Mysterious Monsters Hiding in the Deep

"Teddy! My office! Now!" screamed my overbearing boss, Jerry. I turned to my best friend and confidant, Matthew, and made a face mimicking my boss.

"Good luck. Maybe today you'll finally get the make-it-or-break-it assignment you've been hoping for. Jerry can't keep giving you these fluff assignments forever. Maybe if you get your big break, I can too!" Matthew pats my back as I get up and make my way to Jerry's office. I sit down in the uncomfortable chair across from Jerry as he sits at his desk typing away on his computer.

"Teddy, I need you to cover the major flooding a couple counties over. There are whole towns that are submerged and hundreds, if not thousands, have died. There's rumor that there's something else going on too. You'll work with Collin on this. A car will take you to the local motel where you and Collin will be staying for a week. You leave in two hours. Any questions?" Jerry finished. I can barely remember what he said. I can't believe it. This is the big assignment I've been waiting for since I started working here five years ago.

The Explorer is one of the biggest newspapers here and almost exclusively employs men. I'm one of three women in the office and the other two women are secretaries for the upper administration. I've worked hard to earn my big break. I stayed late, worked over the weekends, and even worked over some holidays.

"No, sir. I don't have any questions. Thank you, sir." I stammer out as I stand and get ready to leave. I walk back to my desk and sit in my chair as Matthew stares at me.

"Well? What do assignment did you get?" Matthew peers at me waiting in suspense. I just look back at Matthew in a daze.

"I'm covering the major floods a couple counties over with Collin" I mumble. Matthew just stares at me and his jaw drops.

"O-M-G! This is your big chance! I can't believe Jerry finally gave you a big assignment! When do you leave? How long will you be gone? Have you talked to Collin about it yet? How do you feel?" Matthew speed talks. I slowly blink as it finally settles with me that my goals are being fulfilled and a smile overtakes my face. I answer every question Matthew throws at me while I pack my bag with my supplies like my laptop, charger, and notebook. "Good luck Teddy. You earned this." Matthew smiles as I make my way to the door. I throw my hand back in a wave and rush to my car. I put on some of my favorite tunes and speed to my apartment to pack. I pack some nice jeans, a couple nice blouses, and a few casual tees. I get everything packed and ready and make the drive back to the office with a few minutes to spare. I decide to do a quick search on my phone for some basic information about the area and some of the already published reports of the flooding.

According to a local scientist, there are a few theories of the cause of the excessive flooding. Experts on environmental disturbances and natural disasters were arriving to assess the situation and provide more information on why the flooding was extreme compared to previous floods in the area. The article said that a Dr. Jake Fields would be arriving around the same time Collin and I would arrive. I searched for Dr. Fields' contact information to save for later in case I wanted to get some information from him. As I was saving the information on my phone, the car pulled up and our driver got out to greet me. I put my luggage in the trunk and sat down in the backseat. I pulled my notebook out to put the notes from my research onto paper. Collin finally arrived after being thirty minutes late. He just nodded to me and shoved headphones on his ears. Apparently, our driver knew exactly where we were going because he left without a word to either of us. I tapped Collin on the shoulder.

"Have you done any research on the flooding? I thought it would be easier to write if we shared notes with each -"

"I'm going to stop you right there. I haven't done any research and I won't be sharing my notes with you. I have no idea why Jerry gave you this assignment and why he's making me your babysitter, but I'm going to go enjoy my week-long break. Then I'll write the article on the way home. You'll do good to keep out of my way and not bother me. Got it, kid?" To this, I just shut my mouth and nodded my head. Collin was an old grouch who took his position for granted. He has been with the Explorer for last twenty-seven years, and always gets the best assignments. While the topics of his articles are always interesting, his writing style has become bland and monotonous. Matthew tells me all the time how he overhears the upper administration complain about Collin's writing, but they won't do anything since he plans to retire soon anyways. I ignore his grumpiness and finish my notes. I put my notebook away and pull out my phone to listen to some podcasts about floods and their causes while enjoying the ride. The first podcast I listened to was "Predicting Floods in a Flash" by Scientific American.

I add some notes to my journal about floods. What I learned includes that floods, specifically flash floods, occur during storms with heavy rains, and are the most common natural disasters in the United States. Other flooding occurs from melting snow after temperatures rise. Scientists were looking for a correlation between lightning strikes and flash floods. By using the strength of lightning strikes combined with other factors like vegetation and topography, scientists will be able to predict which locations will likely experience flooding and provide a rapid warning system to local residents. This was interesting to me since many of the residents in the area didn't receive a clear warning about the floods which led to numerous deaths in the area.

The next podcast I listened to involved climate change and flooding since climate change was one of the possible reasons for the extreme flooding. I listened to, "Climate Talks: Episode 1 - Climate Change and Floods" by Ahad. I learned the basics of climate change and the reason why it occurs, even though it's being taught in schools starting as early as second grade. Everyone knows that the carbon dioxide levels are increasing due to the burning of fossil fuels which had previously stored carbon compounds until burned. The carbon dioxide levels cause an increase in temperature which impacts other biological processes. For this assignment, I focused on the impacts climate change has on flooding. According to the podcast, there are some areas around the world that will experience severe droughts, while other parts of the world will experience extreme flooding and rising water levels. They mentioned Ellicott City in Maryland. I remember this story from previous research for a climate change class I took in college. The town was built on top of these two rivers, and the original buildings had been mills. Over the years, the buildings were converted into shops and restaurants where guests could shop while listening to the sounds of the river underneath. Then one day a storm rolled in and floods covered the town and destroyed many of the shops and restaurants. Eventually the town recovered and rebuilt only to be flooded and destroyed again. The town faced two extreme cases of flooding in a short time period which hadn't happened before. The podcast mentioned the impact of climate change on snow and ice melting which also causes water levels to rise. Coastal cities have to be more cautious of this due to their proximity to the oceans.

As I was finishing the podcast and adding notes to my notebook, the car stopped outside our motel. The driver opened my door for me on his way to the trunk to pull out our luggage. I shoved my stuff back in my bag and got out as Collin did the same. We took our luggage, and I thanked our driver who smiled and nodded. Collin checked us in, and he gave me my key to my room. My room was basic, furnished with a bed, an older television, and a microwave and coffee pot. The bathroom had one set of towels which were yellowed with age. I should have been disgusted, but I was still too excited about working on this article. I set my bag down beside my bed and pulled out my notes to finish writing down everything I could remember from the podcast. As I finished up, I decided to make a trip to downtown to see if I could get some extra information from the locals. I called an Uber to take me and waited outside my room. As I'm waiting, Collin comes outside in swim shorts with a beach towel.

"Hey, kid. Where you headed?" Collin throws my way as he locks his room.

"I'm just headed downtown to mingle with the locals and get a feel for the town" I say casually. I don't want Collin to get grumpy with me for actually working on the assignment, so I just avoid that topic.

"There's a few bars. Let me know which one you go to so I can avoid it" He barks out a laugh and lumbers to the pool. "See you kid. Don't be too crazy" I roll my eyes as my Uber pulls up. I tell the driver that I want to go to downtown and she begins asking me questions about why I'm here and my background. I briefly fill her in about why I'm in town. The woman appears to be just slightly older than my own mother which makes me warm up to her faster. She seems to know a lot about the people in town and points people out along the way. I ask her about the floods and how the town is handling the disaster. She looks sad and quiets down a little as she talks about it.

"Honey, this flood has hurt many people, including my husband. He's a local fisherman who hasn't been able to work with everything that happened. On top of the floods, he noticed something strange about the animals. If you want to meet him and ask him a few questions, we could meet him for dinner at Alma's Diner in town. He'd love to meet you, sweetheart." She turns around and looks at me while waiting on the light to change.

"Sure! I'd love to meet him and ask him about his experiences as a fisherman. Thank you for the invitation, Sophia." She smiles at me and pulls up to a stop outside Alma's Diner. She pulls out her phone and calls her husband which I discover is named Robert. She doesn't exactly ask him to meet us but commands him which makes me chuckle on the inside since my mother would do the same thing to my father. She finishes up and leads me inside. A young, pretty hostess leads us to a booth in the back. Sophia chats the hostess's ear off as we make our way back. Sophia introduces me to the hostess whose name is Tiffany. I make pleasantries as we sit, and Sophia and I order drinks. Sophia tells me all about the food and which meals are the best. As we're looking over the menu, Robert shows up. He's wearing faded overalls and a flannel shirt with a rain jacket over it all. He introduces himself and shakes my hand.

"How are you liking the town so far, Teddy?" He asks as he slides in next to Sophia.

"I think it's a wonderful town and Sophia's shown me a lot of people and popular places. She said that you work as a fisherman. Could I conduct an interview about your experiences?" I ask as Tiffany brings our drinks including a beverage for Robert. We place our orders and turn back to the conversation.

"Of course. I was out when the floods started. It happened so fast, like twenty minutes and the buildings were covered. I barely got to high ground. I had to run to the top of hill that separates downtown from the eastern side of town. We've had floods before, but nothing this devastating. Lots of folks are out of work right now. The local rescue groups are using our boats to try to find people. They expect the water to reside in a couple days, but so far the levels haven't changed." Sophia holds his hand through this and pats their intertwined hands.

"I'm sorry you're out of work right now, Robert. I can't imagine how difficult this is for you and your family. Sophia mentioned something strange is happening with the animals. Do you know anything about this?" Tiffany brings our food over and we eat a little. I ordered a grilled cheese and tomato soup which tasted amazing after skipping lunch on the drive here.

"I don't know a whole lot about the animals other than they're acting different. I've been out a few times trying to help with rescue and we've seen fins coming out of the water like sharks. But typically, if sharks are around, the fish avoid the area. That's not what's happening though. We're still seeing schools of fish in the flooded area. Other than that, I don't know much else. I've heard rumors that some survivors have been attacked by something in the water, but it's probably sharks or they're just hurting themselves on debris." I make a mental note to find some survivors who had been attacked by this mysterious monster lurking in the water. I ask a few more questions and finish my meal. We pay and get up to leave. I say goodbye to Sophia and Robert as I make my way to a local market. I grab a few snacks for my room and some other essentials. While waiting in line, I talk to a few of the locals and find out that Dr. Fields arrived and has been doing testing on the flooded area.

I make it back to my motel room and get ready for bed after writing down my interview notes in my notebook. I have four and half pages of notes already, and my mind is racing about how I want to write the article. I set my alarm to get up early so I can go check out the flood. I can hear Collin in the next room, and he sounds really intoxicated. I text him to let him know I'm heading into town in the morning to check out the flood and that I interviewed a local fisherman. He shouts through the wall about how I'm a loser with no life and I need to let loose. I roll my eyes and put on some music to help me sleep and drown out Collin.

My alarm screeches at me early. I jump in the shower and make a quick breakfast and coffee before heading out. Sophia was my driver again this morning and knew the best place to drop me off. I thanked her for the ride and got out. I looked out towards the buildings covered in water up to the upper levels. I couldn't imagine fear the people felt as they noticed the water rising and covering their windows and doors. My breathing becomes faster and my heart rate increases as I imagine what it was like for those that didn't survive. I can't swim and have a fear of drowning. I finally calm myself down by focusing on the ground beneath my feet. A boat passes with a couple people on it. From this distance, it was difficult to tell who it could be, but one of the men looked like Dr. Fields from my search on him from before we left.

"Ma'am, it's not safe near the water. I'm going to have to ask you back up and please go back to whatever you were doing" one man shouted to me. He looked like he could be a rescuer or even a police officer. I back up a few steps but pause. I really need to interview Dr. Fields and this could be the only chance I have to do so.

"Sorry, sir. I was just looking for a way to help. I want to help find survivors, sir. Can I join you guys?" I babble this out before I think of the consequences. If he says yes, I'll have to get on a boat and face my greatest fears. Even thinking about it, my heart begins to race.

"How kind of you ma'am. We could always use the help. We'll come closer to get you" he shouts as he brings the boat closer. My heart drops and crashes into the ground. I have to do this. I have to get any information I can out of Dr. Fields and the officer while I'm there. They help me get on the boat and put on a life vest. "You're not from around these parts, are you ma'am? I don't recognize you and I know everyone in this town." The sheriff asks me as I settle onto one of the seats.

"No, I'm not from around here. I'm from a few counties over, sir." I white-knuckle the seat as I hold on to dear life as the sheriff begins driving the boat back out onto open waters. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest I'm worried it'll pop out.

"You don't like the water, do you?" Dr. Fields peered at me from behind his glasses. He didn't look like a typical nerdy scientist besides those glasses. He was actually very attractive, which I would have focused more on if I wasn't terrified for my life. I nod slightly and keep my hands clenched on the seat. "If you're afraid of the water, why would you volunteer to help look for survivors? You could have volunteered at the local kitchens or in the shelters that are housing the victims. Why come out here? We don't have time to help you, look for survivors, and study the floods and animals that came in with it." He curtly spoke. I take a few breaths to calm my heart and begin to tell the truth.

"I'm sorry. I won't be in the way. I just needed to speak to you Dr. Fields. See, I'm a journalist with the Explorer a few counties over. We're covering the flood and the impact it's had on the town and the towns people. I found your name associated with another article and how you were planning on studying the cause of the flood. I just need a quick interview and I didn't know if I would be able to get a chance to see you. I'm sorry. I'll help you look for survivors and do whatever you need me to do. I just need a few minutes." I hope they let me stay. I'm not excited about helping if I have to get in the water or near it. I feel okay sitting in the middle of the boat, but fear I'll topple over if I get close to the edge.

"Fine. You can stay, but you have to help. We'll be out on the water until lunch. You can interview me then." Dr. Fields quiets down after that. We spend the first hour trying to find survivors that made it to high ground. After that, Dr. Fields begins collecting water samples. He asks me to take pictures of the surface of the water. Then he hands me a water-proof camera to look underwater. The video feed plays on a laptop that Dr. Fields opened up and connected to the camera. He has me feed the camera down as he watches the feed. He mumbles something to himself as he sees something move on the screen. "Can you try to turn the camera around? Something moved on the screen, but I'm not sure what it was." I try to turn the camera, but something pulls the line out of my hand. I gasp as the rest of line speeds away. Dr. Fields jumps into action and scrambles to try to keep the rest of the line from disappearing. He grabs the end which jerks the boat and sends me falling backwards as the boat lurches to the side. I scream as Dr. Fields catches me and I begin hyperventilating.

"Calm down, Teddy. I got you. You're safe. Breathe." Dr. Fields mutters into my ear as he rubs his hands up and down my arms. "Follow my breathing Teddy." He breathes in slowly and exhales. I focus on his breathing and follow it which eventually slows my breathing back to a normal level. "Good job. Are you okay now?" He asks as he helps settle me back into my seat.

"I'm better now. Thank you, Dr. Fields." I clamp my hands together on my lap.

"Call me Jake" he says softly. Jake looks back up the sheriff who looks shocked. "Sheriff, I don't know what that was, but I think it would be a good idea for us to head back for lunch now." The sheriff nods and punches the gun back to the safety of land. Jake helps me get out of the boat and out of the life jacket. The sheriff leads us to his car and drives us to Alma's Diner.

"You been here before Teddy?" The Sheriff asks as he opens the door for us.

"I was here last night, sir, with Sophia and Robert Burke. She was my Uber driver last night." Tiffany waves to us as we take a seat in the same booth I sat in yesterday.

"Ah, the Burkes. What a sweet couple. It's a shame they never had any children. Robert's a great man. He was out there when the floods happened. He's been a great help finding survivors and letting my officers use his boat to look. Sophia's been doing that Uber driving since tourists started showing up a couple years ago. She's been doing it a lot more since the flood cause of Robert not being able to go out on the boat." The sheriff said while looking over the menu. Tiffany brought us all drinks and took our orders.

"How are you feeling Teddy? You look better now that your colors returned." Jake asks between bites of his burger and fries.

"I'm feeling better. Thank you for helping me Jake. What do you think could have snatched the camera and rocked the boat like that?" Thinking about the boat incident made my fear spike again.

"Honestly, I'm not sure exactly what it was. There's been reports of an animal attacking survivors, but I thought they were just rumors. Sheriff, could I get pictures of some of the wounds the survivors have from the animal attacks?" The sheriff nods and pulls out his phone.

"I just emailed you a few of the pictures my officers sent to me from the hospital." Jake pulls out a tablet and pulls up the pictures. Jake's sitting next to me and shows me the pictures as well. He zooms in on one of the pictures where there are near parallel marks on one woman's leg.

Above is one of the pictures sent to Jake from the sheriff of the wounds one of the survivors had on her thigh. Notice the near-parallel lines that curve at the top.
Above is one of the pictures sent to Jake from the sheriff of the wounds one of the survivors had on her thigh. Notice the near-parallel lines that curve at the top.

"Hmm." Jake zooms in further and pulls out his phone. I look at him questioningly awaiting a response. "Look at this wound track here. This isn't a shark or any other type of carnivorous fish bite here. I think I know what it's from, but it'll sound weird, like out-of-this-world weird." He scratches his chin likes he's thinking deeply. I stare at him until he finishes "It looks like a dolphin bite, but they're not usually this aggressive"

"But it makes sense. Robert was telling me last night about how some people have spotted fins coming out of the water like a shark. Their fins look similar enough that they could be mistaken for each other, right?" I look at Jake as he nods his head.

"If it is dolphins, this is unheard of. I need to head back to my lab and run these samples and call an expert to assess the strange dolphin behavior. Can you drop us off there, Sheriff?" Jake stands and puts on his jacket which prompts the sheriff and I to do the same, and the sheriff nods.

"Us?" I ask looking at Jake.

He nods and says, "I thought you needed to interview me which didn't really happen over lunch. Besides, I think I owe you after you almost toppled over into the water." He shoots a smile my way that's contagious and makes me smile too. I mumble a thank you as we get into the car. Jake leads me to his makeshift lab and introduces me to the basic equipment. "I'm going to work on these samples if you want to start asking me questions" he says as he pulls up a chair to a microscope and other fancy machines that I don't recognize from my basic science classes in high school. I pull out my journal and a pen.

"What do you think is the cause of the excessive flooding compared to previous floods which were minor in the area?" I settle into a chair beside him and watch as he puts water on a slide.

"That's tough to discern. From what I've gathered so far based on my research and interviews, the storm that proceeded the flooding was much more violent than other storms that the area's experienced. The rainfall was three times higher than any previous recorded rainfall. I believe that played a large part in the extreme flooding. I received word from a friend and fellow scientist that a large chunk of the ice sheet covering northern Canada fell off and into the ocean. The chunk likely melted and caused a rise is ocean levels as well. Combining these two reasonings together could account for the extreme flooding." Jake finished as he started taking his own notes from his observation of the water from the flood. I hurried to write everything down before asking my next question. Jake answered every question I had. Once I finished, I thanked him and offered to help. He was still looking at the samples he had taken. He put them in other machines as well to get other results that I didn't quite follow.

He sighed and sat back against his chair. A couple hours had passed, and it was starting to get dark. Jake turned and looked at me as he said, "Just in time. Are you ready to meet Dr. Richardson?" He's an expert in marine life, specifically dolphins. I nodded and hopped off my chair. I stretched my arms above my head and leaned side-to-side. I saw Jake watching me from the corner of my eye. He noticed that I could see him, and he coughed and got off his chair. He walked over to a landline phone and punched in a number. He put in on speaker as I approached with my notebook. Dr. Richardson picked up on the fourth ring.

"Jake! My man! How have you been? It's been, what, like three years since I've last seen you? You were the best roommate I've ever had. My roommate now drinks the milk straight from the jug. You never did that! You know how disgusting that is! It drives me nuts." Dr. Richardson talks a mile a minute. Jake turns and smiles at me and chuckles softly.

"Jared, it's nice to talk to you. Sorry you're not having great luck with your roommate, but this isn't a social call. Have you heard about the extreme flooding? I've been assigned to research the cause and to run water samples for possible contaminants and diseases." Jake rests his head in his arm.

"That's dope dude! Well, not the floods and all deaths, but the research aspect." Jared makes me laugh which he picks up on. "Whoa, who else is there? That sounded like a chick. You got an assistant, Jake?"

"I'm not his assistant. My name is Teddy and I'm a journalist with the Explorer. I was sent here to cover the floods. I met Dr. Fields and helped him collect water samples in exchange for an interview. It's nice to meet you Dr. Richardson." I introduce myself and explain the situation.

"Jared, there's something else going on. There's been a few survivors who have had suspicious bite marks on their legs. I just forwarded the pictures to your cell. There have also been reports of survivors and rescuers spotting fins in the water. They presumed them to be shark fins, but I'm not sure that's what they're seeing. Also, Teddy and I were utilizing an underwater camera to look at the water when it was grabbed and taken by something big enough to rattle the boat. This is going to sound weird, but do you think a dolphin could have done this?" There was a pause as Dr. Richardson processed what Jake had just told him. Then we heard ding sound signaling that he had received the pictures of the wounds and a small gasp as he looked at them.

"This wound pattern looks like a dolphin bite. The parallel or near parallel lines indicate it to likely to be a dolphin. I've seen similar patterns on other dolphins from them attacking each other. But this is very strange. I've never heard of dolphins using flooded areas to go after people unless in defense or by mistake." We could hear shuffling of papers and other noises.

"What can you tell us about typical dolphin behavior?" I asked because I don't know much about dolphins.

"Dolphins are highly social animals. They stay in groups or pairs of 2-15 dolphins at a time. Their groups are called pods. In these groups, they work together for protections, hunting for food, and rearing calves. Typically, females stay in larger groups or return to make a multi-generational pod. Calves can remain under the care of their mothers up until age six or so. Then the calves join other juveniles until adulthood when they reach reproductive age and look for mates. Typically, dolphins don't express aggression unless to establish dominance or during mating. Sometimes mothers will rake their teeth against calves to discipline them. Interestingly, dolphins will also utilize other methods to display dominance such as chasing, blowing cloud bubbles from their blowholes, smacking their tails against the water, and even body slamming other "enemies". Almost all dolphins show signs of rake marks in various stages of healing. Often times, the attacking is predominantly males against other males or females during mating. There have been cases of dolphins attacking humans, but it doesn't happen often or as deep as wounds as the ones you sent me." Dr. Richardson takes a breath. I write down as much as I can and ask some follow-up questions. Jake just listens and watches me.

Jake speaks up and asks, "Jared, what should we do about the dolphins?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure unless you want to trap and release somewhere else. I could provide more answers if I knew exactly which species of dolphin we're dealing with. If you could trap it, I could get approval for you to bring it here so we can study it." Dr. Richardson yawns. "Let me know if I can be of further help Jake. I need to head home. I have an early meeting tomorrow, but I'll be available in the afternoon if you want to call. It was nice to meet you Teddy. Be safe you guys." Jake and I mumbled our goodbyes and with that, Dr. Richardson hung up. By now, it well nearing midnight. I yawned and stretched.

"I'll be heading back out tomorrow morning, if you want to join me. If not, I get it." Jake begins packing his bag.

"I'll be there. I want to get to the bottom of this mystery. What time?" I finish writing my notes from the call with Dr. Richardson.

"I'll likely leave the motel around 9 and grab coffee and breakfast on the way. I'm staying at the Above and Beyond Motel."

"That's where I'm staying too along with my coworker, but I doubt he'll want to join" I roll my eyes thinking about Collin.

"Well, I'll give you a ride back to the motel tonight. Then we can meet up in the morning. Let's go Teddy" He leads me to his car. He puts on some music, the same music that I listen to. Once in the car, the exhaustion of the day finally hits me, and I fall asleep.

"Teddy, wake up. We're here." Jake jostles me awake. I wake up worried that I drooled or something embarrassing.

"I'm so sorry I fell asleep. The day just hit me, and I was out" I apologize as I grab my bag and get out of his car. I pull my room key out.

"You're fine. We had a long day. Have a nice night, Teddy. I'll see you bright and early in the morning." Jake smiles at me before turning away to head to his own room. I feel butterflies in my stomach at seeing his smile directed towards me. I unlock my room and hop in the shower to wash away the day. After my shower, I grab a snack and sit down on the bed with my laptop and notebook. I started writing the article, and once I started the article, my fingers flew across the keyboard. Before I knew it, I had written over a thousand words and it was nearing 2:30 in the morning. I groaned at the prospect of being tired tomorrow and set my alarm for 8:00, then finally went to sleep. I woke to my alarm going off what felt like five minutes later. I groaned and rolled out of bed. I quickly showered and got ready. I texted Collin to let him know that I would be in town again today in case he actually wanted to help with the article. I knew I wouldn't get a response this early but felt obligated to let him know. As I was locking my door to leave, Jake sauntered towards me.

"Good morning Teddy!" He said in a chipper voice.

I groaned, "You're a morning person, aren't you?" He barked out a laugh.

"I am, especially when I get to do field work." He opened the car door for me and smiled. I thanked him as I sat down. He got in the driver's side and pulled out. He stopped at a coffee shop that Sophia had shown me. She had suggested getting a caramel macchiato since it was a local favorite, so that's what I ordered along with a blueberry muffin. Jake and I ate at the coffee shop and chatted about our pasts and other topics. We avoided talking about the dolphins and the flood. It was nice and made me feel better about having to go back on the water, especially knowing the possibility of coming into contact with the dolphins. We met the sheriff at the boat this time. Jake went into a local shop to change into a wet suit. He's planning on going under the water to take a look and try to locate one of the dolphins. Once Jake was changed, we got ready to head out. Jake helped me put on my life jacket and getting into the boat. He held my hand as I settled into the same seat I sat in yesterday.

"Are you feeling okay?" Jake whispered in my ear as we went further out. I nodded my head and smiled at him. The sheriff took us to the edge of the town where most of the dolphin incidents occurred. He stopped the boat while Jake got the rest of his gear ready. "Wish me luck" he said as he toppled over the side. My heart jumped to my throat while I waited in suspense to see a sign that he was okay.

"You doing alright Teddy?" The sheriff asked from behind me. I don't turn around, but I nod and thank him for asking. We wait for what feels like forever for Jake to return. I thought it was him coming back and he accidentally hit the boat which sent it rattling. I made the mistake of standing up to help him when another hit from the other side rattled the boat even more. It sent me toppling into the water. I screamed as the force of me falling sent my head under. Water surrounded me as I slammed my mouth shut and held my breath. My worse nightmare was coming alive. I started panicking as the reality of the situation began settling in. I had just fallen into water that had reports of aggressive dolphins. I could hear the sheriff shouting at me from above as my life jacket carried me to the surface. My head broke the surface, and I began yelling for help. I froze as I felt something slippery brush against my legs. Dolphins felt slippery, right? All I could imagine was being mauled to death by a dolphin. I couldn't move. The sheriff was still shouting at me from the boat which had looked miles away but was only about fifteen feet away. Something emerged next to my face which caused me to scream and flail trying to get away. Arms wrapped around me and held me. It was then that I could Jake talking to me, trying to calm me down. I began to relax knowing that he was here and was guiding me back towards the boat. The sheriff grabbed my arms and hauled me up as Jake pushed me up from behind. I fell to the bottom of the boat as the sheriff helped Jake up. Jake came straight over to sit next to me.

"Teddy, are you alright? Were you attacked? Did anything bite you?" Jake questioned while running his hands over my arms and legs checking for any injuries. I started crying recounting the incident in my head. I shook my head at Jake to let him know I wasn't injured, but he grabbed me and wrapped me in a hug. "I've got you. Don't worry." He repeated this the entire ride back to land. I vowed never to get back on this boat again. I wasn't having the greatest luck. Jake and the sheriff helped me back out of the boat and into a nearby camp set up for volunteers and survivors. Jake stayed by my side the entire time a nurse checks me over.
"She appears to be just fine, Dr. Fields. Just a little shaken from the accident." The nurse says to Jake as she walks away. He sighs and pats my leg.

"I'm glad you're okay Teddy. I'm going to change and be back" He goes to a room in the back to put on his street clothes. I take the opportunity to take a few deep breaths and relax myself. I pull out my notebook and right everything that happened down, even the fear at the possibility of drowning. I don't know how, or if, I'll include this in the article, but I didn't want to forget this. I almost drowned. I faced my greatest fear and survived. I wanted a reminder of this day. I checked my phone and saw a text from Collin, a few messages from Matthew, and even a message from Jerry. Collin just told me that he would handle the article and not to stress about it. Jerry asked me to call him, so I did even though it was a couple hours after he texted me. He answered on the fifth ring.

"Teddy, how's the assignment going? I haven't heard anything other than an "It's going fine" from Collin. I need a good story for the site. Our views have dropped this week, and I'm relying on you two for a good story." Jerry cleared his throat as he shuffled papers around.

"Sir, the assignment is going well, on my end. I've reached out to a local fisherman and some other locals who were impacted by the flood. I've also interviewed and worked alongside a specialist sent to investigate the flood. He provided the likely cause of the flood. We've also found something interesting involving some animals." I lower my voice with the last part since I didn't want the survivors or nurses to hear since it's just a theory. "I can write a draft and send it to you tonight, sir."

"Have it to my by midnight, Teddy. I'll check it over and send it back with comments. Are you okay? You sound frazzled. I can assign the article to Collin if this assignment is too much for you." He sighs softly.

"I'm fine, sir. I was helping the specialist and sheriff today when I fell out of the boat, but I'm physically okay. Thank you for your concern, sir, but I can handle the assignment. I already have a draft started. Goodbye, sir." I say with a little more force than I should as I hang up. I sigh and lean back against the bed. I wanted to believe that Jerry really supported me and thought I was ready for this assignment. It's difficult trying to prove myself to a man who doesn't see women as an equal, but I'll never stop trying. I have to make a path for the women who follow behind me. I phone Matthew next.

"Hey Matthew. Sorry I missed all your messages. I haven't had my phone on me since this morning." I stay leaned back and relaxed against the bed.

"Teddy! I am missing you so much! The office is so boring without you here. I'm surrounded by testosterone." I laugh and smile thinking of Matthew trying to survive with the other journalists. "How is your assignment going? I don't think Jerry's very happy with Collin. He's slammed his office door so much today I thought the glass was going to shatter. He came out for coffee and kept muttering about Collin being ungrateful and whatever."

"My assignment is gong great. I've learned so much about the town, the flood, and the impact the flood had on the local people." I continue telling Matthew everything I've learned so far. I get up and head outside to find some privacy to tell Matthew about the last part. "Get this. There are even some strange animal attacks. I've been working with the specialist I told you about, Jake, and we believe that it's dolphins that are attacking people. According to his friend and former roommate, Dr. Richardson, dolphins don't normally attack people unless provoked. We don't know what's causing the aggression, but we went back out on the boat today to try and find them so Jake could study them. Something hit our boat and I fell out." Matthew gasped dramatically at this since he knew my intense fear of water. "Jake saved me and helped me back into the boat. They brought me to the local camp set up to be checked over. Don't worry, I'm fine, just a little shaken up."

"Oh honey. I'm so sorry that happened. I hope you're okay and that handsome Jake helps you again." He chuckles on the line as I roll my eyes. I see Jake approach out of the corner of my eye.

"I have to go Matthew. I'll call you and update you later." He says goodbye before I hang up. Jake sits down next to me on the curb.

"Who was that?" He asks as he leans back on his hands.

"It's my best friend and co-worker, Matthew. He wanted to know how my assignment was coming along." I turned and looked at Jake. "Thank you for saving me today. I really appreciate you helping me." I turned away and looked back out to the road. "I grew up just a few counties over, so I've always been near the ocean. My family and I even took trips to go swimming and hang out at the beach. I never went into the water because I almost drowned when I was a little girl. My parents were watching my brother since he was younger, and they didn't see me leaving to go get more wet sand. I had no idea that thee tide was coming in. It swept me away before I could even scream. It was scary. They had to call an ambulance to resuscitate me. I barely made it. Ever since, I've been too afraid to go back into the ocean." A tear slides down my face remembering the fear I felt that day. Jake reaches up and uses the pad of his thumb to wipe the tear away.

"I'm glad I came back in time to help you. You don't have to go back out there anymore Teddy. I'm sending a team to capture one and send it to Jared. I've advised the sheriff that it would be safer for the rescuers to remain on land. Most of the flooded areas of the town have been checked anyways. I'll take you back to your motel, unless you want to grab lunch with me?" He offers his hand after he stands. I take it and let him haul me to my feet. I nodded and followed him to Alma's Diner which had quickly become my favorite place in town. An older woman with gray hair pulled back in a frizzy bun was behind the counter when we entered.

"Hello! I'm Alma. Welcome to my diner. Take a seat anywhere you like and I'll be over to help you shortly" she said cheerfully. Her cheerfulness was contagious and made me feel better. Jake led me to a two-person table and pulled out my chair for me. I smiled at him and sat down. He took his seat across from me and pulled out a menu for each of us. Alma came over and took our order and got our drinks. Jake and I chatted about my article and what I was planning on writing. He asked about my career. I told him about how my experience at being the only female journalist, and how this assignment was my big break that I've been working for.

"Well, if this is your big break, this article has got to blow all other articles out of the water. I want to help as much as I can. I'll give you any information you ask for." Jake smiles at me.

"Thank you, Jake. I'm writing my rough draft tonight. Can you review it before I send it to my editor? I want to make sure all the science is accurate."

"Of course. Just text me when you're done, and I'll come review it." We finished our food and left. Jake drove us back to the motel where we said goodbye and I went to my room to begin my article. I put on some light tunes and began typing. I spent the next three hours writing without pause. I focused on my experience with the people I've met and my experiences on the water. I made sure to draw attention to the impact climate change had on the flooding. I advocated for drastic changes to protect other towns like this. Once I was done, I felt satisfied with the article, except one thing kept bothering me. I didn't know what made the dolphins change or if one had been captured yet. I wanted to know and knew that the people reading my article would want to know too. I decided to leave my article on a cliffhanger which would draw readers back to the next article about the mysterious dolphins hiding in the floods caused by climate change. 

References

A. (n.d.). Climate Talks: Episode 1 - Climate Change and Floods by Climate Talks w/ Ahad • A podcast on Anchor. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://anchor.fm/ahad8/episodes/Climate-Talks-Episode-1---Climate-Change-and-Floods-ecrbrq

Behavior. (n.d.). Retrieved December 09, 2020, from https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/bottlenose-dolphin/behavior/

Earth's Freshwater Future: Extremes of Flood and Drought - Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. (2019, July 23). Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2881/earths-freshwater-future-extremes-of-flood-and-drought/

Hersher, R. (2019, October 08). How Climate Change And Flash Flooding Is Affecting Communities Across The Country. Retrieved December 11, 2020, from https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/768373866/how-climate-change-and-flash-flooding-is-affecting-communities-across-the-countr

Scientific American. (2008, November 21). Predicting Floods in a Flash. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/predicting-floods-in-a-flash-08-11-21/

All pictures were found via Google.

Links to my group's narratives

Amaya

Yasel 

Johnny

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