Skip my rambling if you want, but I must warn, this isn't my best work and this has some of the craziest shit I've ever written towards the end and I'm sorry (not really) for the movie quote (if you catch it, you're my favorite), and I could not resist when the dialogue went in that direction and that is one of the greatest pirate movies to exist (fight me lol). I'm sorry it took so long to get typed up. It's been finished for MONTHS. Primarily my same old excuses about time and energy, plus caring for the newborn and the five year old on top of moving, yada yada. I have another story or two lined up after this one, only one is finished (not typed) and the other I'm having a bit of writer's block on and with returning to work this week, I have no clue when I'll be able to publish again, but bear with me. I also want to apologize for no Grelliamday special, xmas or valentines day, with getting ready for baby and trying to move, it slipped my mind. Love you all. I'll shut up.
o0o
Water sloshed out of the bucket as Ronald Knox stuck his mop down in it. He pulled it back out, causing more water to slosh out and slapped the end of the mop down onto the deck and resumed its cleaning. The sound of an accordion scaling its notes up and down made Ronald look up from his task to his shipmates, Eric Slingby, who had taken a seat on the deck rail and was grinning down at him.
"Why so grim, mate? We'll be at port in another week or two."
"What will you do ashore?" Ronald asked.
Eric shrugged. "Whatever I feel like. What about you?"
"Find a pretty girl or two. Have some fun."
Eric played a little diddy on his accordion. "Pretty girl, eh? Why wait? The ocean is full of them, if you believe the fish wives' tales."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean mermaids, boy. Beautiful, mystical creatures, they say. The most beautiful you ever saw, but they're elusive creatures. According to some, they're curious about us, but shy and frightened too of our hooks and Spears. Legend says if you happen to get one to fall in love with you, you'll be the happiest man in the world. I hearsay a viscount once caught one, but she fell in love with another. "
"Then what happened?"
Eric shrugged. "No one knows, but the story goes, she and the other lover lived happily ever after."
"Ahem. That will be all, Mr. Slingby," said the first mate, Alan Humphries. "Knox needs to be working, not listening to you fill his head with fish stories."
"Aye, sir," answered Slingby.
"Back to work, all of you."
Ronald resumed scrubbing the deck. He was so focused on his task, he nearly bumped into someone. "I beg your pardon," he said, turning to see that someone was. "Captain, sir! I did not see you."
"As you were," Captain William T. Spears coldly replied.
"Do you believe in mermaids, Captain?" asked Knox.
"I don't put much stock in fairytales, Mr. Knox. If such creatures we're to exist, they would likely be vicious predators as other tall tales say. The sort that lures men to their deaths, drowns them, and feasts on their bones." Knox paled, his eyes wide at the thought as he pictured a hideous half fish, half human creature making a snack out of him. "Do not worry yourself, Mr. Knox," continued William, "such creatures do not exist."
Ronald's fears were somewhat mollified. The captain knew what he spoke about and was a 'no nonsense' sort of man. Eric Slinby liked to tell stories and always had to be taken with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, Ronald fantasized about mermaids all the rest of the day and into the night. He pictured the most beautiful woman his mind could concoct: hair of gold, voluminous breasts, gorgeous figure forming into the latter end of fish of beautiful colors and fantastically shaped fins. But in his sleep, the ethereal creature was displaying many rows of teeth in its too-large-for-its-face mouth as it gnawed on his flesh. Ronald woke, coming to the decision that he definitely preferred Eric's version of the fabled creatures.
Then one day, a thick fog rolled in. It was so thick, Ronald could barely see his hand in front of his face. "Stay on course, Rudger," commanded Captain Spears.
"How?" muttered another crewmate, Sascha, who was positioned in the crow's nest. "Can't see a thing."
Ronald peered out over the side, trying to see anything through the dense fog, when, through a patch that had cleared a bit, he noticed something floating in the water. It was a woman with short red hair, most unusual. Even more surprising, was she was naked! "There's a body in the water!" he exclaimed. Before waiting for a response, he tied a rope around his waist, secured the other end, and jumped over the side. "Man overboard!" someone cried as he splashed into the ocean and swam over to the unconscious lady.
"Knox, have you taken leave of your senses?" His crew mates had begun lowering a lifeboat. Ronald was within arms reach of the woman. He was just about to touch her when her eyes opened. She sprang at Ronald, mouth showing two rows of razor sharp teeth. She grabbed at him with her webbed hands, hissing and snarling.
"Holy fuck!" screamed Ronald, trying to fight her off.
"Watch your tongue, Mr. Knox!" chastised his captain from the small boat. "Faster!" he ordered as they lowered the boat.
"She's trying to eat me!" answered Ronald.
"Nonsense," dismissed William, who couldn't really see the woman through the churning and splashing waters. "She's more than likely frightened and panicking."
"Tell that to her sharp teeth! AH!" he screamed as he and the woman disappeared beneath the surface.
William left off the ropes. Removing his hat and coat, he was about to dive in when Ronald resurfaced and began swimming frantically towards the ship. The lifeboat reached the water beneath it and they rowed towards him while pulling on his rope. "Knox! What happened? Where's the woman?"
"I don't know, but it wasn't a woman! It was a monster! A mermaid!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Knox," said William.
"It had a tail like a fish and everything! And I think there was two of them! They started fighting. That's how I escaped." Ronald made it to the boat and they helped pull him aboard then looked about for the woman, or mermaid, whichever the case may be, but there was no sign.
"If it was a woman, it appears she drowned," said William. "If it was something else, it is gone. Back to the ship, men, upon which, Knox, you will be disciplined. I will not tolerate such foolishness on my ship."
"Yes, sir," replied Ronald, his heart sinking. He could only hope the punishment wasn't too severe.
There was a sudden thud and the boat lurched to one side. A pair of hands seized up out of the water and latched onto Othello, the ship's doctor, who had nearly been tossed over. One of the men grabbed him and pulled him back. The creature held tight, coming up out of the water as it clung to his arm, snarling at the men in the boat. This one was different from the first, having bright green eyes and yellow eyes and long red hair.
"There are two of them!" exclaimed Ronald. William grabbed an oar and swung it at the creature. It let go and dodged beneath the surface. The first creature reappeared, leaping out of the water to grab William. Eric fired his pistol at it. It cried and fell back into the water, dragging William with it. William struggled, but the creature held fast, sinking its teeth into his shoulder, missing the neck it had aimed for. The second of the creatures joined them, stronger than other, William found as it grabbed him and together the creatures dragged him further away from his ship and his crew after a hiss from the second.
The grip of the first slackened and the second looked at her with concern. William could see the blood flowing from her gunshot wound and mingling with the water and it looked fatal. The stronger of the two creatures released him to go to her. Quickly, William began swimming to the surface, desperate for air while the strong one inspected the injured one. William glanced back to witness the second one tear into the first, killing her. Then his sight caught something more disturbing, sharks. Attracted to the blood, no doubt.
William's lungs were burning and the sea water stung his eyes. How far down had they dragged him? He wondered. He was struggling, but he persisted. Breaking through the surface at last, he gulped at the air. Before he could determine where he was, if his ship was even still in sight, he was dragged back under.
At first, he thought maybe the sharks had gotten him, but it was the strong mermaid. There was no denying that now, even if he still found it hard to believe. The mermaid was swimming fast. Just when William thought his lungs would give out this time, he was thrown from the water onto a rocky surface. He spluttered, pulling himself up further. There was some more splashing and William looked to see the mermaid pulling herself up onto the rock itself. She pulled herself completely out of the water and turned to hiss at the sharks fins cresting and sinking in and out of sight. She was bleeding, William noticed. It looked like a shark bite. The mermaid held her wounded side and threw a loose rock at the sharks. William took her distraction as an opportunity to climb further up the very large rock with its many cliffs and ledges. It was almost as if some mighty being had ripped off a chunk of a mountain and chucked it into the sea. He wanted to get higher to get his bearings, and to get out of reach of the mermaid should she still be so inclined to eat him. This rock gave him hope there was land, an island perhaps, and civilization nearby. The fog was still heavy which gave him even more hope that his ship wasn't too far off. They'd find his rock and rescue him, but for now, he'd have to wait. He could not see anything much further than the rock and he was tired. Exhausted now that his adrenaline was wearing off, he sat down on the top of the rock and rested.
William did not know how long he slept, but he did know his mouth was dry and in need of something to drink. The fog had finally cleared, allowing him to look at his surroundings. There was what appeared to be a small island or peninsula not too far off, but he'd have to swim for it if the water was deep between him and the beach.
He peered over the edge where he had left the mermaid. She was still there, her tail hanging over the rock in the water. The mermaid lay face down and was motionless. Beside her on the rocks it looked like there was dried blood. William looked around and found a small loose stone and tossed it down to clatter on the rock beside her. She hissed and her fins vibrated with rage as she recoiled. She looked up at him and gave him a mean look. She wasn't dead then. He took a moment to examine the bite wound. It was red and hot, which meant infection, he was sure, but at least it had stopped bleeding.
The mermaid had likely been asleep when he'd thrown the rock and now he cursed his foolishness and missed opportunity to swim for the island when it would have been prime. Still, he needed water and eventually food. As quietly as he could, William went to the edge furthest from the mermaid and as close to the island as possible then lowered himself into the water. He made his way to shore, taking care not to disturb the water too much, but he wasn't quiet enough, it seemed as he heard a splash behind him. He didn't waste time to look behind him and swam as fast as he could, hoping her injury would slow her down more than his slowed him down. His feet touched bottom and he waded quickly to the shore, only stopping once he was almost to the tree line. There, he finally turned to see her eyeing him hungrily from the shallows. She appeared to accept the loss of her meal as her head disappeared slowly beneath the water and out of William's sight.
Soaked to the bone, Willliam stripped to his breeches, even removing his stockings, and put everything to dry while he searched for water and shelter, and with any luck, civilization. Into the lush vegetation he ventured. There were lots of trees and wildlife. He could set traps for the animals at some point and he must be careful not to eat any strange plants.
A couple hours later, he'd reached the other side of the island with no signs of water or people, so he turned around and continued his search. He happened upon some sea grapes that were ripe and picked some to eat while he walked. Taking his pen knife, he cut into the bark to extract the red sap to reduce the inflammation in his shoulder before continuing on his way. A short while later, William followed the sound of trickling water to a stream. He searched along it for animal tracks before deciding it was safe enough to drink. Having drunk his fill, he set about constructing a crude shelter nearby. It was getting dark and he hoped to at least keep the rain off should the skies decide to do just that.
The sun was just rising when he woke with a slight fever. Still, he made his way back to the beach where he'd left his clothes. To his surprise, the mermaid was lying on the shore, face up and the tide rolling up about her a little ways before receding back.
How long could mermaids go without being in the water? Or could they breathe air like humans? William wondered. Apart from the time spent escaping the sharks, she seemed to prefer to keep part of herself wet.
That, or she was dead and the tide had washed her carcass ashore. William approached cautiously for a better look while keeping his distance. Her chest rose and fell with labored breathing and the shark bite looked infected and nasty. Both the wound and her skin were flushed. This examination continued with William noticing something most curious. The mer had fashioned some sort of top out of seashells and pearls to cover her breasts. Looking at her face, one could mistake her for a human…apart from the sharp, pointed teeth. Other than that, she was far from unattractive. But then that would be how they lured their prey to their deaths, wasn't it? A pretty face to draw them in and then, sharp teeth.
It was bold of her and her companion to go up against such a large vessel. However, if one was hungry enough, and by judging how taught her skin was and her ribs showing, she was starved, one will do drastic things to get a meal. He shook his head. "Honestly. Were there not enough fish in the sea? Or some other sea creatures? It would have been a lot easier to catch and probably more palatable than a human." One fluorescent green eye slid half open, her feverish gaze meeting his. He almost felt pity for the ill creature as her eye closed again.
Well, no sense in wasting the day away here. Since he had no idea how long he would be stranded, he'd best get to work increasing his chances of survival. Unable to light a fire limited his food options if he managed to capture any wildlife. He'd attempt that later. First, he wanted to reinforce his little hovel and he did just that, taking several breaks to rest and to eat some of the edible vegetation nearby. His fever made him weak, but during one of his breaks, he found the energy to sharpen a stick. Some fish he could eat raw and when he finished working on the shelter, he returned to the beach to see what he could find.
Walking along the coast, he managed to spear a crab. Wiiliam didn't much care for them cooked, and he liked them raw even less. Pulling off a claw, the inside was like runny snot. The mermaid lay nearby and was still showing signs of life. Not wanting the crab to go to waste,
William held the speared crab out over her lips. She weakly raised a hand and tried to bat it away. "I don't like them either, but it's food," said William. "I don't know what you eat besides humans, but it's better than nothing." He pressed it more firmly against her lisps. "Do you want to die?" William didn't know if she understood him or not, but her webbed hand wrapped around the crab and she began eating it. He winced as she bit down into it, shell and all, making loud crunching noises. William withdrew the spear and sat down on the sand at a safe distance from the mermaid and looked out across the water.
There was no sign of his ship, or any ship. It was too early to give up hope, but who would ever look for him here? A ship may stop here eventually, but that could be a long long time from now. His crew probably thought he was dead. Reasonably so. It was sensible to presume such as he would likely be dead before too long. Elements, diseases. His knowledge of medicinal plants only went so far and he'd be lucky if he hadn't already caught an illness from the stream he'd been drinking from.
The sound of light splashing pulled him from his dark thoughts. The mermaid was stretching her arm for a crab crawling just out of reach. William sighed and got up. Getting closer, he nudged the crab closer to her with his stick. She snatched it up and devoured it, same as the first. "I'm going to search the island some more to see what other fruits and vegetation I can find," he said to her. She looked at him, still fevering. He knew she didn't understand him, yet she was someone, or something, to talk to.
On his walk, he found some guava. Biting into one, however, made his mouth pucker as it wasn't quite ripe. He did find more sea grape trees and applied more sap to his wound. The injured mermaid crossed his mind. Even if the sap worked on her and wasn't toxic to merfolk, he wasn't sure how he would get close enough and apply it without her getting violent. Where did this sudden sympathy come from? That thing was a maneater and better off dead. One less thing he'd have to worry about in regards to his survival. William shook his head and chalked it up to the fear of being alone. He took some grapes and some coconuts he'd found and returned to her beach.
She looked worse, laying on her side with one arm stretched above her head. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily beside a pool of sick. Eating too much or too hard on the stomach after going hungry for so long. William hadn't thought of that before he'd fed her the crabs. Or maybe crabs were bad for a merfolk's stomach in general? There was so little known about them, it irked him not knowing what to do. With the blunt end of his stick, he poked her. Getting no response, he did it a few more times to see if she was faking, or just in a deep sleep. She still did not move.
It still could be a trap and the mermaid a very good actress, but she did look very sick. It occurred to him again that it would be better for him to let her die. She had tried to eat him. Even if she saved him from the sharks it was only so she could feast on his flesh all by herself and he wouldn't have needed saving if her partner in crime hadn't pulled him from the boat.
He turned his back to her, gripping the stick tightly in his palm. His reasoning wasn't getting him anywhere. She'd probably die with or without the sap anyway. He looked back at her, her fiery red hair draped over her haunting face. William approached her cautiously and moved her hair out of the way. Up close, her features were even more enchanting. William had a hard time drawing his gaze away as he knelt in the surf beside her. Laying aside his stick, he eased her away from the throwup and placed her so her the bite mark was facing up. The task itself wasn't easy. Her top half itself wasn't that heavy, but her damned tail made everything difficult. Then he inspected her wound.
She had been lucky the shark hadn't taken the chunk of flesh with it when she'd fended it off. Probing the wound, he found and removed more than one shark tooth and any other debris he found and rinsed sand out of the wound using handfuls of seawater before applying the sea grape sap. William took a coconut and cracked it out of its outer casing, getting down to the brown hairy container of nutrition and bore a hole into it to get its milk. He grabbed hold of her chin, chiding himself for such a stupid act that put himself in such danger, and slowly dribbled it into her mouth, forcing her to drink. It should be easier on her stomach and may provide her with enough nutrition for the time being.
Looking up to the sky, evening would soon be upon him. If was going to build a fire, he better do it now. He left the mermaid to herself, his own fever having abated, and began gathering wood for a fire. Orange and pink hues colored the sky by the time he had managed to light it. He roasted some crab over it and ate it with the meat from the coconut. After eating, he checked on the mermaid and coaxed more coconut down her throat. "It's not much, but maybe it will keep you from starving," he said. He returned to his fire and sat down beside it, looking up at the stars that were coming out. He stared at them for a long time, trying to determine where he was, eventually laying on his back and falling asleep.
Upon waking the following morning, he sat up and immediately looked towards the mermaid. To his surprise, she was sitting up and fussing over her wound. "You're going to make it worse," he told her. She started and turned to look at him. "You look like you're feeling a lot better." He got up and went closer to get a view of the wound. His brows raised in surprise as it was very much improved. Then he looked at her. She looked back at him with uncertainty. "Are you hungry?" he asked. "I can bring you something if you're still unable to fend for yourself." He pulled some sea grapes from his pocket. She eyed him as he popped one in his mouth. All of a sudden, she lunged towards him, causing him to jump back and almost dropping his grapes. Her webbed hands went to a pile of seaweed and he watched in relief as she pulled out a snail, slurped it from its shell and tossed the empty shell away before hunting in the seaweed for another. "Seems you've gotten your appetite back, and that it isn't me. Careful you don't make yourself sick again," he told her. She seemed content rummaging in the seaweed, so he sat down and ate his own breakfast. "You were awfully picky before. Maybe you aren't completely hopeless."
It occurred to William what an odd sight they must be, a marooned sailor having breakfast on a beach with a mythical creature. It sounded like one of Slingby's stories.The mermaid was struggling to find anything more to munch on within arm's reach and she was still hungry. "Try this," said William, tossing her a grape. She gave it a scrutinizing stare as she picked it up. She sniffed it and threw it back at him, looking insulted. "Suit yourself," he replied, memories of his childhood springing to his mind at the wrinkle of her nose. "You remind me of a boy I once knew when I was a child.In front of adults, he was timid, not a threat to anyone but himself, but in reality, he was a vicious bully. Spoiled, selfish, and wroth. The name 'Jack' doesn't suit you though. A friend of mine nicknamed him 'Grell' and you certainly seem like a 'Grell', so that is what I'll call you." 'Grell' was watching him all the while he spoke. "You can call me 'Captain Spears'...if you could speak and understand English, that is."
William had finished his grapes and rose to his feet. "Well, your wounds may be miraculously healed, but mine isn't. So, if you'll excuse me…" He walked down the shoreline, away from Grell, and washed off the old sap. Leaving his stick near the remains of his fire, he left to gather more fruit, compiling a small mound near the firepit and collected more sap. Then he added some wood to the coals to keep it going. Grell had moved deeper into the surf at some point, her attention always turning towards him whenever he returned.
He wasn't used to being idle, but eventually William couldn;t think of anything more to do that day besides sharpen his stick. Taking out his penknife, he engaged himself in just that.
"Spears bad," a voice suddenly spoke, sounding neither quite like a woman's nor quite like a man's. "Hurts us."
William looked around. Surely he hadn't cracked just yet. The only other being in sight was Grell. "Salt pork," the voice spoke again, struggling with the words. He looked to Grell who opened her jaws and snapped them close again, gesturing to her mouth. "You're still hungry?" he asked.
"Salt pork," Grell replied.
William was quick to his feet. "You do speak!" This information made his mind whirl and he took a moment to process the information. "I don't have any salt pork, or any other kind of pork. You'll have to make do with what the island provides us, same as I am or go out and hunt for some fish or something." William gestured out towards the ocean. Grell looked in the direction he pointed, then back at him. "How did you learn to speak English?" he asked. Grell stared blankly back at him. "Well, I'm going to go fish for myself. If you don't attack me while I'm doing so, I'll try to catch enough for you. Do we have an accord?" Her head cocked to the side quizzically causing William to sigh. Her English was limited, he supposed. "Honestly...You," he pointed sternly at her and continued to gesture as he spoke to get his message across, "no eat me. Fish." He walked down to the water, several meters away from her, stick in hand. Keeping a watchful eye on her, he waded into the water. Once deep enough, he waited.
Grell watched him intently, but didn't move. Her brilliant yellow green eyes watched him as he stabbed at the water many times, but to no avail. His attention gradually waned the more frustrated he got. Tired and fed up, he began heading towards shore. Surely the mermaid was laughing at him. The mermaid!
William looked to Grell's spot and cursed himself. How long had she been gone? He waded to shore as fast as he could until he was safe on dry land. There was no sign of her redhead anywhere. William continued to scan the waters until her tail surfaced not far from where he had left her. A magnificent red tail, strong and beautiful, glittering in the sunlight as she lowered it back down. Then her head broke the surface of the water as one who had been laying on their back and moved the wet strands of hair from her face before looking about. Spotting him, she looked expectantly, her eyes casting about for the fish he'd promised. "No fish," he told her rather curtly. The irritation and disappointment in her eyes peeved him. Compounded with the fright he'd just had, his fatigue and frustration, he lost his temper. "I'm sorry to disappoint your royal highness. If you want fish today, you'll have to catch it yourself," he went off, tossing his spear onto the sand and taking a seat beside it. "I'm surprised you didn't take advantage of the situation," he said more calmly.
Slowly and carefully, as if in pain, Grell came closer to shore and down the coast a little ways and began digging around in the shallow water. William paid her no mind, allowing the sun to dry him off. He paid her no mind until something almost hit him, thudding into the sand beside him. It was a cockle. William was about to pick it up when another struck him in the head. "Stop throwing cockles at me!" he demanded.
"Eat," she replied nonchalantly, digging up another. Grell examined it and sniffed it before opening it and slurping it down, making faces all the while. William rubbed the sore spot on his head. "I don't like it either, but it's food," she repeated his words when he didn't start eating. "You die?"
"That's not funny. I never indicated I don't like cockles. I just want you to stop throwing them at my head. That hurt." Was she only parroting what he said earlier or did she truly understand? "I prefer them cooked, but thank you, I suppose." He picked one up and sniffed it as she had done. It smelled like a cockle. What else was he expecting? "My favorite thing to eat is fried fish," he told her as he pried open the small sea creature. "Once, someone even served me fried potatoes with it. I rather quite enjoyed that….If I ever get off this island, I'll eat fried fish and potatoes as often as I can and think of a proper name for the dish." He glanced at her. "I'm certain I already know what your favorite thing to eat is." Grell didn't reply. She had stopped digging for cockles and was fussing with her hair. William twiddled a cockle shell with his fingers. "Perhaps you're trying to fatten me up so that the next time I'm in the water there will be plenty of meat on my bones," he mused. "I, Captain William T. Spears is not going to become your dinner, I can assure you of that." She stopped fussing with her hair and looked back at him.
The ravenous hunger he had seen in her eyes that first day was not to be found. Maybe because she wasn't starving anymore, but he wouldn't put it past her to hunt him if she got the chance. "Po...tate...ohhhs," she sounded out the word carefully.
"Yes," said William. "They're new to my people and grow in various shapes and sizes. A lot of people are wary of them, but I think they have great potential and versatility. They may even be better than salt pork." He attempted to give her something to relate to. She only looked at him in confusion. "Do you even know what salt pork is?"
Her nose turned up in the air in a haughty manner, arms folded. "Food," she answered with much attitude.
"Yes, but do you know how it's made? What animal it comes from?" Next thing William knew, he was educating the mermaid on all his knowledge pertaining to salt pork, what pork was and a detailed description of bacon, which Grell had him repeat twice. William found himself enjoying the discussion, even if it was rather one sided as he did most of the talking. Grell appeared to know English after all, though limited. She had picked it up from sailors, William learned, but he still wasn't sure how much she actually understood, but she seemed to learn quickly. She took to calling him 'Will' instead of 'Spears' or Captain Spears', much to his disliking. "Spears bad," was all she would say in response when he voiced his opinion on the matter.
Days passed, each being very much like the other. William's skill at spearfishing improved. Grell would sometimes help when she took the notion. She would toss the ones she didn't eat onto the beach, being careful not to hit William. Her wound was fully healed and she would venture out further away from the island in search of food, but she always came back, being careful not to go too far. However, she seemed to get more and more restless as each day passed. If she was so unhappy, why didn't she leave?
Once she had brought him a strange creature he had never seen before back from one of her hunts. It was a few inches long with no eyes or mouth that William could discern. Grell had offered it to him, calling it a 'sea potato'. If William squinted, he could see the resemblance to a potato, however, he highly doubted this tasted anything like a potato. The fact that it was moving was more than enough to confirm that and he had to decline with as much grace as he could muster. She reluctantly released it back into the water which told William he'd made a wise decision if even the mermaid wouldn't eat it.
Though she hadn't shown any signs of aggression towards William since their first day on the island, he was still always careful where and when he fished. The best time, he learned, was in the early morning. Grell was always still asleep in the surf on her beach and would stay asleep until mid morning. His favorite place to fish was in the lagoon on the southend of the island. Grell didn't know of it and he considered it one of the prettiest locations on the island.
One morning, William overslept, having been up late the previous night in an engaging discussion about pigeons the night before. Not wasting time to check on Grell, he went straight there. He scanned the lagoon for any signs of red per usual, just in case.
Waist deep in the water, he stood still, spear poised and ready to strike as he sought his prey, when something wrapped around his leg and yanked him under. William scrambled to find his footing and differentiate top from bottom, but a pair of webbed hands held him under. Red surrounded him and a pair of lips crushed against his cheek. Finally freeing himself, or she had let go (he wasn't sure which), he got to his feet, spluttering. He retrieved his spear just as Grell surfaced nearby wearing a devilish grin.
"Grell!" he shouted angrily. She played coy, moving closer. William responded by raising his spear defensively and the look on her face turned to hurt and betrayal. She recoiled and hissed at him angrily before swimming off, splashing him with a large sweep of her tail. Completely soaked, he trudged ashore angrily. It looked like fish was off the menu today. Evidently she knew of the lagoon after all.
He allowed himself to not only dry off, but cool off as well before making his way to Grell's Beach, as he'd come to call it. There was no sign of her the rest of the day, nor did she return to the beach the following morning. "Good riddance," he initially thought, but their last encounter haunted him and the look she gave him when he'd raised his spear on her. In retrospect, her actions could have been considered playful, but no...William couldn't trust her and responded correctly, he justified himself.
When she still had not returned on the third day, he concluded that she had finally left for good. As a precaution, he waited another day before attempting to fish again. He had to remind himself that he was only fishing for one now. Sitting by his fire, he wondered if he had misjudged her. People can change. She wasn't 'people' though, he rationalized. Not fully.
Before long, a week had passed. Although he could now fish in peace, he would think of how she made it easier for him. She was also faster and more efficient at hunting cockles too. But most of all, he had grown accustomed to talking to her. Her English had much improved and their conversations would often be switched now to where she did most of the talking, interspersed with her merspeach as she gossiped about this and that. William didn't know what she prattled on about half the time, often tuning her out as he went about his daily tasks. More than once he had to tell her to keep quiet while he tried to focus, but he now found himself missing her annoying chatter.
Upon one following night, he heard a strange sort of song. He couldn't quite make it out, but it was mysterious and beautiful in its doleful sound. It served to make William feel even more lonely and he wandered Grell's beach, half wishing he'd find her. The following morning, a flash of red caught his eye out by the large rock. He ran closer, certain he had seen her tail just as it disappeared from view. "Grell!" he called, but got no answer. "If anyone should be angry, it is me. You tried to eat me. Naturally I defended myself. Haven't I been feeding you sufficiently? You eat most of the fish I catch." Still nothing. Perhaps he had imagined it, but he rather thought she was acting like a child and was ignoring him. He hated being ignored.
William made his way to the rock, his spear forgotten on the beach. Swimming over, he climbed up and went to the only ledge she could reach and there she was. A sight for sore eyes and giving him a sore look in return upon seeing him. William joined her on the ledge, getting the closest he had willingly ever gotten to her while she was conscious and only now painfully aware that he was unarmed. "Grell…" he started angrily.
"Will not food," she interrupted with an angry pout.
"Twice you've tried to eat me at least."
Grell took a moment to reply, "No."
"Liar," he accused. "You're saying that day in the lagoon was my imagination? You grabbed me and held me under."
"Play. Not eat."
William rubbed the bridge of his nose, conceding to her. "And when you took me from my ship and crew? You weren't trying to eat me then?"
Grell looked away guiltily, playing with her hair. "She took you, not me," she mumbled.
"You would have too had not the sharks interrupted. Am I not right?" Her head slumped a bit, refusing to answer. "Am I not right?" he repeated, raising his voice a bit. Grell responded with a slight shrug. "And now I am stuck here, stranded on a deserted island because you and your friend, whom you also killed, I might add, couldn't content yourselves to eating fish like normal people. I am not food," he vented.
"Will not food," she agreed, her voice tiny. "Will is strong. Like fish and fried potatoes to Grell."
"What is that supposed to mean?" William asked, but Grell did not know how to elaborate further. William sighed in annoyance, his anger and frustration abating. "Just…if you're not going to eat me, come back to the island," he commanded and headed for shore. There was a splash behind him and she quickly caught up to him. She swam flamboyantly alongside him. "You and your friend let Knox go when you could have eaten him. Why?"
"Too young," Grell replied and sped ahead to avoid answering any further such questions.
The next time William went fishing, he did so while she was awake, trusting her not to attack him. And she didn't. She did, however, take delight in splashing him and scaring away the fish. He chastised her for it until he found she had already caught some fish. She began doing the fishing more regularly and not just when the notion took her, so William began using that time to relax and swim in the lagoon instead. Grell sometimes joined him, amusing herself by showing off her superior swimming skills. Other times, she would perch herself on the rocks and primp herself and fuss over the scar the shark had left.
At night, he sat on the beach with Grell nearby in the surf. She was pretty under the moonlight. William thought how perhaps it was less a trap, some big deceit, and more a fact of her being. Trap or not, she was beautiful, especially when she kept her mouth shut.
"Does Will miss men?" she asked one night.
"I beg your pardon?" he responded, taken aback by the question before realizing that wasn't likely what she meant. "If you mean my ship and crew, in a manner of speaking, I do. They performed well enough, for the most part. More so, I miss my duties aboard my ship."
"Will wants ship?"
"Will wants ship," he confirmed.
"Will miss Grell?"
William thought about his answer before replying. "You'll be hard to forget."
Grell swam closer to him. "Grell miss Will," she said softly and it sounded like she meant it. William let her get closer and then closer. She raised a hand to his face and he allowed her to cradle his cheek in her palm. His eyes closed at the feeling of being touched by another. Alluring sounds issued from her throat, her fingers toying with the beard that had been growing since he had been stranded. It was patchy and unkempt, but Grell didn't seem to mind. Their foreheads pressed together as she began to toy run her fingers through his shaggy hair.
He placed his hands above her waist, feeling the soft smooth skin beneath his fingers. Then he pulled her closer, pressing his lips gently against hers briefly before pulling back to see her reaction. She looked surprised, her face was flush with emotions and he kissed her again. This time, she reciprocated. It grew more passionate and then William felt something else growing as his hands began to explore the region of her chest which was flat and had the musculature of a man's underneath her top. This something was pressing against his loins. Already having an inkling as to what it was, he reached down and felt the shaft protruding from the mermaid. This was not what he expected, to say the least.
Before he could react, Grell's hand joined his, encouraging him to stroke it as Grell made erotic sounds. This was all very strange and very new to William, but he kept stroking, spurred on by her beguiling moans of pleasure. It was such a beautiful sound and she looked just as beautiful lost in the throws of passion. She rubbed the front of his trousers, attempting to return the action until William undid them and allowed her hand to feel along his manhood. "Show me how men mate." her words purred in his ear while pressing their cocks alongside each other. William's breath stuttered at the thought as they stroked one another.
"In...in a moment," he exhaled shakily. Taking command, he continued to caress her until she came, clutching his shoulders and releasing a melodic cry of ecstasy.William then guided her to shore, the two exchanging kisses as he laid her down on the sand. With some effort, Grell withdrew her cock into herself and William gently pushed into the slit releasing a groan of pleasure as the head of his cock brushed against hers.
"Will…" she moaned, his member moving in and out, each time pressing against her sex. "Will!" her opening squeezed tight around him. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced and it felt good. William half wondered if this wasn't all a dream brought on by some illness, but this felt too real to be a dream.
Before long, he was releasing his seed inside her as waves of bliss swept over him. He kept going, his body not satisfied. Grell quivered beneath him as she once again neared her climax. "Hold on a little longer," William spoke softly in her ear, increasing his speed. She seemed on the verge already, but she held on until he was ready to cum again. She released almost as soon as he did, their sperm mingling together and seeping out of her slit around Williams cock. William took a moment, staring into her eyes before pulling out to lay beside her in the surf.
They lay there beside each other, William wondering what on earth he'd just done until Grell raised up to lean over him, She caressed the side of his face before bending down to kiss him tenderly. She wore a sweet smile on her face. The sun's light was fading and Grell began to sing softly as she continued to caress him until he fell asleep.
Grell was gone when William woke early the next morning and assumed she'd gone fishing, though it was unusual for her to be up this early. As the sun waxed and waned, William grew more and more concerned at her absence. Fear and doubt sank in. Had she left again? And was she gone for good this time? She seemed to enjoy what they shared last night. If William had to spend the rest of his days on this island, with Grell it might be more bearable. What would he do if she was gone for good?
William let out a sigh as he gazed out over the horizon. He concentrated, swearing he could see something there. He squinted, trying to make it out. His eyesight had never been satisfactory, but eventually he began to make out the sails of a ship. Was it a trick of the light? As the ship grew closer, he could swear they looked pink. If they were indeed pink, then William was in trouble.There was only one ship known to have pink sails…
That treacherous, villainous dog of the sea. The dreaded pink pirate known only as, 'Undertaker'. A man shrouded in mystery, unmatched in combat. Captain of the damned.
A skeleton decorated the bow of his ship and his flag bore a pink laughing skull on a field of black. As the Claudia drew nearer, it could not be mistaken for any other. William had half a mind to try to hide, but should they come ashore, it would only be a matter of time before they found him. He had no choice but to stand his ground and take his chances. If rumors be true, he might be able to barter passage, but at great cost. And he'd be damned if he'd be indebted to the traitor.
The Claudia lowered anchor and a longboat was lowered into the water. The boat rowed towards the shore and William could see a tall figure standing proud at the front of the little boat. He was dressed all in pink, his long silver hair flowing behind him and on the top of his head was a matching hat. Where some would put plumage or some other ornament, a long ribbon dangled. Despite life at sea, under a hot sun, the crew of the Claudia were all uncommonly pale and their movements stiff and strange, but they maneuvered the boat well enough.
When they made it to shore, Undertaker stepped gracefully out of the boat and towards William, leaving the crew behind. "Willie, I presume," he said in a cheery tone, a big grin on his face.
"How do-" began William.
"Tut, tut," Undertaker waved a finger at him. "Information doesn't come free and we are running out of daylight. Undertaker at your service." With his introduction, he gave a sweeping bow. Then he came and put an arm around William who had one hand in his pocket, clutching his penknife, not that it would do much good.
Despite the silver hair, Undertaker did not appear to be that old, but the signs of battle was glaring. A long scar stretched across from the left side of his face to the right and another on his neck as if someone had tried to take his head off and there were several smaller scars on his hands. Hands with long nails as black as night. "Come, Willie," said Undertaker in his creaky yet cheerful voice. "My dearies will take us aboard and after they replenish our supplies from this island, we will set sail and be off."
"Off where?"
Undertaker tapped a nail on his chin thoughtfully. "Now that is a conundrum," he said then shrugged. "To wherever the wind may take us! To Zanzibar to meet the Zanzibarbarians! To the Southwest, pirate galleons. Or to the Southeast, multi-armed Zanzibanian short women and their exploding wings of death! To the Northwest….dirty dishes…" He trailed off.
William removed himself from the embrace, "You think I would go want to go board a ship full of lawless pirates?"
Undertaker's eyes glinted and he spoke in a more normal, serious tone. "Come now, Willie, do you really want to be stuck on this island for the rest of your life? You never know when another ship will come along and they may not be as hospitable as I am willing to be today. I came as a favor for a pretty young face, but I have no qualms about leaving you here and keeping her all to myself. So...you either come and I drop your arses off at a place of my choosing and convenience or you can die here...alone."
"No stipulations?" William asked skeptically, wondering who had requested this favor and thinking the offer over. What if Grell had simply gone hunting afar off and returns later to find an empty island?
"Oh, I may ask for a joke or two here or there, but I'll not be asking you to join me crew or join us in plundering our weasley guts out should the opportunity arise."
"Do I have your word on that?"
Undertaker frowned. "Would you trust me even if I gave it to you?" He had a point.
"No," replied William.
"Then you best make up your mind. I'll not be waiting around a year and a day for you to get over your high falutin, 'better than thou' self." Undertaker put his hands in the air and shrugged, heading towards the boat. William followed.
It was night by the time they returned to the Claudia. The lanterns were lit, shining upon the pale, eerie faces of the crew. What William thought were bandanas around their heads turned out to be blindfolds. William did kept his questions to himself, not wanting to pay whatever 'price' Undertaker would want for the information. Undertaker patted William upon the back once they were aboard the ship. The crew in the longboat did not join them and put up the boat, instead, they rowed back towards the shore. "Welcome aboard the Claudia," said Undertaker. "Let's get you to my cabin where you can freshen up a little and you will be safe there."
Safe from what? And from whom? William wondered, glancing at the remaining crew aboard, all gaping and following his movements with their blindfolded faces. They passed close to one which took a shambling step towards William. Undertaker returned his arm to William's shoulders and led him into the Captain's cabin. The pink pirate removed his hat as they entered the dimly lit quarters and lit a few more candles. As the light filled the room, William was surprised to see a woman in a white dress sitting in one of the chairs. She turned to William and smiled before attempting to stand.
"Will!" she cried in relief.
"Now, now," Undertaker chastised her lightly. She was unable to hold her balance and fell back in the chair. "You mustn't strain yourself, dearie. What do I keep telling you? 'One step at a time'." He went over to her and patted her head of brown hair. "Poor thing hasn't got her sea legs yet," he explained. "I know they say it's bad luck to have a woman aboard, but I don't hold to such silliness. Besides," he shrugged, "I'm the worst sort of luck a body is likely to come across out here, so I think everything is balanced out."
The woman held out her arms to William, seeking an embrace. She certainly seemed to know him, but William could not say the same. Or could he? Her face was somewhat familiar.
"I found a ship for Will," she said gleefully. William blinked, putting the pieces together. It certainly sounded like Grell, but she didn't quite look like Grell. The color of her hair was the most obvious difference, apart from the lack of a massive red tail and fins.
"Grell?"
"Yes, Will?" she replied, looking sad and worried that he had not embraced her yet. "Does Will not like ship? Grell would have looked harder, but.." she trailed off, lifting a leg and gesturing at it.
"Found the little dearie almost drowned," cut in Undertaker. "Naked as a robin freshly hatched. After pulling her aboard and she recovered somewhat, she pointed us in your direction, begging for me to give you a lift….biscuit?" Undertaker emptied some bone shaped biscuits onto a plate beside Grell who took one and gave it a small nibble. "How she came to be way out in the middle of nowhere in such a state is beyond me. Gave her that lovely dress to wear and do you know what this ungrateful thing does? Complain that it's not 'Grell's color'." Undertaker rambled on, rifling through a chest.
William kneeled in front of Grell, scrutinizing every inch of her face to be sure. "You have our gratitude," he said.
"Got a nasty scar too. Looks like a shark bite too, if my old eyes are still of account. Now how did she come by that, I wonder. Here we are," declared the silver haired pirate, pulling out a large black robe. "This will have to do for now until I can find something better." He handed it to William. "Get yourself cleaned up. There's a razor here somewheres and some scissors, if you're in favor of a shave. You two lovebirds rest and don't rock my boat too hard now," he gave the pair of them a mischievous grin. "I'd stay in here, if I were you," he said as he opened the door, "unless I say otherwise."
William watched the door close, hoping they hadn't just made a huge mistake. Grell guided his face to look back at her, smiling a toothy smile at him. William looked at the garment. It would swamp him for sure, but he supposed he should be grateful and began hunting for the razor and scissors. Grell watched anxiously from her chair as William cleaned up. He began to undress before noticing her gaze and turned his back to her. "Close your eyes," he bid, feeling self conscious. Honestly, he mentally scolded himself. It wasn't anything she hadn't seen before, if this was Grell, and would never see again, but still…
Instead of closing her eyes, she rose unsteadily to her feet and stumbled over to him. William caught her in his arms and finally embraced her, dropping his pants in the process. "Is Will unhappy?" she asked. "You don't like ship?"
"Of all the ships you could find, you found the worse," he replied bitterly. Her lips formed a pout and looked hurt. "I'll be lucky if I'm not hanged for treason if we ever manage to get off this ship and back to civilization. Are you really Grell?" he asked, still unsure how such a beautiful creature now embodied a plain human being.
She nodded fervently. "Look," she said, taking off the dress. William quickly shut his eyes. She 'tsked' in frustration and took his hand, placing on the scar left by the shark. William felt the scar, slowly opening his eyes. She was naked before him and still beautiful in her own way. Changed, but still Grell.
"How?" he asked, caressing the wound. Grell shook her head to indicate she did not know. "Grell mated with Will?" she suggested. William's hand moved lower, feeling her shapely buttocks and she caressed his shaven face with a giggle."Grell is Will's?" she asked. "Always?"
"If that's what you want," he replied.
Grell took his hand. "Want to mate again?" She brought his hand to her cock.
"No," said William and her face fell in dismay. "Tonight, I'm going to show you how men make love...if you're up to it."
Later, in the Captain's bed with her head upon William's chest Grell asked him where they were going. William, holding her naked body close to his replied, "Wherever that crazy pirate takes us."
"As long as Grell has Will, Grell happy."
"Will is happy too," he replied after some thought. Even if he never found his crew or ship again. Right then, in that moment, he wasn't sure he cared anymore. His crew could manage without him.
Legend tells the two married and eventually returned to London, England where they settled down and opened a place that sold fried fish and potatoes.
The End