Mermaid Pirate Dispatch

I scowled gently, eyeing the table where grandpa had carefully arranged an intricately carved chess set on an ancient wooden board. He smiled at me, a twinkle in his eye.

“Come on,” he urged. “It’ll be fun.”

I approached the table for a closer look. The individual pieces were full of exquisite detail, down to the faces carved into grotesquely oversized heads. Despite the impressive level of detail, the set showed signs of age, with many corners worn smooth by thousands of fingers over hundreds of years.

“Where did you get this set?” I asked, carefully plucking a knight off the board and turning it over in my hands. The big-headed knight wore a simple pointed helmet and sat atop a stubby horse. It would have been cute and comical if it didn’t have an air of mystique and horror about it. Even the knight’s expression was one of awe and mild terror.

Grandpa shrugged. “I found it,” he said casually. “Come on, let’s play a game!”

“No,” I groaned. “I’m really bad at chess. I don’t want to.”

“I’ll play bad too,” he offered, his silver and white stubble pulling into a wicked grin. “It’s just for fun. You’ll see, it’ll be great!”

I let out a long sigh, replacing the knight on his black square. “Alright,” I mumbled. “But if you win you owe me an ice cream.” I raised my eyebrows expectantly.

Grandpa laughed. “And what about if you win?”

“If I win?” I repeated, surprised. “Grandpa, I won’t win. This game is way too hard for me.”

I climbed into the chair by the black pieces, my short legs dangling a few inches off the ground. Grandpa slid quickly into the chair opposite me.

“You wanna go first?” he asked.

“Last time you said white always goes first,” I groaned.

“Sure,” he said. “But I thought maybe you might want to start.”

“This game is confusing…” I mumbled.

“Fine, I’ll go first.” Grandpa lifted a pawn and moved it forward one space.

“I thought you had to go two spaces to start,” I complained.

Grandpa shrugged. “Or just one. Up to you.” He smiled. “Go ahead, make your first move.”

I thought through the lineup, trying to remember what they all did. I always liked the knight. He was the best. “This guy can jump over people, right?” I asked, putting a finger on the knight’s pointy helmet.

Grandpa nodded and pointed out the two spaces that were reachable. I moved the knight then my whole body shook suddenly as the distant, muted, but powerful snort of a horse sent a shiver down my spine. I whipped around, my eyes wide with fear.

“What was that?” I gasped breathlessly, swinging my gaze wildly around the room.

Grandpa smiled calmly and shrugged. “My turn,” he said. “By the way, are you pretty excited about summer vacation?”

My heart was still racing. I took a deep breath, my eyes continuing to scan around the room. “I… uh…” I couldn’t focus. Out the corner of my eye I was vaguely aware that grandpa had moved a piece, but I could feel goosebumps prickling up all over my arms and neck. Something was off. If I listened closely I could hear things in the distance… strange things. There were the echoes of clanging metal and whinnying horses. I heard people’s voices like the low murmur of a trickling stream.

“Charlie?” Grandpa asked, staring at me.

I shook my head and focused on him. “What?”

“Summer? Are you excited for your summer break?”

“Oh,” I said, examining the chess board. “I guess. I’m not looking forward to middle school though.”

Grandpa laughed. “I don’t think anyone looks forward to middle school.” He stared at the board quietly for a moment. “Your turn, by the way.”

I shivered, trying to brush aside the ghostly sounds that wafted to my ears. Turning my attention to the board, I decided to move a pawn. I slid it forward two spaces, and the edge of my vision I caught a shimmer of light reflecting off something shiny. My eyes raced to catch it, but there was nothing but boiling air and a wisp of smoke that faded quickly to nothing. I detected a faint smell of campfires and a gentle undertone of something that reminded me of the farm where grandpa used to take us when I was younger.

I furrowed my brow and looked around.

“What’s the matter, champ?” grandpa asked innocently.

“Can you smell that?” I asked, sniffing deeply. It was definitely there. Farm animals and campfire. “It smells like the farm.”

Grandpa shrugged and slid a bishop out from behind one of his pawns.

Directly above I saw beams of light shooting diagonally down through misty clouds of dirty air. I looked up quickly and snatched a fleeting glance of open sky rippling in our ceiling. I gasped and stared at grandpa, my eyes bulging out of my skull.

“What?” he asked, seemingly unaware of anything unusual happening.

“You didn’t see that?” I cried, shooting a pointing finger at the ceiling.

Grandpa dutifully looked up and glanced around, searching. “See what?” he asked again.

I let out an exasperated sigh. “Every time we…” I paused, staring at the chess set. That was it! I grabbed a pawn and sent it forward two spaces. Almost immediately I was hit by the powerful, dusty smell of animals and out the corner of my eye I watched a huge horse amble past. “Ah!” I screamed excitedly. “It’s the chess pieces!”

“What?” Grandpa shrugged, exaggerating everything from the tone of his voice to his shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I squinted at him. “I think you do,” I said, annoyed.

Grandpa smiled and moved a rook. Behind him the air sizzled and warbled, a mighty castle adorned with flittering banners waving at me. I gasped and froze, staring at the apparition in disbelief.

“Go!” grandpa urged. “It’s your turn!”

I had cleared the way to release my queen, so I reached for it.

“Oh,” grandpa exclaimed. “Are you sure you want to move the queen already?”

I glanced at him, then back to my queen, the wavy portal to the castle gradually fading from view. Smoke and dust filled my nostrils. A hammering anvil clanged in my skull. “Yes,” I said, smiling. I slid the queen out onto the board and a blast of hot air blew through my hair, taking my breath away.

Everything around the chess set swirled and bubbled. Our modern table faded and revealed a crude wooden crate, worn and splintered. My chair became a stool and the floor was dirt and mud and stones. A horse trotted by, its rider’s ankles at eye height. I gazed up as a knight in armor looked down at me, his dark eyes impassive and stoic. A blacksmith’s hammer fell nearby, rattling my teeth and startling me. I shook and glanced around, taking in the whole scene.

We were on the side of a road not far from an imposing castle entrance. People milled up and down the road, stopping at various shops and carts. They carried baskets, led horses, and chattered endlessly over the din of their bustling market. Men and women yelled, calling out over the noise to attract customers while children ran, ducking and weaving and chasing ducks, chickens, and each other. Great creaking carts pulled by powerful horses ambled down the cobbled road while brightly colored streamers and flags whipped and rippled in the wind overhead.

My eyes stung and I blinked hard, covering the sockets with my palms. I opened them wide again, gazing all about me with wonder and shock.

Grandpa laughed. “What do you think?” he asked, as though he’d just handed me a baseball glove.

I slid down from the stool and continued soaking in the sights. Suddenly I was thrown to the ground, tackled by a pile of heavy ruffled fabric and golden hair. The sheer mass of the dress snuffed out the light of the sun and entombed me in another world.

“Oof!” came a girl’s voice, muffled by the bulk of fabric. “Pardon!” She giggled.

I tried to get up, but in her struggles she smashed me harder into the ground. I stayed on my back and waited while the girl’s dress sloshed and bounced around, a dainty hand landing squarely on my face as she used my head to push herself up. A slender finger pressed into my eye, a thumb dug into my cheek.

At last the massive dress and its inhabitant rose and stared down at me in wonder. The girl’s eyes were big and bright. She blinked and smiled with lips as rosy and soft as flower petals. My heart was pounding wildly in my breathless chest. The dress was an elaborate, gorgeous vessel for the untamed, spirited girl who loomed over me like a gentle shower of cool crystals on a warm, sunny day. She extended a hand to help me up, and I just stared at her with a slack jaw and bewildered eyes.

“Come,” she insisted, jabbing her hand down at me forcefully. Her voice was as soft as silk but full of the grace and power of a choir. I blinked and let my eyes focus on her extended hand.

Finally I reached out to her and she grasped me firmly, pulling with a surprising amount of strength. I got to my feet, savoring the feel of her fingers on my hand, letting my gaze linger in her enchanting eyes. She held my gaze steadily.

“Thank you,” I stuttered.

She laughed. “I should be apologizing,” she said. “I toppled you harshly. Are you hurt?”

“No.” My voice was distant. I felt as though I were watching it all happen from somewhere else.

She laughed and glanced down. We were still holding hands. She politely slipped her hand free of my gentle grip and my fingertips tingled at the softness of her skin. Her radiant smile was accentuated by the onset of natural blush. “Well,” she said, “it is unbecoming of a princess to behave in such an unruly way. I will invite you to have lunch in the castle. I will introduce you to my aunt, the queen.” She leaned over, glancing behind me at grandpa. “Your companion may join us as well.” She smiled.

“Princess?” I stammered, breathing in sharply.

She smiled and gave a small curtsy. “Princess Adelaide of Riverwood,” she said. “And what shall I call you?”

I winced, smiling painfully. “Charlie,” I said. “Just Charlie.”

[Reddit Post]