Swim!

2SHARK TALES

Scotty snapped to his senses and into action. As Paul tugged and pulled, Scotty moved toward him and looked over the side of the boat. The shark was thrashing, but the fight had worn him out. Scotty wasn’t sure what Paul’s plan was, but he knew it was illegal to bring a shark onto the boat. He put his hand on Paul’s back.

“Hey, Brittany, look at this. We can’t pull it up, it’s illegal, but you can come look at it right here on the side of the boat,” Scotty called out, half to Brittany and half to Paul in a passive-aggressive way to let him know that they wouldn’t be bringing the shark on board. Brittany and Zach came to the edge of the boat and looked over the side. The gray and white predator was just a baby shark a few feet long, and Scotty could look right into its glossy, black eyes. Paul’s muscles relaxed, and he exhaled. Both he and the shark were exhausted from the fight.

“I can’t believe the line didn’t break,” Scotty said. Paul beamed with pride. “Only skill, Scotty my boy, only skill can do that,” he said proudly.

Paul caught his breath. “Ya know, I’ve always thought of myself as a kind of shark. In the business world, ya know,” he said, sitting back on the padded seat, the shark bobbing right under the surface of the water. “They’re the top predator, right? I mean, everyone knows not to mess with a shark. Even you, Scotty, you’re afraid to bring him up here because you know what he’s capable of. It’s a respect thing, a fear thing. People hate sharks, ...