Landlocked: A Merman’s Voyage

Chapter One: A Fish Out of Water

The plane landed and Andreas Scafidi let out a sigh of relief. He had never really been much of a flier but this time he didn’t have a choice. Travel by water was far too dangerous. This was to be a huge change but he hoped it was all for the best.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hartford International Airport. The time is now 4:28pm and the temperature is 87 degrees Fahrenheit. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened as we taxi to the terminal,” the captain said over the intercom.

Andreas looked out the window at what was now to be his home. It was not anything like his original home, nor did it have as many picturesque beaches. However, it had a great number of ponds and lakes; he could only hope that was enough for him to survive. Andreas swallowed, noting that already he had a dry mouth. That was never a good sign.

Most people around him on the plane looked excited about arriving. He imagined that they were returning from vacation. There were a few glum faces, most likely because they realized that their summer break was over and school would be starting soon.

A few minutes later the plane finally stopped and the seatbelt light flickered off. Andreas unfastened his seatbelt and stood up, quickly grabbing his carry-on bag from the overhead compartment. Then he waited to move down the aisle and get off the plane. If everything had gone according to plan then one of his cousins would be waiting for him at the baggage claim.

Andreas stepped off the plane and headed to customs. As a citizen of another country coming to the United States he knew he would have to wait in quite a few lines. Standing there he noticed several young women staring at him. He tried to ignore them; he wasn’t interested in flirting or starting a relationship. For now he was better off alone. For the next several minutes Andreas spent his time thinking of what the school year would be like. It helped to pass the time.

He already knew what classes he was enrolled in and he planned to get a job to give him a little extra spending cash. Already he was going to be saving on his living expenses by not paying for room and board. Instead he was going to be using his cousin’s boat. It worked out well for everyone as Andreas needed a place to stay and his cousin wasn’t using the boat at all.

If everything worked out well then he could stay under the radar. It would mean forsaking a social life for the most part but he would try to stick to it.

Then…he was finished. Andreas put his passport away and headed to the baggage claim. Once there he looked at the signs for his flight number and then began to scan the belt for his duffle bag.

“Andreas?” a young woman asked from a few feet away.

He looked up and smiled as he saw his cousin’s wife. “Delia, it’s so nice to see you again.”

“It’s been far too long. You certainly have grown since the last time I was in Greece. How is your family doing? We were sorry to hear about what happened.”

Andreas averted his gaze. “They…they’re trying to continue on. Things haven’t been easy the past couple months. Yia-yia barely leaves the house and no one wants to let Eryx or Simeon out of their sight.”

Delia nodded. “I understand why. If that is the case then why did they let you come here? Certainly they still need you at home.”

Andreas said nothing as he reached down and grabbed his bag. “Well that’s everything. I’m ready to get out of here.”

“Andreas, you didn’t answer my question.”

“I’m not going to talk about it,” he answered sharply. He paused and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Delia. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I just, I don’t really want to talk about what happened.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stir up painful memories,” she replied softly.

“You can’t stir up what remains on the surface.” Andreas looked at her, close to saying everything on his mind. He had held it in for weeks and he felt as if it would burst from him with as much force as a hurricane. They walked out of the airport and Andreas said nothing for the rest of the trip. He didn’t want to talk because he knew what his family would want to talk about.

It was a strange occurrence, especially considering how all of his siblings had been swimming before they could walk. None of them would have expected that Galen, Troy, and Calix all would have drowned on the same day. Andreas inhaled sharply and tried to force the thoughts out of his mind. Calix had only been eleven years old with so much energy that it didn’t seem right that he was gone.

“Are you all right?” Delia asked, glancing over at Andreas as she turned off the highway.

He shook his head and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes as he tried to keep from crying again. “I can’t stop thinking about it,” he whispered.

“I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine how you’re feeling right now but it’s not your fault, Andreas. You weren’t there when it happened and you couldn’t have done anything to save them.”

Andreas looked out of the window. It wasn’t exactly true and he knew it. Had he known of the consequences he could have prevented all of it. It was a fact he had to live with now. His brothers were dead and it was his fault. Now there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Instead he had sat down with his mother and they had decided that it would be best if he tried to get far away from everything.

Now all he had to do was stay out of the ocean.