Chapter 14: Keelhaul
Shark hit the water. The air in his chest turned to ice.
The pirate thrashed once against the keelhaul line before sinking into the cold ocean.
Hook watched, unblinking as his crew towed the line looped about the ships haul. "Faster." Hook ordered quietly, "We do not want Mr. Shark to miss the keel."
Without flinching, the pirates pulled harder.
"Faster," Hook repeated. The ocean frothed. "Come now mates. Remember; it was Mr. Shark who stole your treasure."
Keelhauling was a delicate art; much more complicated than dragging a pirate under a ship. The trick was to pull at just the right speed so the victim scraped against the sharp barnacles adhered to the ship's underside. Pull too slowly and the pirate sunk safely below the keel. Pull too hard and the pirate died too quickly, often by decapitation.
Aside from torture, Hook had neither plan in mind.
"Stop."
The pirates paused, holding the keelhaul line at the ready.
Bumbling with his red cap, Smee approached Hook's least lethal side. "But Capn? The keelhauling!"
"Keelhauling," spoke the Captain softly, "is not my purpose at the present, Mr. Smee."
"But..b-b-but… the line Capn?" protested Smee, pressing his fat cheeks, "And Sharkie—he'll drown for sure if he's not pulled up. With all due respect, Capn."
Hook's cerulean eyes scanned the ocean, waiting. Finally, oily, black ink oozed around the ship.
Hook smiled.
"Mr. Shark will not drown," assured the captain, shoulders crouched over the railing.
The crew glanced at each other perplexedly, the rope vibrating beneath their fingers.
Smee whipped his nose, peering off the side of the ship. The inky water bubbled.
Hook smiled, answering the unasked question, "The seawitch will not let Shark drown."
The black depths shuddered.
"She prefers her meat fresh."
Shark hit the water.
The ocean churned. The water was murky.
The rope jerked, yanking him by the wrists. Water pushed into his eyes, forcing them shut. The ropes bore Shark forward. His head bumped against the hull. A jagged barnacle sliced his ear.
There wasn't much time.
Shark blew bubbles, forcing all the air out of his chest. He pumped his arms. He swallowed saltwater.
Still he sunk too slowly.
Twisting against the line Shark tried to find slack. But the rope resisted. It only pulled faster, lifting him toward the razor haul. Shark bent his head, preparing for the sting.
Then, he stopped. His body sagged.
Shark opened his eyes.
The ocean gaped dark and ominous below his feet. Shark floated there in silence, hanging by his wrists like a worm on a hook.
Why weren't they pulling?
Shark tugged the line. Pull!
Nothing. His chest was begging for air. His head was screaming.
Shark wrenched. PULL!
Nothing.
Wait.
Something.
The blue ocean turned black.
Eight black tentacles peeked over Shark's shoulders. They slithered with minds of their own, exploring his ears, nose, and mouth.
Two croocked hands, ghostly white, shot out of the inky black. They locked onto the pirate's neck. Claws dug through his skin. Shark screamed as the white hands drew back, ripping his flesh.
The white hands unclenched, releasing flabs of skin and strings of veins. An eerie, melodious laugh filled the silent underworld as the bloody slits transformed into shiny fish gills.
Shark gasped. Deeply inhaling the cool water, the pirate bowed his head.
"Hello, Handsome."
Shark's bright eyes snapped open. "Seawitch. Where are ye?"
"I'm here."
The voice was to his left. Shark tilted his head. Nothing. Nothing but ink.
"Where?"
"Here."
This time the voice came from behind. Shark bared his teeth. She was toying with him.
"I'm not afraid of ye, Seawitch!"
"I know, Darling." A wave of blackest ink flushed over him, "Sharks are never afraid. Only feared." The seawitch laughed again. "And what reason, my handsome Sharkie, do you have to fear me?"
Shark cringed, as if she had bitten again into his neck. A vision had flashed before his eyes. A little mermaid. Chained. Crying. Helpless. Trapped.
"She misses you," simpered the seawitch wickedly, "She cries at night. She is sure you have forgotten her."
"Witch!" Shark growled, bearing his teeth. The fire in his heart lit the undersea world. "I want her back! Alive! Untampered!"
Shark could not see, but sensed the evil smile. "Darling…there is not enough treasure."`
"No. We make a new deal."
Nothing. The ink blackened.
"A life for a life."
Still nothing.
"Seawitch? Seawitch!"
Hooks in his heart, Shark shouted. Loud enough for the ocean to hear his echoes. "A life for a life! Just as ye promised! A life for a life! Give me my Nixie! For a girl! A human girl!"
Two pale eyes opened before him.
"I'm listening, Darling."