Sailors are warned from a young age to beware what lurks in the waters. There’s monsters with spiked spines and blackened teeth, with tentacles and claws that can tear flesh from the bone in one slice. And Ofcourse they’re taught to fear the beauty too.
Pretty little things that sit in the middle of lakes and rivers, even the open sea, and lure men to their demise. Beauty beyond human comprehension that’s just too good to be true. They look sweet, defenseless, and most find themselves diving in to try and save them only to be dragged down into the icy cold waters.
Every sailor knows these stories. Every one. And yet he can’t help himself when he sees the boy there. He doesn’t look human, his eyes are red and his hair is golden. His nails are tinted blue and his body bends in ways that humans, real humans, cannot. He sits on the edge of a rock, admiring the crashing waves and seemingly oblivious to the prying sailor who keeps inching closer. He notices the way his body starts as man and morphs into something else the lower you look. It starts with a few patches of scale against pale skin, and then it’s a tail, dipping off into the water.
“I know you’re there.” The boy thing chirps out. He turns to the sailor, brushing a piece of hair behind his ear and smiling at him with razor sharp teeth. “Don’t you know how dangerous it is to be out here alone?”
“Well…I’m not alone. You’re here aren’t you?” He quips back, and that seems to make the thing smile wider.
“Oh sailor. That’s even worse. Usually I don’t play with my food but you seem like fun. Am I right? Are you fun?” He turns on the rock fully now, lays on his stomach and props his head up on his hands. His tail swishes in the water and the sailor eyes it, long and lethal. He needs to be careful. “What’s the matter? You look like I’m going to bite you.” He teases.
“If I got close enough I have no doubt you would. A beast like you. How many have you taken from here?” He challenged, daring himself to step closer.
The stories didn’t do him justice. He knew mer were said to be beautiful, but he was unearthly. Bathed in moonlight and surrounded by clear blue. He wants to see him up close, it’s like a compulsion to keep moving forward.
“Who’s to say you wouldn’t like my bite? You humans…always telling the worst stories of us. You always leave out the fun parts.” He pouts, his tail twitching in the water.
“What fun?” He almost regrets asking it when the thing smiles, rows of sharp teeth glistening at him.
“Get in the water and I’ll show you.”
“Some things are worth drowning for, sailor. The best night of your life. Just come alittle closer.”
He hadn’t realized his feet were moving, he was now knee deep in the water when seconds ago he was on dry land. He looked back at the shore, but it was too late. A clawed hand was gripping his face and forcing his eyes back.
“Got you now. Don’t look so scared, I’m not going to do anything you don’t like.” The water feels like glass now, sharp and cold stinging against his skin as he’s dragged deeper. He tries to thrash against the creature but it’s unphased, simply dragging him along. When his head goes under the water he’s positive this is it, he’s going to drown and be eaten. His crew mates will assume he ran off, and his body will never be found. He won’t even be a story.
His eyes are clenched shut, as if that would somehow shield him from the freezing water and what was to come. Pushing up and out of the water felt like breaking a sheet glass. He gasped for air, sputtering when he was back on land. But not this land. As his eyes focused he was able to make out that he was in a cave surrounded by piles of gold and jewels.
“This is my cove. And you, little sailor, are my newest addition.”
ellievsbear
tangentwithtanner
origamiaround
prguitarman
discoholicmusic
