The Big Gulp

The two large sharks circle around Rachel as she struggles to free her fins from the large rock. The mermaid isn’t afraid of them however; her “stuck” fins are all part of her underwater show. Despite being seven and nine feet long, respectively, Chum and Sandy are both very docile creatures and accustomed to her actions for the performance.

Chum, named from the fact that other sharks have repeatedly taken chunks out of his fins and halved his tail, does not swim well due to his injuries, years old. And Sandy, the larger shark, is eight months pregnant. This is why both of these animals are separated from others, instead included in the aquarium Rachel regularly performs where there is minimal risk of injury. The sand tiger shark’s reproduction rate is quite slow, and the aquarium is eager to help the species bolster its numbers. They also add a little dramatic tension for the audience with their terrifying battery of pointed teeth; they aren’t called ‘ragged toothed’ sharks for nothing.

As both sharks disappear behind her, all Rachel can do is focus on her show and watch the audience react. She mimics putting in huge efforts to free her sparkly mermaid tail, taking advantage of her proximity and angle to the audience to sneak in a few breaths. While Rachel has learned to hold her breath for just under four minutes, she still needs to sneak in breaths during the 15-minute show and 40 seconds is the set stopping point. As such, about every 40 seconds, Rachel takes a breath from a nearby hidden hose, or a mini scuba tank disguised as a prop. Usually it also discharges bubbles to distract from the fact that she is breathing from it.

The water distorts some of her vision, but Rachel relishes in the joy and wonderment from so many excited faces on the other side of the glass. A little girl hugs a well-loved stuffed animal; what it is exactly, Rachel can’t say, but it seems to have a vertical tail fin. The little girl is absolutely thrilled by the show - captivated.

‘Awww,’ she thinks, and her rehearsed smile gives way to a true, full one. The little girl watches the movements of her bright purple mermaid tail and the elegant twirl of her long hair underwater.

All is going well and as choreographed. The show is nearly done; maybe 13 minutes into her 15 minute window. Rachel can hear the recorded audio clips, distorted through the glass and water. All she has to do now is locate one of the “mermaid purses” - the egg sac of rays or some sharks - as one of her character’s items that she has been trying to locate throughout the performance.

She discreetly slips the two green glow sticks from the part of the show she has just completed into a compartment in her tail, then seeks out the mermaid purse she hid earlier before the start of the show. Once the show completes, she leaves it as a snack for one of the sharks. The egg cases used for the shows have already seen their baby rays and sharks hatch out, and the creatures naturally eat such cases in the wild. Performers always leave the purses. She notices Sandy heading over to the one she just had; Sandy loves snacks.

As she concludes her show, waving at the audience about to depart, she witnesses their faces suddenly turn from joyful to concerned. People begin pointing over Rachel’s shoulder, and she turns to look, her heart sinking when she sees.

Something is wrong with Sandy.

The sand tiger shark is thrashing and bending in unusual ways. Rachel moves out of the way as Sandy swims around aimlessly, mouth opening and closing in a desperate attempt to dislodge something. The animal bumps into the glass in front of the audience. Rachel grows more concerned as she watches. What could the creature have swallowed that could cause such an issue? The mermaid purse?

As the shark continues its random movements, Rachel heads to the nearest air hose to get a good breath. As she does, she keeps an eye on the animal. She loses sight of Sandy when she swims behind a large coral display. Audience members can see her, however, and begin urgently pointing to where the shark is. Rachel sucks in oxygen - she might have to hold her breath to her limits. She resets the clock of the stopwatch she carries. Bracing herself, she swims to the other side of the coral.

Something is definitely stuck in the shark’s throat; Sandy lays on the sand, laying nearly sideways on a large rock propping her up, gaping and trying to buccal pump water. The angle isn’t great, so Rachel cannot identify what is lodged, but it is clear to her that the shark is not doing well and might die if the item isn’t removed soon. When the strange behavior started, some audience members had run off to get someone, but it’s unlikely help will arrive in time.

Rachel swims to Sandy. The shark is slow to respond, and her movements weak. Careful of the dermal denticles lining the body of the shark, she rests her hands along the side of the creature. Beneath, she feels the activity of the growing young.

‘Okay. I gotta do something stupid,’ she thinks, staring at the mother shark’s jaws.

Rachel positions herself in front of the shark, then leans forward, laying on her stomach on the aquarium floor. It is still difficult to identify the blockage. She can see it is something bright, and artificially colored; not a mermaid’s purse.

‘What is that?’ she thinks. She waits until the shark’s mouth opens a little further, then, uncertain, puts her right arm into the mouth of the shark. Her fingers find a flat, solid mass laying across the throat. Sandy’s teeth begin scraping against her arm as she feels around. Rubber. A strap.

Goggles. Sandy has swallowed a diving mask.

‘Crap,’ Rachel thinks as she realizes the issue. She begins feeling for a suitable area to grab the mask for removal, mindful of the jagged teeth raking across her arm. Blood begins to cloud the water as they break her skin.

Finally, after nearly a full two minutes, Rachel works the mask free. She throws the strap of the mask over her neck while she helps Sandy. Sandy slowly swims off to the opposite side of the tank to rest at the bottom, buccal pumping to breathe.

Rachel takes a moment to look at the remainder of the crowd, raising her arms in a cheer. The little girl with the stuffed animal leans against the glass, eyes wide with awe. At first the crowd celebrates with her, but then anxious points begin surfacing. This time over her other shoulder.

Chum.

He is swimming in close, interested in the blood from Rachel’s wounds. The performer backs away from the approaching shark. He follows her, until she is pressed against one wall of the tank. Before he can get any closer, however, a little bit of help arrives.

Someone has turned on a bubble curtain for the tank between the shark and swimmer. The sudden appearance of the bubbles startles Chum, and he instantly turns 180 degrees and hurries off to the other side of the aquarium. A final glance at Sandy finds her doing well and resting. Examining her stopwatch for a moment, Rachel realizes she only has about twenty seconds before she is about at her limits, and her lungs burn for breath. She begins her way to the top of the oversized fishbowl.

Immediately, Rachel feels a drag; the diving mask trails behind her and the strap presses into her throat. She continues swimming towards the top. She starts to see spots; questions if she will make it. Then, she sees hands reaching in to help pull her out. Rachel forces herself to try, just barely reaching them, gulping air desperately as she breaks the surface and is pulled out by other aquarium workers. Out of habit, she stops her stopwatch. She has a new record for holding her breath: 4 minutes and 2 seconds.

After she recovers, the aquarium director approaches Rachel. He thanks her for helping Sandy - and her unborn. The animal will be examined and monitored for a few days at least. He informs Rachel that she has the next few days off too. She thanks him before heading to the employee showers and washes.

The wounds on her arm are superficial, but once she gets home, she cleans them with hydrogen peroxide and bandages them appropriately. There are no less than five long, shallow rakes on her upper arm just behind the elbow, crossed with smaller cuts. She makes herself a simple meal, tired after her ordeal, and sits down to watch television. She even catches part of a local news story detailing her incident.

‘Maybe that’s why the director didn’t want me around for a few days,’ she thinks, before she finds something more entertaining to watch.

The next day, Rachel receives a text from her best friend, Samantha.

‘Hey! Heard about your crazy day yesterday! I’m coming over in an hour. Everyone’s giving me things to give you, so I will need some help when I get there!’

Rachel tidies up a little while waiting for Samantha’s arrival, eagerly keeping an eye out for her friend’s vehicle. As soon as she sees her pull up, Rachel rushes out to greet her. The two share a long embrace before making their way to unload the car. Samantha hands her the coffees she picked up and a bag containing two slices of their favorite chocolate cake. Rachel takes the items in, and runs into Samantha at the door. Samantha carries a plant with a strand of green lights wrapped around it.

“What’s this?” she asks.

“You know my mom. She saw a report on television last night I guess. I got a call from her about 9 this morning - which is how I found out, by the way. Thanks for that!” Samantha glares at her friend, “Anycase, she wanted you to have this. I think it’s a pear tree? Don’t quote me.”

“Oh, okay. Lights and all?”

“Lights and all.”

“...How do I take care of this?”

“Water, mainly,” laughs Samantha, “I can ask my mom. Go put that down somewhere - there’s more.”

“Good grief, woman!”

“Hey, I just mentioned I would come visit you - everyone else started handing me crap to give you.”

The next trip inside, Samantha carries a small planter of Marigolds, a handful of cards, and two small, brown boxes with plain brown paper. She sets them down before examining a pretty postcard of a frozen pond from her mother away on business.

“What’s in those?” Rachel asks. Samantha shrugs.

“I dunno. I was gone for a minute to get the coffees and when I came back they were in the pile for you.”

Rachel opens one small box. Nestled inside is a sharp, familiar tooth. The note inside from the director explains that it was a loose one Sandy knocked out when she bumped into the glass, and Mark had cleaned it and wrapped a cord around it.

‘We hope you will wear both this necklace and your scars with honor. Thank you for saving our beloved sharks!’

The next box is from Mark and full of purple glow sticks. Rachel removes the note he has included.

‘I know you hate when the glow sticks don’t match your tail!’

“He has such a crush on you,” Samantha teases. She then points to the image he’s drawn; a bull’s head on a shark's body crossed out, “What’s that about?”

“Well, the sand tiger shark’s scientific name is Carcharias taurus. So before I saw one, I asked him if it was a type of bull shark. He draws these to remind me they are not!”

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