Kochi's Magic: Squished By A Friend - Part #2

"OOOF!" Kochi said, in a strangled voice. "BLLRGGHBUBBLEGGGFFFFT." (I'm sorry to say that's what Kochi sounded like, on

account of the fact that his nose, mouth, face, and lips had all squished together.)

Kochi thought he would suffocate to death. He scrambled to get out. He dug a hole in the sand and pushed his head through from the underside of the shark. "YOU'RE SQUISHING ME! GET OFF!" Kochi said, loudly. "MOVE!"

"I can't!” the hammerhead's deep voice said, from above.

“What now?” Kochi said, quite mad. “What did you say? You were swimming fine moments before. Why can't you swim now?”

"I don't know," the hammerhead shark said. "All I know is I can't swim anymore."

"Something must have happened," Kochi said.

"What?"

"Think."

"I can't think," the hammerhead shark said.

"You must, else you'll die and I'll die as well."

"Well, I know that..." the hammerhead shark said. "I was hauled out of the water by humans on a ship..."

"Yeah, so?" Kochi asked. "I like humans. I've met one. He talked to me for a long time. He wanted me to go with him to an island in the middle of the Pacific. Told me I could do wonderful things. Said I could do magic if I wanted to... OUCH! CAN'T YOU AT LEAST ROLL TO ONE SIDE? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Mr. Hammerhead. I know I shouldn't shout. Anyway, what was I saying? Yes. He wanted me to go with him to his island and I said, no. Go with him, a human, to an island! Are you kidding me? Some humans are nice and kind but many are not to be trusted. At any rate, they threw you back again - didn't they? So you're in the water now."

“Yes,” the hammerhead shark said, his voice sounding hoarse. “But they did something... because now I can't swim."

"Weird," Kochi said, after some thought. "But I can't help you unless I take a look."

"Yes. Do that. Take a look."

"I've to crawl out first."

"Yes."

"HOW? Even if I did crawl out from underneath you, you would eat me!"

"I assure you," the hammerhead shark said, gasping, trying to turn to one side. "I won't. I give you my word."

"I don't take anyone's word unless I look them in the eye and they look me in the eye. OOOOH!" Kochi said, pushing himself out from underneath the hammerhead shark with the last ounce of his strength. "Could you please just move a teeny bit... OOOOH... AAAH... OOOMMPFF!" Kochi dug and clawed his way out. "Oh, thank god! Out at last. Now let's see why you can't... EEEEEEEK!"

"What?" the hammerhead shark asked, his eyes closing in pain.

Kochi clapped a foot over his mouth. "OH. DEAR. GOD!"

"Tell me what's wrong."

"It's gone!"

"What's gone?"

"Well.... uh... your top fin. It's gone!"

The hammerhead didn't say anything for the longest time. He laid his head down on the sandy bottom of the sea floor with a deep

and terrible sigh. "So that's what they did. They cut my fin and threw me back in the water. Don't they know I can't swim without my fins? I'll drown. I cannot live if I do not swim. Why did they want my fins? What will I do now?"

Kochi gazed at the blood dripping from the top of the cut. He had no answer to give.

TO BE CONTINUED.