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Ice King
Down in the Dirt (v141)
(the January 2017 Issue)




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Ic King

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July-Dec. 2016
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Star Kissed

Barton Hill

    “Alright men, drop the nets and let them drag. We’ve got to make sure we catch enough to make our time worth while!” “Stay sharp, stay alert!”
    “Aye, aye Captain!” the first mate shouted, and then added in a subdued voice: “For all the good this’ll do.”
    “Quiet, mate. What if someone hears you, or by some means our Captain can read lips as easily as he does sea currents and the wind?”
    “Sure thing, mate. It’s just that this voyage has been a particularly long and disappointing one. Not much in the trawls and not much in the way of better prospects ya’ know?”
    “Aye, but it’s been a good ride. I never made much money, but at least Captain has provided for us all these years, and I’m sure he’ll find a way to keep us around until we’re all old salty dogs.”
    Thus the conversation between the two friends continued and drifted on to other topics.
    The captain of the fishing vessel and his crew had been out at sea for months now. This was to be their last trawl before heading back to port to wait out the winter.
    Once winter arrived, it became too dangerous to stay out at sea, even if there was something worth catching. However, what these fishermen were trawling for was seasonal and migrated to warmer climes during the harsh winter season.
    The life of a fisherman had never been easy. Unexpected weather patterns, dangerous netting and ropes, exposure to the elements, and short harvesting seasons did not equate to a life of wealth. To make things worse, these past few fishing seasons had been increasingly unsuccessful.
    There were virtually no males left to fertilize the eggs. Sure, some landlubbers believed that the creatures were hermaphroditic and could preserve themselves, but the captain and his crew knew the truth: their way of life was vanishing before their eyes. Their only hope lay in the unlikelihood of protecting their prey from illegal harvesting and stricter breeding control.
    The fishermen, and their village, foresaw that within their generation there would be no more harvesting of this delicacy from the sea. Yet, what could they realistically do to prevent the eventual extinction of their food source, their livelihood?
    No one had seen a male within the past decade.
    ———— Soon there would be no more Mermaids.



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