Looking for Mermaids

The Story

We weren't looking for mermaids, so imagine my surprise when I went to skip a rock along the river and had it thrown back at me. So there I was, face to face with a mermaid--long hair, webbed hands, and all.

She lobbed an algae-covered bottle at us. Not sure what else to do, I put it in our Picnic's trash bag. She dove back into the water and reappeared with an armful of trash. Then another, and another. She threw over an old set of car keys, a bicycle wheel-even a car mirror.

We filled the bag. Then the cooler, Then the trunk of the car. By then she was splashing up and down out of the water. I guess I would be celebrating, too, if I got my home clean for the first time in what had to be years.