Sea breeze, smelling of briny salt and fresh air, blew through Anders’ dark blonde hair. The sun shown down upon the teal ocean waves, kicked up by the aged wooden hull of the creaking ship. He was humming a shanty, a little tune stuck in his head as he was sharpening his surgeon’s tools. He was the doctor on this ship, good friends with the captain. He sighed, his morning ruined by the scrambling of men to hoist the large nets they had cast out. But it wasn’t fish they were bringing up, this was no fishing vessel.
He watched as they heaved the net up, the shimmering of large scales and the screams of women echoed in his ears. Four struggling and thrashing creatures were in the nets. They were mermaids....