Killer

In Wilmington, Delaware, at the First State Aquarium, the summer wind motivated a man to swim in the buff with an orca. For a while, he was okay. He would backstroke and breaststroke, a smile plastered on his face when he came up for air.

Cameras tracked all of this activity, but the security personnel didn’t pay attention to it. So the man looked to have a breath of fresh air and reached the small landing by the pool.

Ortiby the Orca was like a particle in the Large Hadron Collider. He barreled towards the man and made him slip on the landing, making him fall. A gash appeared on his head upon striking the deck. He started to bleed profusely and didn’t move.

Ortiby dragged the man under and flailed him about like a cheap pillow cushion. After nibbling off the man’s gonads, the mammal then left the man on the landing.

Early the next morning, trainer Nalia Harriston unlocked the gate and saw red. She screamed. This alerted the other trainers who rushed to her.

Once they arrived near her side, they witnessed the carnage. Their faces turned ashen.

“We’ve got to call this in, now,” Nalia’s manager declared. The trainers all removed themselves from the orca area and notified the authorities.

The Aquatic Investigation Team (AIT) lead detective Sycamore Simmons looked at the security video.

“This is a textbook. This is clear,” He said. Simmons made a few notes in his phone and then set up a press conference.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a catastrophe on our hands. This killer of the sea has committed murder.”

“Murder?!” shouted reporter Greenberg Collins. “It’s not even in the same species as humans.”

“Be that as it may, they are in the same class of mammals. Orca play with their food and are apex killers. They’re top predators in the wild where not even great whites disturb them, unless they want their liver eaten. Ortiby is from a long line of killer mammals who do this kind of thing for fun.”

“But you’re an animal forensics expert. Surely you wouldn’t say that a dolphin like animal is a murderer. That’s just not possible. How did you figure your conclusion when animals like Ortiby can’t even conceptualize the notion of taking a life, especially a human life? How’d you make that call?”

“It’s simple. Under guidelines expressed by the National Aquatic Association, we have revised our decision to address these sorts of issues as a mammal on mammal incident like this is a homicide.”

The press people all grumbled and shook their heads.

“This is going to be the first time since the updated guidelines will be exercised. Once we discover a way for this animal to be punished, we will keep you updated,” Simmons said.

“What will you say led the man…has he been identified yet, even?”

“Yes. We have identified him as Drasic Colm. He left credentials in his wallet just outside the park. According to the security video, he entered about 2 am in the nude. The interaction with the suspect lasted less than an hour. The victim probably didn’t even know he would spend his last hour in life attacked by a killer.”

“So where is Ortiby going to end up? Is there some kind of sea mammal prison for him?”

“As of this moment, they are constructing a holding cell for Ortiby to spend the rest of his life behind watery bars. He will be cared for humanely even though he is a vicious murderer of the lowest order. I thank you for your time and patience concerning this matter. Thank you.” Simmons stepped down from the platform.

The First State Aquarium Director Noray Cooke took to the podium.

“I just would like to thank Agent Simmons and his team. He has just informed me that Orbity will be transferred to Baltimore by the end of the week and will await trial and sentencing following that. I appreciate all of your time.” The director stepped down from the platform, too.