Decapitated , her arms ripped off, the mysterious mermaid which suddenly appeared in one puzzling, complete piece on the rocks at the entrance to Magnetic Island , months ago ,is now being subjected to water torture . Our alert Shipping Reporter , the only one north of La Perouse, Sydney, says the tragic mermaid appears to be filling internally due to the recent heavy rain. He reckons that, unless she has a split in her fibreglass tail, or her belly button pops, she could find herself up to her vital statistics in H20 .This could lead to her becoming a breeding ground for pesky mosquitoes.
She could also develop , to use a medical expression, excessive fluid on the Berlei , leading to a kind of embarrassing dropsy.
The long running , extraordinary and brutal mermaid saga has escaped the mainland media . Our Shipping Reporter ,who intends starting a course for journalists in the Leap year , has maintained a photographic log on her since she arrived on the island and the subsequent cruel acts of dismemberment and beheading .
On Boxing Day , during a lull in the downpour , our waterfront reporter took the above sad photograph of the mermaid , making gurgling sounds, which attracted the attention of a friendly rock wallaby , who might help keep her cold tail warm at night . On the same day, he snapped the battle scarred bow of the bulk carrier Gladiator (below) , in port , which had also gone unnoticed by the scribes.
