The hands slid around to his back as a woman appeared before him. Her smile revealed sharp pointed teeth. Will wasn't sure, but her short curly hair seemed pale blue in the lamplight. She gripped him with surprising strength and kissed him hard on the mouth.
Will floundered in the water, too surprised to react at first. Then he struggled to free himself from the woman's clutches.
He was assisted by the second woman. The one whose hand he had felt on his arm, he realized. He caught a glimpse of long greenish blond curls as she shoved the other woman away roughly.
"Hands off, Mavis, I saw him first," ordered the throaty voice. The green-haired woman spun him around effortlessly to face her. "Hello, sailor," she purred. "Aren't you the handsome one ?" The woman pressed against him. Will realized two things in quick succession; the woman was completely nude, and she was part fish. Stunned, he thought, I'm being assaulted by mermaids.
A breathy giggle sounded in his ear. The blue-haired mermaid was behind him, swiftly unbuttoning his shirt. "You have to share, Edith," she chided the other mermaid. "There's enough of him to go around."
"Ladies, please," he struggled to get away. "Peter Pan !" he called, hoarsely. He was in trouble here, but didn't want to wake the pirates.
"He is a nice catch," replied Edith. "How tall are you, handsome ?" Both sets of cold hands continued to grope him in a way that was extremely disconcerting.
"Uh, about five foot nine," he responded, totally confused.
"Ooh, let's forget about the first five feet and just talk about the nine inches." The mermaid pulled him close again and kissed him deeply.
"Let's get you out of these wet clothes." Mavis had managed to get his shirt unbuttoned and was working on his belt buckle. Intent on their ministrations, the two pushed him underwater. Will thrashed desperately. He could feel his pulse pounding in his ears. He was running out of air.
One pair of hands pushed him to the surface. "Silly, you have to let him up to breathe," giggled Mavis.
"Darn, I always forget that part," replied Edith, nibbling on his earlobe. "Relax, sailor, loosen up. Try to enjoy yourself a little."
Will gasped for breath. "It's difficult to enjoy being drowned," he snapped, once he had recovered. "No offense, but I am not attracted to you ladies. I am a married man."
"How married ?" giggled Mavis.
Forget the pirates, thought Will. "Peter Pan ! Elizabeth ! Help !" he shouted.
With relief, Will heard the rest of the boarding party splashing nearby. "You leave him alone," ordered Elizabeth, grabbing Mavis' hands away from Will's trousers just in time.
"Back off, sister, we're just having a little fun," snapped Edith. She snatched a handful of Elizabeth's hair and pulled.
"Quick, Will, 'Lizbeth, to the ship," cried Peter, brandishing his dagger at Edith. Reluctantly, she let go of Elizabeth. "Curley and I will handle these two."
"We were handling things just fine without you," grumbled Mavis. Peter Pan and Curley wasted no time. They had already drawn their daggers. Curley slashed at the closest mermaid. By pure chance, his clumsy attack managed to graze her arm.
"Ouch !" cried Mavis, backing away. "That really hurt !"
"Peter Pan ! You little brat," cried Edith, flipping her tail in annoyance. The two mermaids retreated. "Come down and see me sometime," Edith called just before diving out of sight.
Will and Elizabeth swam toward the ship. Will caught hold of the anchor cable and began to pull himself up hand over hand. He swung himself over the railing and dropped lightly onto the deck. To his relief, it was unguarded. Two pirates lolled against the main mast, apparently unconscious. They hadn't reacted to the shouts and splashing in the water; it was unlikely they would wake up any time soon.
Will lowered the ladder over the side. As the others climbed up, he hastily buttoned his shirt. He was tucking it in when Elizabeth joined him on deck. "What am I going to do with you ?" she laughed softly, "I turn my back on you for a moment and you're seducing mermaids."
"Hardly," he protested in a whisper. "I thought they were going to drown me !" He hugged his wife tightly. "This place is dangerous !"
"Those mermaids are real man eaters," agreed Peter Pan, also whispering. None of them wanted to awaken any pirates who might not be totally passed out. "And boy, are they ever jealous !" Peter went on. "I tried to introduce the Wendy Lady to them once. They pulled her hair, too." The boy turned to Elizabeth, concern in his almond eyes. "Are you all right, Lady ?" he asked.
"I'm fine, Peter," she replied. "Come on, let's find out what these pirates have been up to. Can you lead us to the captain's cabin ?" Weapons ready, they followed the boy stealthily across the deck to the stern. Cautiously, Peter opened a door and led them into a narrow passage.
"Curley, stand guard here and
warn us if any pirates wake up," said Will. Curley nodded
tensely. The blacksmith tiptoed after Pan and Elizabeth. In front of
a second door, a short, portly pirate with bushy gray whiskers snored
loudly.
"Mr. Smee, the first mate," muttered Pan,
slipping past him and easing the door open. Inside, the cabin was
illuminated by several hanging lamps. The pirate captain Hook lay in
a wide berth, propped up on feather pillows. His head lolled and
drool ran from the corner of his slack mouth. His hook lay on a
velvet pillow on a low table next to the bed. The handless arm was
concealed beneath the blanket.
In his other arm, the pirate cradled a strange object. It let off a faint glow. Captain Hook stirred and murmured something in his sleep. A beatific smile spread across his thin lips. The expression seemed oddly out of place on the cutthroat's face. He rolled onto his side and caressed the glowing object. As the pirate turned, Will got a better look at what the captain held in his arms. It was a diamond the size of an ostrich egg !
Author's note: "It's hard to be funny when you have to be clean" ~ Mae West
The mermaids' dialog in this chapter contains a couple of quotes from the incomparable Mae West. I would have liked to have included more to really do her justice, but to do so would have raised the rating to PG13. ;o)
Many thanks to those who have taken the time to review !
