The Mermaid By Carnevil 9 The beautiful mermaid grasped the base of Sailor Sam's penis in her soft, dainty hand. Locking her mesmerizing green eyes with his, she slowly bent her head down and brought her mouth to his swollen cock head. Her lips, plump and moist as the billows on the sea, gradually engulfed the purple head. Sailor Sam gasped as her soft lips slid down his shaft; the moisture and suction instantly transporting him to a state of extreme ecstasy. Her lips went further and further down his shaft, slowly sliding until she reached the gnarled gray hairs at the root. Sailor Sam gasped again as his cock head felt her throat muscles give it a playful squeeze. She then bobbed her head up and down, like a cork floating on the ocean, her perfect slippery lips teasing and caressing the sensitive skin of his shaft. Sailor Sam had had many a fine blowjob in his long life, and this was already one of the best. But then he began to feel things he had never felt before. Inside her mouth, the mermaid's tongue lengthened and thinned out, until it was a long, slender tendril, like the tentacle of a jellyfish. She wrapped it around the sailor's cock, round and round many times, and gently pulsed the shaft with varying degrees of pressure, all the while maintaining the up and down motion of her lips sliding on the outside of the shaft. Sailor Sam gasped once again, and nearly swooned from the pleasure. He could feel the sweat breaking out on his brow and the pressure building up in his balls that indicated an orgasm was imminent. But the mermaid wasn't finished yet. She lengthened her tongue still further, and the tip, still inside her talented mouth, began to probe the pee-hole at the end of the sailor's cock. Slowly it slithered inside, sounding deeply into his urethra, probing the ulta-senstive tissues that had never before known a caress. The pulsing of the tongue coils and the sliding of the lips kept up as well. This was all that Sailor Sam could take. His orgasm exploded like a sea-spout, launching a gigantic charge of jism straight from his balls. The mermaid quickly withdraw the slender tip of her tongue from his urethra, and let the load of creamy white fluid fill her mouth. She used the coiled length of her tongue to massage his shaft, peristalsis style, to milk out every drop of cum and every ounce of pleasure. ******************** But before we go any further with our story, let's go back in time a bit, and see how Sailor Sam came to find himself in this happy circumstance. He was born in the midwest, but had always yearned for the sea. At the age of fifteen, he ran away from home, lied about his age, and joined the Navy. After twenty years, he took his pension and joined the Merchant Marine, sailing the commercial seaways of the world. During all this time, he became an expert seaman, and could sail any craft through any kind of sea. Also during all this time, he heard many strange tales and legends. He heard of sunken treasures, ghost ships, and floating cities. He learned of pirates and privateers, of sea monsters and mermaids, of giant squids and lost continents. He heard about Davy Jones and the Kraken and Fiddler's Green. But most of all, he heard tales of the Crown of Atlantis, the fabled jewel of the sunken city, lost in the mists of antiquity. It was said to be the most beautiful piece of jewelry ever crafted by the hand of man, gleaming with gold and silver and all manner of precious gemstones. Born in the sea, and resplendent with all the magic and beauty of the maritime world, Sailor Sam found that he wanted it, needed it, craved it, more than he had ever wanted any single object in his entire life. And so he retired from the Merchant Marine, and using both his pensions, he bought himself the swiftest little one-man craft ever built, and commenced to combing the oceans of the world for the fabled lost crown of the lost civilization. The epic tale of how he eventually found the Crown is a story for another day, however. Today's story is about the mermaid. So for now, suffice it to say that he spent ten years, survived many harrowing adventures, and faced untold dangers. Until, at last, he found himself on a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, holding the Crown of Atlantis in his hands! He spent a full hour staring at it, standing there on the beach, mesmerized, marveling at its great beauty. Then he heard a small sound, off in the distance, like the keening of a kitten. He swiveled around, looking for the source of the sound. His jaw dropped when his eye fell upon the face of a young woman, lying some ways down the beach, and pinned under a giant piece of driftwood! He ran to her. Her face was absolutely stunning; the most beautiful face he had ever seen. Bright shiny green eyes, high cheek bones, porcelain skin, and long, wavy blonde hair. Her lips were two luscious buds that begged to be kissed. She was clearly naked, and Sailor Sam couldn't help but notice the most beautiful pair of breasts that he had ever seen in a long life of staring at breasts. They were neither too large nor too small, but just right. They were perfectly proportioned, and seemingly exempt from gravity. The nipples were pink and pert, and begging to be sucked. He could not see below her waist, however, due to the giant log pinning her down. As he approached, she called out to him. "Please, sir, save me! I am trapped and will surely perish here!" Her voice was like a crystal bell, ringing out against the sea wind, clear and crisp and beautiful. It was a voice he could listen to forever. He ached to hear her speak his name. "I'm coming, miss!" yelled Sailor Sam as he ran. When he reached the woman, he tore his gaze away from her beautiful face and breasts long enough to survey the situation. The giant driftwood, smooth and white, completely covered her body below her waist. It was at least twenty feet long and no doubt weigh hundreds of pounds. Sailor Sam didn't even stop to think. He grasped the log at its thickest point, and heaved with all his might. Of course it didn't budge. He spat on his palms and tried again. Nothing. Then he looked into the face of the woman, intending to tell her not to worry, that he would think of something. But as soon as his eyes locked with hers, he felt a strength, a potency, that he had never felt before. It filled his muscles and his bones and he felt like Superman. He gritted his teeth, heaved with all his might, and tossed the chunk of wood four feet backwards. The woman quickly wiggled away from the spot where she had been pinned. She looked up at Sailor Sam with gratitude in her eyes, and in her beautiful clear bell of a voice, said, "Thank you, kind sir! You have saved my life, and I will forever be your slave and servant." Sailor Sam was about to say that there was no need for all that, but the words died in his throat as he caught a sight of the woman's body below the waist. As you have no doubt figured out by now, she was a mermaid, and was all fish from the belly-button down! A long, supple body, covered with gleaming green scales, and terminating in a double-finned tail. She flapped her tail provocatively at him. Sailor Sam stared at her, mouth open. He had of course heard of mermaids, and like most sailors, he considered their existence a possibility. But he had never expected to see one, let alone one this beautiful. He dropped to the sand, stunned, and sat staring at her. "Let me show you my gratitude," said the mermaid, and she slithered up between Sailor Sam's legs as he sat on the beach. One of her beautiful hands reached out and untied the knot of the rope holding up his breeches. ****************** The mermaid licked her lips, catching every last drop of Sailor Sam's jism. She looked him in the eyes, her own green eyes flashing with a combination of love, gratitude, and lust. "Thank you, Master," she said. "Thank you for the delicious load of cum. I hope I have done a good job of starting to show you my gratitude for saving my life." Sailor Sam was still catching his breath from the body-shaking orgasm. "No need for that Master stuff, missy," he said. "I'm just glad to have been able to help. But, uh, if you still feel like showing your gratitude, I'd be happy to take a blowjob like that anytime or anywhere." "Oh, I don't just perform blowjobs," said the mermaid. "I'm skilled in all manners of pleasing human men. Well," she hesitated. "Well, all but one, of course." She glanced down at her midsection. "Oh!" said Sailor Sam. "Yes, I guess you wouldn't be able to fuck. You don't have a pussy, do you?" "No," said the mermaid sadly. "But I promise, I can make you happy. You'll see." And she favored him with a sly grin. And thus began one of the happiest times in Sailor Sam's life. He had plenty of food and rum on his boat, and the island was teeming with wild fruit and fresh water springs. He decided that rather than hurry home with his treasure, he would linger awhile in this paradise, and let the mermaid show her gratitude in any manner that occurred to her. After several days and many fabulous blowjobs, Sailor Sam felt compelled to ask the mermaid one more time: "You're sure you don't have a pussy down there somewhere, are you? I could sure use a fuck. Especially from someone as talented and beautiful as you are." "No, I'm sorry," she said. "But how about a handjob? I give handjobs that make human women's handjobs look like a peck on the cheek." And with that, she had Sailor Sam lie down on his back in the sand. She pulled off his dungarees and tossed them aside. Sailor Sam watched in silent anticipation. The mermaid held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. Sailor Sam couldn't help but notice the shiny, mother-of-pearl nails on each dainty finger, flashing in the sun. But as he watched, and as she wiggled, her fingers multiplied, until she had ten per hand! And not only that, they grew longer and slimmer, until they become long, flexible, prehensile members, like the arms of an octopus or giant squid. The mermaid brought her hands close to Sailor Sam's crotch. Three fingers of each hand wrapped around his cock, each encircling the girth of the shaft three times. She began sliding the fingers up and down his length, plus forward and backwards, circularly, around his shaft, each hand's fingers moving in the opposite direction from the other one. Sailor Sam moaned in pleasure as he watched in fascination. Never in his wildest dreams or the craziest tales of his fellow sailors had he ever heard of such a handjob. But it was only getting started. Two other fingers from each hand reached down to his scrotum, and tenderly massaged it with a gentle, palpating motion. They rolled his gonads back and forth, stretched and tugged with a firm but gentle touch, squeezed just enough to keep the sailor perched on the edge of ecstasy. But she wasn't done yet. Two other fingers of each hand slowly slowly began tracing their way up and down his inner thighs, the nacreous nails gently tickling his sensitive skin. The sailor shuddered with pleasure, the combined assault on his senses nearly overwhelming him. But the mermaid know how to keep him on the edge and not let him cross into inevitability until she was ready. Two more fingers of each hand shot up the length of the sailor's chest. The tender tips began massaging, twisting, and pinching his sensitive nipples. Sailor Sam had never known that he had sensitive nipples before, but now they were definitely on fire. The waves of pleasure shot up and down his body as the mermaid continued to stroke his cock, balls, thighs, and nipples. And then, after what seemed like an eternity of pleasure, the mermaid was ready for her final move. The remaining digit of each hand reached around behind the sailor's ass, and plunged deep into his anus. The two slender fingertips found his swollen prostate, wrapped around it, and gave it a gentle squeeze. This was the end for Sailor Sam's attempt to hold off orgasm. His body could no longer deny the inevitable. The combined pleasure he felt in his cock, balls, thighs, nipples, and now deep inside his being, all converged and pushed him over the edge of orgasm. He screamed in pleasure, and his cock spat wad after wad of pearly white cum, which drenched the mermaid's beautiful breasts. She kept massaging him, one by one retracting her fingers, until finally only a few digits were left to milk the final drops out of his wilting cock. The rest of her fingers were now busy scooping up the dripping strands of cum from her chest, and bringing them up to her mouth, where she greedily gobbled them down. Sailor Sam lay twitching for several moments, as the aftershocks of pleasure ran up and down the length of his body. Finally, he opened his eyes. The mermaid was still licking her fingers. "Was that as good as a pussy fuck?" she asked, coquettishly. "It was mighty damn good, that's all I know," said Sailor Sam, catching his breath. "You can give me a handjob or a blowjob anytime you like, missy. And so several more blissful weeks passed for Sailor Sam, with the mermaid alternately pleasuring him with fabulous blowjobs and awesome handjobs. They spent their time, when she wasn't pleasuring him physically, lying on the beach, watching the waves or the stars, and telling each other tales of their lives. She told him about the mer-people and their lives under the sea, and of their customs and legends. He told her of his times in the Navy and in the Merchant Marine, and off all the strange lands he'd visited and interesting people he'd met. And of course about his quest for the Crown of Atlantis. But as much as he enjoyed the mermaid's magical blowjobs and handjobs, not to mention her beautiful face and charming company, he still yearned for some pussy. "Are you absolutely sure," he would ask her, "that you don't have a pussy somewhere underneath all those scales?" As always, she shook her head sadly. "No, Master, if I did I would happily give it to you. I yearn to please you in any way you desire. How about a titty fuck? I give titty fucks that make a human woman's titty fuck feel as erotic as a handshake." And with that, she had Sailor Sam once again lie on his back. She once again pulled off his breeches, exposing his already-stiffening cock. The sailor wondered what new magical pleasures he was about to enjoy. He didn't have to wait for long. As he watched in fascination, the mermaid grew two extra pairs of breasts! One pair was immediately below her original pair, near the bottom of her ribcage. The other pair was below that, near her hips. All six breasts were magnificent; soft creamy globes with stiff pink nipples. The mermaid began slithering up his body from between his legs, her chest pressed against him. As her first, original pair of breasts reached his already-rigid cock, they pressed it upward against his abdomen. He felt their warmth and smoothness against the sensitive skin of his cock, and it made him shudder with pleasure. The mermaid slid further up the sailor's body, and the second pair of breast engulfed his twitching cock. The first pair was sliding up his chest now, skimming across his sensitive nipples. Finally, the third pair of breasts reached his groin. He found his balls surrounded by this lowest pair, encased and engulfed in their warm smoothness. The mermaid began moving her body up and down in small motions. Her middle breasts slid up and down the underside of his cock, stroking it and caressing it with magical delight as the lowest pair continued to massage his nutsack. Sailor Sam felt a great slick wetness all over his genitals. "This is a bit early for pre-cum," he thought to himself. But then he realized that it wasn't pre-cum at all. Staring down, he saw that the nipples of the two lower pairs of breasts were secreting a thick, slick, gooey liquid, a natural lubricant that was both cool and hot at the same time; it made the touch of the mermaid's breast flesh all the more magical and electric. He shuddered in pleasure all the more. The upper, original pair of breasts were now in front of his face. They were also leaking fluid. "Suck them," commanded the mermaid. Sailor Sam wasted no time in complying. He clamped his mouth around the left nipple and sucked for all he was worth. He was rewarded with the surprise of his life. "Rum!" he shouted. "And really good rum, too!" He went back to greedily sucking on the magical nipple, swallowing down the tasty, burning liquor that it produced. It gave him a hot, burning sensation in his stomach, as good rum always does. But this was the first time he had ever enjoyed a tipple of excellent rum at the same time that his cock and balls were being smothered with womanly pleasure. Then he decided to try the other nipple. He moved his mouth to the right breast and sucked. "Coconut!" he exclaimed. He sucked for several long seconds on the sweet nectar of that nipple, until he craved more rum. After that, he continually switched off between the two nipples. All the while, the mermaid continued to move up and down on his belly, her four extra breasts engulfing and caressing and massaging his thick, twitching cock and his tight, swollen nutsack. The sailor didn't feel like he was being massaged by four boobs; he felt like he was completely engulfed by magical, sensual flesh, worshipping his most tender and sensitive body parts. The mermaid began quickening her pace; moving up and down faster and faster, stroking his cock and palpating his balls faster and harder and more urgently. Sailor Sam felt the familiar feeling of inevitability welling up in his being. He clamped his mouth down tightly on the rum nipple, tensed his body, and prepared for the big explosion. It wasn't long in coming, and then Sailor Sam was shooting jolt after jolt of jism into the magical valley between the mermaid's six breasts. At the same time, she favored him with a giant squirt of rum, which he quickly swallowed, and then briefly passed out, his body twitching as his cock continued to squirt pearly ropes of cum. A few moments later, he came to. The mermaid was in a sitting position, her four extra breasts slowly receding back into her chest, and her long tongue sliding all over chest, licking up the prodigious load of semen before depositing it in her mouth. "Thank you for the lovely load of cum, Master," she said with a gleam in her flashing green eyes. The sailor wrapped his arms around the mermaid, and they fell asleep on the beach under the rising moon. Several more weeks went by, and Sailor Sam enjoyed many bodacious blowjobs, hair-raising handjobs, and tremendous titty fucks from the beautiful mermaid. She did her best to please him at all times, in all ways. But she could still sense that something was missing. "You still yearn to fuck a real human pussy, don't you Master?" she asked. Sailor Sam averted his eyes, feeling guilty. "I have no right to complain. You have given me the best sex of my entire life, over and over, and I should be satisfied. But I can't help it..." The mermaid was thoughtful for a while. She truly wanted to please her Master in any way she could. She stared out to sea for a long while with a faraway look on her beautiful face. Then finally she spoke. "My people have many legends. We are an ancient civilization, and our elders possess knowledge far beyond my own. I will confer with them and see if anything can be done." Sailor Sam was delighted at this news, and wished her luck. She splashed off into the sea, swimming straight out from the island. Sailor Sam watched her wake for as long as it was visible. Then, when she was too far out to see, he dropped to the sand sadly. He missed her already. For three days and three nights, there was no sign of the mermaid. Sailor Sam sat on the beach, drinking rum and munching on fresh fruit from the island. Then finally, at dawn on the fourth day, the mermaid returned. Sailor Sam had been sleeping on the beach, a slight rum headache troubling his temples, when he heard her splashing up onto the beach. He leaped to his feet, elated to see her beautiful, smiling face. "Good news?" he asked. "I think so," she said. "I conferred with our eldest elders. They believe that there might be a way to achieve what we seek. It is an ancient legend, and nobody can remember it ever having been tried, but if it works, I will be a perfectly human woman from the waist down." "Excellent! What do we have to do?" "There are three requirements. First, we must pledge our everlasting love to each other. Under the full moon, we must pledge to spend eternity together as man and wife, under penalty of death from the mermaid gods." "Easily done!" said Sailor Sam, clapping his hands. "After the transformation, you will be the perfect woman, and no man in his right mind would hesitate to pledge eternal marriage to you." "Second," the mermaid continued, "You must sacrifice your most prized possession to the mermaid gods as an offering." She scanned his face for his reaction. Sailor Sam started. His most prized possession? That would clearly be the Crown of Atlantis, that he had labored for so long to find. But he hesitated only a moment. How can a mere trinket, however rare and valuable it might be, possibly compare with the love and companionship, not to mention the awesome sex, of the most beautiful and perfect woman in the entire world? "Done!" he said. "I would sacrifice a thousand Crowns of Atlantis for you, my love." "Wonderful!" said the mermaid. "The third requirement is that we perform a very specific and very ancient ritual. It must also be performed at midnight under the full moon." "Easily done!" said Sailor Sam, clapping his hands. "After the transformation, you will be the perfect woman, and no man in his right mind would hesitate to pledge eternal marriage to you." "Second," the mermaid continued, "You must sacrifice your most prized possession to the mermaid gods as an offering." She scanned his face for his reaction. Sailor Sam started. His most prized possession? That would clearly be the Crown of Atlantis, that he had labored for so long to find. But he hesitated only a moment. How can a mere trinket, however rare and valuable it might be, possibly compare with the love and companionship, not to mention the awesome sex, of the most beautiful and perfect woman in the entire world? "Done!" he said. "I would sacrifice a thousand Crowns of Atlantis for you, my love." "Wonderful!" said the mermaid. "The third requirement is that we perform a very specific and very ancient ritual. It must also be performed at midnight under the full moon." "The moon will be full tonight," said Sailor Sam. "In sixteen hours it will be midnight, and I will finally have the most perfect woman in the world!" They spent the rest of the day in breathless anticipation. They chatted about where they would live, what they would do, where they would travel. They made love every way possible, knowing that soon they would be adding awesome pussy fucking to their repertoire. They kissed and cuddled on the beach and watched the sun slowly sink and the stars and the full moon begin to rise. Finally, at a half hour before midnight, they swam out into the shallow waters just off the beach to complete the first requirement. Sailor Sam took the mermaid in his arms and said, "Before all the gods of the mer-folk and all the denizens of the seven seas, I take you for my wife, for ever and always." The mermaid kissed him deeply, and said, "And I take you for my husband, for ever and ever, no matter what the future shall bring." They kissed for several more minutes, as the rising moon shone down upon them and the waves crashed about them. Finally, the mermaid took his hand and started splashing back up toward the beach. "Now, the final two requirements," she said. She shimmied up the sand, to about twenty feet from the water's edge. She lay flat, and extended one arm as far out above her head as possible. Poking one finger into the sand, she spun about on her midsection, drawing a large circle in the sand, about ten feet in diameter. Then she raised herself up to a seated position, and traced a five-pointed star inside the circle. One point was aimed directly at the sea, two were pointed inland, and the final two pointed left and right parallel to the beach. "Place your sacrifice on the inland side of the circle," she said. "Between the two points of the star." Sailor Sam took the Crown of Atlantis from the sack where he had it stored, and stared at it wistfully for a few minutes. Then he shrugged, confident that he was making a trade that he would never, ever regret. He placed the Crown on the sand, just inside the circle, between the two inland-facing points of the star. The mermaid glanced at the sky. "It is nearly midnight," she said. Still in the middle of the star, she lay herself down flat on the sand, with her head inside the point that faced the sea. "Now, we must recite the ancient chant. Repeat after me..." "Accipe syreni...," chanted the mermaid. "Accipe syreni...," chanted Sailor Sam. "Et ponam eam humana...," sang the mermaid. "Et ponam eam humana...," sang Sailor Sam. "Date ei crura et pedes..." "Date ei crura et pedes..." "Ubi nunc est cauda..." "Ubi nunc est cauda..." "Datorem eam pussy..." "Datorem eam pussy..." "Ubi nunc tantum squamas..." "Ubi nunc tantum squamas..." "Accedens autem et qui amat corporis..." "Accedens autem et qui amat corporis..." "Pedicabo potest eam velut puella!" "Pedicabo potest eam velut puella!!" As Sailor Sam finished the final syllable, an enormous wave began to build out in the ocean. It rose rapidly, and rolled toward the beach. He watched as it grew bigger and bigger, and rolled inland faster and faster. His sailor's instincts told him that it would not reach the circle where he and the mermaid waited, but he was wrong. With a sudden, final surge, the wave reared up over their heads, and came crashing down on the circe, the star, the Crown, and the mermaid. Sailor Sam himself just barely jumped back in time to avoid being drenched. The mermaid and the circle were completely submerged; Sailor Sam could see nothing but swirling water. And then, a gigantic lightning bolt flashed across the sky, zig-zagged a few times, and plunged into the water directly where the mermaid lay hidden. At the same time, a deafening peal of thunder rang out, echoing off the palm trees for twenty seconds before finally fading away. With all now calm, the water began to recede, slowly and gradually. Sailor Sam stared, fascinated. As the water reached the point where the top of the circle had been, he first noticed that the Crown of Atlantis was gone! No matter; he had willingly sacrificed it to turn his mermaid into the most perfect of wives and the most perfect of lovers. The water receded a bit further, and Sailor Sam saw, to his amazement, ten perfect, beautiful, tiny human toes! Each perfect toe had a shiny, nacreous polish on its nail. As the water receded a few more inches, he could see that the toes were attached to two perfect, graceful, beautiful human feet, with perfectly arched soles and dainty heels. Sailor Sam felt his dick begin to stir in his dungarees. A few more moments passed, and the water receded further, revealing two perfect, smooth calves, shapely and eminently kissable. Then two dainty knees, and then two perfectly creamy thighs. He wanted to reach out and stroke them, lick them, love them. But he remained transfixed, watching the water continue to recede as his dick continued to grow in his pants. The water receded a bit more, and then, finally, he saw it: a perfect human pussy where the two luscious thighs met! Of all the pussies that Sailor Sam had seen and eaten and fucked in his life, this was easily the most beautiful and perfect of them all. The outer lips were plump and beckoning, and already parted as if awaiting his attention. The inner lips were curly and pink, looking as delicate as an orchid in the early morning's dew, as moist and tasty as a ripe mango fresh off a tree. A perfectly shaped clit poked out at the top, its hood half off already in anticipation of his ministrations. A dainty patch of curly golden hair topped the ensemble. The entire affair was glistening with womanly moisture. He felt his dick achieve complete rigidity, creating a tent in his trousers. The water continued to slowly recede back toward the sea. Sailor Sam thought he caught a glint of reflected moonlight off the skin of the abdomen above the pussy, but shrugged it off as an illusion. But it was not an illusion; it happened again, and again. The torso gradually being revealed was shiny and reflective and silvery-green in the moonlight. In fact, it was covered with scales! There were no breasts, no arms, no neck; just two giant gills, like huge gash wounds, pumping the air for oxygen. And there was a giant dorsal fin on the back, with sharp-looking spines. Finally, the water completely left the creature, revealing her in full. She was topped with a giant fish head, with a huge lipless mouth filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and two huge, flat, black eyes the size of dinner plates. One of the eyes winked at him. Sailor Sam screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed. ******************************** Sailor Sam drained his beer mug, set it down on the bar, and gazed around the room. Every patron was staring at him, mouth open, breathlessly anticipating the rest of the story. But he said nothing. "Well?" said someone at last. "What happened next? What did you do?" "What could I do?" said Sailor Sam. "I put her on the boat, brought her here to Key West, built her a home with a pool, and we live together to this day." "You stayed with her? Even like that?" "Didn't have much choice, now, did I? We'd sworn to the gods of the mer-people, under penalty of death." "Wow, it must be horrible!" "Oh, it's not so bad, once you get used to the smell. I miss the blowjobs, of course, and since she doesn't have any arms, she isn't much for cooking or cleaning. But she doesn't cheat on me, and she never talks back to me. And that pussy is MARVELOUS!" One patron in the back of the bar, a young fellow from the city, piped up. "Is any part of that story really true? Any part at all?" A gasp ran through the crowd. Sailor Sam looked at the young fellow and shook his head sadly. "You aren't from around here, are you, young feller? Everyone around here knows that you never ask if a fish tale is true or not." He hoisted his beer mug, freshly refilled by the bartender. "That's the thing about fish tales. Being true doesn't make them any better, and being untrue doesn't make them any worse. All that matters is, was it a ripping good yarn!"