"Food's ready!" Luella Davis called up the stairs.
Pairs of thundering feet raced throughout the house towards the dining room where Luella had plated up enough food for her son's entire crew.
Martin rose from his armchair and put out his pipe before walking through to the dining room and taking his seat at the head of the table. Luella sat down opposite him.
The couple waited for the rest of the table to fill up. Smiling faces waited like eager children to dig in until the penultimate young man walked in.
"Noll said he isn't hungry," Gene muttered. "He said to eat without him."
Luella pursed her lips, unhappy with this news.
"Gene, why don't you say grace for us," Martin prompted, to settle the atmosphere.
"Uh, sure." Gene cleared his throat. "Good food, good wine, thank God, let's dine!"
Luella's pursed lips tightened at his informal address, but the crew had already begun eating. She sighed and looked around at the mismatched bunch of pirates. They ate like she had starved them for the past week.
Only Lin and John were using their knives and forks correctly. Luella sighed again when she noticed that Gene had foregone his knife in favour of stuffing his mouth with as much food as possible. Her exasperation increased upon spotting Madoka using her own knife to threaten Houshou.
Nevertheless, she loved them all.
Houshou, who had finished his food first, soon began a loud tale about something lude and not at all suitable for the dinner table and polite society. Both Martin and Luella turned a deaf ear to his story.
"What's for dessert?" Ayako asked.
"I have made a cake, if any of you would like a piece," Luella said. "But I will need help washing up these dishes first."
Despite being rough around the edges, the entire crew stood up to help. Their endeavours to help soon led Luella to turn a few people away. Her kitchen was only so big after all.
An hour later, the cake demolished and the kitchen cleaned, the crew returned to their previous exploits. John and Lin were reading. Madoka and Gene were playing cards. Houshou was singing with his guitar while Ayako listened in.
Gene threw down his final winning hand and stood up.
"I'm gonna go and check on Noll," he declared.
Madoka shrugged, picked up the cards and dealt herself a game of patience. Gene headed up to his twin's bedroom.
"Hey."
"What do you want?"
"How are you feeling?"
Oliver twisted in his seat and glared at Gene, who recoiled.
"Mai wouldn't want this," Gene ventured, his voice gentle. "She'd hate to see you holed up like this."
"Well Mai isn't here is she?" Oliver retorted. Bitter resentment filled every fibre of his being.
Gene bit his lip, not knowing what words could possibly help in this situation.
"Mum's worried about you."
"She always has been."
Oliver twisted back and continued staring out of the window. From it, he could just see the ocean through the trees.
"You need to eat."
"And you need to leave me alone. Aren't you busy with your crew?" Oliver spat the last word like poison.
"It was not my crew that destroyed the ship that carried her, Noll. Do not associate us with the likes of those barbarians."
"You are still pirates. You chose to liken yourselves to them."
Gene scowled and left.
Oliver waited until the door was closed before returning to his desk. There lay several finished letters waiting to be posted. He pulled another sheet of paper and his quill towards him.
Someone in the army would answer for what happened to Mai. They should have protected her.
Oliver wrote with the most forceful language he knew of his disgust at the lack of ability of the soldiers charged to protect his… His friend from the rogues that scoured the sea.
He had met Mai in person only on one occasion. She had been travelling with her father, a trader, and bumped into him in the market. After a hasty apology in at least five poorly pronounced languages, Mai had struck up a conversation in heavily accented English.
Normally Oliver would have brushed her aside, but something about this girl had captured his interest. She was not highly educated like himself, but she was eager to learn.
After her departure from his town, they had remained in correspondence ever since by letter. Conversations took weeks at a time, but Oliver did not mind. He had never been a particularly social person.
And then Mai's father had died. Her mother had passed away years before and so now she was alone in the world. She had written of her attempts to continue his business, she knew more than enough about it. But as a small woman with a squeaky voice, not many had taken her seriously.
So Oliver had paid for her transport back to his town. His intentions had been to give her the education she deserved. Luella, of course, had other notions. Oliver had not corrected his mother. While he had never felt anything like sexual desire for his long time friend, she was one of very few people that he felt he would be happy to spend his life with.
Yet Mai never arrived. In her place came a letter.
Dear Sir,
The ship harbouring the passenger, Mai Taniyama, paid for by yourself, was sunk by pirates three nights ago. There were no survivors.
Our deepest apologies,
The East India Trading Company
Oliver had not eaten since. Despite his brother's activities, Oliver had believed in the navy's ability to keep law abiding citizen's safe. Though Mai had not been a citizen, the ship that had carried her should have been laden with trade goods.
It frustrated him.
"You look deep in thought."
Oliver spun around, shocked.
"Lin."
"Your mother requested I brought this up to you."
"My apologies, she should not have asked you," Oliver muttered.
He took the plate that Lin offered him and placed it down on his desk. He had no desire to eat any of the food, but as Lin seemed to have no intention of leaving until he had eaten something, Oliver picked up the knife and fork.
"I had finished my book, it was no trouble," Lin said. "You are angry."
Oliver glared at him for stating the obvious.
"I think you should join us."
"What?"
"I think you should join us," Lin repeated. "Come and travel. Get out of this town."
"I am not getting on that row boat and looting things."
"Do not let Gene hear you call his ship a rowing boat."
Oliver continued to eat, not feeling the need to reply. Now he had started eating, he did not want to stop.
"The size of the ship aside, we do not take anything from those who cannot afford to lose it," Lin muttered.
"Redistribution of wealth, Gene likes to put it." Oliver scoffed.
"But how much more can you learn from this room and from these books? There is only so much you can learn from a book before you will have to get up and discover things for yourself."
Oliver frowned at these words, but Lin had left before he could give a witty retort.
A sound of a creaking floorboard alerted Luella of someone walking towards her. She looked up from her needlework to see Lin smiling politely, waiting for her to speak.
"Did you speak with him?" Luella asked, worry etched into her already lined face.
"Yes, and he ate," Lin replied. "I have given him something to think about if nothing else."
"Thank you so much, you are such a kind young man!" Luella looked ready to embrace Lin, but she held herself back.
Lin smiled graciously and excused himself to sit by Madoka and watch the progress of her solo card game.
"Do you want to play?"
"I am not foolish enough to attempt to play against you," Lin replied.
"There are far too many people in this room for me to play any game that would put you at risk."
If Lin blushed, it was hidden by the curtain of dark hair that fell across one half of his face. He watched Madoka's progress through her own game with a quiet interest that had more to do with admiring her and less to do with the actual card game.
In another corner, Martin snoozed in his armchair. Luella fussed over pouring drinks for Ayako and Houshou while John stoked the fire.
It was a quiet evening, soured only by the lack of Oliver's presence. The last time Gene's crew had visited, the entire family had sat together and while Oliver did nothing but sit in the corner with his nose in a book, the atmosphere had been warm.
But no matter how tenderly John encouraged the fire, a chill remained in the room.
Eventually, everyone made their way to bed. Everyone apart from Oliver, who sat up in his room writing more letters. The food had fueled him. But the more he wrote, the more Lin's words echoed around his head. How much further could he get with only reading and letters?
Luella found Oliver the next morning, asleep with his head on his desk. An inkwell lay on its side, its innards spilling out and soaking into Oliver's carefully worded letters. Some of the ink had stained Oliver's shirt.
"Noll, dear, I've brought you some tea," Luella said, shaking him awake.
Oliver sat up and groaned. He stretched upwards and yawned before spotting his mother.
"Yes?" he prompted.
"I brought you tea."
"Thank you."
Oliver took the tea and drank the entire cup in one go. Luella watched, alarmed but silent.
"Mother?"
"Yes?"
"I am going travelling."
Luella blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"My brother continually boasts about the size of his boat. If it really is big enough I am sure that it will manage to contain one extra passenger."
"Oh, I see," Luella said. "Have you spoken to Gene about this?"
"Gene will not refuse me anything."
"You should still ask, it's polite."
Oliver rolled his eyes, stood up and handed Luella the cup back.
"I need to pack, what is for breakfast?"
A small smile graced Luella's lips.
"Whatever you want, I was just about to start cooking."
"I do not mind," Oliver said.
Luella nodded and left, only to have her name called a moment later.
"Yes, Noll?"
"Do you have a trunk I could use?"
"I'm sure your brother has something he can lend you."
Oliver turned on his heel and strode to his brother's room. He entered without knocking to find Gene snoring softly into the pillow that he was hugging. Oliver rolled his eyes at his brother's tardiness.
"Gene, wake up."
A low guttural noise escaped Gene's lips.
"Gene."
The guttural noise grew in volume.
"Gene, your boat is on fire."
Gene sat bolt upright and scowled.
"She is a ship! Not a boat!"
Oliver rolled his eyes and smirked.
"I need a trunk."
"What?"
"A wooden box to put my luggage in."
"What?"
"I literally don't know how to make that sentence simpler."
"Why do you need a trunk?"
"To put my luggage in."
"But, why? Where are you going?"
"Lin invited me aboard your boat—"
"Ship."
"—to travel and I have decided to take him up on his offer."
"That's not up to him to decide! I am the Captain!" Gene insisted. "You have to ask me."
"And you want to upset the only navigator that will work for you?"
"He is not the only navigator that will work for me! He is the best!"
"He pitied you."
Gene pouted up at his twin.
"He did not!"
"If that helps you sleep at night. Do you have a trunk I can use or not?"
"Yes, that one under the window should be empty," Gene grumbled, "But I'm not helping you carry it to my ship."
Oliver raised an eyebrow at his twin.
"Fine, I will help you carry it, but you have to call me Captain."
Oliver's eyebrow rose, if possible, a little further.
"I hate you," Gene muttered. "Fine. When is breakfast ready?"
"Luella should be starting it now."
Gene sighed.
"I should get everyone up then."
"Yes, you should, after you've helped me carry this to my room."
"You will have to pull your weight on my ship, you realise? All jesting aside."
"Well, I imagine it'll be a nice change to have some brains aboard your boat—"
"Ship."
"Of course."
Gene scowled at Oliver's smirk and grabbed one end of the trunk. Oliver picked up the other and together they carried it through to Oliver's room.
"Don't pack too many books," Gene advised. "They'll get damp."
"You have a leaky boat?"
"Ship. And no I do not! But there is lots of water at sea, surprisingly, so things get damp."
"Right."
Gene huffed and stalked out to wake the rest of his crew. John had already woken up and was assisting Luella with the cooking by the time that Gene made it down.
"Has Noll spoken to you?" Luella asked as she stirred porridge.
"If by spoken, you mean insulted me to my very core—"
"What did he call your boat this time?"
"Mum! She is a ship!"
"Of course dear. And what did you say to Noll's idea?"
"It looks like we have a new crew member."
My dear!" Luella ran to embrace her son. "Are you certain that you want to go?"
Oliver lightly returned his mother's embrace, blinking away tears at her distress.
"I'm certain, mother," he answered, loosening and holding her by the elbows.
Luella nodded, sniffling though no tears were evident on her face.
"I do think it will help you not to dwell on upsetting matters of the past," Luella said, turning to her other son, standing behind her. "Watch out for him, Gene," she directed. "It will do him no good to get into trouble."
Before Gene could formulate a reply, Lin came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder.
"I'll keep an eye on them, Mrs Davis," he assured the woman.
At this, Gene let out a loud guffaw.
"Get it?" he chuckled. "He only has one eye! He'll keep one eye on us! His only eye!"
Lin's grip on Gene's shoulder tightened.
"Hilarious," Lin deadpanned. "Let's go."
From the dock, Madoka and John came, dusting their hands off on their coats as they had just taken the last of their personal belongings aboard the ship.
"We'll need to get going if you want to miss the storm, Captain," Madoka said, addressing Gene.
Gene nodded, taking a step in the direction of the dock.
"Where is Houshou?" Lin wondered aloud, peering over Madoka's head searching for him.
"Probably in a cabinet with the cook," Gene said, grinning cheekily.
This statement made John, now standing right behind him, blush profusely. After almost a year of being aboard a pirate ship and putting up with the crew's lewd humour, he was still shocked at the smallest innuendo.
Lin let out a small puff of air that vaguely resembled a laugh.
"Don't act surprised, Brown," he said. "Everyone knows that they are..."
"Courting," interrupted Oliver, sparing John more embarrassment. "Will someone go find them?"
Madoka chuckled, "Aye, Captain."
"I'm the captain!" Gene protested, taking great offence to this mistake.
"Right," Madoka frowned. "You look very similar."
"Do we, now?" Gene asked sarcastically. "We're identical twins, of course we look similar."
"Aye, aye," Madoka replied halfheartedly, chuckling under her breath.
Gene raised an eyebrow at her reaction and Madoka turned to go find the missing cook and pirate.
A few moments later, the three returned. Ayako, the cook, and Houshou looking dishevelled and Madoka looking annoyed.
"Now are we ready to depart?" Gene asked, glaring pointedly at Houshou.
"Aye!" came the almost unanimous answer from the crew, bar Oliver, who was still not accustomed to working under his twin's authority.
Luella and Martin embraced their sons once more and waved them goodbye as they made their way down towards Gene's docked ship.
"This is her!" Gene said, motioning for his brother to follow him through the entrance to the cabins. "A great ship, Ophelia is."
"You named your boat Ophelia?" Oliver asked, incredulous.
"She is a ship," Gene argued. "And, yes, I did."
"Have you read the play?"
"What play?"
Oliver sighed.
"Hamlet. The play Hamlet by the playwright Shakespeare," he explained. "You've not heard of it?"
"I don't have much time for reading, dear brother."
"Of course," Oliver rolled his eyes. "Well, in the play, there is a girl named Ophelia who drowns. Ophelia drowns, Gene. You have picked the single worst name for a boat possibly ever."
"How unfortunate," Gene shrugged. "Good thing my ship floats!"
"You're an idiot."
"So I've been told!" Gene laughed. "Anyways, here is your cabin."
Gene opened a door to reveal a small, dank room with one cot and a nightstand.
"Plenty of room for all of your books!"
"Somehow, it's worse than I imagined," Oliver sighed. "Congratulations."
"Don't whine! That's the second rule on my ship. Whiners get sent overboard."
"What's the first rule?"
"Obey the captain at all times."
"Right."
"Well, I will leave you to get settled in. I'm going to check in on Madoka. Enjoy yourself!"
Oliver sighed, taking a seat on his rickety cot. He wondered if it was too late to back out of this. He heard a knock on the door and straightened.
"Come in," he called, halfheartedly.
John tentatively opened the door and let himself in.
"How do you fair, mate?"
"Fine," Oliver answered, almost too promptly.
John smiled, expecting him to elaborate.
"Is it too late to go back home?"
John laughed awkwardly.
"Sorry, I'm here to let you know that we'll be taking off soon, so I'm afraid you're on board at least until next dock."
Oliver didn't answer.
"I'm sorry to hear that you're unhappy. Would you like me to show you around the ship some more? I can help find you something to do if you'd like."
Oliver shrugged, standing up.
"I find that when I miss home, I feel better when I'm working," John continued.
"It's not exactly home that I miss," Oliver sighed. "I underestimated how close all of this would feel to her death."
"Her?" John's eyebrows knitted.
Oliver sighed again and closed his eyes.
"You don't have to talk about anything you don't want—"
"I lost a very good friend to a band of rogue pirates. Everywhere I look, I see her. Mai. Her name was Mai."
John frowned.
"I see. Pardon my asking, mate, but why would you join a band of pirates after such an incident?"
"Because I know that my brother wouldn't kill an innocent girl." Oliver ran a hand through his hair. "And what is the point in being lawful if the law couldn't protect my friend?"
John reached out a hand and carefully patted Oliver's shoulder.
"Come on, let's find some work to do. It clears the mind."
John led Oliver up onto the deck, pointing out various interesting things as he did so to fill the otherwise awkward silence.
"Lin!" John called, waving the navigator over.
Lin was the closest thing the ship had to a second-in-command, and John preferred his quiet personality to dealing with Captain Gene most of the time. He also found Lin to be a much more sophisticated companion.
Lin turned, greeting John and Oliver with a nod.
"Oliver and I are looking for some work to occupy our time. Do you have any suggestions?"
Lin's fingers tapped in a random pattern down on his thigh as he pondered this question. Oliver found this odd, because the stoic navigator did not seem the type to fidget.
"You may find some organising to do in the spare cabin where you keep the records. Or the food cabinet." Lin offered. "Captain mentioned you were particular about how your library was kept."
"You keep records?" Oliver raised his eyebrows in question.
"Gene keeps a 'Captain's Log' of sorts so that he can keep track of where the ship has been and what he's done. He also keeps record of our supplies and loot."
"I see." Oliver nodded. "Maybe my brother isn't entirely incompetent."
Lin and John both chuckled lightly at this statement.
"Thank you, Lin." John turned back towards the cabins and storage areas. "Come on, then."
John led Oliver to a dark room, about the same size as Oliver's cabin. In the room was a single desk, piled high with papers and a large, loosely bound journal. There were also maps and more papers littering the floor in haphazard stacks.
"Heavens, what a mess." Oliver shook his head at the room. "What's the point of keeping records if they aren't accessible?"
"I suppose he finds what he needs when he needs it." John laughed. "Do you have this under control?"
Oliver nodded.
"I suppose I could get this place put back together."
"Alright!" John stepped back through the door. "Let me know if you need anything! And beware of the cupboards." He shivered. "I've seen things."
It took Oliver a few days and the occasional vomit over the side to adjust to the routine on the Ophelia. He soon found the quietest place on the ship, the crow's nest. Oliver often sat and read in the crow's nest, that had been left unused by the rest of the crew.
However spending time in such a way had an obvious downside. From the crow's nest, Oliver could see far in every direction. He could see just how far off another ship could be from their own and he knew that it would be far enough for their ship to easily avoid contact, or to ready for a fight.
On several occasions, Madoka had attempted to teach Oliver how to sword fight. So far, all she had managed to teach him was that being cut by a sword hurt and that being sewn up hurt worse.
Two weeks after they set out, Oliver found himself sat in the crow's nest and reading through one of Gene's logs. It had been from the early days of Gene's travels.
Day 42
This morning I almost steered Ophelia into another boat but it is all fine. I missed. Madoka made friends with this doctor and her boy friend. We're going to stay in this port for a few days. Madoka reckons she could persuade them to join us!
Plus there is a rich house on the hill that we are going to liberate of its belongings. The barman at lunch was talking about the taxes the owner of said house imposed on them all. I think a little redistribution of wealth would be appropriate…
Oliver smirked, amused with his brother's adventures and mishaps. He turned the page and stretched his head from side to side. An ache had formed from the way he had been sitting.
Day 43
Redistribution went well. But we had to scarper pretty quick after that. Madoka's new doctor friend accused us of kidnapping her but I think she was joking… However she did tell us some awesome stories about krakens and sea monsters in the south.
Perhaps we should investigate.
Turns out this new doctor is called Ayako, Madoka has just informed me. Madoka also likes the idea of investigating sea monsters so the plan is to tell Lin where to take us without telling him why…
Oliver groaned for Lin's sake. He sighed and turned the page to the next entry.
Day 50
Okay so maybe investigating sea monsters was not such a good idea. Not only were the seas rougher, but the size of those creatures! It's only down to Lin's skill we got away! I hacked off a good chunk of tentacle but Ayako insists we can't eat it.
No idea why, it looks perfectly edible to me. How is it any different to squid?
Oliver rolled his eyes.
Then a flash of red caught his eye.
Oliver lowered the book and stared at the ocean. There it was again. A dazzling flash of red. A hand scrambled for the spyglass he had borrowed from Gene. He brought it to his eye and located the red.
Had all this talk of sea monsters gone to his head?
But it was not just a red blob. There was something red dancing in the water. The light reflected off the shimmering— Was it cloth? What else could move so fluidly? Oliver could not be sure.
Oliver readjusted the spyglass and a head and set of shoulders came into focus. Was it his imagination or was there light, brown hair floating near the surface? Silently, he wished for the figure to turn.
"Wait…"
But how could there be a person in the middle of the sea?
The figure turned and Oliver's mouth fell open. He knew those eyes that were staring up at him. He recognised that face. It had aged since he had last saw it, but it was… It was…
"No…"
Oliver scrambled down the mast.
For a moment, he thought that maybe he was going mad.
"Gene! Gene we need to change direction!" he shouted.
Gene, who had been standing next to Lin on the sterncastle deck, moved forwards to hear Oliver better.
"What's going on?"
"Mai! Mai is in the water! Turn this boat left twenty degrees! She's over there! I saw her!"
A look of strong concern washed over Gene.
"Noll, come and sit down, I think being at sea is getting to you."
"She is in the water Gene!"
"Noll, she can't be. Mai's dead! There is no way she could have swum for this long, not to mention this is at least a hundred days travel from where her ship sank…"
"Just look!" Oliver pressed.
He forced the spyglass into Gene's hand and pointed in the direction he had seen Mai. Gene looked.
Oliver watched with baited breath, waiting for Gene to issue the order to change course. But it never happened.
"Noll, there's nothing there but the sea."
Oliver snatched the spyglass back and looked himself. Any signs of red or Mai were gone. There was nothing but the large blue expanse of sea.
Scowling, Oliver stalked back to his compartment, aware that the rest of the crew were muttering about him, but he could not bring himself to care. Mai was dead and now he was going mad.
The phantom Mai in the sea reappeared a few times over the coming days. Oliver spotted her hair shining in the sun and the redness… The red bothered Oliver. He had considered many explanations for why it was there.
If this phantom was a ghost, was the redness the tear between this world and the world beyond? Or the phantom could be a mirage, a problem with his eyesight. Perhaps the red was blood staining her body…
Oliver shook his head to rid himself of the thought.
"Oi! Dinner's up," a voice called through his door, but by the time Oliver had looked up, whoever it had been had left.
He pulled on his boots and half tied the laces. He would not be running anywhere so why bother doing them up correctly? Oliver shuffled from his room and up to the mess hall. He was handed a bowl of broth and a spoon.
"Noll, come and sit here," Gene shouted down the hall.
Oliver complied, if only to make his brother happy.
"Aren't you just thrilled at having broth again?" Gene asked as Oliver took his seat.
"Shouldn't you be up top?" Oliver muttered.
"Nah, Lin has taken charge while I eat. You've been up late a lot recently, struggling to sleep?"
"No. I have been studying the stars."
"Find anything good?"
"I have verified Copernicus's theories on heliocentrism."
"Yeah you can never trust Copernicus," Gene replied with a laugh.
"Do you know who he is?"
"The guy that suggested helio— Thingy."
Oliver sighed, but could not help but laugh at his brother's foolishness. Gene grinned, happy to have made his brother chuckle, if only for a moment.
They ate in silence for a while, both listening to Ayako and Houshou's bickering over whether the broth was too salty.
"Do they ever shut up?" Oliver asked as he finished.
"Only when locked in a cupboard somewhere…" Gene replied, his face a mask of distaste. "Like they have their own room on the other side of the ship that they could use but no. They have to use a cupboard."
"Don't kink shame!" Madoka shouted over. "Cupboards are great for sha—"
"I don't want to know!" Gene said loudly, covering his ears with his hands. "My poor ship… Being defiled…"
Oliver retreated from the room and collected his journal and pencil. He had given up with ink after the moisture in the air had diluted this neat writing into a blue mess on the page.
He headed up to the deck and nodded a 'good evening' to Lin.
"The skies are clear tonight," Lin said. "It's almost a full moon."
"Yes. Unfortunately the light blinds us to some of the stars."
"Indeed, but it makes navigating this boat a lot easier."
Oliver smirked. He slumped down into a pile of rope and wriggled until it had formed a comfortable seat. Then he set about marking the locations of the stars and planets that evening.
After about an hour of writing drawing and annotating, Oliver stood up and stretched. He rolled his head from side to side and massaged his neck.
And that's when something caught his eye.
Gene poked his spoon around the bowl, chasing the last remains of his supper. This damn bit of potato kept sliding away and he was determined to catch it without resorting to tipping the whole damn bowl into his mouth.
"Man overboard! Man overboard!"
Gene dropped his spoon and bolted up the stairs, forgetting his broth in an instant.
"Who?" he demanded, deaf to the stampede of feet behind him.
"Oliver!" Lin replied. "He just took a nosedive off the port side!"
Gene swore.
"Keep the helm steady! Raise the sails! Lower the anchor!" he ordered. "We need to keep her steady! Houshou, help me ready the dinghy!"
The crew jumped into action.
"Why would he do this?" Houshou asked as they tackled the rigging.
"I have no idea," Gene muttered back. "Noll can't swim."
Houshou's eyes widened in horror and began working twice as fast. Within minutes they had lowered the dinghy into the ocean. Gene's eyes scanned the water top for any signs of his brother, but even in the light of the moon, he could see very little.
"Let's row out a little," Houshou suggested. He took charge of the oars, while Gene continued to scan the water.
"Any sign?" a yell from the Ophelia reached their ears.
Gene could not bring himself to respond.
"Captain…?" Houshou prompted. "Which direction do you want?"
"I… I can't see him…" Gene whispered. "I can't…"
"Captain?"
Gene cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled into the darkness, "Noll! Where are you? Noll!"
Then, without warning, something burst out of the water barely a food from the edge of the dinghy. Gene screamed and fell back. Houshou pulled him down into the boat.
"Help me!" a desperate female voice begged. "I can't pull him up!"
Gene, too dazed to move, simply stared. Luckily, Houshou was quicker. The older man pulled the body from the water and into the safety of the dinghy.
"He's not breathing," the female voice whined. "He's got water in his lungs!"
Gene stared in horror as he realised that the body that Houshou had pulled from the water was his brother. Oliver's pale skin shone in the moonlight. He looked to the source of the female voice. A young woman clung to the side of the dinghy.
Not quite aware of his own actions, he made to pull her up too. Surely she must be freezing? But she pushed him away, her attention obviously focused on Oliver. Gene frowned.
Houshou tipped Oliver's head overboard in an attempt to rid his lungs of the water.
"You've got to keep him warm," the young woman insisted. "And press on his chest! And give him air!"
"What?"
She growled at the useless humans in front of her and pulled herself onto the boat. She stole Oliver from Houshou's arms and lay him down. The two men watched as she alternated between pressing down on Oliver's chest and clamping her own mouth to his.
On the third cycle, Oliver spluttered and lurched upwards. He coughed and threw up yet more sea water.
"You idiot!" Gene yelled at him. "You can't swim! Why on earth did you jump in after…"
Gene's mouth fell open as his eyes focused on the young woman's lower half.
"Am I going crazy?" Houshou asked. "Or does she have a tail?"
The young woman swore and wriggled back into the water.
"Wait! Are you a… A mermaid?"
"She's… Mai…" Oliver croaked between panting breaths.
"What?"
Mai shrugged.
"I… I drowned and when I woke up I was just like this…?" She gestured downwards at her body. "I don't understand it myself…"
"I… Told you… That I saw… Her…"
"But mermaids aren't real," Houshou said. "This is a dream. Definitely a dream."
Mai reached over and punched him.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"This isn't a dream! Now give Oliver your jacket you heartless oaf!"
Houshou pouted, but obliged.
"Gene…" Oliver managed.
"Yes?" Gene turned his focus to his brother, who remained bent over and heaving.
"Your boat shrunk…"
Gene scowled.
"If you hadn't just almost drowned I would throw you back in! My ship is over there," he said, pointing to the Ophelia. "Talking of which, we should get back. Um, do you want to come with us?" he asked Mai.
"I kind of have to stay in the water? I have no legs…"
"Oh… Right…"
"I am not losing you again," Oliver muttered. "You are not to go running off."
"I can't run, I have no legs." Oliver scowled at the laughing mermaid. "I'll follow the ship, if you could just pop down into this dinghy now and then…"
She looked away, her cheeks reddening.
"I'm sure we can arrange something," Oliver replied with a ghost of a smile.
"Great!" Houshou exclaimed. "Oliver's girlfriend is an imaginary creature and I am going mad. I need sleep."
Mai punched him again.
"Let's get back to the Ophelia," Gene suggested. "Houshou, get rowing. Mai, we'll see you soon."
Mai smiled and disappeared under the water.
A few days later, Gene strode about the upper deck. He regarded his ship with pride. The crew were working well with each other and the sun was out. When he reached the starboard side, he peered over the edge and spotted the dinghy.
It was tied to the ship so that it glided alongside. It held Oliver and Mai, who were obviously deep in conversation about something. Gene could not quite hear enough to gather what topic.
But it did not matter. He smiled, happy for his brother.
"Everything is looking shipshape, Captain," Lin said from somewhere behind him.
"Indeed," Gene agreed. "But I need you to remind me of something when we next port."
"Hmm?"
"Yes, the entire crew is getting swimming lessons."
Author's note: So this is the first of three planned oneshots in the same world. We would like to thank TeaAddictedGhostHunter for her help with some edits on this chapter. Bee and I really hope you liked it and found it as funny as we did! If so, please review!