FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 1

Ellie thought back on what a teacher in college said to the class one day: 'remember, things can always get worse.' Everyone chuckled a bit because of course they can. Everyone had had a bad run of luck even as young adults. The full weight of those words did not fully sink in until now. Spread out on the kitchen table were a whole dead tree's worth of bills, past due notices, and late tax forms. Her mother's death had saddled her with that debt on top of her own hefty amount.

Even if she filed for bankruptcy, she may never fully pay off these debts, not that she even had a job at the moment. About the only money she had was whatever was in the change jar upstairs. Ellie took a swig from the old bottle of rot gut whiskey she found in the kitchen. At this point getting drunk was the best option left to her, even if it was ten thirty-five in the morning.

There was a loud knocking at the front door. She got to her feet slowly.

What now? Ellie rubbed the bridge of her nose, please tell me mom doesn't owe the mob money too...

Waiting at the door, however, was just a courier with a small package for her. She looked at the return address more than a little confused.

“Who the hell are Atargatis Entertainment?”

“I have no idea, ma'am. I just deliver the packages.” the courier shrugged before presenting his tablet, “could you sign for it please?”

Ellie signed and brought the package back to the kitchen table. Using a kitchen knife she opened the tape. Digging through the packing material all Ellie found was a DVD case with her name printed on the slipcover and a note on Atargatis Entertainment stationary.

Dear Ms. Ellie Derstine,

We at Atargatis Entertainment have become aware of your current financial crisis. We feel we may be able to help you with your situation. Rather than write a lengthy boring letter we have provided a personalized DVD for you to watch to explain the basics of what we are offering. If you are not interested we fully understand and will make no further attempts to contact you. If, however, you want more information or are interested in joining our team please contact me at any time at the following number: 407-555-1337.

Sincerely

Jonathan Gains,

Head of Recruitment, Atargatis Entertainment

Ellie's plan for the day was just to finish the bottle of whiskey she found. Watching the DVD didn't interfere with that and besides she was curious. The cable had long since been shut off, but the electricity was on for the time being. She popped the disk into the player and flopped down on the old couch with her bottle.

The disk loaded to a splash page of Atargatis Entertainment logo then began to play. A reasonably attractive man in his early thirties was smiling at the camera from behind a desk.

“Hello Ellie Derstine. My name is Jonathan Gains, head of recruitment for Atargatis Entertainment. We understand you are in a rather dire financial situation. I'm sure your first thought is what kind of help? I can say we are not offering some kind of low-interest loan or debt consolidation. We both know you are way past that at this point anyway. No, we are offering you an exchange of sorts. I'm sure your second question is, what the hell do I have to exchange?

“Got that right buddy.” She shook her head as she took another swig.

“In fact you have the two things we need most, a body,” he held up one finger, “and nothing to lose,” he held up a second finger.

“What the fuck?”

“I don't know if you've ever been on a road trip to Florida. Probably not given your age. If you have visited the sunshine state you probably flew down. Back in the days before interstate highways were a thing, there was a cottage industry of sorts, the roadside attraction.”

A series of images moved across the screen. Old photos she guessed were from the 50s and 60s showed everything from small caves to giant fiberglass dinosaurs.

“As interstate highways moved travelers off of the smaller highways and airline travel became affordable, not to mention the changing tastes of the public, roadside attractions soon went the way of the payphone.”

“I don't know, I think a giant dinosaur would still be cool.”

“You are probably more confused than ever, Ellie, but please there's a point to all of this. You see, at one time Florida was known for its mermaid attractions.”

Various pictures and even clips of old film showed women dressed as mermaids as they swam and performed in the water.

“So beautiful women dressed as mermaids performing for tourists. That was the past, but we think there is something to that, the idea of watching mermaids perform underwater. We plan to, if you'll excuse the pun, dip into the past and combine it with the cutting edge future of genetic augmentation. To bring back this classic part of Florida's entertainment history and make it better than ever.”

“Fuck, you're kidding me,” Ellie took a long pull, but couldn't bring herself to stop the disk.

“This is where you come in. we can't just make mermaids from nothing, and even if we could they would take years to mature. What we can do is transform humans into mermaids. Now hold on, don't stop the disk yet, hear me out.”

The fact Ellie was reaching for the remote caused her to freak out a little bit.

“The process is one hundred percent reversible. We are not asking for a lifetime commitment from you, Ellie, just five years. Five years as a mermaid and we wipe your debt out completely. No student loans, no back taxes, no credit card debt, no need for bankruptcy. During those five years you will be housed, fed, and receive any medical care you may need. After your time with us you will receive a bonus of fifteen thousand dollars to help restart your life as an unaugmented human, or if you wish you could instead re-up your contract to make even more money.”

Ellie's eyes went to the kitchen table and the pile of bills.

“The procedure is painless and we can arrange for you to meet with one of our initial group of volunteers who would be more than happy to go over their own experiences with you.”

Some video of what must be the initial group of mermaids was shown on the screen, swimming around in large tanks. They were smiling and waving to the camera like they were tourists on vacation. Each woman had webbed fingers and a different style of tail.

“Of course, you are not the only person we are extending this offer to, Ellie. If you are interested in hearing more about this project, please call me at this number,” the phone number appeared at the bottom of the screen, “which is also listed in the attached letter. I hope to hear from you soon, but if not I truly wish you the best. Thank you for listening.”

It faded out to black, only the phone number remaining on the screen.

“Real fucking funny,” Ellie turned off the DVD player, “assholes.” She grumbled before taking another swig of whiskey.

Ellie sat on the couch with her bottle trying to figure out who was behind all of this. Which one of her so-called friends would go through the trouble of all of this just to jerk her around? The more she thought about it, the more she realized none of them would even cough up the cash to ship her the DVD, let alone go through the trouble of making it.

Ellie got up and left the bottle behind on the end table, going back to the kitchen where she left her phone. A quick google search found the web site for Atargatis Entertainment. It seemed to be a real company. Though there was no mention of mermaids. they were located in Florida and were in the entertainment business from what she could tell. Next she looked up the phone number, it was unlisted but was in the same area code as Atargatis Entertainment.

This is crazy, Ellie thought as she flicked off her screen, this can't be real, can it? She looked at the pile of bills and then at the letter, it has got to be a scam or a hoax. Probably more interested in stealing my kidneys or something. But why go through all this trouble even for that? Ellie's eyes were drawn to the number on the page. Shaking her head at the craziness of it all, she brought up the dial pad on her phone, I'm fucked either way, right?

***

Before she knew it, Ellie was given the offer to be flown down to tour Atargatis Entertainment's facilities and meet with several of the staff, including one of their augmented human 'mermaids'. Jonathan Gains led her on a tour of the large facility, took her to a fancy lunch at the onsite premier restaurant and answered all the questions she had about the deal and the procedure. They now walked down a clean but plain back hallway that led to the personal units of the mermaids.

“Here we are,” Jonathan said as they stopped in front of a metal door. The name tag above the buzzer read 'Carmine'. “Lisa Carmine will be speaking with you. When you're finished, just let Lisa know and I'll come and get you.”

“You're not staying?”

“I don't think I have anything I can really add to the conversation. It's better that you get a one on one interview. I'd just be a fifth wheel in there.”

“I suppose so.” She was now a little unsure about this meeting.

“I will introduce you, of course.” He smiled as he hit the buzzer.

A moment later the door opened, “Come in!” a female voice called from behind the door.

Jonathan opened the door fully and waited for Ellie to walk through. Her first impression was that of a small indoor pool. A deck ran along the edges of the room with a large pool in the center. Holding herself up out of the pool was a smiling woman with long wet brunette hair just past her shoulders.

“Hi there!” she said with a big smile on her face.

“Ellie Derstine, I'd like you to meet Lisa Carmine,”

Lisa held out a webbed hand to shake, “Nice to meet you, Ellie.”

She stared at the webbed hand for a moment before she took it. Other than being wet it didn't feel that strange.

“Hi, ah, sorry, you're the first mermaid I've met.” She blushed slightly.

“Oh, don't worry about it, it takes everyone a little bit to get used to us.”

“I'll let you two talk,” Jonathan said, excusing himself.

“Let's head over to the lounge area.” she pushed off and swam across the tank effortlessly.

Lisa's long tail was covered in red scales and caught the lights above as she moved. There was a shallow shelf she climbed onto. She 'sat' on her tail, leaning back on a headrest. The water came up to her chest, covered with a simple bikini top. Ellie could see the gills along the sides of her lower chest moving softly under the water.

“Come on over,” Lisa said, pointing to a lounge chair by her shelf.

Ellie walked around the pool and sat on the lounge chair, “I'm sorry this is all so...”

“Weird?” she giggled, “yeah it is, you're having a pool party with a mermaid. Seriously, just relax.”

Ellie couldn't help laughing when Lisa put it like that.

“That's better, so I bet you have a ton of questions for me, go ahead, I'm not a shy girl.”

“Jonathan and Dr. Boyer both said the procedure is painless,” she raised an eyebrow, “is that really true?”

“Unless you count getting stuck with an I.V., then yes,” Lisa smiled, “I went to sleep on the table and woke up like this,” She made a small splash with her tail for emphasis, “and all I felt was a little prick.”

“Yeah, I guess you really can't count a needle as real pain, even if I hate them.”

“Don't we all?” She chuckled, “fair warning, they do take blood samples during your medical checkups so that's not the last needle you'll see.”

“I guess I can't fault them for being thorough,” Ellie shrugged. “How long did it take you to...adjust?”

“I'm not going to lie, trading your legs for a tail takes a few days to get used to.” She ran her hands down over some of her scales.

“What about the breathing water part?”

“I never really thought about it,” Lisa shrugged, “I guess since I just woke up already doing that it just came naturally”

“Do you like living here?”

“It's not the worst place I've ever lived. My guest room,” she indicated the decked area, “Is bigger than my old apartment, as for the rest of my room, take a look.”

Ellie got up and went to the edge. Looking down, she could see just how deep the tank was. But it wasn't empty. Furniture, cabinets, and a large what she could only guess was a bed. She could just make out a pressure hatch against one wall.

“So,” Ellie returned to the lounge chair, “you got enough room to swim around in then?”

“I think so, of course I don't spend my whole day here. There's a nice tank we call the Coffee Pot, where we gather to hang out. Kind of a mermaid break room, at least once the park opens. And then there are the main tanks and pools where we work on the routines.”

“That's something I'm afraid of,” Ellie said as she leaned back on the lounge chair, “I'm not much of a performer.”

“Oh, neither was I. But, you know what? Once you get used to your tail and moving in three dimensions it's amazing how easy it is to be graceful.”

She pushed herself back up, “really?”

Lisa nodded, “I may have had two left feet, but my tail knows how to move.”

“You really are happy like this, aren't you?”

“I love it!” Lisa splashed the water again with her tail, “I'll probably sign on for another five years.”

“That's great and all, but I don't know if I could or couldn't do this.”

“What are you afraid of?

“I don't know, trading my legs to get out of debt?”

“You'll get them back, if you still want them. What else? Are you worried about being away from your family?”

“I don't really have one any more, not since mom died,”

Lisa covered her mouth with her webbed hands. “Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know!”

“No, no, it's fine, and it's a good point. Who's going to miss me anyway?”

“Ellie, I didn't mean it like that.”

“No, it's fine. I think I've made up my mind.”

“But we've barely had time to talk,” Lisa said as she flipped open a control panel in her armrest, “I didn't even get to show you the video I put together,” a video of the mermaid swimming through some performance routines started to play on the large TV screen.

“It's ok,” Ellie shook her head, “you don't have too. Let me be honest, once I came to realize this whole thing was real and not just some fucking piratical joke, I was interested. I don't know what they told you, but short of winning the lottery I'm screwed for life. The deal would be worth it for ten years of my life.”

“I see,” Lisa stopped the video, “and your talk with me, what was the point then?”

“I had to be sure, and hell, if you are not only alright but happy with all of this, I think I can do a tour as a mermaid. I mean, what have I got to lose? Can you let Jonathan know?”

“Yes, of course, let me get him on the com.”

“Thanks.”

“I guess I'll be seeing you around then.” She said as she worked a controller set on the arm rests.

“Yeah, maybe we can hang out, catch a movie or something.”

“I'd like that,” she smiled as she put through a call to Jonathan's office.

***

“Is that the last one?” Ellie asked, shaking out her hand.

Yes, that was the last form to sign,” Jonathan said as he collected the last form and placed it on the stack.

“Thank god,” Ellie sighed, dropping the pen on the table, “so, next up is?”

“You have to go through the pre-op procedure with Dr. Boyer, then just wait until tomorrow for the procedure.”

“Can I get a cup of coffee first?” She said, trying to stifle a yawn.

“I'm sorry, but you will have to settle for water, no coffee or alcohol, or even food at this point until after the procedure.”

“Well If I fall asleep while the doctor is talking, it's not my fault.”

“It won't be too long, and getting to bed early is always a good idea.” Jonathan placed the forms into a file box, “I'll walk you down to Dr. Boyer's office.

As they walked down the hall, Ellie kept looking down at her feet. In less than twenty-four hours they would be gone. Even last night when she was watching a movie with Lisa she kept looking at her feet and legs. Five years is a long time, she was going to miss them.

“Here we go,” Jonathan said as they came up to the office.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” Ellie asked softly.

“Unfortunately, I have another prospective recruit I will be giving a tour to tomorrow. But, I will be sure to come see you in recovery.”

“No rest for the wicked, huh?” She smirked.

“Not until I get all ten slots filled I'm afraid.”

“How many more do you need?”

He sighed, “eight,” he smiled slightly, “thank you again for your quick decision.”

“Eh, I'm one to rip off the band-aid. See you on the other side of the tank.” She joked.

“Good luck staying awake.” He patted her on the shoulder before leaving for his office.

She knocked on the door as she opened it. “Hey doc, time for my pre-op.”

***

Ellie laid on the gurney feeling equal parts hungry and nervous. She was aware of the I.V. needle in her left arm and tried her best not to move it. Ellie had started her day visiting what would be her room and dropping off the few personal items she had held onto there. After that she changed into a hospital gown and waited for the time to come. Now Ellie was being wheeled the short distance from the waiting room to the procedure room.

A pair of orderlies moved her from the gurney to an operating table suspended over a shallow tank of water. Ellie was hooked up to various pieces of monitoring equipment by the nurse. Dr. Boyer entered the room and approached her.

“Good morning, Ellie,” he said looking over her readouts, “how are you feeling?”

“A little nervous, but very hungry.”

Dr. Boyer chuckled. “If you think you are hungry now, just wait until you wake up. Don't worry, we'll have Chef Renee make you something special when you wake up.”

“I'm going to hold you to that, Doc.” She half smiled.

Dr. Boyer filled a syringe, “is there anything else before we get started?”

Ellie shook her head, “no, I'm a rip off the band-aid kind of person, let's get this over with.”

He nodded and inserted the needle into the I.V. “Now, I'm going to give you some gas. I want you to just count backwards from one hundred,” He placed the mask over Ellie's face.

One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven, ninety-six, ninety-six, ninety...ninety...

Her eyes closed and the world went black. It only seemed a moment to Ellie before she became aware again, and something was very strange. She felt like she was floating, no she was floating. Slowly Ellie opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first, but it adjusted, she was under water in a small tank. It took her a moment to realize she wasn't breathing in air.

The sluggishness of her body was further amplified by pushing it through the water. She lifted her hands up to her face and saw the webbing between her fingers. Then she realized how strange her lower body felt. She managed to sit up and look down below her waist. She opened her mouth and let out what would have been a shocked cry if she wasn't underwater.

Her legs were not just replaced with a fish tail like Lisa and the other mermaids were. Rather, a long serpentine tail stretched out from her waist. The long tail barely even fit in the tank with her. She tried to move it, but it just twitched and thrashed around. Her flailing movements, however, drew the attention of the attending personnel.

A technician tapped on the side of the tank, getting Ellie's attention. Once he had it he pointed up to the open top of the tank. Ellie had yet to figure out her tail, but her webbed hands had little trouble lifting her up through the surface of the water. She spat water out of her mouth and flinched a bit at the feeling of the air on her skin. She met the technician with a glare as she gripped the edge of the tank.

“What the fuck did you do to me?” She practically growled.

The man physically jumped back, “I, ah, let me get Dr. Boyer!”

“Yeah, you get his ass in here!”

He scrambled to get out of the room. It was only a few minutes at most, but it felt like forever to Ellie. The wait certainly didn't calm her mood.

“Boyer!” She shouted as soon as he was in the recovery room, “What the fuck did you do to me!” She pointed down to her tail in the tank, still moving erratically.

“Ellie, every mermaid was given a unique aquatic feature.”

“Unique my ass! What the hell kind of tail is this supposed to be?”

“An eel tail,” he sighed, “it wasn't my decision, the entertainment directors wanted something more exotic in the line up.”

“Did they now?”

“They wanted octopus or squid tentacles, but I made it clear that was impossible.”

The thought of having tentacles for the next five years softened some of her ire. Ellie sank back down into the tank. She watched Dr. Boyer through the side of the tank. He seemed to be waiting patiently for her. Ellie shook her head before surfacing again.

“You should have told me I wasn't getting a 'normal' tail.” she said, her voice still had the edge of anger to it.

Dr. Boyer sighed. “You're right, I should have.”

Ellie looked down at her long tail. She was starting to get a feel for it, or at least getting used to how much of her there now was.

“They really wanted the tentacles?”

“They wouldn't shut up about it.” The doctor shook his head slowly.

“This just wasn't what I was expecting when I was promised to wake up a mermaid.”

“For what it's worth, everyone so far has had an adjustment period after waking up,” he started towards the tank, “they need some time to get used to the concept of their augmented bodies,” he climbed up the ladder to a platform overlooking the tank, “I've seen worse reactions.”

“What, did they splash you?” She let out a bitter laugh, “cause I was thinking about it.”

Dr. Boyer smiled slightly, “getting wet is an occupational hazard for me. No, I had a patient who tried to drown herself by climbing out of the tank. Yell and splash me all you want, I'd rather deal with that.”

Ellie looked down at the water and sighed. “Sorry I just...”

Dr. Boyer shook his head. “Don't worry about it. Since I'm here anyway, let's do you post-procedure physical. Then we can see about that meal I promised you.”

As her anger started to subside, Ellie started to realize how hungry she was. She placed her hands over her stomach and was surprised. She hadn't been horribly overweight, but she used to have a rounder belly, now it was flat and smooth. She took a look at the rest of her upper body. She was more fit and trim all over.

“Doc, did you give me a tummy-tuck while I was under?”

“No, your body burned off the fat going through the transformation,” he said, pulling some things out of a locker, “that's part of the reason you feel so hungry.”

Ellie tried to swim with her tail over to the doctor. She was able to move, but not very well, Ellie ended up using her hands to paddle over.

“This damn tail...I'm a pretty sucky mermaid if I can't swim.”

“You'll get it,” he said as he sat down on the edge of the platform, “not that the recovery tank is the best place to learn. Anyway, let's get this physical out of the way.”

***

After her physical and devouring a protein bar, Ellie was transferred to the main aqueduct system. She was still struggling with her tail, but she made it to her new room. By the time she swam up to the surface, Chef Renee himself was there delivering her meal.

It didn't take Ellie long to finish the meal. A full stomach improved her mood greatly. As Ellie was trying to decide what to do, there came a buzz from the control panel.

“Hello?” Ellie asked, unsure who would be calling her.

“Ellie!” she heard Lisa's cheerful voice, “I heard a rumor you were awake.”

“Ah, yeah, just getting settled in my room.”

“Why don't I come over? I can hang out, help you get used to everything.”

Ellie wasn't sure whether she wanted to be alone or not. But Lisa had started to become a friend and she didn't want to hurt her feelings.”

“Yeah sure, that sounds good.”

“I'll be right over!” Ellie could hear the smile on her face as she disconnected.

***

Lisa didn't seem put off by Ellie's tail at all. Lisa thought it was rather cool and she would be able to do so much with it in the shows. Her enthusiasm helped Ellie feel at least a little better about her unusual tail. The more she relaxed the easier it seemed to be to move. Lisa gave her a few helpful pointers as they swam around the room together. Ellie was far from graceful, but at least her tail was more than just dead weight.

“How are you feeling now?” Lisa asked as she pushed her hair back behind her head.

“A little more confident,” Ellie rested on the edge of the tank, “and very hungry.”

“I remember right after I changed, I think I ate a dozen hamburgers.” She giggled.

“I have a hard time believing that,”

“Ok, you got me, I had some fries too.”

Ellie laughed before swimming slowly over to the lounge section, “I did have a large lunch already,” she brought up the food menu on the TV screen and started scrolling through it, “would you like to stay and share a pizza?”

“Sharing a pizza with a girlfriend, haven't done that since college,” Lisa smiled broadly

“Me neither,” she couldn't help but return Lisa's smile.

***

Ellie got used to her new life fairly easily. It helped that she wasn't alone. Lisa and Ellie had gotten quite close, but she got along well with the other mermaids and the support staff. They were gearing up to open to the public soon. Ellie had been working with a choreographer on an underwater routine where she used her long tail to form spirals and loops while she swam.

Ellie wasn't the last person to take a deal and undergo the procedure. She had seen them while they toured the park. Lisa met with practically all of them. This didn't surprise Ellie in the least, no one was happier to be a mermaid than Lisa. In the end there were twenty mermaids in total as they quickly approached opening day.

The first event they did was a simple show followed by an extended meet and greet for Atargatis Entertainment executive board, investors, and a few choice guests. Having never been to a fancy party before, it was quite the experience for Ellie and Lisa. Some of the guests even donned swimsuits to go for a 'swim' with the mermaids.

Next came the press event. There were a lot more shows that day, as well as a different sort of meet and greet, less intimate than it had been with the investors, but significantly more pictures and video taken. The buzz generated by this event, however, sold advance tickets like crazy.

Not only were they being sold on the novelty of real life mermaids, but it was being billed as proof of the viability of human genetic augmentation. People were already making plans based on the favorable reviews the park was getting.

The entire staff, modified or otherwise, gathered in the main arena or 'The Fish Bowl' as it was called for a special message from Rob Hopkins, the CEO of Atargatis Entertainment. Ellie recognized Mr. Hopkins from the VIP meet and greet a week earlier. He spoke briefly on the impending success of this operation, and how the park would be just the beginning of what Atargatis Entertainment would bring to the world.

Ellie was only half listening and just joining in the clapping with the rest of the crowd. She was honestly excited for the park to be opening. There were already articles out there talking about her solo performance piece and labeling it a must see event. Lisa had been right, once she got used to moving, the grace came naturally.

“You look excited.” Lisa said after the speech and the gathering started to break up.

“Maybe, but I'm nothing next to you.”

“Yeah,” Lisa giggled, “I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight.

“I feel too nervous to eat.” Ellie admitted.

“Now we got to eat something, we'll be performing all day, you'll go belly up if you don't fill your belly.”

Ellie splashed water in her friend's face. “That was a horrible joke.”

“Ok, I deserved that, but let's at least get a salad for dinner,” she dove under the surface and Ellie followed.

They swam through the aqueducts and ended up at Lisa's room because it was closer. The pair of mermaids swam through the pressure door and into the room. Lisa signed that she just needed a minute and Ellie nodded before swimming to the surface. Learning some ASL had been quite beneficial to Ellie, otherwise there was no way to communicate anything other than the most basic concepts underwater.

Ellie broke the surface and headed towards the lounge area. She still wasn't hungry, but she knew Lisa well enough that she would shove a salad down Ellie's throat if she had too. She had just brought up the menu when Lisa popped up. The other mermaid had taken off her bikini top and had a bottle in her right hand.

“I've been saving this since I got here,” she said, showing the bottle of wine to her friend, “for a special occasion.”

“Why did you keep it under water?”

“I didn't know if it was strictly speaking allowed for me to have brought it, and I figured it would stay chilled this way.”

“Well at this point, I don't think they can afford to fire us,” Ellie giggled, “so we might as well enjoy it.

They shared the bottle of wine with some light salads. They laughed and joked about the past few months they had spent getting ready for tomorrow morning. As Lisa poured out the last of the wine into their glasses Ellie felt she had to say something.

“Hey, Lisa, thanks for being there for me. I know it was talking to you that helped me make the decision. And when I was upset about my tail you really helped me feel better about it.”

Lisa pulled her close into a hug, “we're friends, we look out for each other.” She whispered.

Ellie hugged her back and smiled. Not long after they said goodnight and she headed back to her own room. Slipping out of her top she tucked it away in a mesh bag before heading up to check her email before bed. Most of it was fluff, except for the finalized schedule for tomorrow's events. After a quick glance she was ready for bed.

Ellie turned off the guest room lights and dove back into the water. She slipped under the soft netting that stretched over her bed to keep her from floating away while she slept. She hit a large water tight button to turn on her alarm for the morning and another to dim the underwater lights to a soft glow. Ellie curled up her tail and relaxed against her pillow. The gentle hum of the circulator pumps lulled her to sleep as they always did.

***

The park opened to amazing success. Advanced tickets were selling as quickly as they were made available and the park was at capacity day after day. The mermaids went out of their way, going as far as to put on additional shows and spend extra hours meeting guests. Jonathan was kept busier than ever trying to find new recruits, though with the fame and success of Atargatis Entertainment he had an easier time getting women to sign up.

Within the first month they went from twenty mermaids to fifty, bringing the habitat wing up to full occupancy. As tiring as the work was, being a celebrity of sorts and the cheers of the crowd kept Ellie's spirit up. Her favorite part was the meet and greets. Not only did they give her tail a bit of a break, but seeing the smiles on the faces of children and adults alike brought out her own smile. Ellie curled up in her bed every night feeling tired, but accomplished.

Ellie was in the Coffee Pot after her last show of the day. She was lounging against the edge of the tank letting her tail just hang in the water. She had a half finished ice tea sitting next to her as she waited on Lisa and one of the new mermaids, Sarah, to come back from their time in the meet and greet grotto. After the busy weekend, the mermaids liked to kick back and relax since the park didn't open until ten on Mondays.

Some of Ellie's fellow mermaids stopped in for a bit to grab a drink or a quick snack before going onto their next event. Ellie and Lisa always tried to grab the earlier events on Sundays so they could knock off that much earlier for the day. She wasn't kept waiting too long before Lisa and Sarah swam into the Coffee Pot. Lisa was smiling, as always, but Sara looked a bit stressed.

“Sarah? Are you ok?” Ellie left her drink behind and swam over to her friends.

“I'm fine,” she sighed, “I just had a little incident with a guest.”

“What happened?” Ellie was more than a little curious.

Sara looked away blushing slightly.

“If you don't tell her, I will.” Lisa giggled slightly.

Sara shook her head, “I was posing for a picture with a family, and they had a little girl, like a toddler.”

“And?” Ellie leaned in, her mind already running through several scenarios.

“She accidentally pulled down part of my top while we were posing.”

Lisa and Ellie laughed.

“Hey, it's not that funny! At least it was a staffer taking the picture so he deleted it. The mother apologized profusely, but still...”

“I've been thrown up on before,” Ellie admitted, placing a hand on Sara's shoulder, “trust me, things can always get worse.”

“Not tonight though,” Lisa said, “we got a movie marathon planned with lots of pizza and wine, so let's get to it.”

As usual, Lisa's smile was contagious and soon all three were smiling as they swam to Lisa's room.

________________________________________

Original story and setting by Syntaxerror37

FA: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/sevencrown37/

SoFurry: https://sevencrown.sofurry.com/

Discord: therealse37

Bluesky: @sevencrown37.bsky.social