Original subtitles

That's one big fish.

That's got to be over him.

Oh, where did you go?

Remind me why we came here again.

To start a new life, free from the constraints of a bourgeois capitalist

existence.

See, I thought it was to start a turbo company.

Yeah, well, you've got your reasons, and I've got mine.

There it is again.

That noise.

What noise?

Listen, listen.

Oh, honey, that's just the sound of a baby crying.

It's so weird.

How'd he get here?

I have no idea.

Do we keep him?

Honey, this isn't a dollar bill you just found laying on the sidewalk.

This is a living, breathing little baby.

No,

absolutely no. Come on, let's go.

Okay.

I got it.

Cody, come here. I'm coming.

Ow!

Cody!

Listen,

go up top and when I holler, fire this baby up, all right?

Yes, yes, yes.

Just one moment, gentlemen.

This is really unacceptable.

For $5, I expect much more.

We should have been underway 20 minutes ago.

You know, the last boat tour I was on, we had snacks.

You have snacks.

It's part of being in the tour business.

Hi, honey.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Mahone Bay Regional Swim Meet.

Hey, anybody seen Cody?

I haven't seen him, coach. Maybe he got tired of coming in second.

All right, hey, hey, hey, Marlins, focus.

Remember, if we win this one, we advance to the state finals.

No Marlins team has ever advanced that far.

You could be the first ones.

I need 200 % out of each and every one of you. The Mahone Bay

Marlins.

All right, Marlins win on three.

One, two, three. Marlins win!

Sorry,

we're stuck. That engine's cooked.

If I miss this race, I'm cooked.

Well, I'm sure if you run, you could catch the ferry.

Great idea.

See you guys later. Okay, kick some butt, kids. We're going to try and get

there.

Gentlemen,

this is the 100 -meter freestyle.

Why don't you give me a myocardial fart shot? Slow down. Get your head together.

Hurry up.

Hold on. It looks like three and four won't be empty after all.

Here comes Cody Griffin of the Mahomes Bay Marlins just making it under the

wire. Well, this makes things even more exciting.

Cody Griffin and his fellow Marlins, Sean Marshall, have had quite a rivalry

year long.

They'll be swimming side by side in their quest for the gold.

What? Your shoes.

Your shoes, son.

It's over.

That's the way it's always going to be. But hey, nice race anyway.

You know

what

this means?

This means we're going to the state finals.

This is, and I mean this, the happiest day of my entire coaching life.

I'm proud of you, Tina.

All right, now go home and get some rest.

Because tomorrow, the real work starts.

Whoa! Whoa!

Whoa!

Somebody get that kid out of my pool.

Help! Help!

Help! I can't swim!

Now you see what happens.

You see?

Safety first.

You okay?

Watch where you're going next time.

Sorry, just that my hat.

Well, my hat is slightly smaller than the average, and, well, I'll watch where

I'm going next time.

Hey!

Hey, what about my horn?

I've never seen you swim so fast, Cody.

I'm not doing anything different. I just feel good in the water.

Hey, nice race, you guys.

Thanks. Thanks.

Oh, that's my dad.

You want a ride soon?

Um, no thanks.

I think I'll walk home with Cody.

You sure?

It's a long walk.

Yeah.

I like to walk.

Yeah, sure.

See ya.

Hey, what happened? Did we miss anything?

Hey, are you guys an item now?

If you hurry, you can still catch Sean.

What, are you trying to get rid of me?

Hi, Sam. Hi, sweetheart.

I'm sorry we're late.

Your mom made me wear this outfit.

Well, how'd you guys do?

Hey, fellas.

Well, if it ain't Big John Wheatley.

You been out fishing again or looking for aliens?

Not aliens, Joe.

Mermaids.

Mermaids? I'd like to catch a mermaid. Maybe you'd give us a little bit of that

mermaid bait.

Don't have any mermaid bait, Joe.

Well, John, how are we supposed to catch a mermaid if we don't have any mermaid

bait?

You'll never catch a mermaid, Joe.

Oh, now, why's that?

Because they don't exist?

One of these days, fellas.

One of these days, we'll see who has the last laugh.

Hey, Johnny.

I know this guy doesn't believe you saw that mermaid, but I do. Oh, yeah? Yeah.

If you find her, could you bring her over to my place?

Because I'm playing poker with Bigfoot and the Easter Bunny and Elvis.

Really good.

Garbage. I can use that.

Morning,

Cody. How's it look?

A little higher on the left.

Perfect. Congratulations, Cody. Thanks. Way to go, Cody.

Morning,

Cody. Morning. Nice race yesterday, man.

Hi, Cody.

Good morning, Sam.

Hi. You are so lucky to be dating Cody Griffith.

He is pretty sweet, isn't he? Who cares about sweet?

He's the most popular guy in school, which makes you the most popular girl.

Feels pretty good to be big man on campus, huh?

I'm telling you, man.

Feels like I'm king of the world.

You know he died at the end of that movie, don't you?

Monday, we will begin studying the creatures of the deep, marine biology.

Fishes and fields and plankton, oh my.

What was that, Mr. Griffin? Oh, I was just saying how much I'm looking forward

to marine biology.

I'm not.

Now, the class will be divided into groups of two for this particular

You and your lab partner will become experts on the mysteries of the deep. I

have chosen your partners.

The list is posted in the back of the room. Check it out and see who you're

working with, okay?

Get out of here.

Have a nice weekend, class.

Come on, I'll grab my book.

Hey, partner.

Thanks for saving my life yesterday.

Looks like your luck's changing, man.

Look, I know I'm probably not your first choice for a lab partner, you being you

and me being me, but if it makes you feel any better, marine biology is kind

a hobby of mine, which when you think about it is kind of pathetic.

But anyway, whales, seals, walrus, jellyfish,

hermit crabs, I know all about that stuff.

So we'll be able to breeze through the project and I'll get out of your hair.

Do you always drink this much?

So I'm thirsty.

I've been thirsty lately.

Anyways, what are you saying, Josh?

Jess. Whatever.

If you're not busy tomorrow, maybe we can get together and go over some

ideas. Tomorrow's kind of a big day for me.

Oh. What are you doing?

It's my birthday.

You can come by if you want.

What is it?

It's beefcake.

Fat free.

Don't you like it?

Oh,

of course he does.

And we all love your dairy -free tofu. I'm going to paint that gutter over

there.

Okay.

Dad, I have to go get a drink. Okay.

Do you think I forgot something?

This thought crossed my mind.

Happy birthday Cody.

It's great, Pam.

There's more.

But this one you don't have to open.

Whoa.

That was a little weird.

We could try again.

Maybe on your next birthday.

Hey, what's up?

Oh, it's a birthday boy.

Hey, that's cool. Hey, Cody!

What's Thunder doing here?

I told him he could come, but I didn't actually think he'd show up.

Hey! Hey, Jeff!

Hey, hey, Jeff, you wanna, um, you wanna go swimming with us later?

Sean, you knew we can't swim.

So what?

I've heard nerds can float.

Shut up, that's not cool.

Stop.

Put it right over there for me. Thanks.

Hi, are you, uh, another friend of Cody's?

No, not really.

Could you give this to him for me?

Oh, look at him, Witch.

Our little baby boy's all grown up.

Yeah, it seems like only yesterday our...

Little boy was out in the backyard making mud pies.

Yeah.

You know, I think that was yesterday.

You guys are hilarious.

Real funny.

Can you close the door on the way out?

Boy, teenagers are always so doggone cranky. Man.

Yeah, I liked you better when you were just a kid.

Sleep tight, birthday boy.

Starting now, your whole life is different.

I don't feel any different.

Oh, are you kidding now that you're a big, bad teenager?

Everything changes, trust me.

Hey.

I forgot a present.

Thanks.

Happy birthday.

Good night. Good night.

He's a glass.

Am I the only sane one in this house?

Hey.

What, are you trying to give me a heart attack?

That's great.

Laugh.

Sorry, Jess.

What were you doing with your head in the tide pool?

That's how social outcasts spend their days.

They find a nice spot and stick their heads in the ground.

Ask any nerd. Makes the time fly by and it's good for the skin.

Come on, Jess, seriously.

What were you doing?

I was studying the life in the tide pools.

You may have noticed the other day that I can't swim.

So this is as close to the stuff as I get.

Little snails and fish?

You think they're interesting?

Yeah. You don't?

They're just tide pools, right?

There's a million of them around here. Yeah, but each one's different.

Come here, look.

Tidepool's sort of like a little miniature world.

There's sand, and there's kelp, and there's sea enemies.

You just have to look closely to see everything.

There's the hunters, like the hermit crab, and there's the hunted, like the

plankton.

Survival of the fittest in here, you know?

And if you're not tough, you get eaten a lot.

Kind of like the real world, huh? Yeah. Miss Nelson was talking about this in

biology.

Tidepool's sort of like an ecosystem.

An ecosystem, exactly.

You know a lot about this stuff, huh?

Nerds don't really have friends.

We have hobbies.

Some pick Star Trek or Dungeons and Dragons.

But I pick this.

At least nerds have fine marks. I'm failing biology.

Really? There's nothing to it. Shit, maybe for a brain like you, I need a

miracle to pass.

Or maybe all I need is you.

No way! I'm not doing your work for you.

Unless, of course, you...

Plan to beat me up. No, I'm not going to beat you up.

I need some tutoring.

Tell you what, you help me with biology, and I'll do whatever you want.

Teach me to swim.

You serious?

Teach me how to not drown, and I'll take it from there.

Too easy. Deal.

Whoa!

I've never seen anything like that before.

Well, I have, but on frogs and lizards and stuff.

Whoa.

What's going on?

What is this stuff?

Okay, this is perfectly normal. No need to panic.

Everything okay in there, sweetheart?

Everything's fine.

I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?

Honey, are you sick?

No, Mom. I'm fine.

Cody. It'll be ready in five minutes.

What are we having?

Fish.

Are you sure everything's okay?

Couldn't be better.

Just washing my hands. Can never be too clean, you know.

No, I guess not.

Five minutes.

Hey, Cody. How you doing? I'm okay.

How's, uh, you know, everything?

All better.

There must have been something in the water.

Oh, really? Because I looked up your condition on the Internet, and I found

lots of people have scaly fingers and toes.

It's not that freaky.

You know, we all look like frogs in the womb.

Really? Frogs? Wow.

With tails and everything.

Most of us lose them, but some of us are born with our tails still attached.

Can you imagine?

And you think your condition's weird.

Look, Jess.

I don't have a condition.

It's gone.

No tail, no scales on my hands.

So do you mind keeping it down a bit?

Sorry. I'm just not used to talking to people who have reputations to protect.

Come to think of it, I'm not really used to talking to people, period.

Anyway, you want to get together after school? We could start the project and

hang out. Make some s'mores.

S'mores?

S'mores? Did I say s'mores?

Who eats s'mores? S'mores are for kids.

Scratch the s'mores.

It's okay.

We work on the project. My parents are taking the boat out for a tour, so I

guess we'll work at your place.

My place?

Um... All right, but I have to warn you.

My dad's a bit... eccentric.

Everybody's parents are weird, Jess.

Wow.

This is where you live?

Here? No, no, no.

Our luxurious summer home is being renovated, and we're staying here till

finished.

This is where I live.

Better get to work. We're not supposed to be in here. Get all this stuff.

It's, uh, my dad. He's in the, uh, salvage business.

Come on, Cody. We gotta go.

Who's your friend, Jess?

Oh, this is, uh, Cody Griffin. He's a friend from school, Dad.

Oh, yeah.

Your parents run the boat tours, don't they?

Yeah, that's right.

Tell me something, Cody. Have your parents ever mentioned seeing

strange in the harbor?

Here we go again.

How do you mean strange?

Abnormal. A creature that defies logic.

My dad did catch a cuttlefish that looked like Regis, but that was as

it gets.

Do you really believe in all this?

I mean, mermaids and stuff.

Do they really exist?

Do they exist?

I saw one, Cody.

I saw one with my own eyes.

Come on, Cody.

We'd better get to work on our biology project.

Nice to meet you, Mr. Wheatley.

Is he always like that?

Like what?

Just tell me what to do.

I guess you can excavate the surrounding topography for indigenous hydrographic

species.

You can dig for seashells.

I knew that.

Okay.

And now, what you've all been waiting for.

Please let me pass.

Please let me pass.

Cody! Here it comes.

Good work, Cody. You might just make it out of here alive.

Wow, so this wouldn't, eh, feel good?

I wouldn't get used to it.

Kitty, kitty.

Can I get a drink of water?

I swear, something's seriously wrong with me.

Not according to this.

98 .6.

Picture of health.

Mom, you don't get it. I don't feel sick.

I feel... I'm always thirsty, and I keep shocking people.

And I've been getting this green scaly rash.

Well, Code, I don't see a green scaly rash. I only get it sometimes.

Maybe I inherited some weird disease from, you know, my other

parents.

Cody, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. It's probably some bug going

Well, why don't we just make sure. Let's have Dr. Schwartz come over and take a

look, okay?

What?

You said the D word.

I know. No, no. See, no doctor lays a hand on my baby.

Come on, Sharon.

Wait, you know how I feel about doctors.

They're quacks with stethoscopes. We know.

Cody, whatever it is that's wrong with you, I'm sure it's nothing a little

natural medicine won't heal.

Oh, no.

Did you have a math test today?

Hmm?

You mean like your mom stuck pins in you? Yeah.

She's not a big fan of modern medicine.

Apparently.

So do you feel any better?

I guess so.

Do you think you're contagious?

I, uh, I mean, I don't think.

Good.

What is it?

Is there something on my face?

No, it's nothing.

What?

Nothing. Nothing at all.

I think I'm getting worse.

Call the doctor.

Call the doctor.

Hmm.

Breathe.

Hmm.

Hmm. What does hmm mean?

Hmm.

See? Hmm. One more time.

Mr. and Mrs. Griffin, it says here that you're Cody's adoptive parents. Is that

right? Yeah. Yeah, that's right.

Uh -huh.

Cody, I'd like to talk to you alone, if you don't mind.

No, not at all, honey.

Honey.

Cody, I've made my diagnosis.

Puberty? Can you believe it? Everybody else in the world just gets hairier. But

no, not me.

Jess.

Jess.

You're in the shallow end.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, I stink.

You want to talk about it?

Huh? Maybe I can help.

I haven't gone through puberty yet, but... I'm still a pretty brilliant guy.

Jess, I'm no doctor.

But does this look like puberty to you?

Let me get this straight.

You're generating electricity.

Your hands are so sticky you can climb walls like Spider -Man.

And your hands and feet sometimes turn scaly when you get them wet?

Yeah, but just sometimes.

Does anyone else know about this? Well, I've been trying to tell my mom and dad.

But they, like, live on a whole different planet.

Otherwise, it's just you.

I'm going nuts here, Jess. You've got to help me.

What am I supposed to do? You said yourself you're an expert with fish and

stuff, and this does look pretty fishy to me.

Maybe I can do some tests.

Yeah, that's it. Do some tests. Take some samples.

I need some answers here, Jess, before I start sprouting a tail and start

spawning upstream.

All right, we've got some work to do.

Interesting. Very interesting.

Well, talk to them.

You, jump.

Whoa!

Use the force, Cody.

Come on, Jess. You've been running these tests for a week now. Do you know

what's wrong with me or don't you?

Well, I have a theory, but it's way too soon to tell.

All I can say is you should probably stay away from water. I can't.

Whatever's happening to you seems to get worse every time you get wet. You don't

get it, Jess. I need to be in the water.

I can't explain it. Every time I'm in the water, I feel right.

Besides, I have a responsibility to the swim team. Cody, you can't.

For all you know, all this weirdness could clear up tomorrow, right?

Well, yeah, but... The team's counting on you. The state finals are coming up.

Until you know what my malfunction is, I keep swimming.

You take a sudden interest in mermaids, have you? Sorry, Dad. I'll put

everything back the way I found it.

You know, Jess,

there's a pretty good story about this picture.

Oh, really?

Oh, yeah.

It was taken by a Swedish oceanographer, Dr. Metz. Snesland,

October 5th, 1981.

See, he was convinced that he'd actually seen a mermaid and that this picture

would prove it.

So, what happened?

Well, it took all of a week for the good doctor to lose every ounce of

credibility that he had.

Lost his job, his friends left him, his family deserted him.

You know, to this day...

He will still tell anyone who's willing to listen that there are mermaids out

there.

Do you believe him?

Are you kidding?

This guy's a fruitcake.

Total wacko.

I mean, anybody can see that this is a picture of a scuba diver.

So, if it's a picture of a scuba diver, why do you keep it?

I guess it reminds me that there's someone out there crazier than me.

You're not crazy, Dad.

Thank you, Jules.

Listen, you go ahead and feel free to look through that stuff.

Just make sure you put it back when you're done.

Oh, wait, Dad.

There's somebody in here. I don't quite get it.

It says, young merpeople can walk amongst humans.

Their biological makeup is such that their aquatic physiology only manifests

itself in the 13th year of life.

Well, see, that's one theory.

When a mermaid reaches her 13th year, the fish half starts taking over the

half. What is this all about, Jess? Nothing, nothing. I was just, you know,

looking around. It's nothing. That's all.

Wait, can I ask you something else?

I can't wait.

How long ago did you see your mermaid?

Thirteen.

Dad, I want you to tell me everything you know about mermaids.

This is one of your scales.

This is a fish scale.

They look the same.

No kidding. If I didn't know any different, I'd swear they were exactly

same.

What does this mean?

I'm a fish?

Well, not far off.

Look, I'm not a scientist.

And I may be taking a shot in the dark here.

But after all the tests...

You may want to sit down for this.

You may want a second opinion.

Jess.

I think you're a... A mermaid.

A what?

A mermaid.

Or a merman, I guess.

A merman?

You think I'm a merman?

There's no such thing.

I know it sounds crazy, but every time you get wet, you sprout scales.

How else would you explain that?

What about this? I don't remember Ariel with this little ability.

They generate the same electric current that you do.

This is crazy.

I know.

I've thought of every possibility, but I just keep coming back to mermaids.

All right. Let's pretend you're not absolutely nuts for a second.

Okey -dokey. And let's say that somehow I am a... a... a fish boy?

Merman. People don't just become mermen. It doesn't make sense. A month ago, I

was completely normal.

That's a good point.

Maybe I swam by some toxic waste or... or ate a mutant fish.

Sure, that's likely.

Have I ever told you I'm adopted?

No, but it seems like a funny time to tell me why.

No, you don't get it.

I think they may hold a key to this whole thing.

I still say he's a fish.

I need to find my birth parents.

I think they might know why all this weird stuff is happening to me.

What's this all about, Cody? Why is this so important all of a sudden?

I've been trying to tell you.

All these weird things that have been happening to me?

Jess ran some tests, and he has this theory, and it sounds crazy, but I've

swimming so fast, and the dreams... Dreams?

What were the dreams?

I don't know.

I'm swimming, and I'm underwater, and I don't have to hold my breath?

And there's this glowing... Honey, I'm sure it's just a stage you're going

through. Mom, this is not a stage!

Cody, Dr.

Schwartz said that... The doctor was wrong!

Sometimes when I get wet, nothing happens.

But other times... Oh, my!

Jess thinks I'm a merman.

And I'm starting to think he's right.

Oh, Cody.

Merman. Yeah, and if I am a merman, then maybe my birth parents, just maybe,

they're merpeople too.

So you were in the middle of the ocean and somebody just put me on your boat?

Yeah. It was so strange. It was like someone left this incredible little gift

our doorstep.

Yeah, we went to the police, but nobody reported a missing child.

And we waited for months expecting someone to knock on our door and take

back, but they never did.

So you became part of the family.

This is too weird.

So someone or something just dumped me on your boat, and now 13 years later I'm

turning into a fish and nobody can stop it? Cody, you are not turning into a

fish, and you are certainly not turning into a mermaid.

Merman.

Sweetie, we're going to figure this out, okay?

How? Every time I get in the water, it gets worse.

Next time I take a bath, I'm probably going to sprout gills and a tail. Cody,

it's water that's triggering these changes, you have got to stay out of it.

Your father's right.

You're going to have to avoid the water until we can figure out a way to make

you better.

What about swimming? The state final's the team.

Cody, this is serious. Now, until we can figure out what's causing these

changes, you have got to stay out of the water. But, Dad.

No, but, Dad.

Sweetheart.

I know this is hard for you. You're scared, but promise us you'll stay out

the water.

I'm not having our son turn into some sort of medical experiment.

Well, what are we supposed to do, Sharon? Just stand by and watch while he

into Dolphin Boy?

Oh, good one. We need help here. Maybe there's a specialist we can call.

A specialist? Yes.

In what wit?

Merman? Oh, the minute anyone finds out about Cody, they're just going to ship

him off to some ultra -military medical facility. No, no, I am not letting this

happen. That's not going to happen.

No way.

It's very, very bad karma. Oh, I know.

It's a bad idea.

Okay.

A little paranoid, Cody.

Hmm. Everything looks normal.

Maybe I'm getting better.

I'm happy I found you here.

What are you doing?

Oh, nothing much. Just kind of sitting and looking.

Can I sit and look too? No.

No? I mean, no way I'd not want you to sit and look.

No way.

Come on, why don't I go first? No.

You know, you've been a real case lately, Cody Griffin. What is with you?

I can't tell you.

You can't tell me?

You should be able to tell me anything.

Sorry, Sarah.

I just need some time alone.

Oh.

Okay, fine.

I guess we'll see you at the meet tomorrow.

Bye. The truth is, I'm turning into a merman freak.

I don't get it.

Sometimes I change, and sometimes I don't. Am I a merman or aren't I?

Well... You obviously have some more important things on your mind, so why

we just forget about this one last time for now, okay?

Oh, no, you don't. Come on, Jess.

Jump.

I don't think so.

I jump, I sink.

Every time I go in there, I sink. I'm right here. If you start to drown, I'll

save you.

I'm a merman, remember?

No way.

You're hopeless.

Yeah, but at least I'm not floating face down in the pool.

Look, I have to go ask Coach a few things.

Won't you get some guts while I'm gone?

Teaching the loser to swim, huh?

What do you have against Jeff, Sean?

What do you have against Jeff, Sean?

Listen to you, Cody.

What do I have against him?

The same thing you had against me a few weeks ago.

He's not one of us.

One of us?

What are we exactly?

We are the team, Cody.

We are the guys everybody wants to be.

Not the type of guys who have to wear water wings in the pool.

Get a grip, Sean.

Jess is my friend. If you got a problem with that, deal with it.

See you at the meet tomorrow, Cody.

Don't worry.

I'll be there.

We'll try to keep up.

The meet tomorrow?

Are you nuts?

Think about what you're risking.

You think I know?

If I get into that water and I turn into fish, boy, I'm dead.

So why would you risk it?

Because I can't let this thing run my life, Jess.

I have to do this.

It's my only way of fighting back.

But listen to your parents.

I mean, if someone sees you, it's way too dangerous. You worry too much.

Look, I'll be swimming too fast for anyone to see me anyway.

State Finals.

Super Bowl of Swimming.

Your kids have worked hard for this, and no matter what happens today, I want to

say I'm proud of each and every single one of you.

This, and I mean this, is the happiest

day of my entire coaching life.

Let's get out there and win some races.

Let's do it.

Come on, guys, all the way.

There we go. Get your head together.

Let's go. Come on. Get your head together.

There we go.

I'm going to touch the law first with Sam.

Please tell me you've seen Cody somewhere.

Do you have any idea where he could be?

I'm sorry, Coach.

Cody doesn't have much of anything to say.

All right. Get your head together.

Everything okay, champ? You feeling all right?

I feel fine.

Even better than the last time you checked on me.

Ten minutes ago.

Well, can you blame us for being a little worried?

I guess not.

Hey, look, we know it's really hard on you missing the big meet today.

It's no big deal.

Really.

You sure you're all right?

Mom, I'm fine.

I just feel like being alone for a while.

All right, Mom and Dad can take a little hint. Let's go.

Okay. If you need anything, we'll be right downstairs. Yeah. Okay.

The women's 50 -meter butterfly.

All competing swimmers should be starting.

Cody, what are you doing here?

Don't try to stop me, Jess. There's only a couple of races.

What's the worst thing that could happen?

Picture yourself floating in a tank on the Jerry Springer show. Come on, Cody,

be smart about this. It's just a dumb sport.

You swim up and down the lanes as fast as you can and try to touch the wall

before the guy beside you. You smell like chlorine all day, and you wear swim

suits that are way too small on you, and...

And you don't even have cheerleaders. At least all the other dumb sports have

cheerleaders. Are you trying to make a point here?

Yeah. Are you willing to screw up your whole life for this team?

Okay, okay. It stops for me.

Thank goodness.

Tomorrow.

Tony!

Holy cram, son. You're up. You're up.

Let's go. Let's go.

The men's 100 -meter freestyle.

The favorites for this one are fellow Mahone Bay Marlin teammates John

and Tony...

Okay. Winners, don't lose. Just pass as you can.

You're going to look good in silver, Sean.

In your dreams, Cody.

Swimmers, take your marks.

But I'm going to find out.

And when I do, you're done for.

I won my race.

I don't get it. It's never lasted this long before.

Are you sure that nobody saw you? Positive.

I saw it. I saw what happened.

Pretty positive.

Hey, Jess, what's going on at the pool? Are people talking?

How can I put this?

Yes. Cody just shattered a state record and then disappeared.

I think Sean might have seen something.

Anyone else?

Oh, my gosh. Sam, I can explain.

Are you okay?

Cody, I thought I just saw... You did see.

Cody, what's happening to you?

It's a long story, Sam.

I don't even know where to begin.

He's a merman.

Well, you are.

Sam, honey, you have to keep this a secret.

Yeah, if anyone found out about Cody's condition, he'd be in a lot of danger.

Are you people nuts?

You actually think that Cody's a mermaid?

Merman.

You expect me to believe this?

Why would I make this up?

I should go.

Sam, wait!

It's not as bad as it seems.

Not as bad as it seems?

Cody, you're... you're a fish!

Okay, so it's worse than it seems.

But I really need you now.

Look, Cody, I'm sorry.

I promise I won't tell anybody, but this is too much.

Well, that went well.

Well, look who's here.

Sam, I've been trying to get a hold of you. We really need to talk.

I know. I've just been really busy. So, Cody, um, we haven't seen our practice

lately. So I guess you haven't.

But, uh, I mean, who needs practice when you're as fast as Cody Griffin?

What's your problem, Sean?

I'm just curious. I mean, you swam so fast at state.

How'd you do with Cody? Uh, steroids, pills?

We'd all like to know.

I thought we were friends.

Tired of coming in second, huh?

I guess cheating's the only way you can beat me, loser.

Cody, stop! Stop! Break it up!

Break it up!

Guy, knock it off!

If anyone's going to get beaten up here, it's going to be me, okay?

If you guys start beating each other up, what am I supposed to do between

periods? Just sit around and not get beat up?

How does that fit into my job description?

So pathetic.

You've got Jess fighting your battles now?

Get out of my way.

Here's a stupid question.

Is there a problem here?

Well?

I hate this.

I can't go in the water.

Tim thinks I cheated.

Could be worse.

I'm a freak of nature. How could it get any worse?

Well, you could be a half -slug instead of a half -fish.

No, seriously.

Someone could dash some salt on you, and you'd dry right up.

Everybody's ditching me, Jess.

Why haven't you? A few weeks ago, I was treating you like a total jerk.

That's a good point.

Why am I helping you?

Because you're a good guy.

That's why.

I don't know how I'd get through this without you.

Oh, shucks. Okay, I love you, too.

I knew you'd be back.

Oh, man.

Who'd have thought that?

Sam, it's me.

I really need to talk to you.

Something just happened.

Something I can't explain.

Meet me at the Cove tomorrow.

Please, Sam.

Please.

It's important.

a few minutes ago.

Is everything okay?

I need to talk to him.

Don't be freaked, Sam.

I don't have fins.

I'm all human.

Very funny, Cody.

This isn't something I expected.

Shaving.

My voice changing.

Those I was ready for.

This?

Why didn't you tell me, Cody? Why'd you have to keep it a secret?

Sam, we're in junior high.

If somebody wears the wrong shorts, people talk.

I'm not people, Cody. I'm me.

Yes, I am a lot weirdered out, but who wouldn't be?

Remind me to introduce you to Jess.

I miss you, Cody.

I'm sorry.

Don't be silly.

I'm the one who should be sorry.

I... Come on.

I want to show you something.

Take my hand.

It's okay.

Does it hurt?

You okay?

Mm -hmm.

Cody, what are you doing?

Cody,

you mean... Yeah.

She's my mom.

My other mom.

I think she's here to help me.

Oh, Cody.

This is unbelievable.

Cody, what's wrong? What happened?

I don't feel so good.

How'd you get in the water?

Don't worry, Cody.

Everything's going to be fine.

Seriously, gross.

Yeah, well, this could help.

There she is.

You get back here and you stay with Cody.

Whoa.

Cody, look at you.

Help me get into the water, Jess. I'm changing fast.

Wake up. Come on, Jess. Three, four, five. Breathe.

Come on.

Come on. Come on, Jess. Breathe.

Jess. He's still not breathing. Okay. Still no pulse.

Everybody stand back.

Stand back.

I have an idea.

Okay, Jess.

This won't hurt a bit.

Cody. Come on, Jess.

It's not working.

Cody, try it again.

Try it again.

Let's get him off. Are you okay?

Thank goodness you're okay.

Was I dreaming?

Was your girlfriend just kissing me a second ago?

Yeah.

I thought I lost you, son.

Everything you said about the mermaids, Dad, it was all true.

It doesn't matter.

The important thing is that you're all right.

How'd this happen? What's all this talk about a mermaid?

Cody, is she... Yes.

She's my mom.

My other mom.

She's beautiful.

She's just as I remember her 13 years ago.

What does she want?

She wants me to go with her.

She's the only one that can help me with my changes.

No, no, you're my son. I don't want to lose you.

I am your son, Mom, but I'm more than that.

Look at me.

She loves you, Cody.

And right now, you have to go with her.

But it won't be forever.

She promises to have you back before school starts.

I love you, Mom.

I love you, too.

I'm going to miss you, Cody.

Promise me you won't fall for any murderous way of going?

I promise.

Don't forget anything you see while you're down there.

We want to know everything. Every detail.

That's right, Cody.

You got it.

Thanks, Jess.

Don't be gone long, son.

Love you, Cody.

Stay safe.

I'll be back in no time.

I finally get a friend, and he turns into a fish.

This is so typical.

Never thought that love would zap my heart. At the beach together, nothing

seems to matter. Till she sees a flounder cat.