When I first saw him upon his return I cried out "You're back! I'm so relieved you weren't eaten by mermaids!" After chuckling he cried out "Oh, I got a picture of a mermaid this time!" I raised an eyebrown and cocked my head sceptically. "No really! I saw one!" he persisted. I asked if said mermaid would be in with the pictures he took on his trip and he assured me she would be.

Days went by. No pictures materialized. I began ribbing him in the hallways when I passed him, saying he was pulling my leg. He was steadfast in belief though, and smuggly but smilingly told me I'd soon see.

Well, today the pictures were on my desk on a CD. I popped it in and scrolled through. They're amazing photographs. Ken's a superb photographer. There were blowfish and baby trumpet fish, christmas tree coral and sea slugs, sea horses and shrimps - and eels. He loves eels. And then, there she was. Ken's mermaid! She was beautiful with sprite-like features and an hourglass figure. Her tail was bright green and her hair baby blue, and there was even a little blue sea star in the center of her forhead. And then...wait, there was a giant thumb and fore finger pinching her perfectly shaped fins...hold it.

Yeah, it was a toy held up by one of Ken's diving buddies. I smiled. I'd suspected as much. At least it wasn't one of his male diving cohorts in a bikini...

But looking through the other photos, another ghostly figure caught my eye. I studied the picture closer and Ken's toy suddenly wasn't the only mermaiden hidden in his photos. This one was nestled snugly inside an opening in a shipwreck, her head gracefully bent to one side, her hands peacefully touching. Her skin was porcelain white and her head was draped with a thin shawl of the same color. Her sleaves were long. Her eyes were kind. Her presence was ethreal and lent an air of mystery to the indigo and teal scene - and isn't that what mermaids are fabled to do? I smiled.

Looks like Ken found his mermaid after all. Iwonder if he even noticed.