(this story is a summer abstraction)

(miniflash story)

Shelly the shark had always been different. While her fellow predators spent their days hunting tuna and terrorizing swimmers, she had developed an unusual obsession: lemonade. It started innocently enough—a dropped picnic cooler, a curious nibble, and suddenly the ocean’s most feared creature was addicted to the tangy, sweet nectar of summer.


The problem was, Shelly lived in the Coral Triangle, where the water temperature had been climbing steadily. What used to be a comfortable 78 degrees Fahrenheit turned into swimming in a giant bathtub. Her massive gray body, perfectly designed for cold depths, was overheating faster than a laptop running ten video games simultaneously.

“This is ridiculous,” Shelly muttered to herself, her dorsal fin cutting through the unusually warm surface water. “I’m a Great White shark, for Neptune’s sake! I shouldn’t be sweating… wait, do sharks even sweat?”

She didn’t have time to contemplate marine biology. The heat was making her dizzy, and her usual hunting grounds felt like a sauna. That’s when she remembered the beach resort just a few hundred yards away—the one with the poolside bar that served pitcher after pitcher of ice-cold lemonade.

The plan was simple: surface near the resort, somehow acquire lemonade, and escape the heat. What could go wrong?

Shelly approached the resort’s private beach, her massive shadow causing several tourists to point excitedly. But instead of the usual screaming and running, something magical happened. A young bartender, who had been mixing drinks for the poolside service, spotted the shark and had what he would later describe as “the most brilliant moment of his entire career.”

“Holy mackerel!” bartender shouted. “That shark looks overheated! Quick, someone get the pitcher!”

Before anyone could process the absurdity of the situation, he was running toward the water’s edge with a gallon-sized pitcher of fresh lemonade, complete with ice cubes and little paper umbrellas. He waded into the shallow water, holding the pitcher like an offering to an ancient sea god.

Shelly couldn’t believe her luck. She approached cautiously, her massive head breaking the surface. The crowd of tourists watched in stunned silence as the Great White shark gently accepted the pitcher between her jaws and began drinking.

The lemonade was everything she had dreamed of and more. Cold, tart, refreshing, with just the right amount of sweetness to cut through the heat. She drained the entire pitcher in seconds, even managing to crunch the ice cubes with obvious satisfaction.

“More!” someone shouted from the crowd. “She wants more!”

And so began the most surreal afternoon in marine biology history. The bartender and his team prepared pitcher after pitcher of lemonade while Shelly floated contentedly in the shallows, her body temperature finally dropping to comfortable levels. She even started performing little tricks—rolling over, splashing playfully, and at one point, somehow managing to wear a pair of oversized sunglasses that had fallen into the water.

As the sun began to set, Shelly felt refreshed and ready to return to the deeper waters. She gave people what could only be described as a grateful nod before disappearing beneath the waves, leaving behind a beach full of tourists with the most unbelievable vacation story of their lives.

From that day forward, the bartender kept a special pitcher of lemonade behind the bar, just in case. And sometimes, on particularly hot days, locals swear they can see a large dorsal fin cruising near the shore, waiting for happy hour to begin.