Mermaid Pirate Dispatch

The last thing I remembered was a throbbing blackness all around as I sank helplessly into the sea. The ringing in my ears dulled and bubbles poured out from all around me, taking flight and rushing up toward the fading sunlight. My eyes fought to remain open, but heavy exhaustion overwhelmed my faculties and I felt limp and weak. In the final moment as I exhaled and prepared to die, my consciousness quickly fading, I saw a peculiar shadow blot out the last shimmering rays of light above me.

I was a man not-well traveled and my experiences thus far had been limited to the follies of youth. My knowledge of women had been largely governed by boyish fantasies and my understanding of world travels was based entirely on the many romanticized stories I had read as a boy longing for adventure.

So when out of that darkness I beheld the face of a beautiful angel, her inky hair held aloft by the sparkling waters of the great Atlantic ocean, I failed to suspect anything out of the ordinary as she gently leaned in and kissed me. It was a most magnificent kiss, a wonderful medley of warm, silky lips rolling about with the currents of the sea. I felt her hands on my face as she pulled me in close, I felt the heat of her body as we swirled around each other like strands of hair in a mighty steed’s mane as it rushed majestically through open fields.

Then I felt a burning in the back of my throat. It spread up over my tongue and onto my lips. A searing flame erupted in my chest and my face began to crack and flake away like a sun scorched lakebed. I gasped for air, reaching out for the angelic woman whose kiss had just moments earlier filled my breast with rapture, but she was gone. My lips split open wide and I choked on harsh sand which now grated at my flesh from all around.

Throwing open my eyes I coughed and drew in a long, arduous breath. A pinpoint sun blasted down at me and I squinted, the brilliant light sending jolts of pain deep into my bewildered brain. Slowly my senses worked to gather in my surroundings and soon I was filled with disappointment as I realized the woman had been nothing but a dying man’s hallucination. My throat was indeed burning and dry, and my coughs raspy and sore. My cracked lips stung and peeled as I moved them. But there was no sand and there was certainly no woman.

I blinked and tried to move my arms but they were trapped tightly against my body, which ached with a deep, dull pain in every muscle and joint. My vision was blurry, but the unmistakable sting of salt in the back of my nose told me I was still at sea. A brisk wind rattled a great sail overhead. I peered up and beheld a network of massive linen cloths bellowing and full, tugging with unrelenting power on the rigging and masts that supported them.

I leaned my throbbing head to the side and felt hot seawater flowing out from my ear. Slowly the distant sounds of a raucous lot came into focus. I heard jeering laughter, riotous yelling, and unruly barking like ravenous dogs.

I blinked several times and looked down. Thick hemp ropes encircled my body in several places across my chest, waist, hips, and legs. I twisted and struggled, but there was no give in the bonds. Resting my head back I felt the hard wood of the mast to which I was tied before I cast my eyes skyward once more and spotted, to my utter horror, a black pirate flag whipping violently in the wind.

My gut wrenched and I felt ill. It was just my luck to get captured by pirates on my very first outing away from home. But I hardly had time to lament my inauspicious travels before I heard a pair of the loud voices begin to grow near. A rhythmic thumping accompanied shuffling footsteps and I let out a pained groan interspersed with a few sharp coughs.

“Hey! What have we here?” a gruff, sloppy voice proclaimed. I estimated it came from behind me, but so complete was my disorientation that the speaker very well could have been directly before my eyes and I might not have known it.

“The captain’s prize stirs, methinks!” This second voice had a nasal, sneering quality that made my skin crawl.

The wooden thumping knocked against the deck a few times before a dark, scraggly head poke out from behind the mast.

“Aye!” the deeper, gruff voice proclaimed. “He’s a stirrin’ alright! Let’s fetch the captain!”

Excitedly the two men scurried away, the wooden knock rapping irregularly at the deck and fading into the distance. It wasn’t long before the viciously jubilant voices below decks fell silent and a deep rumble rose up from the hull of the ship as the crew stampeded up the steps into the sunlight.

A positively eclectic group of riffraff swarmed around me, climbing onto banisters, scurrying into the ship’s rigging, and crowding around, buzzing with anticipation. I tried taking deep breaths but the tight ropes and my swollen throat left me feeling entirely bereft of oxygen. I was lightheaded and delirious, ready to faint at any moment.

I scanned the waiting crew, trying to decide if the captain was already in their midst. I saw gargantuan, muscular men with broad shoulders and mean sneers. I saw husky, mighty women with strong arms and burning eyes. There was a cruel, hairless creature, not half my height and scrawny as a malnourished youth. I saw a plump, round man with a jovial smile wearing an apron caked in dark bloodstains. All around me these lawless, vicious men and women snarled at me, their mouths watering for violence and gore. Peg legs, eye patches, scars, tattoos, and a variety of colorful clothing adorned the group. There was no doubt that I was about to die, or worse.

My jaw was tight and I took halting, shallow breaths through my nose, desperately fighting back nausea and panic. If you’d asked me a week prior whether I considered myself a brave man, I might have answered in the affirmative. But being bound so tightly with thick, coarse rope in the middle of such bloodthirsty company I couldn’t muster even an ounce of courage. A disagreeable warmth spread down my thighs as my true, yellow-bellied colors ran hotly into a puddle at my feet.

The crew had been chattering and growling maliciously, each one smacking their lips and sneering at me hungrily. But suddenly the whole lot went quiet at once and I heard the soft, light thuds of boots approaching from behind. All eyes gazed past me and followed the approaching figure, their attention and discipline on brilliant display for an obviously powerful source of authority. I could sense immediately their deep and undying devotion to this commanding officer, and for a brief moment I was filled with awe and respect for whatever person should soon round the bend and appear before me.

Of course I had heard many tales of pirates since I was a small boy. I knew them to be fearsome, ruthless seafaring men who rarely took prisoners. Of course, some were celebrated as valiant heroes, modern day likenesses of Robin Hood. Still, despite their romantic, adventurous lifestyle, all pirates commanded fear. Blackbeard was a towering, demonic man whose beard spewed smoke and flames in the midst of terrible battles. Charles Vane was a cruel, heartless monster who tortured men for his own amusement. I found my heart pounding furiously as I awaited the appearance of my captor. What was it to be? A slow, agonizing death at the hands of a raving madman, or a long, withering existence deserted on an island once I’m found to be useless?

My overworked heart jumped frightfully as the captain strode into view. A modest, average figure appeared on my left with long, silky hair flowing down around a soft, smiling face. To my utter disbelief the captain was not a hardened, weathered man, but a delicate, vibrant young woman. A shiver ran down my spine. Could she be the raven-haired beauty from my dream?

She wore a simple white shirt under a long black overcoat, its coattails bouncing lazily behind her as she strode gallantly before her men. Rising out of her worn leather boots, jet black pants covered her slender legs and did little to conceal her womanly curves. A simple leather belt with a brass buckle adorned her waist. Her sparkling eyes darted warmly around the many faces of her crew as their vile, ferocious looks melted into affectionate, docile expressions of admiration and gratitude. Her child-like, rosy cheeks framed a bright grin that radiated exuberance and excitement. Her eyes squinted under the strain of joyful rapture as she turned to me and clapped.

“Welcome to my ship!” she exclaimed in a singsong voice, brimming with energy.

I gawked, enchanted by the way the wind itself played with her long, black hair. The brim of her tricorn hat fluttered and trembled, threatening to take flight before she quickly clasped a hand over the top of her head and secured it, giggling and rolling her eyes. Again my own eyes bulged as a large hermit crab ambled out from the thick of her hair onto her shoulder, its claws slowly opening and closing as though stretching idly, like a cat kneading a mattress.

“I am captain Nova,” she declared happily, her voice filled with intense excitement, as though she were barely containing an overabundance of impatience for some gift she could not wait to bestow upon me. “My apologies for the ropes. I am sure you must understand that some of the men we pluck out of the sea are of the… unsavory variety.” She eyed me carefully, leaned back, folded her arms, and pursed her lips. For a long moment we engaged in a silent exchange in which my shuddering, trembling body was held back only by the ropes, and her unbridled joy was building up behind a false pretense of judicious caution.

A sharp pang stabbed through my gut and I winced, groaning and coughing to the delight of some of the crew.

“Let’s tow ‘im behind the ship for bait!” someone growled enthusiastically.

“Naw! He’s too skinny! Nothin’ ‘ll want to eat ‘im! Let’s pull ‘im apart and use ‘is bones to make a marimba!”

“Aye!” came a reply from up in the crow’s nest. “I miss ‘aving a marimba on the ship!” An enthusiastic chorus of cheers rose up from the crowd.

I stared pleadingly at captain Nova, urgently begging with my eyes as she continued to squint at me over her tightly folded arms. She pensively tapped a boot lightly on the deck and momentarily turned to face the crab on her shoulder. I was once again filled with wonder and amazement as she tilted her ear closer to the creature and, puzzlingly, seemed to be giving the crustacean an audience as it scampered around in a tight circle on her narrow shoulder, slowly moving its arms while the little legs pecked and poked about furiously.

Captain Nova frowned thoughtfully, glanced at me, then stared at the crab. “Are you quite sure?” she asked it. The tiny creature made no movement, but only returned her stare with exactly the same mindless gaze that I wore upon my own face. Meanwhile the crew had gone eerily silent with all eyes on their captain.

I could almost hear my own heart beating against my ribs and, in turn, the tight ropes that held me aloft. I still felt as weak and close to fainting as I had before. A brief dizzy spell attacked me in the moment of silence, and I wondered once again if I would pass out before learning what the captain would do with me.

“Tell me, man,” the captain began, “have you any skills that might be useful to my crew?” She held a steady gaze imbued with warm curiosity and genuine interest.

I coughed and tried to clear my stinging throat. Groaning, I found that forming words was nigh impossible.

Captain Nova took a few purposeful, calculated steps toward me before briskly producing a knife from her belt. In one swift, powerful motion she slashed at the rope and I felt it give way. I began to collapse as the ropes loosened, but just as my knees buckled I found myself propped up by the captain herself, her strong shoulder lifting me by an armpit as she threw my arm around her back and braced my torso against hers.

“Will someone please bring this man a cup of water?” she called.

At once several of the crew sprang eagerly to action and within a matter of seconds a cup of murky water was being thrust into my face. I gratefully downed the fluid, hardly aware of any flavor or texture. My burning throat seemed to sizzle as the water flowed down my gullet. My cracked lips were stinging, and my swollen tongue gradually returned to its wet, pink self.

“You’re clearly not a threat,” the captain chuckled in my ear as she helped me to a nearby chest, straining a little under my weight. She sat me down and joined me, letting me lean on her for support as my fingers closed around another cup of sloshing water.

I sipped at the new cup, this time noting the gritty, earthy flavor of their fresh water supply. I had expected grog or rum, but given my already dizzy state I was grateful for the water.

“Now,” Nova continued. “What skills or talents do you have? Surely you have something you can offer my crew.” Her voice was soft and patient, full of kindness and sincerity.

I turned to her, our noses just inches apart, and gazed into her deep, dark eyes. A vibrant smile spread across her entire face, turning her eyes into inverted crescents and planting deep dimples in her soft, round cheeks. My pulse quickened and I cleared my throat awkwardly, averting my eyes and nearly fumbling the cup of water.

“I… I’m not sure,” I stammered.

“Sheldon assures me you are a man of knowledge.”

“Sheldon?” I asked.

She nodded to the crab on her shoulder, its multi-tiered spiral shell glistening in the sunlight.

I stared at the crab for a long moment and it seemed to stare back at me. “I have an education,” I mumbled, “and I enjoy a good story from time to time…” I let my voice trail off, still gazing at the palm-sized animal on the captain’s shoulder.

“Stories?” a rough, quiet voice piped up enthusiastically from the onlookers. Slowly a murmur of agreement began to rumble and boil in the air and Nova giggled.

“The crew loves when I tell them stories, but I’m afraid they’ve heard all I have to tell.” She leaned back and slapped me hard on the back. “I’ll make you a deal,” she said. “Join my crew as the official storyteller.”

I waited a beat then cocked my head questioningly to the side. “And?” I offered tentatively.

“What do you mean?” She asked earnestly. “And… you get to be part of my crew.” She looked over her shoulder at the grungy, rapt audience of thugs, brutes, and killers. “That’s a pretty good deal if you ask me!” She laughed heartily and gave me another enthusiastic clap on the back, jerking me forward and splashing me with some of the water from my cup.

I chuckled nervously, wondering if it would do me any good to press for more details or inquire after alternative options. But something about her warmth and enthusiasm already had me sold. Still, I stared at her a moment longer and took another sip of the water while she watched me with giddy anticipation.

“Alright,” I said at last. “I will be your storyteller.”

A cheer burst forth from the crew and captain Nova clapped her hands together furiously while laughing like a child at the circus. I grinned sheepishly and took another swig of the grimy water.

When the applause had died down captain Nova got to her feet, looked down at me with her hands on her hips, and smiled. “Well, are you ready for our first adventure?”

“What?” I asked, thoroughly dumbfounded. “What in the world do you mean by that?”

She exploded with laughter and doubled over, clasping a hand to her mouth. When she righted herself she was sporting a sly grin. “The ship you were on went down somewhere nearby,” she said. “I want to take you down and have you show me around.”

My jaw slackened and I stared at her incredulously. The captain seemed pleased with my shock and turned to leave.

As she walked away she bellowed, “prepare the diving bells!” Immediately the entire crew launched into action, scattering this way and that. I heard the captain stop someone, calling him by name. “Willie, I want you to help the newcomer.” Then she turned back to me. “Say, what’s your name, storyteller?”

Still somewhat tongue-tied I choked and shook my head. “Dirk,” I replied tentatively.

She smiled and turned back to Willie. “Help Dirk, will you?”

A brawny, tough looking man emerged as the rest of the throng swirled around us making their preparations. When Willie opened his mouth I once again found my expectations entirely upended as his soft, dainty voice contrasted sharply with the rough, brutish exterior I beheld. “Hi,” he said. “I’m Willie.” He looked me over from head to toe. “My goodness,” he exclaimed. “We simply must get you out of those clothes and into something more appropriate for the water.” The words rolled confidently from his lips with a quality not unlike a gossiping housewife speaking disdainfully of her neighbor’s indiscretions, yet somehow I could tell that he was heartily engaged in his assignment to watch after me. So when he motioned for me to follow, I got to my feet and hurried after him.

Willie led me below deck and through a forest of cots, hammocks, barrels, cannons, and chests. My burning eyes embraced the darkness eagerly but I was completely blind at first. I stubbed my toe on trunks, got tangled in a hammock, and lost sight of his broad shadow multiple times. Eventually he stopped, I bumped into him, and he kicked open a wide trunk, pulling out a fine, lightweight pair of linen britches. He handed them to me and I felt that the thread work was extremely delicate and the material unexpectedly airy.

“Put these on,” he said. “They’ll keep you from exposing yourself to the captain.” He smirked and cocked a warning eyebrow. “Go on, the diving bells will be ready soon.” He turned away to give me a little privacy.

I looked around the empty space and shrugged to myself. Moving quickly I unbuttoned my blouse and began removing my torn and tattered clothing. I was still struggling to grasp how and why I had come to be aboard their ship, and the unsightly holes that had been burned into my clothes sent my memory reeling. I recalled flames licking at me as ear splitting explosions pounded on my lungs, winding me while black smoke bellowed all around. Had I jumped overboard or was I thrown? I shuddered as I pulled the shorts up and tied the waistband firmly around my stomach.

“Alright,” I said, looking down in the dimly lit underbelly of the ship. I admired how smooth the fabric felt on my skin. Being so thin, I had expected that the clothing might entirely fail to conceal my features from outside eyes, but indeed I found the britches to be effective at their job.

“Good, let’s go.” Willie moved rapidly back toward the stairs where I had to shield my eyes from the brilliant sun before I could take in the scene on deck.

Suspended from makeshift cranes on the starboard and port sides of the ship, two large wooden bells were being lifted by several men heaving on thick ropes that looped up through pulleys. These ropes then came down and attached to the bells in several places to provide a stable, secure connection. The bells, though constructed of wood, appeared to be sealed with thick tar or pitch. As they were raised into the air I could see that they were open at the bottom, like a massive inverted cup. Along the open bottom a series of metal weights were attached to the rim, dangling down like decorative knots along the wide brim of a lady’s fancy hat.

The port bell cleared the bannister and its crane was swung out over the water. Slowly, the men began releasing the rope, gently setting the bell down on the rolling waves below. I rushed to the railing and looked down just in time to see it begin sinking beneath the water! I had never heard of such a device before, but intuitively I understood that some amount of air would be trapped inside and that the metal weights would overpower the bell’s buoyancy, allowing it to sink.

“Brilliant!” I exclaimed. Then, with a wave of horror, I realized that I would be descending inside the bell. I looked out over the ocean and a jolt of fear stabbed through me. Shark fins were circling the partially submerged bell.

I was still staring at the stalking sharks, their shadowy bodies arching gracefully through the water, when the captain joined me at the railing. “A lovely day for a dive,” she exclaimed, nudging me playfully with her elbow.

“I think not!” I cried, pointing at the vicious predators circling the diving bells.

Captain Nova laughed once again, something she was clearly prone to doing regularly. She reached into her overcoat and produced a small glass vial which contained a foggy, faintly green liquid. A milky silver substance shimmered and swirled around with the green, giving an overall magical effect that had me entirely entranced. Noting my enthrallment, the captain plucked a tiny cork from the glass and winked at me before gulping back the contents and handing me the empty vessel.

“See you soon!” she cackled happily. Then she leaped overboard while I desperately clawed after her, grasping at her coat. I managed to get a hold of one of the coattails but she merely raised her arms, slipped out of the coat, and splashed into the sea wearing nothing but her black pants, white shirt, and hat. She disappeared from view for a moment, then emerged, laughing. “Oh!” she yelled. “I nearly forgot! Put this somewhere to dry, will you?” She pulled off the hat and with a graceful swing she tossed it up toward me. It sailed perfectly through the air, its three tips spinning easily until I caught the soaking wet brim.

“Wait!” I called nervously, tossing the coat, vial, and hat behind me and reaching out to her, but she had already disappeared beneath the water. I turned toward another crewmember who was leaning against the railing, looking down at the water. My eyes were full of anxiety and concern. “She’ll be eaten by sharks!” I declared.

The man by my side was a short fellow with a bald head and bushy eyebrows capping beady, steady eyes. He grinned and began to chuckle slowly with a deep, rumbling voice. “He, he, he.” He punched me gently on the side of the arm. “Just wait ’till ya get down there. You’ll see.”

I stared incredulously at the fellow, working arduously to grasp the meaning of his lackadaisical declaration. “What do you mean?” I cried, exasperated.

He grinned and walked away.

Willie approached. “The starboard bell’s already heading down,” he announced. “You ready?”

I scanned the waters around the bell. “There were sharks just a minute ago,” I said, my voice shaking. “I don’t think it’s safe.”

Willie blew out sharply through his nose and laughed. “The sharks won’t bother us,” he said. “Not while the captain’s in the water with us.” He slapped me on the back and climbed up onto the railing. “Let’s go,” he said, pulling me up by the arm.

I stumbled up onto the perch and my stomach churned. Last time I’d been in the ocean I’d nearly died, and as far as I knew there hadn’t been sharks that time. I took a deep breath and let Willie pull me overboard. My stomach rose into my throat as we plummeted then crashed violently into the water.

“We’ve got to get into the bell now,” he sprayed through a wide smile as he bobbed in the water. “Don’t worry,” he jeered. “You’re gonna be fine.” He dove under the surface and kicked his way toward the bell, slipping neatly beneath the skirt of dangling weights.

Taking another breath, I used my arms to pull myself under and squirmed my way along in a pitiful attempt to follow him. I got close to the weights but my backside began floating up to the surface. I kicked and pulled my way down but my bottom’s buoyancy was winning the battle. Willie’s rough hand reached out and grasped my wrist, jerking down hard and dragging me under the skirt of weights before yanking me up into the dark air pocket within.

I gasped and choked, blowing and spitting the salty sea water back out where it came from.

Willie’s bellowing laughter echoed harshly off the wooden walls of the diving bell, the hot stale air clogging my nostrils. Suddenly I remembered the sharks and my chest imploded with panic. I let out an embarrassing whimper and clawed at the wooden walls until I found the internal ledge on which Willie was seated.

Laughing, he helped me up. “I told you not to worry,” he groaned. “We’re going to be fine.” He pounded hard on the walls of the bell with two firm hits and in an instant I heard someone else emerge in the blackness, with only the hint of their upper body’s silhouette visible against the dimly illuminated surface water.

“Are you ready to dive?” the captain’s unmistakable, sweet voice came. Her words filled my ears like honey, reverberating warmly off the wooden walls.

“Ready,” Willie affirmed.

“Good,” she replied. Then, after a short pause, she added, “Dirk, you just listen to Willie and I’ll be back for you when we get to the wreck. I found it just a few yards aft and not terribly deep either!” With a quick splash she was gone. My eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness, and by the tiny amount of light that made its way into the bell I could have sworn I saw a fish tail when the captain had disappeared. Had it been a shark?

My heartrate once again exploded into a gallop and I began taking quick, rapid breaths.

“Hey,” Willie said smoothly. “What’s wrong now? Can you feel us descending?”

I hadn’t felt anything of the sort. “Thought I saw a shark,” I muttered.

Willie laughed again. “I told you not to worry about them. They’re out there, but they won’t bother us. I promise.”

I shivered and pulled my knees into my chest. “What makes you so sure?” I challenged.

There was a pause. In the darkness I could barely make out Willie’s shrugging shoulders. “Guess you could say the captain’s on good terms with the wildlife.”

My mind pondered his words absently as we descended. Slowly, the faint surface light leaking into the bell faded. My head gradually lost track of anything comforting about Willie’s words and soon all I could think of were sharks, drowning, explosions, fires, and death. I groaned to myself and tightened the grip around my legs, eager to keep my toes away from sharks or anything else out there.

Our descent took a surprisingly long time. I wished I had counted the minutes. The longer we spent in the bell the more confused I grew. How had the captain already gone down to the wreck and come back up to talk to us if it took so long to get down to it? Had the starboard bell already been lowered and raised in that time? Then I recalled that she had jumped into the water on the same side as our bell, the port side. Perhaps she had been able to swim under the keel of the ship to reach the other bell? The longer I thought about it, the less sense any of it made. There was something fishy going on, and it only made me more nervous.

“You’ve been mighty quiet,” Willie offered cautiously. “What’s on your mind?”

“Just nervous,” I said before succumbing to another coughing fit.

Willie let out a tremendous laugh. “I think that’s normal. But you’d best get used to it. This is a diving crew. We specialize in recovering treasure from sunken ships and collecting clams and other delicacies from the ocean floor.”

“You’re pirates though. Don’t you board ships and rob passengers?”

He erupted with screeching laughter. “Not often! The captain loves shipwrecks. Says she prefers to salvage goods that nobody else can get. And she’s good at it, man. She’s the best captain in the world at looting wrecks!”

Suddenly a bluish green light began emanating from the water, covering the walls and ceiling of the bell with rippling waves of dim light and shadow. I could see Willie, who raised his eyebrows and grinned.

“We’re at the wreck I recon.” He smiled and looked down into the water.

I also looked and my heart jumped. Almost as clear as day I could see the scattered, twisted wreckage of the ship I had boarded back in my homeland. Splintered planks were strewn across the sandy sea floor. Cups, plates, and silverware had been tossed among kelp and rocks. The ship’s anchor lay half buried in the sand, right next to a brilliant display of flowering coral. The water itself seemed to glow, illuminating the magnificent scene below. The wreckage was already teeming with life, schools of brilliant fish streaking through the water leaving a churning wake of swirling particles glowing behind them.

“How?” I whispered breathlessly, gazing in awe at the scene.

“Not sure,” Willie shrugged. “She says it’s a tiny creature that glows, but I never seen one, so as far as I’m concerned it’s magic.”

I stared at him, my jaw hanging open. “Magic? Tiny creature?”

“Lots of tiny creatures,” the captain’s sweet voice corrected. I glanced down to see her head bobbing in the pool at the base of our bell. She wore her usual magnificent smile and her eyes sparkled resplendently. “It’s not magic though, I promise.”

She was reclined in the water, facing up at us so that her torso disappeared under the ledge upon which I huddled. She reached up and wrapped her wet fingers around my wrist.

“You ready?” she asked rhetorically.

The sleek shadow of a shark slid by, lazily twisting its body as it pierced the water. I recoiled, my muscles tense.

“Dirk,” she said warmly through a soft chuckle. “There’s something you should know.” She slowly erected her body until her legs were in view.

I gasped. Her legs were not in view. I stared, entirely beside myself with shock. Her upper body was intact. Her white blouse clung tightly to her torso. Her smooth, dark hair draped beautifully around her joyous face just as it had before. But below the waist captain Nova wasn’t the same. In place of pants or flesh she wore shimmering scales that sparkled and flashed in the eerie glow. Though hard to make out the colors, there was an obvious tiger stripe pattern of dark and light patches that rippled and waved as she pumped the tail slowly, dragging a magnificent fluke forward and back. The tips of the tail fin left long swirling vortices in the volume of tiny glowing particles that cast their light into the depths of the dark waters.

“You…” I stammered, “you’re a…”

She smiled and reached up to take my hand. “Can you trust me?” she asked gently.

“You’re a…” I continued to stutter.

“She’s a mermaid,” Willie concluded for me, sounding mildly annoyed. “And I promise she won’t let a shark eat you. Now are you going to go show her around the ship or not?”

I glanced nervously at him then let my eyes return to Nova’s magnetic pull. I had never seen anything so graceful or gorgeous in my life. I could almost feel the immense power of her tail in the way she lazily stroked it to and fro. My insides jittered excitedly as I gradually embraced this new reality. The legends and myths, the stories told by old drunk sailors in pubs… Everyone had said they were crazy. I had never once considered that there could be even a thread of truth to any of it. Yet here I was, letting a real mermaid take my hand and pull me into the water with her.

Nova giggled and put a reassuring hand on the side of my face. “Hold my hand, take a deep breath, and follow me. When we get inside the wreck you can point me toward the treasures.” Her grin widened and she tightened her grip on my hand, exclaiming, “this is going to be fun!”

I filled my lungs voraciously and in an instant I was being thrust into the water, dragged along by her strong but slender hand. My hair and trunks were dragged violently downwards by the force of the current, and in our wake I saw a whirling pattern of turbulent light as we cut through the glowing sea. I looked up and squinted against the flow. I watched Nova’s undulating body propel us rapidly toward the aft section of the downed ship. The hull had been violently splintered in two, with a vast field of litter and debris scattered between the halves.

As we got closer I waited for her to slow our pace, but to my horror we slipped into the exposed innards of the ship at full speed. We were suddenly thrust into tight quarters, nearly scraping against buckled bulkheads and splintered planks. I heard her bubbly laughter as we cut and wove our way deeper into the bowels of the vessel, streaming down narrow passageways and finally darting into a comparatively spacious cargo hold. At last we drifted to a standstill, a rush of accelerated water washing past us. Nova released my hand, taking me by the shoulders and righting me like a poseable doll. She erupted in laughter, her gleeful eyes flickering like flames in the greenish blue glow of the water.

“Make sure you don’t try to talk,” she warned. “I can talk underwater just fine. You…” She shrugged. “You can’t. So be careful!” Suddenly a jolt shot through her and she tensed up. “Oh! I almost forgot! You need air!” She quickly grabbed my hand again and rushed me back to the corner of the space where a shiny, shimmering prism clung to the joint in the bulkhead. “An air pocket!” she declared, thrusting my head up into the cold void.

I took a deep, raspy breath with burning lungs. The icy air soothed me quickly and I realized her excitement had distracted me from my body’s cries for oxygen. She poked her head up into the small space and grinned at me, the glowing water casting eerie inverted shadows on her pleasantly round face.

“Over time you’ll get better at holding your breath,” she assured me. “For now, if you need to breathe, just pinch me or something.” She giggled. “I get excited and forget that normal people need air.”

“What are we looking for?” I asked, taking deep, shivering breaths.

“Every ship has treasures,” she said, shrugging. “When you were aboard, were you aware of anything of value? Anything special?”

I thought back, racking my brain for details. I shook my head. “I don’t remember much at all, just flames and explosions. Before and after… nothing. In fact, how did I even end up on your ship?”

She laughed. “Now you ask?” She splashed a bit of water in my face. “We spotted the flames on the horizon and I rushed over to the ship to look for survivors. You were the only one we found and at first I wasn’t sure you were going to make it.”

I recalled the dream with the raven-haired angel. “So it really was you who pulled me out of the water?”

She smiled and nodded.

“And did we…” I hesitated, embarrassed at having even started asking the question.

Nova smiled and splashed me again. “You wouldn’t be the first to think I kissed you, if that’s what you’re asking!”

I chuckled like a halfwit, the tiny, frigid air pocket suddenly feeling like a sauna.

“We didn’t kiss, but I did have to blow some air in you. Like I said, you almost drowned.”

“Well, thank you for saving my life,” I said.

“You’re welcome. Most of my crew are rescued sailors like yourself.” She grinned. “Now, before we use up all this air, are you sure you don’t remember there being any treasure onboard?”

I shook my head and looked down into the illuminated waters, noting the dark, swirling trails left by my feet as I kicked back and forth treading water.

Captain Nova shrugged. “Well, no matter. We’ll look around a bit. It’ll give you some good practice holding your breath. And if you see anything that jogs your memory, tug on my arm.” She splashed me again and I threw my head back, knocking it hard against the wooden bulkhead.

“Ow!” I cried, rubbing my skull.

“Wait!” she urged harshly, dipping her head under the water. She reached a hand up and knocked twice on the wood. Then she popped her head up and smiled deviously. “Survivors!” she exclaimed. “They’re knocking in response to our knocks! Quick! We’ve got to find them! Let’s go look for closed doors!”

I took a deep breath and she dragged me under, quickly shooting us back toward the passageway through which we’d entered. She paused and knocked again, listening intently for the reply.

“I think it’s coming from the next deck up,” she said. We moved swiftly back out into the passageway, stopping briefly in a corner with trapped air for me, and she quickly found a ladder leading up through a hatch. Slowly we made our way from door to door, knocking and listening. As we grew closer I started to hear the replies. They still sounded faint and distant though and after a moment she declared that we needed to go up yet another deck.

Once again we stopped for air. I figured we had to be close to the main deck, and sure enough the next hatch took us out into open sea. Nova scratched her head and glanced around. Immediately I spotted a closed door in the quarterdeck. I tugged at Nova’s hand and pointed. She smiled and quickly dashed to the door, dragging me behind. The ship was listing heavily to the port side, and I found myself naturally leaning to match the angle of the door. I pressed an ear against the wood, knocked, and jumped back when the reply sounded as though they were hammering directly on my head.

The captain and I turned to face each other, nodded in agreement, and she rushed us back to the diving bell. We burst up into the hollow space and while I gasped for air Nova quickly explained the situation to Willie.

“Survivors?” he asked incredulously.

“Can’t tell how many,” Nova said excitedly, “but I saw some dinghies that we can surface as well. I’ll get over to the other bell and have the men lash one to their bell while we start escorting survivors to this one. They’ve been down here for a while, so we’ll need to make sure we hoist the bells slowly.”

Willie nodded and turned to me. “Ready for a rescue operation?” he asked, ominously giddy.

I shrugged, still taking deep, gasping breaths.

“Well, let’s get to it then!” he cried cheerily.

He dropped into the water as Nova swam off toward the other bell. To my surprise she was dragging a rope that was attached to our bell. Slowly, the structure began to move closer to the wreckage. I smiled at the ingenuity and efficiency of their operations.

Soon Willie had the door opened and we were inside the lavish captain’s quarters. Water had already filled more than half the compartment, but huddled in the remaining air pocket there were half a dozen tired, weak men doing their best to stay afloat. We burst into their space amidst cheers and tears of joy.

“We’ve got a diving bell big enough to hold us all,” Willie announced. “We’ll help you over, two at a time. We’re bringing one of your dinghies to the surface as well, and we’ll supply you with some food and water for your journey home.”

One of the men seemed familiar, his weathered face held my gaze and filled me with curiosity. The longer I stared, the closer I felt to some distant memory. When he finally spoke, it hit me all at once. He was the captain of the ship. I had spent some time with him during our journey, but I couldn’t recall any more details.

“I was sure we were doomed,” he said, his gruff voice filled with awe.

The captain insisted on staying until the last trip out to the bell. We started with the two weakest survivors. One was a skinny cabin boy who had been falling asleep for the last hour. The men had worked tirelessly to keep him awake and afloat, but he was losing his will to survive. Willie took him, asked him to take a deep breath, and dragged him down toward the door with impressive strength and finesse. I went with a slightly stronger swimmer and we worked together to dive to the door before making our way over to the bell.

With our first two rescues secured, we returned for the others. As we traveled back and forth I watched in awe as the crew of the other bell located an in-tact dinghy and dragged it into position. They used heavy ropes to secure the bow to their bell, and just as we were leaving the wreck with the captain and his first mate, I watched the starboard bell begin to ascend, towing the sunken dingy along below it. Something about the sight of a row boat heading toward the surface, bow first, made me chuckle and I nearly snorted out a lungful of air before finally climbing back inside the diving bell.

Captain Nova didn’t return. I presumed she didn’t need these strangers seeing her in her mermaid form. Willie explained that she had gone back to the ship to oversee the hoisting operation and ensure a safe ascent. He said that if we came up too fast from such a depth we could get sick, then he hushed me when I tried to ask more questions, eying our passengers compassionately.

The ascent lasted significantly longer than the descent, during which I reflected fondly on my time thus far with captain Nova. She was a kind and lovely soul. As a member of her crew I felt as though I were a privileged member of an exclusive group, privy to secrets and equipped with tools that put us in an entirely different realm of existence and operation. We weren’t mere sailors, pirates, or scavengers. Our captain was a powerful, benevolent mermaid, a mystical creature full of beauty and magic. My chest swelled with pride and I knew I had found my calling. I would serve Nova until the day I died.

[Captain Nova]