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I sighed, then recounted the entire story of the dolphin, how it stole my bikini bottoms, emphasizing how August had given me his shorts. I even mentioned that it was Mwizi, the thieving dolphin.
The officer looked impressed when I mentioned Mwizi. “He’s a legend around here, but still, we have laws. If your story is true, he could have stayed in the water and called for help.”
“Someone in a boat ordered me out of the water,” August said.
“What boat?” the officer asked.
August shrugged. “I have no idea. A boat! I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but everyone rushed out of the water like something horrible was about to happen. I turned and saw a shark coming at me and my only option was to get out of the water or be eaten alive.”
“We get reef sharks in that area, occasionally,” he said. “They’re harmless. And whale sharks as well, also known to swim near humans without harming them. You were in no danger.”
“How was I supposed to know that?” August asked. “It’s my first time here.”
“It is not my job to inform the public, only enforce the law,” the officer said. “You were naked. You should have waited for help.”
“You seriously will not let him out?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Laws are laws. I don’t make them.”
“Oh, please! If anyone should be arrested, it’s me!” I said. “I was the one who was naked until August gave me his shorts. This is not fair.”
“You’re right, it’s not fair at all.” The officer sighed, then suddenly unlocked the cell, hopefully reconsidering after my plea.
“Thank you,” I said, nodding my appreciation.
“There is no need to thank me,” he said, then, instead of letting August out, he pushed me inside the cell with him and locked the door. “You both will be locked up until further orders from my superiors.”
“Are you serious?” I yelled.
“You admitted to indecency. That’s a crime, as you know,” he replied, then just walked away as I stood there with my mouth hanging open.
“This is unbelievable,” I said, then turned back toward August, worried about him. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“These guys are harmless, just like those sharks, apparently.” He chuckled.
“You think this is funny?” I asked. “August, we’re in a Tanzanian jail! They could torture us!”
“Relax—they don’t do that here.” He grinned. “Besides, it’ll be a story we can tell our kids one day.”
“Don’t you even start with me,” I warned, sitting down beside him. “This is serious. We need to get out of here. This is humiliating. And they don’t believe we are who we are.”
“Everything will work out once they figure it out,” August said. “Have some patience.”
“Since when have you ever known me to be patient?” I walked back to the cell bars and called out to the officer. “Officer! Look us up online! The Princess of Kastonia and the Prince of Verdana. There are thousands of photos. You can match them to us.” The officer didn’t respond, and I turned back to August. “Do you think he’ll actually check?”
“I have no idea,” August replied.
We sat on the bench in silence for a while before August broke the tension. “What took you so long to get our things on the beach?”
I pointed to the red spot on my knee. “I got stung by a bee when I ran through those trees between the two beaches. There was a swarm of them, but luckily I only got the one sting. I took the long way back to avoid them.”
August examined my knee. “The stinger is still in there.” He gently scraped it out with his fingernail, then tossed it underneath the bench. He placed his hand over the sting site, his touch warm and comforting. “You’ll be okay. We’ll put some ice on it when we get out of here.”
“If we get out of here,” I said, feeling the weight of the dire situation.
Fifteen minutes later, the officer returned, unlocked the cell, and waved us out. “I sincerely apologize for the confusion, Your Highnesses.”
“We’re free to go?” I asked, a little skeptical.
