Mermaid Pirate Dispatch

Amy grinned. The oaf was sweating.

“Shhhh,” he hissed nervously. “Your singing is waking the giants!” His whole body trembled as he converged his path on hers, inching closer and closer to her with every step.

She elbowed him sharply. Her father had arranged this little outing with the duke’s son, and she wanted nothing to do with him. Sure, his family was rich and powerful, and he was devastatingly handsome, but he was a moron, a brute, and a bore.

So she continued to sing. Loudly. She was known for her beautiful lullabys, which were rumored to be so soothing they could put a giant to sleep. But no living person had ever accused her of being able to wake a giant with her singing.

“Please,” he begged. “Why must you tempt fate? Are you trying to get us killed?”

She rolled her eyes and stopped singing, coming to an abrupt halt and turning to face him with her arms crossed. “If you’re so afraid of giants, why did you agree to go for a walk with me here?”

He winced. He was large and muscular and took pride in his reputation for bravery and power in tournaments and battles. He cleared his throat to justify the hesitation in his voice. “Look Amy,” he began, “I can tell you aren’t keen on this arrangement, but…”

Rage boiled over inside her. “Not keen?” she exploded. “Not keen?! I don’t like anything about it. I don’t like you, I don’t like your family, and I don’t like people assuming that just because I’m prety and you’re handsome we somehow belong together!” Her voice seemed to echo off the pines around them. A flock of birds burst into the air in a rush of ruffled feathers.

Sir bonehead gawked at her, stunned. His deep green eyes shimmered as his pupils danced around, searching her face for any signs that she didn’t mean what she’d said. It didn’t take long for his stupor to evaporate into annoyance, then fury. He clenched his jaw and stared down at her. The wet sparkle in his eyes froze over and he took a sharp breath in through his nose, puffing his massive chest out. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a deep, powerful thump rumbled through the ground and Amy smiled.

The crack of splintering wood punctuated the rushing of trembling leaves and her rejected suitor turned just in time to see a fifteen foot high giant push her way out of the dense woods, brushing branches and leaves off her dingy, ragged clothes.

“Amy!” the giant cried, throwing her hands another seven feet into the air. “I thought I recognized that beautiful singing!”

Amy smiled and pushed passed the loser to throw her arms around her friend’s legs. “Hello Agnes,” Amy said. They were both grinning from ear to ear while the onlooker trembled uncontrollably.

“Who’s this then?” the giant asked. “Got yourself a nice, strong suitor today?”

Amy stepped back and looked up at Agnes with a wrinkled, dusgusted look on her face.

Agnes widened her grin and a devious smirk formed. “Sounds like you don’t want him,” she said menacingly, without taking her eyes off the young man.

Amy shook her head. “He’s all yours,” she said, stepping aside.

The man’s mind flew into a panicked rage. Part of him wanted to process the depth of this betrayal, while something inside him insisted that the only smart thing to do was to run. He nearly fell over, tripping over his own feet as he began to flee. The ground was unsteady though, shaking violently under his feet as Agnes closed the distance between them in just a few bounding strides. She stooped over and clutched him in her hands easily, swiftly lifting him off the ground while holding his arms tightly against his torso.

Her mouth was watering. “Lots of meat on his bones,” she said, giggling with excitement. “I hope your father keeps insisting on matching you with these muscular, tasty morsels.”

Amy let out a long sigh. “Sure, that works fine for you,” she said. “But someday I’d like to actually fall in love.” She felt her eyes welling up and she sniffled.

“Aw, there there love,” her giant friend said. “I’m sure there’s someone out there who will be perfect for you, and I promise not to eat him.”

Amy smiled and wiped a tear. “Thanks Agnes,” she said, and the two waved goodbye as the giant’s footsteps disappeared into the murky forest once again.