Fishing For A Mermaid!

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Maggie and Captain Jack were among the many sailors ordered to follow Blackbeard, Angelica and Diego ashore. Whitecap Bay was said to be as mysterious as it was sinister. They say doom awaited any misguided souls who sought out it's perilous waters, because the bay was where mermaids have been known to gather for hundreds of years, thereby striking terror in the hearts of all sailors and pirates.

When Maggie was younger her Father had warned her that mermaids were not as friendly and helpful as they were depicted in story books. They were sly and evil she-creatures, who were capable of snatching humans off any ship or dock. Still Maggie was pretty excited about getting the chance to see a real live mermaid. They say mermaid's --although very dangerous-- we're also very pretty and always female.

If the world were full of pretty females who had the power to control men, the world might actually be on the right track for once! Maggie couldn't help but think.

As all several of the longboats made it to shore the men started to drag large, thick nets out of the boats and hold them up near an old abandoned pier.

"Lay 'em out flat!" Blackbeard ordered "No tangles! Make 'em look purty for our dainty guests!" He turned towards the lighthouse on the nearby cliff. "We're going to need light. Lots of light."

Blackbeard, Angelica and Diego followed by Jack, Maggie and Salaman climbed up the wooden stairs to the top of the abandoned lighthouse overlooking the bay. When they arrived at the door at the top of the lighthouse, they found it hanging off it's hinges.

In the top level of the lighthouse, there was the lighting mechanism. A huge candle wick on a rotating platform with a large mirror behind it. There was also a system of pressure-controlled pipes leading back to a very large tank up above their heads.

"Smell that?" Salaman sniffed the air "Whale oil. Stuff burns like a miracle from God!"

"Can you make it work?" Blackbeard asked.

"Made by the English" Salaman shrugged "Let's not get our hopes up..."

Captain Jack glanced down and saw Maggie staring at Diego with a dreamy look in her eye. At the same time, Diego was sneaking quick glances at Maggie and smiling. Jack narrowed his eyes at the vulgar boy, then smirked knowing exactly how to get Maggie's mind off boys.

He kneeled down beside Maggie and snaked his arms around her little frame, holding his little girl close.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I witnessed a mermaid up close?" He asked her.

"No, Dad" Maggie sighed under her breath.

"Oh! They're the most horrid she-creatures you could ever encounter on the sea. Horribly dangerous! More lethal than a hungry shark... with weapons! And they're all female!"

"Hmm..." Maggie said, not looking interested at all.

Captain Jack smirked. "And they're always after their next meal and in order to get it, they would snatch up any sailor they could get they're slimy hands on and... gobble them all up!"

With that said Jack tossed Maggie into his arms and tickled her sides as he nuzzled his face into her neck, pretending to eat her.

"Ha-ha-ha! Da-haha-Dad! Daddy!" Maggie squealed out as she giggled.

Maggie looked over at Diego who was snickering as he watched them. Maggie suddenly felt the heavy weight of embarrassment settle into the pit of her stomach.

"Daddy! No!" She pushed Jack's face away. "Dad! Let me go!" She said before squirming out of his grip.

Maggie quickly fixed her hair and walked over to Diego.

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