Chapter 37: The Mermaid and The Shark
Neverland had settled; rewinding back from recent upheavals under sea and over shore. The sun and moon rose and fell needlessly without indications from Time. Tensions danced between pirates, Lost Boys, Indians, and mermaids as they always had, snapping spontaneously into adventures as fairies danced in the clear Neverland sky. Yes, Neverland had precipitated out of chaos and fallen back to its natural, circadian rhythm.
Almost.
Two disturbances lingered still.
The first, and perhaps most offbeat disturbance, rippled from Neverland's guardian: a boy named Peter Pan. A boy whose rusty red hair dulled in comparison to the fire in his heart. A boy who could not fly high enough to escape the gaze of a girl; a girl with eyes bluer than the sky holding him.
The second, and perhaps most furtive disturbance, rippled from a long boat. One might have seen the long boat approaching from shore and thought it lost, dismissed by a galleon capsized at sea.
But the stars knew better. Winking overhead, the constellations shown just bright enough for the pirate and mermaid to see a twinkle in the other's eye. Covered in a blanket of fishing nets, Shark and Nixie lay.
They were still as statues, too proud and too afraid to break the embrace. Gliding between dreams, the lovers dreamt of each other, and woke relieved because the dream was real.
Brush.
Sand rolled malleably under the wooden frame as the longboat drifted to shore.
Nixie felt Shark exhale as she buried her cheek into his chest. Staring at nothing, she listened to the pirate's heart, admiring the steady, powerful sound. She smiled.
Remembering the mermaid's fascination, Shark worked his rough hand over Nixie's chest until his fingertips brushed the spot cold as ice. The beat was slight, nearly imperceptible, but the mermaid's heart radiated crystal coldness through her skin.
Gently, Nixie held Shark's hand.
And for a moment, a blissful moment, the mermaid was happy.
But quickly, her happiness cracked like glass. Distracted by Phin, playing offshore, Nixie suddenly felt the tide tugging at the longboat. Like slippery fingers, the waves probed the haul, searching for a way to get in. Searching for her.
The seawitch.
Nixie's heart flared and Shark drew back his hand, sensing the heat. As the pirate moved his fingers behind her ears, Nixie spoke.
"Brine stopped me. He stopped me. She's alive. And hunting..."
Shark traced his thumb over the mermaid's ear. He pretended not to hear the hollowness in Nixie's voice as she continued.
"The seawitch… "Swallowing, Nixie smoothed her long fingers over the scars littering Shark's body, "She's coming."
Shark's heart raced under her cheek, banging like a drum. Pressing her forehead against the heartbeat, Nixie tried to knead Brine's voice from her head.
She will never let you go. You will never see Shark again.
Nixie breathed. Never…was an awfully long time.
"Shark…I have to g—"
Nixie faltered. She could not finish and Shark would not let her. Deftly, the pirate's hand curled over Nixie's mouth. The mermaid lay still, listening to the waves lick the longboat as Shark stroked his fingers over her lips.
"Shark…"Nixie whispered, tasting the pirate's skin on her lips, "Shark…the seawitch. She will find me in Neverland."
"Not this time."
"Shark." Nixie held him close, groping for an explanation she could believe. "The curse. She'll find me. She'll hurt you."
"I'll die for ye."
The mermaid did not breath. Shark's chest beat lightly into her cheek. Then, tilting up her silver eyes, the mermaid touched the pirate's savaged brow.
"No Shark…live for me."
For a moment, the pirate stared. And after a blink, his eyes closed, hiding the softness creeping over the sharp, bloodthirsty gaze. Vaguely, the pirate heard a voice, more beautiful than a siren's song, promising the impossible.
"I have to go. It's the only way we can be together…someday."
The pirate opened his eyes. It was happening. Again. The faster he tried to hold on, the faster she left him behind.
"That day we met…" Gruffly, Shark looked to the sky, cursing whatever fate hid in the darkness. The stars glared back. "That day we met…I knew I didn't stand a chance."
Shark caught his breath, only cognizant of Nixie clenching the small of his neck as she hissed passionately into his ear.
"Pearl and rot. Pirate, you know I love you."
Bowing his head, Shark fell into Nixie's shoulder, caressing the curve of her neck with a tortured sigh.
Blindly, Shark lifted his mermaid and stepped into the sea. Heart wasting into carnage, the pirate strode, his legs driving aside the waves. With each step, Nixie held tighter, pressing into Shark's chest until his heartbeat hurt against her cheek.
The ocean swallowed both, but the pirate would not let his mermaid go. Even as the sandy crust disappeared, dropping into darkness, Shark and Nixie sank.
And buried under the ocean, entwined in a net of starlight, and encircled by a shiny leopard shark, the pirate and the mermaid kissed.
Kisses, as this story has discovered, are powerful things.
Powerful enough to illuminate the deep, blue sea as the shark released the mermaid and watched her vanish like a wave upon the shore.