The Mobility Scooter and the Sea

The Mobility Scooter and the Sea

By Ashley Michael Day

Merryn Penrose drove her mobility scooter down the steep inclining road to Mullion Cove. A remote Victorian harbour off the rugged Cornish coast. A solid stone structure with a looming harbour wall nestled between two towering jagged cliffs. It was a wild spot. Filled with the sounds of crashing waves and shrieking gulls.

"Diet and exercise," her Doctor had prescribed, "and plenty of it! You don't need that mobility scooter. Just shed a few pounds and it will do you the world of good."

Merryn chose to take up fishing. Only because she thought it would require little effort. Golf involved too much standing and swinging for her liking. So here she was. Following her doctor's orders.

She'd been fishing for a few weeks now and had devised a way to do it without any work at all! She had designed a way to tether the rod to her mobility scooter using a rudimentary cup holder. And once she got a bite, she would simply reverse and pull out her catch. No matter how much line the fish would take.

Piece of cake.

The tide was in. No boats were moored in the box harbour. It was deserted.

Grey clouds had gathered causing a squall out on the horizon. Making the sea swell.

She cast her line into the water. Dropped her rod into its holder. And strapped herself into her Mobility scooter.

Now comes the best part of fishing.

The waiting…

She had purchased herself a fresh crab roll from the local cafe. If anything, Merryn had gained weight since taking up her new pursuit. The air was rich with salt from the crashing surf that seemed to season her shell fish snack. She took a rewarding bite of the sweet meat and citrus lemon mayonnaise. Enjoying the seclusion. She felt like the last woman on earth.

The only interruption came from the cracking of the line being pulled.

'Ah! Here we go, first catch of the day.'

The initial surprise of getting a bite had worn off. It was always a mackerel. At first she'd been fascinated by their dark green tiger striped scales, but now that her chest freezer was full of them, the novelty had ebbed away.

She took another bite from her sandwich, when suddenly, her line was pulled out to sea at an alarming rate! The reel was spinning round so fast she feared it would start to smoke. Merryn's alarm increased once the reel ran out of slack. Till now, she would let the poor fish exhaust itself, then, when it had lost its fight, she would pull it in.

But not this fish.

This was not the catch she was expecting!

Her rod bowed under the strain as the fish attempted to swim away. Merryn spluttered a mouth full of bread and crab as she was pulled towards the water.

In her panic, she reached for the Mobility scooter's controls and slammed it in reverse. The tiny vehicle beeped in complaint as her catch pulled her towards the harbour edge.

Whatever it is, she thought, it's no mackerel.

Her tires squealed under the strain as the rubber burned. She was losing this game of tug of war. Despite the scooter's valiant effort, she was slowly creeping closer and closer to the edge.

Merryn tried to use her body as an anchor. Leaning back against the chair with all her weight. Digging her heels into the solid stone quay. She grimaced under the strain, but her efforts paid off. She had slowed the animal's momentum.

What was it? she wondered. A fish? A seal? A shark?!

Whatever it was, it wasn't through with her yet…

The creature from the deep continued to tug and thrash on the line. The fishing rod was nearly bent in two! Merryn prayed that the line would snap from the force.

'Help!' she screamed, hoping someone at the cafe could hear her cries. 'For the love of God! Help me, someone!'

But no one came.

She was all alone.

Leaning back with all her might, Merryn's heart was racing. The heels of her trainers skidded against the stone pier. With her one free hand she reached for the fishing rod. It was twisted in its holder preventing her from abandoning it. Merryn tugged at the shaft, but the rod wouldn't give. She tried to reel in the line, but the handle was taught to breaking point. As she struggled to release the rod, she felt the rear tyre shred beneath her.

The exploding tyre caused the vehicle to lose its balance. The scooter tipped backwards, leaving Merryn sprawled with her legs in the air like a toppled tortoise. The scooter spun and scraped across the stone as it was pulled towards the precipice.

Merryn gasped as she looked up and saw a sight that turned the very blood in her veins into ice! Four gigantic Octopus tentacles had slithered out of the water and were groping for its prey. These engorged alien limbs, with their grasping, plunger-like suckers, sprawled out across the quayside. Their purple flesh twisting and writhing as they pulled at the fishing line, as one coiled tentacle clung to the harbour wall.

Merryn desperately struggled to undo her seatbelt as this monstrous creature pulled her closer to those flexing limbs. She was only a few yards away from those fleshy tentacles, when she finally unclipped herself from the seat, and rolled herself free. She watched as those twisting tentacles entwined around the scooter and pulled the vehicle over the side.

A loud splash drowned out the crashing waves against the cliffs.

Merryn rose on shaky legs as she gingerly walked to the end of the ledge. As she peered down at the water, all she could see was a vast white foam. The disturbed water bubbled like an insidious cauldron. But no sooner had it been churned up, the froth vanished, taking both the creature from the deep and her mobility scooter with it…