Prior author's note: Another illustration! For chapter 10: butterfrogmantis/art/Mercave-794916313

(Also available directly on my DeviantArt page ^^)

Chapter 11

Captain didn't say anything about the key the next morning, so Skiff decided to allow him a little time to make up his mind about whether he wanted to share his secret. Instead, he spent the morning explaining how human things worked by drawing objects in the sand as Captain inquired as to their purpose.

"Alright ... what is a 'candle'?"

"It's a wick that's stuck in some wax" Skiff explained, drawing a rectangle with a stick in the sand. "Then you set the wick on fire" He etched a small teardrop shape over the stick.

The merman blinked, looking surprised.

"What would you want to do that for?"

"Light, heat – some of them even smell nice" The sailor thought back to the vanilla scented candles his mother used to buy in winter. "And on our birthdays we blow them out"

"Birthdays?"

"Well ... every year on the day we were born - we celebrate"

"We merfolk also celebrate our clutch date, but not with fire"

It was the fisherman's turn to ask.

"Clutchdate?"

"I suppose a similar thing. You get stuff to put in your cave. Once you have 10 clutchdates you have to hunt your own fish. Once you have 18 clutch dates you can find your own cave, but some chose to stay a little longer. I went at 18 clutchdates"

"How many have you had now?"

"Thirty six. It would just be embarrassing to have stayed with my parents"

"Oh!" Skiff' eyes sparkled with interest. He'd even found out the merman's age, which was a bonus "So you have family?"

"My parents live quite a few miles away. I was looking for complete independence out here"

"Have you been back to visit?"

"At least once a year, it's considered rude by custom not to return to the egg parents"

"So you were an egg?" Skiff frowned. Was a merperson a fish or a mammal? Technically both, but that didn't make any sense. Was it rude to ask where on the classification chart they fell?

"Of course" The merman sounded a little surprised "Where else was I supposed to come from?"

Skiff didn't know how to answer that one, so he kept quiet.

The cave had darkened by the time Captain brought in dinner. Skiff was finding himself growing hungrier as his strength built up, so he was pleased to see the size of tonight's catch. He ate ravenously, pausing only to pick out stray fish bones. Once he'd finished, he noticed his friend acting a little strangely, digging his hand into the sand and pulling it out before repeating.

"Your strength is back" He said at last, once silence had settled into the cave.

"I can walk again" Skiff nodded "and my head seems to have healed"

"I assume that means you'll want to be getting back to Brigodston soon"

Skiff thought about it. He didn't fancy facing Pescecorp again, but he also couldn't back down from the fight when he had a chance of winning. He was still alive to tell his tale. Besides, hanging out in a small air pocket was going to become less than ideal sooner or later.

"I suppose I'll have to go somewhere" Skiff admitted reluctantly "I'm not done fighting Pescecorp"

"Then if you're going to say goodbye I suppose I'd better tell my story"

"O-oh?" The sailor tried not to act as though he'd been expecting this. Captain backed away and disappeared off of the embankment. Moments later he remerged, the enigmatic chest in his hands.

"I haven't opened this for several years ... I think it's time" He took the key from under the rock and brought both objects up to the human sitting on the sand.

"Open it" He passed the key over. Skiff nodded, getting onto his knees and sliding the key into the lock. He turned it to the right with a little effort, and eventually the lid bounced as it opened. He took a deep breath, wondering what he was going to see. Some sort of treasure? Another pearl? Or something hideous and gross? With trepidation he opened the lid and saw ... a book. A single leather bound journal. He took it tentatively from the chest, watching his friend to make sure he was doing the right thing. Captain merely watched him, licking his lips nervously.

A couple of pages fell out and onto the sand. Skiff saw that it was the front page of a journal, with a date that had been blurred out from the water, and a name. Harold Sikorsky. Skiff had never heard of this name. He opened the journal, and began to read. The first few pages seemed to have been written by a pilot, because they were all about watching the world from a helicopter cockpit. There were fairly vague descriptions of the man's life and interests. These carried on for a few pages, then one entry caught Skiff's eye. It simply said 'the crash' in large shakily drawn letters. The next few pages were blank, and then the entries were ... different.

'I have no idea what time it is. I'm guessing it must be daytime because I'm wide awake. Too bad every time I close my eyes I see that ... crash again. The hunger is the other thing keeping me awake, I hope Captain returns soon'

Skiff looked up in shock. Captain's large blue eyes twinkled. There was a hint of resolution and fear in them. The sailor flipped over a couple of pages more.

'I've never heard anything like it. It's beautiful but rather eerie at the same time, I'm not exactly sure what it means - but he seems to do it a lot'

Hm. Interesting. Skiff went to the very last journal entry.

'I'd never have believed my luck but I heard the chaps outside today. There's a small hole in the cave wall that I called through – I'm saved! I'll remember to thank Captain for saving me, but I think it might be time to say goodbye – the boys are here to return me to the sky where I belong! I'll be more careful from now on. No more crashes, no more daring rescues. Harry is heading out!'

Skiff slipped the front two pages back inside the cover and then closed it silently. It was a lot to take in. So, Captain had cared for another human in this cave before. That explained a few things – like the air pocket, and his knowledge of how to treat injuries. But there was still a lot that the journal didn't tell him.

"So you healed him too?"

The merman nodded.

"It's time for my half of the story."

Skiff nodded and settled back against the chest, still holding the leather bound diary.

"It'll also explain ... where that pearl came from. And ... what it is"

"I'm ready" Skiff gave his friend an encouraging smile. At last, he would have the answers he'd been waiting for.

Captain settled himself back on his usual perch, cleared his throat, and began to tell his deepest secret.