When her kidnapper saw her on the counter, he stopped and stared, with a cruel, angry expression. “How'd you get up there? You can climb pretty well for a fish.”
He quickly grabbed her hand, and pulled her off the counter, letting her tumble onto the floor. What little breath Jenny had was forced out her by the impact cause her to inhale sharply. Her gills burned with the sudden intake of air and she could feel them start to dry out already.
“Please.... just let me go back... to the ocean. I can't live... out here. I can't… breathe … out here” she gasped out frantically.
The fisherman fiddle with his cell phone for a bit, then started to take some pictures with it. “Not gonna do that. I've already got some college people on the way over, they'll be here before too much longer.”
Leaving his phone on the shelf, he went to the kitchen and dug out a small bowl and filled it up with water. “They're giving me the same amount whether you're still alive or not, so I don't see why I need to fuss over it much. You can have this. Don't get any ideas, I'll be turning off the water at the main. This is all your gonna get. Stay here, and smile pretty for the camera. I'm gonna go the main road and guide those folks up here.”
Her captor pressed the record button on his phone and left the cabin, leaving the gasping mermaid alone on the floor, with just a small bowl of water to sustain herself.