The Call of the Sea

Chapter 1

Sailing the ocean was truly a beautiful sight to see; sailing the ocean with a bunch of pirates was less enjoyable. Leaning against the wooden railing of The Pillaging Sun, I inhaled deeply taking in the salty scent of the sea. The chattering behind me had caught my attention as I remembered my true reasoning for boarding this revolting ship.

There was a rumor going around town that the captain of The Pillaging Sun had captured a mermaid. It was despicable; mermaids were beautiful creatures that deserved to be left alone in peace, not to be hunted endlessly by barbarians. So, I had disguised myself in order to sneak aboard, and set the mermaid free.

I walked towards the crowd that gathered on the main deck. They were looking up towards Captain Wrothbar, who was standing next to a large crate.

"Lads! This will be a day worth rememberin'!"he announced, "For many years I've been sailin' these waters in search of findin' the greatest treasure man has ever known.Today is that day, feast your eyes on the rare jewel of the sea: a mermaid!"

He busted open the crate to a heartbreaking sight. A mermaid tightly bound to the anchor. The crowd around me hollered and cheered in excitement while my jaw dropped in disbelief. The mermaid was male and incredibly handsome, but he looked so miserable.

His arms shoulders and chest were badly bruised and his gills on his ribs looked dry. His dirty blonde hair stuck against his forehead glistening with sweat. His light green tail looked pale and dry as it was tied up around the anchor. His arms were tied around the stock while is wrists were tied to the shank,his shoulders and neck were kept in place at the head and ring making his face slightly red as a rag was gagged over his mouth. He looked tired, angry, miserable and defeated. It broke my heart to see a beautiful creature look like that. I had to set him free.

Wrothbar nodded to the small group of pirates behind him and they walked over to the mermaid to pick up the anchor. The mermaid glared and started to struggle as they drew closer to him, but they laughed and picked him up. They walked over to the side of the ship and tossed him over. The chain rattled loudly as the anchor drop closer to the ocean; with a loud clang, it jolted to a stop. Me and the rest of the crew rushed to the port of the ship to see the anchor hover above the water, taunting him. The crew laughed loudly as he continued to struggle trying his hardest to escape, but it was no use, the ropes were too tight.

"Alright you scalliwags! Back to work! He won't be goin' anywhere!" Wrothbar barked. Everyone scrambled about getting back to their stations. Captain Wrothbar returned to his cabin and left us all to work as Osric, the First Mate, took the helm.

I have to wait until nightfall to free him otherwise he won't live to see tomorrow.