A Mermaid's Tale

Chapter 9

Captain Kirkland's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. How had he not noticed before? The resemblance was so great that he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it earlier. His dirty blonde hair, his bright blue eyes, his carefree smile, and even his unruly ahoge. They all reminded him of someone he hasn't seen in years.

"What...did you say your name was?"

"Alfred, why?"

"Full name!" Arthur barked impatiently.

"A-Alfred F. Jones," the boy stuttered with fear in his eyes.

"Jones...it can't be..." The Captain turned away to hide the shock on his face. It couldn't be possible.

"Is, um...something the matter?"

"What happened to her?"

Alfred didn't seem to know what Arthur was talking about. He looked around nervously. "W-who? I-I don't know w-what's going on."

"Where is she?!?" Arthur roared as he spun to face the stowaway.

The boy was too terrified to do anything other than gape with wide blue eyes. He probably wished he could submerge himself in the little bit of water at the bottom of the tub and disappear.

The Captain pounded his fist on the edge of the tub. "Your mother! Where is she?"

Understanding finally seemed to dawn on Alfred's face, and his terror was replaced by something deeper. Something painful. His eyes clouded with emotion as his gaze dropped to his lap.

"She's...gone."

Arthur felt a small piece of him die on the inside. His breath caught in his throat, and all of his previous rage and confusion left him like death's last breath. Thoughts refused to come clearly as the Captain stumbled toward the door. He didn't even think about the stowaway as he stormed out of the room with the door still open. All he could focus on was keeping his feet moving.

Nothing registered in Arthur's head as he passed crew members on his way to his own quarters. A man walked with him for a while saying something he didn't quite catch all of.

".......the door like ya asked, Cap'n. She's ready whenever ya want t' see 'er, but she ain't in the best o' moods."

"Eh...? Oh, yes. I'll be there later," the Captain said without a thought toward the mermaid. He just needed to get away.

The man left him alone as he reached the door to his quarters. It took him a minute to pull the key out of his breast pocket and slide it into the lock. He fumbled with it for a minute more until the lock slid open with a click. Arthur hurried inside and shut the door behind him while making sure to lock it again.

He slowly made his way to his desk where a steaming cup of tea sat waiting for him. The cook was the only other person with a key to the Captain's room so he could bring food in whenever necessary. Usually Arthur would appreciate his thoughtfulness, but he was beyond feeling anything at this point. Everything had gone numb as if he had touched a bright yellow blossom from the kaleel tree.

White, vaporous steam drifted up from the tea, and he sighed as he have in to its warm enticings. It had a delightfully flowery taste that relaxed the tense knots in Arthur's shoulders. How wonderful tea is for the ragged soul, and Arthur's was ragged indeed. His gaze landed on a framed photograph that sat on his desk next to a pot of ink.

The woman in the picture was smiling, which was rather unusual when having a picture taken. Her lips were pulled up into one of the most vibrant smiles the Captain had ever seen, until today. Even though the photograph was black and white, he still remembered the light brown color of her hair and shining blue eyes. She had always complained about one unruly bit of hair that stood up funny if she didn't try to wrestle it back into place, and Arthur could still hear her boisterous laugh as if he had seen her just five minutes ago and not twenty years.

In a way he had seen her five minutes ago. The resemblance had been uncanny, not to mention the name. Jones. It had been her’s before she had married.

The Captain set his cup down with a weary sigh. "Mother..."

~000~

My room was rather simply furnished in comparison to the other room I was in before. There was a plain bed, a small chest, and a chair with a little table. A half burned candle sat lit and dripping on a metal holder that had been carefully set on the table, and it was the only source of light in the room. The door was closed behind me like the closing of a jail cell. I only thought that because I had seen the sentry they posted by the door. Even with our mutual need of each other's assistance, it would seem that Arthur still didn't trust me.

I sighed in frustration and plopped down on my bed. It felt so wonderful to get off my aching feet that I almost laughed out loud. How did humans stand having such inefficient and frail limbs? The thought made me miss my fin with renewed fervor. Having legs didn't even compare with the freedom of swimming in the deep blue where up, down, left, and right have no meaning. I let myself fall onto my back with another sigh.

That's when I remembered the silver fish clutched tightly in my hand. I held it up to look at a little more closely since I never got the chance at Ojigwa's hut. She said it would come in handy, but I had no idea how that could be true. It looked as plain as could be. The only thing that was a little unusual was the fish's eye. Instead of actually having an eye, there was just a hole that went straight through. I wished I had some kind of chord to string through it, but unfortunately I was all out. It would have helped to keep it from getting lost.

I closed my hand around the fish and stared blankly at the ceiling. It had been one of the craziest days I could recall in all of my one hundred and fourteen years. I smiled at the thought. The look on Arthur's face when he heard that had been absolutely priceless, like someone had told him he was sleeping with his grandmother. I couldn't hold back my laughter at the absurd thought, and laughed until my sides hurt.

It didn't last long though. In the end, I was still trapped in this room like a fish in a net. Or maybe I wasn't. I sat up quickly as an idea began to form in my mind. In a flash, I hopped off my bed and started for the door. Halfway there I stopped and looked down at the fish in my hand. I didn't think of myself as superstitious, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I shouldn't lose it, so I opened the chest at the foot of the bed and placed it carefully inside a small compartment.

Confident that the charm was secure, I walked back to the door and opened it a crack. I knew there was someone on guard, but I was fairly certain I could get around that minor obstacle. The wooden door creaked as I pushed it open a little further, and someone jumped a little in surprise.

"W-who's there?"

"Just me," I said in my sweetest voice. I peeked my head around the door and fluttered my lashes at the pirate.

He was on the shorter side and quite plump around the middle. Despite that fact, his trousers looked like they would slip off any second, and he kept tugging at them nervously. He also wiped his brow with a dirty handkerchief, which ruffled what little hair he had left. It was hard to tell his age, but he definitely didn't look young.

"Just me? Just me who? Oh!" He finally noticed me watching him from the door. "Ohhhhh...er, ehem. Got me some strict orders not t' let ya outta this 'ere room, lassie."

"I don't want to leave. I was just lonely and I was hoping you could keep me company." More eye batting.

"C-c-comp'ny?" He looked absolutely flabbergasted. "Me?"

"Sure." I stepped out of the room and softly closed the door. "What's your name, pirate?"

"James," he said with a sigh. A dreamy look had filled his eyes, and his head was starting to tilt to one side.

"How lovely." I could have laughed. Humans were so easy to trick. They had no idea how much power is in a name, even if it was only their first name. "Would you be a dear, James, and get me something to eat. I'm famished," I said with as much charm as I could muster.

"O-o' course!" The pirate snapped to attention and saluted like he had probably done hundreds of times before to his captain. He shuffled off supporting his pants with one hand while mumbling something about a lost belt.

I smiled impishly and started to walk away before poor James snapped out of his daze and realized what he had done. Names are powerful, but they're double sided blades. He could have just as easily done the same to me, if he had known my name. That's the price mermaids pay for wielding such magic.

I didn't really have a destination in mind, but I didn't care. Just the idea of being free for once put me in a good mood. Lamps flickered around me as the ship rocked slightly to the side. My unsteady legs stumbled a bit at the sudden shift in footing, and I had to grab a doorknob to keep myself from falling over. Soon the ship righted itself, and I tried to get back on my feet. I failed miserably. My legs became suddenly weak and refused to support my weight, which sent me crashing to the floor again.

A horrible, horrible pain shot through my chest like it was trying to rip itself apart. I held back a scream while I hugged myself desperately. It seemed like the only way to keep myself from falling apart. I had never felt anything this awful in my life. One word forced its way into my mind as I writhed in pain.

Heartbreak.

Confusion quickly followed this thought. Mermaids don't feel heartbreak. We break hearts, but we never have our hearts broken. The only ones with this kind of power are humans, and we know better than to let ourselves fall in love with humans. I didn't understand then how I could be experiencing this kind of pain.

The sensation in my chest began to lessen, but it refused to go away completely. Somehow, I found the strength to stand and forced myself to keep walking. I could see the stairs just down the hall, but it seemed like an impossible distance to close. Little by little, my feet shuffled forward as I kept one arm wrapped tightly around myself. There was only one reason I could be feeling this way, and I had to find him before it was too late.

It took so long to reach the stairs that I was surprised no one found me, especially James. Seems like he wasn't fastest fish in the school. The stairs were a challenge all of their own, but I managed to crawl up them with the teeniest bit of dignity still intact. Probably was a good thing no one was there to watch because it was ridiculously pathetic. The pain had faded to a dull ache, but it was still unbearable. I had to find him fast.

Unfortunately, I didn't know where to look, but I did have a hunch. Luckily for me, no one was anywhere near the stairs when I stepped onto deck, and I was able to sneak my way to the sterncastle where I knew Arthur's room was. Or at least that was where I thought it was.

The closer I got to the ornate door leading to the room, the more intense the pain in my chest became. I knew without a shadow of a doubt it was him causing me this pain. Sharing hearts was more intimate than I ever could have imagined it to be. If this really was his pain, I had to stop him from feeling it before it killed me. I couldn't take much more of this intolerable heartbreak.

I was about three steps away when the pain brought me to my knees. Tears burned in my eyes as I curled up into myself in an effort to bring some kind of comfort. I had to keep going before I fell apart, so I dragged myself the final distance to the heavy wooden door. My vision blurred as the tears spilled onto my cheeks, and I reached out with a shaking hand. I clawed feebly at the door, but nothing happened. If anything, the pain only got worse.

With the last of my strength, I pulled myself up using the metal doorknob and pounded on the wood with my fists. "Arthur..." I called pathetically. "Stop it...Arthur. Don't hurt anymore..."