Kelsea stood frozen at the water's edge, eyes wide as she started at him. She took in every detail, trying to convince herself she wasn't imagining things. He wore a wetsuit, but had almost no diving equipment. Dark rings were present under his eyes and a few days worth of beard growth shadowed his normally cleanly shaven jaw. 

    "Get out of the water right now," Eric ordered. He knew what lurked under the waves and did not want his daughter anywhere near the thing.

    But the girl did not understand the worried look on her dad's face. If anything, she was the one who had the right to worry! Still, she ran back to her dad. One of his bear hugs was sorely needed. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, as if she was afraid he would vanish before her eyes.

    "Kelsea, honey?" her mother called out. "We tried to give you some space but you need to come inside now. It's getting dark and ... Kelsea?"

    Her dad's back had been to the house, so when he released his daughter to see his wife, Kelsea didn't get to see the look on his face. However, she did hear him breathlessly say, "Jane." Then he ran over to the woman and embraced her like their lives depended upon it. The man spun her around a few times and proceeded to kiss the love of his life.

    Kelsea walked back inside the house to give the couple some space and to share the unbelievable news to her sisters. She didn't realize she was crying until her sisters pointed it out.

    The celebration did not last long. When a missing and presumed dead person turns up, there is a lot to do, and many phone calls to make.

    While everyone else made phone calls, Kelsea stripped off her saltwater soaked clothing and took a shower. As soon as she was dry and wearing pajamas, she left her room expecting to get some answers from her father. Instead, she found her sisters were still making calls and social media announcements, and her parents were gone.

    Belle was the first to set her phone down. "Kels," she said, "Mom and Dad went to the police station for an interview." 

    According to her sister, the police were absolutely baffled about how he had gone missing while scuba diving in a spring could turn up miles away on a beach, days later. They demanded he go over to the station immediately for an interview, hardly giving him time to grab a change of clothes.

    "You should probably to go bed," Rose said. "I'm sure Dad will be dead tired when he comes back so I don't think he will be up to your interrogation."

    That made Kelsea frown. "I get that. Can I do something to help you? I can grab my phone and make calls too."

    Belle shook her head. "No, we're about finished. How about you go to bed now? Maybe you can go to school tomorrow."

    Kelsea crossed her arms. "And miss out on when Dad tells us what happened? Heck no." She grabbed her journal from her room and sat down on the couch, writing in it until she fell asleep. One of her sisters tossed a blanket on her. When her parents got home late in the night, she didn't even stir. 

    For the first time since Eric had gone missing, everyone in the house slept peacefully through the night.

<><  <><  <><

    Looking like a zombie, the blonde girl wandered half-asleep into the kitchen, going straight for the coffee machine. It whirred to life and soon a delicious smell permeated the air. Kelsea fixed her cup just the way she liked. While she put away the creamer, a thief came and stole her mug, taking a big gulp of the hot liquid. 

    Kelsea glared at her father, who just grinned back at his daughter. She rolled her eyes and made herself another cup. 

    Within twenty minutes, the whole family was crowded in the kitchen, proceeding with their own morning routines. Kelsea, feeling much more aware (read: alive) now that she was caffeinated, turned to her dad and asked when he planned on telling them what happened to him.

    Her mother gave her a pointed look. In a stern tone she said, "Kelsea Glass, calm yourself. You will get your answers soon enough."

    Eric gave his daughter a small smile. "My little journalist, trying to get the first scoop on the story." He sighed and looked everyone in the eye. "As far as everyone else is concerned," – What was that supposed to mean? – "I got lost in the caverns, but stayed alive by stumbling upon chambers that connected to the surface. I called for help, but no one came. After I don't even know how much time, I found a hole I could actually crawl out. I ended up near the mangroves. Not knowing where or what time it was, I just walked. I walked down the beach until I made it home."

    The man took a swig from his mug, but frowned at the cup when he realized it already been emptied. He set it down and ran a hand through his hair. It was his nervous habit, Kelsea noticed, just like she drummed her fingers. She suppressed that urge and scooted forward on the edge of her seat.

    He continued, "But that is not the true story. You're going to think I'm insane, but something was there with me. I got stuck, not lost, and the saved me. It kept me prisoner and I had to deal with it to get out."

    Rose, Belle, and their mother fired off questions.

    "Who found you?"

    "What do you mean, 'deal with it'?"

    "Did you have to k-kill it?"

    Eric pursed his lips, and Kelsea said in a moment of silence, "You mean, you made a deal with it."

    He nodded slightly, then closed his eyes and shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said. "Just ... stay out of the water for a few days."

    The girl was not sure if her dad was actually going to give a straight answer after the last vague one, but she couldn't help but ask, "Can you describe who saved you?"

    "What."

    "What?"

    He rubbed his forehead. "A person did not save me. It was a merman."

    Kelsea burst out laughing. Her dad had a history of telling tall tales and this one definitely took the cake. It was sick, really, joking about how he survived.

    Everyone else in the room showed more concern than the youngest. They asked if he was feeling all right, with Jane asking if he was sure he didn't need to see a doctor. 

    Eric knew that none of his family believed him. Maybe it was better that way. He ran his hand through his hair one last time and forced himself to smile. "No, no. I'm okay. I think I need to catch up on sleep."

    "That will be difficult considering the three cups of coffee you drank, including mine," Kelsea said as he started to leave. "Sorry for laughing, Dad. I know what you went through was difficult. I'm glad you're back."

    Her dad paused and dug into his pocket. He tossed something back at Kelsea. Unfortunately, her coordination was sub-par and she dropped the small object she tried so hard to catch. She picked it off the floor.

    "It's for you," the man said. "The memory card with the pictures I took. You can look through them before I do. Okay, pumpkin?"

    "Um, cool," she responded. He remembered her request. After all he went through, he remembered. "I love you."

    "Love you too."