Page 15 of Found at Sea
“Mermaids,” he repeated, nodding toward the water. “You can sometimes see ‘em around dusk. Most know not to surface when a ship’s around, but some are more curious.”
Until that moment, I’d believed mermaids were only a legend. Magic wasn’t real, and neither were sea creatures or mythological beings. They were stories told at night when one had too much to drink or as a way to pass time. None were based in truth.
“It was probably just a large fish,” I said, still hesitant to believe in the myth. I hadn’t actually seen anything, so until I did, I’d assume this crewman was just attempting to trick me. And I refused to give him the satisfaction of doing so.
“If you say so,” he responded with a sly grin. He leaned on the rail and looked toward the horizon. “Why are you here?”
I was surprised by his question. No one else had asked it.
The man looked at me, and in his stare I saw just how young he really was. Although he spoke of experience, he still had a babe’s face and a touch of innocence. I told myself I only noticed it because I, too, was young and innocent.
Easy to spot someone who was the same.
“Why areyou?” I asked.
He smiled and averted his gaze back to the darkening water. “Because I never had a home. My village was attacked, my family murdered, and I was left for dead. Then one day, the captain found me. I was digging in a pile of rotten vegetables, trying to stomach enough of it just so I could getsomefood in my body. And he asked me to join his crew, where I’d never go hungry again.”
Something about his words warmed me from the inside out. Captain Flynn had such an intimidating edge to him, so much so that men in his own crew watched him with paranoid eyes, and yet…he’d shown kindness to this young man. It made me suspect that there was more to him than I thought.
That maybe he wasn’t as ruthless as the stories made him out to be.
“My name’s Alek by the way,” the man added, regarding me curiously.
“I’m Fletcher.”
We shook hands before standing there together, just watching the ripples in the water as we sailed. It was a peaceful silence, one not made awkward by lack of speaking.
I peered over at Alek, taking in the soft planes of his face, and I became even more interested in him. Wanting to know all about him, if just to feel a connection withsomeone. It’d only been four days, but it was lonely.
Even back in Helmfirth where my head was stuck in the clouds and I was always dreaming of another life, I still talked to people. The baker’s son liked to discuss philosophy, and one of the farmer’s daughters would come to the tavern and sit with me outside, talking about the boy she was seeing—one her father didn’t approve of.
“How old are you?” I asked.
“Seventeen,” Alek answered. “I’ve been on theCrimsonfor nearly six years.”
“I’m only two years older,” I responded with a slight smile. “So what’s it like being a pirate?”
Alek returned my smile before answering. As he spoke of adventure, danger, and even lust, I was engrossed in his story, hanging on to his every word.
He was younger than me and had already seen so much. Experienced more.
Our work was done for the day, so as the sun disappeared and the moon greeted us in the starry night sky, we found a spot on deck to sit and talk. Some of the crew still worked, but the hustle of the day was gone as we made way for a calmer evening.
“Wow,” I said as I reclined back, hands behind my head, and stared up at the stars. “It’s so beautiful out here. Back in Helmfirth, I’d often stare at the sky, but it never seemed as amazing as it does right now.”
Lifting my hand, I connected the stars with my fingers.
“You know that’s how some sailors travel,” Alek said, watching me. “They use the stars as one huge map.”
“And what about pirates?”
Alek cocked a brow before tilting his head back toward the helm. “Captain’s searching for something. On clear nights such as this, you can usually find him there.”
I followed his gaze and saw Captain Flynn with a hand on the ship’s wheel. He held what looked to be a small compass with his other hand, and he moved his stare from the item and to the sky. He looked… I don’t know. Different. The moon caught the hard planes of his face, causing him to appear more intense.
“What’s he looking for?”
“All he’s told the crew is it’s a treasure that will make us all richer than we’d ever dreamed,” Alek answered. “One of legend.”
“Which legend?”
He shrugged. “Not my place to ask questions.” A smile lifted his lips. “Unlike you. You’re full of questions. I suggest biting your tongue around the other men. Most of ‘em won’t hesitate to backhand you or worse.”
The more he talked, the more I heard traces of an accent. But then it’d disappear. As if he was trying to hide it.
I was about to ask another question, but then stopped myself. Might as well start to control my curious mind now as opposed to later. So instead, I laid my head back down and stared at the amazing world above me.
The ship gently rocked and as the silence grew longer my eyes began to feel heavy. When I lost the battle and closed them, I took comfort in the way the night breeze touched my face in the way I imagined a warm lover might. Not that I’d ever had a lover, but it was still nice to imagine nonetheless.
The next morning, I awoke in my hammock below deck, unsure of how I got there.
