Aside from being mates, Troy, Ryan, and Connor had three things in common: they worked at Taipan, they thought they were excellent fishermen… 

And so far, none of them had caught a thing. 

They’d spent the best part of the day on the water, their Taipan fishing shirts and broad-brim hats saving them from brutal sunburn. They’d had more than a few drinks, so their spirits were high despite their lack of success. 

“New plan,” declared Troy, sculling his can and tossing it aside. “To catch a fish, you need to think like a fish.” 

“Here we go,” scoffed Connor. “And what do you reckon the fish are thinking about right now?” 

“Probably food,” replied Ryan. “And swimming,” he continued, reeling in his line to reveal an empty hook. “How to avoid us, apparently.” 

“Exactly!” exclaimed Troy. “We need to get in the water, flail around a bit. Maybe eat something.” 

“How is that what you took away from what he said?” asked Connor, but it was too late: Troy had already cannonballed into the water. 

“It’s not like we’ve got any better ideas,” shrugged Ryan. He grabbed a packet of chips and jumped in after him. The splash covered Connor from head to toe. 

“This is so dumb,” mumbled Connor, wiping water from his face. 

But he climbed overboard anyway. 

They bobbed around awkwardly, none of them quite sure what to do next.  

A shadow passed beneath them. 

Connor frowned. “Did you guys see that?” 

Troy peered down into the ocean. “It’s probably just cloud cover,” he said, his heart thumping in his chest. 

“It’s not cloud cover,” Ryan quavered, squinting up at the clear, sunny sky. 

The water around them began to ripple. 

“Nope,” said Connor, paddling frantically towards the boat. “Nope, nope, nope, nope, absolutely not.” 

Before anyone could respond, something broke the surface a few metres away with a deep, wet whoosh. 

It was enormous. 

It vaguely resembled a jellyfish, except its tentacles were attached to the top of its head, and they appeared to be moving at will. Two eyes dangled lazily from the middle of its face.  

The creature blinked at them with what could only be described as polite curiosity. 

“…Howdy,” said Troy, because what else was there to do? 

“Yooooooo, you guys can talk? Damn, that’s crazy! It’s like, how long have I been down here, you know what I’m sayin’? HA! Capable of speech. That’ll do me!” One of its tentacles slapped the water like a person might slap their knee. 

“I’m having a stroke,” declared Ryan. “No, an aneurysm. I’m not actually here, I’m in a hospital somewhere.” 

The creature peered down at Ryan. “Homie, you are 100% fine. Trust me, I can see inside you. You’re all g!” 

Troy looked sick. “That’s not as comforting as you think it is,” he said. 

“Oh dip, my bad! Y’all are probably confused AF right now.” The creature pointed at itself with each of its tentacles. “My name’s Bloop, but you can call me Bloop Dogg, Blizzy or B-Dot. I’m trying to launch a rap career; it’s a whole thing.” 

The guys stared back at Bloop, stunned. 

“Anyway, I need your help, fam.” 

To be continued…