Chapter 10.
Watching the Boat

He drifted close to scout the boat,
And what he saw disturbed his mind.
Its structure odd—half cage, half float—
Intrigue was all that he could find.

A strange craft loomed before his eyes,
No fishermen were seen on deck.
Just men in uniforms, sharp and wise,
While sailors manned the bridge in check.

And in the middle, plain and stark,
A cube of glass—an awful cage.
Inside: the mermaid, trapped and dark,
Beneath a frame like prison stage.

“Caught in their nets—they’ve taken her!”
He raged, his soul lit up with flame.
His thoughts shot straight to where they were—
The merman heard and felt the same.

“What now?” the merman seemed to cry,
And he received the echoed thought.
“I need the shore,” the painter sighed,
“I’ve got a plan, a working plot.”

The merman, strong as ocean stone,
Then swept him fast across the foam.
And once ashore, his mind alone,
He mapped a plan to bring her home.

He thought about his diving gear,
The suit he used for stealthy swims.
“I’ll sneak aboard and get in near—
If something fails, you guard the rims.”

“I’ll tell them I’ve been gone three hours,
The sea was rough, horizon bare.
I’ll probe their goals, their hidden powers,
And scout their boat from everywhere.”