Briney Logs 6

14th May 2016

SOS
Help! I’m lost at sea. My name is Kai Finnegan, I and family are on a grey yacht somewhere off the northeast coast of the Australia, in the Coral Sea. We’ve lost radio contact and we can’t find land. It is the 30th of March 2016 just now.
Please send help.

There, that page is back in place in the journal.
It worked, sort of. Didn’t get us any help, but someone on the cruise ship fished it up just a couple of days after I sent my message-in-a-bottle off- a tiny kid called Mark that followed Betty back here. Must’ve seen people who weren’t on the ship and put together that we might know something about it, I got a bit overly excited seeing it, nearly terrified the poor kid. Don’t know why, just feel sort of triumphant, like I won or something when all I did was stay up all night chatting to Tim.
Mum and Da, even Charlotte and Betty did more work than I did, going over to talk to the Vice Captain who’s apparently not the Captain anymore. From what some people are saying it sounds like he was half losing it, trying to keep everything rational and scientific. Guess giant seal-folk and sea-serpents were the last straw, he thought he was hallucinating or asleep, in a coma, and just gave up. Don’t know what happened to the actual first Captain, Tim says he was an old timer in charge when they left the ship but the Vice Captain was a pretty young guy according to Charlotte. Some other sailor, the helmsman or navigator, guy called Molan Nimmo, took over his role, listened to them.
Charlotte says he nearly didn’t believe them either- could’ve though we all just got infected and mutated and went nuts- he made them wait for ages until someone spotted the Leviathan circling the island, cooking up its storm. I’m glad now, I was pissed off earlier- it washed our stupid yacht up with all those waves! But they could’ve just dismissed us as crazy giant half feral seal monsters if it hadn’t shown itself. Now we’re just giant half feral seal monsters, I feel so much more confident.
Mum stuck around on the ship to look at the other changed people, as if she’s an expert on portal induced transformations. More of an expert than they’ve got anyway, yeah, sure a virus could totally turn people into mermaids and whale monsters and whatever else- even I think that sounds dumb now.
Besides all that, the Leviathan gave us all food again- washed up a load of fish, sharks and one somewhat pissed off yacht. Literally beached us, once Da gets down here I’m in for a lecture for sure. “Kai I told you to watch the boat, not let an ocean god beach us, you daft boy!”
It did seem to make all the humans think they needed to ask me if they could eat the fish, I was the only one really around at that point till Tim woke up and started explaining things. They weren’t too interested anyway; a chance to cook some food took priority- I can’t believe they were starving so badly, some of them look like flipping skeletons. Charlotte’s cooking some fish in our stove on the boat and passing it back out, some people are taking entire sharkupines or bags of fish up to the ship for its kitchens, there’s even people just eating bits raw they’re so desperate.  Oh yeah and now they’re coming aboard, fantastic…


15th May 2016
Well, they’re making progress with everything!
The Leviathan came and told Nimmo and the rest of the high ups on the cruise ship to follow us and let the changed people out of isolation. They don’t quite trust it but I guess it’s like, how much worse could following it be? And it’s already provided them with tons of free food. They keep using the yacht as a kitchen, can’t really keep them off, humans get everywhere. Tim keeps an eye on them, and the fuzzsnakes a little too when they’re not off playing with Betty. She’s got the right idea, paddling and hiding in the shallows; it’s the only place they don’t go.
That sounds bad, I’ve been stuck on that little yacht for so long and now I’m trying to get away from them all. Just feels weird being near humans, most don’t come up to my chest and having so many that I don’t know the name of or anything about, it’s just overwhelming. Lots don’t trust us, but they’re grateful for the food. It’s funny, they don’t want to be grateful to a giant sea monster but they flipping have to, they can’t pretend any of this is natural! Yeah, a whole bloody load of fish just washed up on the beach by coincidence, sure!


16th May 2016
The changed ones are allowed out now they know that it wasn’t an infection or a virus or contagious basically. They’re not what I expected- probably because of Rachel being a mermaid I figured they’d all be sea… people… things. I was wrong, some just look weird- hairy things with antlers (yes, I’m covered in fur and I still think those things are hairy!) hooved people, a guy without a face (magic!) an ugly shaggy smelly monster, a big real pissed off looking wolf, an actual octopus man like what Betty would have become; he looks horrible, some of the tentacles have freaking sucker leech mouths!
Then the Leviathan blessed the swimming pool on the deck of the Arcadia (that’s how swanky a ship it is) so that anyone who swims in it for a week will change into a seal person like us. A finman as they’re calling us, don’t know if it’s because we’re fairly thin or because they forgot the rest of Finnegan. Mum’s sticking near, watching over the pool; she had to answer a ton of questions from some of them, but the ones that couldn’t talk basically jumped straight into the water. Guess they’d rather be something like us than an animal. Be sort of interesting to have others around, since we’re stuck like this, I’d rather it not just be me and my sisters in forty years’ time. I’ll be one of the first of us, maybe I can help teach them to swim and balance, or knowing my luck they’ll be stronger and faster than me straight away.
Da is in a weird mood about it, cautious but healthier. The Arcadia had a few medical supplies to get rid of any infections left, but tending to us takes a bit more than a human would need. I wonder if the blessed water would heal people more like it did for him or if it just changes people now. Charlotte would know but she’s been... I don't know. Another thing to ask her.

Got a bit of a tour of the ship, just bits of it, but that place must have been swanky as heck when it was in service! I thought I was in the Titanic, there were big cafés and restaurants and shops, tons and tons of cabins- they were saying at the start of the trip it had over a thousand passengers and crew. There was even a flipping cinema theatre room, all this space I don’t have to crouch in, and the engines still just about in working order. None of it’s in working order anymore though, only the sailors and cooks are still working like they used to- the hotel staff and entertainers and passengers are all mixed together, having to trust whoever’s in charge. At least we knew Da, we knew each other in our little rubbish yacht, most of those folk just wanted a nice relaxing cruise before all this.


17th May 2016
Finally sailing again! Almost. We’re tethered to the Arcadia very loosely and we’ve got another passenger, man called Barry, stern quiet guy, muscular for a human. Don’t think he’s exactly thrilled to be on a boat with three finfolk and we’re not exactly thrilled back, so that’s all well and good! At least we get another hand with the yacht, it’s really groaning now after the Leviathan’s storm ran us aground. Mum and Charlotte are on the ship, watching the pool and the changing folk, and Old Tim and a fuzzsnake went over too. The other one’s lonely now, for pete’s sake, we gotta keep them together when we get the chance.
Da’s keeping us all busy to maintain pace, and the weather’s raining acid again. Just used to it now, not that big a deal when I can swim for most of an hour at a time. Not sure why he’s so worried, the leviathan’s nearby, there’s a good strong current and we’re on the right heading- east east south. As long as it doesn’t turn out there’s ANOTHER lost ship, we’ll be fine.


19th May 2016
Not the best day, was good weather but little brat was being a pain in the neck the entire day just because we didn’t want to hear her dream about boys. She’s eleven, what does she know about boys? Nevermind that she’s a six foot five seal monster, she’ll sit in the bow with the fuzzsnake and sulk and whine at Da when she doesn’t get her way. Barry has no idea how to deal with her, as much as she’s a pain it’s sorta hilarious to see this dressed authoritative figure trying to persuade this big bad tempered fluffy lump to move.
There’s more sharkupines haunting us again, Da says not to piss them off yet so I’ve started trying to piece together a trident. Didn’t intend it to be that way, but just looked at my spear and thought it could be a bit more stabby, plus more prongs mean I’ve got a better chance at snaring little fish with it. Rods are probably better for those, need less energy, but it’s more fun and more satisfying to kill them myself. Like that nonsense about homegrown veg, home stabbed fish.


20th May 2016
We’re back at the Island of Finding Random Lifeboats. It’s not the catchiest name but it’s the place that we helped Tim and Julie and Rachel, and another life-raft from the Arcadia washed up here in a bad state while we were gone. The Leviathan brought them, must’ve found them out at sea and now they’re back where they started only not cos they’re freaking way closer to land!
We’ve anchored beside it- think it caused a bit of a fuss on the ship, they got excited thinking that they’d reached the mainland and then all disappointed and impatient. I don’t mind, nice to stay on land without moving for a little while, it lets me swim around and have more space than just the dumb yacht.
Anyway, stopped here because the Leviathan told us to; just for a couple of days to stay safe. It said there’s something coming. Seriously is it allergic to being specific or something? I really have to stop ending sentences in something, it really bloody undermines the argument!
That aside, we managed to clear out most of the sharkupines again- or Ophiotaurus if you’re Mum, she got fed up with us calling them that. My trident works well, and some of the humans have guns on the ship that helped out a ton until they all scrammed, lets us swim in the sea again.
The new finfolk are more like us than human now. There’s loads of them, not as big as me yet but they’re getting there; they’re growing tails and fur but they haven’t got full muzzles or flexible ears or strong lungs yet. Other shades too, some are dead dark grey or brown, there’s a cream and a silvery grey, even a reddish brown one. Helps not get us mixed up, not to say we’re identical but we’ve got a few less distinctive features than humans. Is that racist?
That wee kid Mark was one of them I think, and there were some others- one shaggy girl looks about my age, called Rhona, I know that because she will not bloody shut up for the life of me. Charlotte looks utterly fed up with her and she doesn’t get fed up with people! Rachel didn’t get changed, was a little surprised to see she’s still a full mermaid- said she couldn’t imagine being covered in hair. Yeah, sure, cos having a flipping scaly tail for legs is way more normal.


21st May 2016
There’s something out there.
I don’t know what it is, my hands are shaking. It’s the worst storm anyone’s seen here, like an utter freaking Typhoon, trees bending, people getting blown off their feet, there’s even been lightning strikes over the sea, half blinding us.
I’m hunkered down with Charlotte and Betty and Mum in a little hollow, we were on the island when it got all foggy, the wind struck too suddenly to get on the ship, can’t see it now through the clouds, nor the moons or stars. Not sure I’d want to, it’s going for it- there’s something hidden out there, something huge, just see hints of its shadow in the clouds when lightning hits. A dragon, maybe?

It’s fighting the Leviathan. If we were still at sea we’d be dead. The water for maybe a hundred metres around the island’s still, then it’s insane. Giant waves, there’s pillars of water hurtling up to stab the thing in the clouds like tornados but the Sea’s not letting it get near. No lightning’s hit the island as far as I can tell either, a couple of times I saw the Leviathan rear up and get hit by lightning. It’s massive, just this ocean flooding the sky, there’s rain the size of marbles and bigger.
I don’t think it can lose but I’m still sort of scared in case it does. Charlotte’s rooting for it; she’s sitting in the rain watching, tail twitching crazy. Betty fell asleep eventually, she was in tears clinging to Mum for hours, tired herself out. Don’t know where Da is, probably still on the boat. Hope he’s safe.


22nd May 2016
TheTyphoon’s gone.
So is the Boat.
Woke up and our yacht was missing. It was tethered to the ship and anchored, but the storm was too strong, it must have been blown away, the Arcadia’s barely still afloat. Everyone’s struggling to recover, they took a count earlier, lost eight people. Da’s not dead, he’s not in a good way, he nearly got swept away but he’s alive. Don’t know about Barry, and apparently the Vice Captain’s missing, some people are blaming the Leviathan. Morons, if it wasn’t here the storm would have killed us.
The other finfolk lost a day at the pool, they reverted a bit, most look half us, half whatever they were before now. It’s weird, like watching them change years in days, but if they swim for a few more days they’ll go all the way too. One’s like a lycan, anothers feet are half hoof, it’s gross in those cases.
We’re taking a day to see if we ca find the yacht or if the Leviathan or the Storm returns. Even Nimmo doesn’t want to risk sailing out there on our own after yesterday. What if we reach land and that thing comes? The Leviathan’s the Sea, we’d leave it if we went on the mainland, if we even reach it.


23rd May 2016
Still no sign of the flipping rustbucket. Betty’s in tears, one of the fuzzsnakes was still on board, the other’s howling up a racket. We’ll have to stay on the Arcadia, finally, wanted to get on this cruise ship since I saw it in Darwin. Not what I wanted but still, better try and see the bright side right?
The Leviathan says the Typhoon won’t be back any time soon. They got to a stalemate. We can sail, it’s only a few days to reach the mainland and get somewhere safe.  Too tired to do much today, still getting over it, eating a ton, getting used to the ship.
I don’t have to bend down as much but it is an absolute pain for privacy and getting into the sea to swim. And yes I might be stuck in basically a loincloth and bits of cloth but that doesn’t mean I want every human staring at me like crazy. Mark and Betty and the little pups are lucky, they’re small enough to wear human clothes still. Mum and Charlotte took the time to stitch together nicer things for them too, like poncho-swim suit things, nice and big and cover them up a bit more, I should’ve thought of that, but I’ve got a trident so who cares!


25th May 2016
The new Finfolk look almost complete. They’re all still swimming in the Blessed Pool, not entirely for the change, but we like swimming and practicing swimming and it’s that or jump in the sea. I like most of them, it’s just this freaky weird pleasure to meet someone my own species who’s not a family member and is flipping tall enough to look me in the eye and talk to me. Aside from Rhona, turns out she will happily spend an hour talking without actually saying anything. Guess she just enjoys chatting. In other news I discovered no matter how much I try and fold my ears down, I can’t make myself entirely deaf.
Even swimming we can hear a bit, way better than humans. Can eat underwater too unless Mum sees. Bettys breath-holding game has spread, record is supposedly fifty seven minutes. Even Old Tim says so, he’s not a Finfolk but he’s getting along with us better, he’s actually good conversation too. He was telling me about life back home, his son passed away a few years ago, and his wife last year, so he was taking his granddaughters and their boyfriend on this as an anniversary thing.  That doesn’t seem fair, losing so many people so close together but he said it happens to everyone eventually. As if that makes it any better.
Wonder if that’s what Uncle Rob was like? I keep thinking of him now for some reason, old codger, he just looked like every other old geezer in Ireland- red faced and wrinkly as a prune, wispy white hair, big nose. If he’d had a beard he could have looked like a good Captain for his yacht, but he never sailed a day in his life. Beats me why he had Hope at all, but I guess it’s in the name, he was just waiting, hoping he could go on his round-the-world adventure one day.  Guess we failed his will, but you never know, maybe the old yacht will sail round the world without us. We weren’t a very good crew anyway.


26th May 2016
Just saw what Rhona’s named a Kraken. She beat me to it, I would’ve called it a squale. Massive tentacle armoured thing in the water, bigger than the yacht was, mainly whale shapes with a hard head and barbed tentacles trailing long behind it, pulsing. It had caught a sharkupine in one, man, I’m glad we’ve not seen more of those, we’d have to hope Charlotte can befriend them but she’s not in a happy mood today.
Some of the crew don’t trust us. They think we’ve been brainwashed by the Leviathan, we’re going to lead them to their doom, we eat people, we brought the storm on them, we opened the portal to here. Like we were a ship full of mages I guess, waiting for some opportunity to send us all here, I’ve given up on those morons.
One of them tried to interrogate Charlotte, the stupid pipsqueak. My little blister just slammed him into the wall using her tail. I went from almost smashing his head to laughing my guts out in two seconds flat. It’s easy to forget we’re such monsters when there’s so many more around, you lose the sense of scale. Mum did a headcount, there are thirty seven fully formed Finfolk now (try saying that six times real fast) and a few more changing too. Don’t think many regret it, we don’t miss the cold or the damp or feeling so helpless against the ocean. We know it’s on our side now, no matter what monsters are in it.


27th May 2016
The horizon looks like it’s burning. Sunrise is real bright, huge burst of orange around the sun when it comes, hurts my eyes to see. The moons hang around for about an hour, bright with the sun so near on a purple sky, the stars just fading to tiny pinpricks. The sea’s a mix, like green glass flecked with golden surf, and then there’s a red wall rising out of it, like cliffs make of blood and rust. Mum’s in tears, loads of people are, Betty’s almost strangling the fuzzsnake and Charlotte looks smug as heck. I went and got out my journal like a flipping great nitwit; I wanted to record this, the moment we found land.