3

The second time I saw Ondine, I was on the docks, returning from a day trip on my lonesome. I was docking my boat and securing it when noticed her brassy blonde hair and the colorful scarf that hung from her slender neck. She did not notice me at first, and it took an amount of willpower I had not ever needed before to keep from staring. I secured my boat and collected my journals and trinkets into my satchel. Stringing it over my shoulder, I cautiously climbed out of my boat and onto the docks and proceeded to give my daily greetings to the men that I was familiar with.

               “Aye, Adam!” a voice called. I turned to see it was Frank’s nephew, Tyler Reeves. I gave him a small wave and a dry smile.

               “How are you today, sir?” I asked, glancing down at his bucket of fish.

               “I’m doing well, Adam,” he replied, pulling a mackerel out of the bucket and slapping it onto the board, “just struggling to meet demands. I have my first son on the way in a few months.”

               “Congratulations. I do wish you and the misses well.”

               Tyler smiled at my remark, then gestured to my boat. “No catch today?”

               I shook my head. “I gave my boys the day off. Took the day to have some time to myself.”

               “Shame,” Tyler said with a smirk. “You could have done some good fishing out there, even if it was on your lonesome. Fish are biting today.”

               “It’s alright,” I replied, glancing down at my satchel. “I’m not struggling at the moment. It was nice speaking with you.” I gave him a farewell and made my way to exit the docks. It was then that Ondine noticed me. She did not acknowledge me in a manner that made me feel welcome; rather, she stared, her eyes locked onto mine. I felt my soul shiver, but did not want to look away. Her translucent skin glowed in the overcast and I could see her lips were dry and cracked, but from what, I could not even imagine. At last we broke eye contact.

               It bothered me how she enchanted me so. What had she done to deserve so much thought on my part? Granted, I had not spent sleepless nights with her on my mind, at least not this early on, but she often came up in my mind when I was not doing something. But the last thing I wanted was to see her again. I did not want to be entangled in romance or commitment to a woman, knowing I would only destroy her in the end. I could not subject someone to insecurity of being a fisherman’s wife. I did not want to be a man who died a hero. I wanted to remain unknown, to die quietly without a murmur of grief from those who knew me.

               And yet, being a part of Ondine’s mysterious web was all I wanted when I saw her. Those doe eyes and her fine features reminded me of being at sea. She was so serene, so calm, and yet unsettling. A storm could be brewing and I would know not of it until wreaked havoc upon my humble ship. My gaze must have been more noticeable than I thought, as she turned back to me and narrowed her eyebrows, pursing her thin lips.

               Her white, ruffled dress flew in several directions as the wind picked up, and her laced boots clicked on the wood as she came to me. It was then that I noticed the beaded jewelry and the fabric ties that adorned her wrists. She was not dressed in attire that I had seen before in Witchgum. When she had come close enough, I skipped greeting her and asked, “what clothes have you got now?” She smiled smugly at me and tugged at the fitted sleeves of her dress.

               “My father lives in New Mexico,” she retorted with shiver. “He sent me these in a parcel.”

               “It’s a lovely outfit, but aren’t you cold?” I asked, furrowing my brow. She shook her head at me.

               “I’m fine. I stopped by the docks to pick up some fish for my cat, but I realized that Klaus Fishing Company had not set up a stand today.”

               I cocked an eyebrow at her. “You mean to tell me that you buy my fish?”

               A look of uncertainty and shock crossed her face, as if someone had just found a secret she had struggled to keep. “I suppose so,” she muttered, looking at her feet.

               “It’s good for me to meet customers,” I said, trying to take the attention off of her so she would no longer feel uncomfortable. “Making connections helps them to stay with my business.”

               “So I’m merely a pawn in your money game?” Her voice was sarcastic and playful, yet somehow left me feeling guilty.

               “It’s not exactly like I’ve had any opportunity to get to know you,” I defended with a shrug. She smiled sweetly at me.

               “Well maybe we’ll see one another again soon, at a more convenient time,” she suggested.

               “Is now not a convenient time, Ondine?”

               “I have places to be, things to do, people to meet, Adam!” Ondine laughed. “Maybe you may know when I am not enjoying life as much as I am now.”

               I smiled and waved to her, but felt my smile fall as she left. The world had been Technicolor, if only for a few moments, and slowly the monochrome was drowning it upon her departure. I readjusted my satchel, and with a heavy sigh, proceeded home.