A tail that resembles a fish’s tail is displayed right behind Brandon, in place of where his legs would be. The tail is long and majestic, embellished with sapphire-coloured scales from base to fin. The fin extends from the tip of it, bearing a lighter shade of the blue since it is translucent due to its flexible material. With the rain sprinkling over the aquatic addition, it is giving off a smooth, sheeny texture.

Brandon gapes at his new discovery. “III’mmm…” He twists his bare torso and reaches his hand out toward the tail. He slides his hand down the upper half of it, feeling its scales going the opposite direction of his hand, giving off a bumpy texture. He senses his hand sliding down his fish-like tail. “I’m...a...fish.”

He turns away from it, panic becoming evident in his face. “I’m a fish! I’m fish! How do I get this off of me--?”

He shoots his hand for the base of the tail, where it connects to his body. He paws the bottom of his waist, where the scales begin to fade in and build up to the tail. How his tail is connected to his body clearly shows that the tail is well secured to him--it is a part of him.

Brandon throws his hands up in the air after countless attempts of yanking off his tail. “Ugh. I just better get outta here--!” He pushes his upper body higher with the palms of both of his hands against the rocky ground in an attempt to get up.

“How the heck am I gonna move?” He latches his hands on the ground and musters up all of his strength. Then with his arms, he pulls his heavy bottom half forward, moving a good three inches.

Brandon’s breathing begins to get more laborious as he stares ahead at the glorious opening of the alleyway. “This tail weighs a ton. I’d be dead by the time I get to my car.”

He plops his upper body down, folding his arms on the ground and his chin on top of them. “What am I gonna do…?” He flicks his eyes around the dreary surroundings. Then, something catches his eye to the right:

His pet store bag.

Brandon snatches the bag from the ground and pulls it up to him. He opens it up and peers inside it. “Hah! My phone!” He stuffs his hand into the bag and pulls it back out, revealing his phone. “I’ll call…” His voice fades off into uncertainty. “Oh geez...who would help me but not think of me as weird being a merman?”

He lies there in the drizzle for a few moments before the only reasonable person for this mission pops into his mind. He lets out a groan of reluctance. “Fine.”

He then pulls up Joseph’s contact information, hits the phone icon, and puts the phone to his ear.

After the phone lets out a few droning rings, the receiver answers the phone.

“What?” Joseph snaps from the other side.

"Um...Joey…,” Brandon starts off uneasily. “...can you...pick me up?"

A pause. Then: "Why?"

"I...can't drive." He bites his bottom lip, bracing for the response he assumes he is going to get.

"You drove to the store," Joseph points out flatly.

"But, um…” Brandon’s eyes trail off in search of a good response to that statement. “I can't drive now..."

"Why?"

"You'll see...” He peers down at the soaked, black ground. “Can you pick me up?"

Silence hangs from the other end.

Finally, Joseph replies, "Fine." He then hangs up.

---

Minutes have passed before the sound of a motorcycle’s engine is heard echoing from the parking lot. Brandon perks up, focusing his attention from his thoughts about his predicament to reality.

The motorcycle’s engine is heard being cut, dropping the atmosphere into the rain’s silence. Then:

“Monty?” Brandon hears Joseph calling out to him.

Brandon’s eyes light up. “Joey!” He waves his arm into the air with his eyes glued to the opening of the alley, like as if he can see him. “Over here! In the alley!”

He then hears footsteps scraping against the rough ground as he suspects Joseph locating him.

Then Joseph comes into view from the opening, this time with a motorcycle jacket, boots, and helmet over the jeans and white T-shirt he was wearing earlier.

“What the…?” Joseph steps closer to his roommate with widened eyes. He then halts right in front of him with his eyes glued down on him.

Brandon eyes him with trepidation.

Joseph’s hands immediately fly over his mouth as his face crumbles into a smile. He snorts.

“What?” Brandon gawks at him.

Joseph removes his hand from his mouth and uses it to point to him. “You’re...like...your FISH!” He then swoops down with his hands slapped on his thighs as he chuckles in amusement.

All Brandon could do is let out an unamused sigh and turn away with a matching expression.

“That is too funny!” Brandon hears his roommate exclaims. “Here you find a fish and next thing I know, YOU’RE now the fish!”

Brandon faces him with a flat expression. “Ha ha, very funny, now can you please help me?”

Joseph sniffs as he straightens up and wipes happy tears from his eyes. “Woo…!” He then composes himself and scrutinizes the situation his roommate is in. “Okay, you don’t fit on my motorcycle, but you do fit in your Jeep. I’ll take you to your Jeep, you can’t drive either, so I’ll load my motorcycle to the Jeep and drive you back home.”

Brandon rotates his hands so that his palms are facing up. “Just get me out of here.”

Joseph rounds Brandon, now standing by his side. “Dang, that’s a long tail. How the heck am I gonna carry you?”

“Just any way, I don’t care.” Brandon slips the handles of the bag, which contains his purchased good and phone, over his wrist.

He shrugs. “Suits me.” He squats next to him and stuffs his arms underneath him. He then gets a good grasp of him before rising to his feet, lifting him up as well in both arms.

“This is for the time you cradled me like a baby after I shrunk from being a giant,” Joseph tells him lowly as he struts off, cradling merman Brandon in his arms.

“Did you want to hit the ground or not?” he replies with a hint of sarcasm.

Joseph makes the turn into the parking lot. “Well, we’re both alive and now even.” He halts next to Brandon’s Jeep. “Open the door.”

Brandon reaches out to the car’s back door handle and pulls it open. Joseph then steps closer to the car and lays Brandon parallel to the back seats.

“Sit up unless you wanna wave to people with your tail,” Joseph remarks as he spots that the end of Brandon’s tail, including his fin, sticking out of the vehicle.

Brandon grunts as he pulls himself up in a sitting position. Thankfully, his whole tail slips into the car after the adjustment.

Joseph then slams the door close and rounds the back of the Jeep to get to his motorcycle. He loads his motorcycle into the trunk of the Jeep, then hops into the driver’s side of the of the car.

“You just might redeem yourself to becoming the driver for practices and games if you drive well here,” Brandon points out.

Joseph puts the keys into the ignition. “I already drive well. You just like the hog the driver’s seat.” He then turns on the car and proceeds to pull out of the parking lot and drive back home.

Notes

E.7 "Imma Merman"
Part 2/8
Episode 7/20