"Lord save me," Scrum murmured. The mermaid stared intently at the men in the longboat.
"Men, look! Look there!" Philip elbowed his surrounding pirates. The men remained silent, not wanting to frighten the beautiful thing away, but she seemed drawn to the boats. Like a deer slowly approaching a human, she was careful in her strokes. All remained silent until the girl smirked so beautifully that Scrum himself almost fell from the boat. Her teeth were straight, and pearly white and her lips parted perfectly. The golden hair flowed behind her in the water. Ezekiel pulled a knife from his belt, yelling incoherently at the beautiful creature. "You're scaring her off!" Philip cried, as some of the men pulled Ezekiel back by his shirtsleeves and collar, urging him to calm down. The mermaid had retreated from the boat, anxiety swept across her face.
Scrum moved for a closer look, "can you talk?" He asked.
"Yes." She responded, drifting back to the boat and putting her arms onto the edge, smiling. Scrum continued to stare at her, but she glanced at Ezekiel - who was now too calmly gazing at her, before turning back to Scrum.
"You're beautiful." He told her, smiling weakly, completely captivated by her fixed stare.
"Are you the one who sings?" She asked, leaning her head onto her arm dreamily, not once taking her eyes off of Scrum, who's breathing had decreased significantly.
"Aye."
"Are you my jolly sailor bold?"
Scrum blushed, and laughed nervously, not noticing that everybody in the longboat was now staring cautiously at the two of them. "Aye, that I be."
"Scrum, comport yourself!" Philip cried, as the men restrained him from the mermaid, who had leaned closer, swishing her tail under the water.
"Boys!" Scrum struggled against his comrades, "there ain't much been given to me in my brief, miserable life, there's a truth in it. But by God, I'll have it said that Scrum had himself a kiss from a proper mermaid!"
Wrenching himself free, he again gazed at the mermaid who had begun to sing. "My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold." Scrum felt himself losing all grip on reality. As she sang, more mermaids appeared and began to float towards the men, surfacing one by one staring at each pirate. "My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold." The mermaid placed her arms around Scrum's face, though about to kiss him. "There is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold." She descended underwater, Scrum's face still in her hands. He opened his eyes as he felt his head submerged into the mildly warm water, the young and beautiful mermaid's face was contorted with rage, and she bared her fangs at him. Scrum yelled, and struggled free of her grip. Rubbing the water from his eyes, he saw that the other mermaids had launched an attack. It was carnage. Men on shore ran into the water with a giant net as the mermaids began to tear at the boat, grabbing at the men inside it. Pirates were throwing gunpowder barrels into the water.
"Retreat, all! To land! For your lives! Retreat, I say!" cried Captain Jack Sparrow as he ran towards the lighthouse on the shore. Scrum began towards the shore himself, hearing a loud explosion as Jack threw the whale oil. Mermaids, dozens of them, swam after him, though they were only interested in making it onto the beach themselves. Coming to his senses, and wishing for his moment of pride, Scrum grabbed hold of the first mermaid he glimpsed, gripping the floating net and entangling her. "I've got one!" He cried to the pirates on shore, dragging her from the shallow seawater. Thrashing viciously, the mermaid hissed before screeching in pain as Philip stabbed her fin with his dagger. "Oi! What are you doing?" Cried Scrum giving Philip a firm shove.
"Come, give a hand!" Blackbeard called to the other survivors, "well done, sailor." He acknowledged Scrum, who felt faint from exhaustion.
"I'm in love!" Scrum said before toppling onto the ground. Jack appeared from sea, crawling up the beach unsteadily, much to Angelica's delight. "Did everyone see that? Because I will NOT be doing that again!"
"Back to the ship," Blackbeard ordered as the men carried the net with the hissing, struggling mermaid trapped inside, "we head for a protected cove. Now."