#sandy sw

The sandy brown shark moved slowly through the water, watching the different kinds of greenie wave in the current as she passed by them. They had been grouped into different little growing areas based on what sort of greenie they were, and she felt herself smile as she saw the beautiful rainbow morph and move around her. Some sharks just called them all “greenie,” but she knew better.

Incredible plumes of Red algae that burned like the run, seagrassess that seemed to offer their image to an endless enclosure rather than the small one they had been placed into, giant golden kelp with gorgeous flowing leaves that seemed to dart back and forth just like the little fish that sought refuge inside their sky reaching vines. It was all incredible! (And Sandy couldn’t help but do an excited turn as she thought about them.) 

She had been assigned to greenie picking duty for the most recent bouquet, after her coworker had taken the order and decided that Sandy’s keen eye and quick teeth were perfect for nipping the greenie into a pretty shape. (Her coworker, in contrast, only took orders for seasoning. Her skills were more suited for crushing than cutting.) The thought of her coworker reminded Sandy of the question always running through her head. Did her clients ever use a pretty bouquet as seasoning? Depending on the greenie, it might be cheaper or more expensive that way.

The thing was, bouquets weren’t always all that popular, since most sharks turned up their snouts at something so non necessary, so as Sandy picked a clump of bright green gutweed from a high rock, holding it in her jaws carefully, she began to wonder about the sort of shark who may have requested such a thing. Maybe they were a thoughtful shark, buying a greenie bouquet for a parent, or a child, or maybe even a lover. Her fins twitched as she lay a puff of red algae on her growing pile of supplies. She imagined receiving one of these bouquets herself, just as thoughtful as it was beautiful and tasty, and felt her face warm with flustered embarrassment at the thought. 

She shifted the gutweed so it was like a nice wrap around the red algae puff, and then carefully moved the whole thing to an alcove with very little current. This way it would not be disturbed as she went to grab the other requested greenie varieties. (Her brain felt scrambled from imagining receiving such a gift, but she had the sense in her to remember to keep it safe as she worked.) She patted it with a fin and imagined it was the shark her mind had conjured up. He (because he was a “he” in her head) was strong, with tough flanks and sharp teeth, but he was kind too! He’d gotten her a bouquet from such a good shop because he truly loved her just as much as because they tasted great as you brought them home. Very thoughtful!

Sandy twirled in the water as she swam upward, aiming to get the top of some giant golden greenie. She thought it was both the most beautiful and the most delicious of all the greenies, which explained why it was so popular. (It also made it awfully convenient that it was so huge and so plentiful in the lands behind the shop.) She reached the top and felt moonlight speckling down on her flanks from beyond the chop chop as she took the top portion of the greenie in her jaws, careful to severe and not to chew, and hurriedly brought it back down to her unfinished bouquet. She couldn't have her made up shark wait, now could she?

She attached it carefully, and then swam a few tail strokes to grab the last requested variety of greenie. This one was as red as the puffs of red algae, but as floaty and thin as the golden greenie. But despite being similar to her beloved giant greenie, she could not find it in herself to like it, not anymore. A long time ago, back when her son Gray was very young, he had gotten stuck in a patch of the stuff. He had been so scared, and while he’d never really been small (big pup), he’d looked so weak that she’d actually gotten angry at the greenie itself. So, as Sandy quickly tore some red greenie away and swam back to her bouquet, she decided that her made up shark would care about pups as much as she did.

He would never let Gray be scared. He would save him even faster than Sandy had! Her mind drifted as she began to work the plants into the bouquet, and she found herself wondering if he’d be good at other things relating to pups.

Sandy felt her face flush as red as the greenie in her jaws. She finished the arrangement in double time, tying it firmly with a long strand of seagrass before speeding back into the shop. He swam towards her coworker, who was chatting with the customer at the counter, and was about to head back out for some cooldown time when her eye caught on the customer in question.

Her jaw dropped and the bouquet floated slowly and dramatically to the sandy floor. He was the shark she’d imagined! (At least, in the looks department.) He was a nurse shark like her, with smooth scales, a powerful looking tail, shiny eyes, and the cutest barbels she’d ever seen. She hadn’t noticed him when he’d placed the order, since it had been passed to her from her coworker, but now it was clear that she wouldn’t be able to treat him with such indifference anymore. (She wasn’t even sure she would be able to pick up the bouquet again, she was suddenly so flustered.)

“Um,” she stammered, deciding to give it her best shot, “Sorry!” She pushed her nose under the bundle, pushing it higher in the water and towards the customer. “Didn’t mean to drop that,” she laughed awkwardly, and her eyes darted between the bouquet and her coworker, “I trust it’s to your liking?”

The customer laughed a good natured laugh, and Sandy’s gills fluttered slightly as she choked in a gasp of water. Before Sandy could say anything else, her coworker nodded at her. “I already took care of payment,” she said, and then added, with an ultra annoying smirk, “I’ll let you take care of the rest.” In a flourish of bubbles, she turned tail and swam for the back exit, which Sandy absolutely did not appreciate.

Once the spectacle was over, the customer nodded, gently picking up the bouquet in his jaws and giving Sandy a pleasant wave of a fin. Sandy felt like doing an actual barrel roll when she saw that, but was able to restrain herself for long enough to nod in thanks for the compliment. 

But instead of leaving the shop, as she had been expecting, the customer just awkwardly floated towards a side wall. Sandy felt like she was going to explode, but she swore that it wasn’t just her imagination that the pretty nurse shark before her seemed to be acting a bit nervous. Did he want to ask her something?

“Did you want anything else sir?” she stuttered, swimming over the counter in what she hoped was a natural looking gesture, “Another bouquet perhaps?”

He hesitated, but then let the greenie fall when he opened his jaws to speak. “No thank you miss,” he said, causing the unmistakable feeling of flying fish fins fluttering in her gut, “but you are quite talented, you know.”

Sandy blushed. “Thank you,” she said, still fighting a losing battle to act nonchalant and not like she was going crazy, “that’s very appreciated from, ah…” She paused, and probably blushed even harder, but her embarrassment was saved as the customer interrupted.

“What’s your name?” He asked abruptly, his tail flickering nervously behind him.

Sandy opened and closed her mouth a few times, just like the little guppy fish that Gray had always shown so much interest in chasing, “I’m Sandy!” she finally squeaked out, “What’s yours?”

“I’m Coral,” he said, awkwardly swimming forward in order to rub flanks with her.

Though it was very much an awkward gesture, Sandy had hardly finished short circuiting by the time he had pulled away and begun to talk again. “I live over by the sunken land shark boat,” he continued, digging his snout under the fallen bouquet to pick it up once more, “you can be drop by for breakfast tomorrow, if you want,”

Sandy’s mouth dropped open, but she did her best to cover her shock with a playful quip. “Well Coral,” she said, trying not to shriek with joy, “As long as my bouquet isn’t on the menu, I might just do that.”

He laughed, and even though his mouth was full of greenie, he managed out a muffled, “I might just have to change my plans then,” before he slipped out the door. 

Sandy might have floated there for the rest of the night, but it seemed that as soon as Coral was gone, Sandy’s coworker materialized behind her, laughing. But Sandy didn’t care! She had a very fun breakfast ahead of her, and she was not going to let anything get her down, even friendly teasing for the entire remaining duration of her shift.

-