Scrambled Eggs

By Lilah Souza

A mermaid who sings the praises of Big Wacs.

A young editor who becomes addicted to origami after getting laid off.  A pair of sex offenders who get their comeuppance in the afterlife, and more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lilah Souza
• Release date: Jul 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9798986119205

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SCRAMBLED EGGS

Scrambled

Eggs

A Short Story Collection

Lilah Souza

Copyright © 2022 by Lilah Souza

All rights reserved. This book or any portion of thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review and other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Printed in the United States of America

Book design by Coverkitchen

Cover design by Lilah Souza using Canva.com

ISBN 979-898611920-5

I

The Flit That Became a Fish

When I was 10 years old, I started taking swimming lessons. (Yes, I didn’t know how to swim until I was about 10 or 11 years old. I’m a New Yorker who’s never owned a pool—so sue me.) I thought it was fun because I was taking them with my friends. However, problems arose when it came time for everyone to jump off the deep end and swim on their own. I was always too scared.

It was graduation day and my friend Amy and I were in the middle of splashing each other in the pool.

I can’t believe it’s graduation day already. Time sure flies, huh? said Amy.

Yeah, it’s already been a whole year, I answered.

I think we’re both going to pass with flying colors!

I grimaced and said, Hopefully…

We were about to play monkey in the middle when we heard the whistle blowing.

Coach Peggy had gotten up from the lifeguard chair and announced, Alright, class! Everyone line up for our lesson of the day! Today, we’re going to play a game. We’re going to be collecting some toys from the bottom of the pool. Why, you ask? We’re practicing jumping off the deep end of the pool!

While Amy and the other kids cheered and scurried out of the pool, I lagged behind. With every one of us lined up by the deepest end of the pool, Coach Peggy picked up a box of pool toys and chucked them into the pool. A wave of dread rushed over me as I watched the tiny toys engulfed the sea monster that was The Deep End, never to be seen again.

Who wants to go first? asked Coach Peggy.

I do! Jennifer, the class overachiever and my sworn rival, jumped up with her hand raised.

Alright, Jennifer, you’re up first!

The lithe redhead rushed in, swan-diving into the water. Where did she even learn to swan-dive?! Everyone clapped and cheered (because of course everyone always clapped and cheered for Ms. Perfect—ugh). When she emerged from the water, graceful as a swan, she looked my way with the most irritating smirk before running back in line.

Amy, you’re next!

My bubbly blonde friend nodded her head, looked at me, and then looked at the water. Then she ran to the edge of the pool and made a sharp drop, feetfirst, into the pool. When she got out of the water with a toy in her hand, the class clapped for her as well. I gave hera thumbs-up because thumbs-ups are cooler. It got a giggle out of Amy.

Up next was my other friend, Kaiden, who was kind of a goofball, and demonstrated this by cannonballing intothe water.

One by one each kid got in and out of the water with a toy in hand. Soon it would be my turn. But that deep, deep water looked so dark and scary.

Hilary! You’re next! Coach Peggy said, cheerfully urging me forward.

I gingerly went up to the edge of the pool and took a deep breath. That’s what my therapist told me to do whenever I felt nervous or scared.

Early on into my swimming lessons, a certain rival of mine thought it would be cute to push me into the water as a prank. When I hadn’t even learned the basics