Tails of the Deep [Major Editing]

Chapter 1: William Hail

Port Archibald, 1842

THE cool, salty breeze caressed his wavy, dark brown hair as William stared out into the horizon. A sense of longing tugged at his heart, a void that has yet to be filled for six years. He took a deep breath at the thought of his father, Jupiter Hail, one of the greatest sailors to have sailed the Seven Seas.

All around him people were scurrying from place to place, running their usual errands. Life was hard at Port Archibald. The eyes of the townspeople looked like they have not had good sleep in months. Port Archibald was a fishing port, but its waters also brought much danger to its people. Many brave men put their lives on the line every day in order to put food on the table. And for that, the number of families destroyed by sirens were too many to count.

William Hail, son of Jupiter, sat at his usual spot at the end of the port. This was his favourite spot in the harbour. He used to sit here and watched his father's ship sail into the horizon and he would sit here to await his return. Jupiter would come back with the most interesting stories or goodies for him. But this pastime was short-lived. Six years on and William would still find time to come here as often as he could to relive what little memories he has of his father.

As he imagined what could have been if Jupiter were still around, his thoughts were interrupted by a commotion.

Injured men were spilling out from a ship that had just docked. Blood coloured the wooden floorboards. "You! Get the doctor!" a man yelled to another.

William could see about six to eight injured men, all bleeding profusely. He ran towards them. By now, many people had gathered around the wounded sailors. William had to push his way through. "What happened? Is it another siren attack?" he asked.

"Aye, a few miles from here. 'Tis here are all fishermen. They stopped bleeding awhile ago, but it seems like the wounds opened up again. Lucky for them, we managed to reach the port or they would've bled to death," a sailor explained.

"This is bad. They've never come so close to shore before," William said as he rolled up his sleeves and began to attend to the wounded fishermen while waiting for the doctor to arrive. "If I don't make it, tell me wife I love her," a fisherman William was administering to said.

Those words got to him. He thought of the countless men who never got to say their goodbyes, and this angered him. Enough is enough, he thought. He clenched his fists, a new wave of anger surged within his veins. He was older now, it was time he did something about this. The people of Archibald cannot keep living life in fear and loss.

When the carriage arrived, William left the fishermen to the doctor. He decided to take a detour to the bar where his father and crewmen used to go for drinks whenever they docked. He was hoping he would find those same sailors again. He pushed through the swing doors of the bar and sure enough, there they were.

Though six years had passed, the bar still looked the same as it did all those years ago. They still had that same fake shark's head hung on the wall. William recalled how his father would carry him and placed him into the mouth of the shark, and how he would pretend to call for his father's rescue. The shark was still there, but his father was no longer.

The men in the bar stopped their work and looked at William. Some, who did not work at the bar but were simply there for drinks, also stopped drinking. All eyes were fixed on him.

"Can I help ya, boy?" asked one man. William shook his head and walked towards the first crewman his eyes laid upon – Bod, his father's first mate.

"Bod," he addressed the rather strong-built man.

"Will! What brings ya here?" Bod chuckled, ruffling William's hair like he always does.

His father's past crewmen began to crowd around the two and William told them of his plans to set sail again, to finally avenge for his father and the many sailors who have lost their lives. Upon hearing that, they told him to go home and continue studying.

"The sea is far too dangerous fer ya, lad," said One-Eye, Jupiter's most experienced sailor.

William scanned the disapproving faces of his father's sailors. "He's right, chap. The sea is no place for a boy," one crewman said and continued wiping the tables. Ricky, no longer a sailor, but a waiter at the bar.

"But please, sir," William turned to Bod. "I have to do something. I can't sleep at night knowing that so many are dying out there, knowing that my father lost his own life to them. They have robbed me of my years with my father. They say time would heal all wounds but it's been six long years and I still see my father's face when I go to the harbour. Do you know how hard it is for me to live every day knowing somewhere out there, the siren who killed him still lives? I have seen many families destroyed by those vermin and I can take it no more. So please, sir. As his son, let me do something." His face was filled with so much sorrow and grief, and Bod felt that. He felt the pain of this young man.

Bod knew what dangers the seas would bring, but Will's determination convinced him that maybe they could put an end to this treachery. He sighed, "Alright, son." He got up and patted William on the back, "I'm with ya."

The rest of the crew looked at one another, puzzled. "Well, ya heard the boy," Bod said. "We're going to catch those blasted creatures and bring 'em to justice." He raised a glass of rum, "For Jupiter Hail, the greatest sailor to have sailed the Seven Seas!"

The rest of the crewmen raised their glasses in unison. "Yarr!"

And it was settled. The crew would set sail in a week. William used the time to think of how he would tell his mother. He knew she would never approve of this.

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Darkness fell and the candles in William's room were still lit. T'was the night before his departure. He sat by his desk, pen in hand, staring at a blank sheet of paper. A long time passed before he wrote:

Dearest Mother,

I know you are still deeply hurt by Father's death and I, too, cannot live with this sense of longing anymore. I've gone to join Father's old crew. They have agreed to set sail again for me. I will avenge his death and see to the extermination of all sirens. Rest assured, Mother. And forgive me, I know you've always told me to never follow in his footsteps, but I feel that this is something I must do as his son. Goodbye, Mother. Await my return.

I love you always,

William Hail

With that, he folded the parchment paper and scribbled his mother's name 'Madeline Hawks' on it. He placed the letter on his bedside table. When the sun rises tomorrow, all that will be left of William Hail would be that letter.

William crawled into bed and thought to himself, this would be my last night. I'll never sleep in this warm bed again. I'll never taste Mother's delicious food again. He was going to give everything up and take his father's place. Was it going to be worth it, no one knows.

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William jerked awake. The sun was rising; the sky, fading from black to dark blue. He grabbed his duffel bag and climbed out through the window. He was careful and the moment his foot touched the soft earth, he made a run for it. When he arrived at the harbour, it was already bustling with life.

He looked around for Bod or any of the crewmen and just when he thought they had backed out on him, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Aye, ya made it, boy!" grinned Chester, one of the crewmen.

William let out a faint smile and asked, "Umm, where's Bod?"

"Bod went to get us some rum. Ya know, if ya want to sail, ya need plenty of rum!"

William nodded his head. Typical, these men needed rum to work. Chester's already drunk and we have yet to sail!

"Whom are we sailing on?" William decided to ask.

Chesterplaced his arm around William, "Will, my boy, we're sailing on her, one of thefinest of the Seven Seas. Bod saved up quite a sum to acquire her. It's noteasy to get a ship on such late notice." Chester pointed to the large,magnificent ship with his beer bottle. "That, Will, is the Avenger."