HEAR HER SONG (Completed)

CHAPTER 3

Niylah had crept out of her hiding spot and watched from afar as Tom fiddled with untangling a net. His tensed jaw revealed just how stressed that strange man had left him. She was so focused on her father that she didn't hear the footsteps behind so when a hand touched her shoulder, she let out a startled yelp.

"Hey," came an amused chuckle. "Didn't mean to scare you. I'm guessing you're Niylah, right?" Niylah turned around to face the stranger. It wasn't the same man from before. This man seemed to be around Tom's age. His hair wasn't peppered with white. Instead, the grey settled around his ears. His brown hair was brushed back like Tom's. His eyes were dark but friendly.

"Yes?" She answered hesitantly.

The greeting seemed to catch Tom's attention because he approached the edge of the boat.

"It's about time, Harris. Quit harassing my daughter and get on the boat." He didn't sound mad as he acknowledge the man, Harris.

"Aye, aye, captain," Harris gave Niylah a teasing nudge before climbing aboard the Ne Hwas.

Tom returned to wrestling with the net as he spoke."Niylah, this is Oliver Harris. You probably don't remember him."

"You used to call me 'Uncle Oli'," Harris said. "You probably don't remember."

"No, sorry," Niylah felt sheepish as she answered.

"What are you doing out here, Niy?" Tom asked. She was grateful for the subject change. Old reminders of a past she didn't remember always felt exhausting.

Tom had turned his attention back to his work and his tone came off nonchalant but she guessed he was fishing for an answer. Maybe to figure out how much she had heard – if anything at all.

"Oh, you were busy with work so I figured I'd stop by the grocery mart. I wasn't sure if you wanted anything specific so I thought I'd come by and ask. I'm not interrupting you or anything, am I?"

Niylah took a step back towards the ladder in case she needed to leave Tom to do whatever he had to.

"Oh, no. You're fine. I was just getting ready to set out." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the seat behind him.

"Do you need any help?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard. Tom probably thoughtNiylah had no interest in fishing. After all, her mother had grown tired of this life. Still, Niylah liked to help people. She could always go grocery shopping once they returned.

Tom seemed to contemplate the idea of letting her join. "Harris'sboys did call out today so an extra hand wouldn't hurt." He shot Oliver a glance before he turned to face her. "Are you sure you want to come? It's not easy work."

Niylah nodded her head. She was always up for a challenge. She came all this way, didn't she?

"Alright, untie the boat and push off the dock. Let's try to beat this storm."

She did as she was told, unwrapping the thick rope from around the post before using her feet to push the boat away from the dock. The boat's motor rumbled to life, puttering them out of the marina and out into the open ocean.

Niylah cast her gaze up to the sky. The same sun that had been fighting to pierce the veil of dark clouds had given up entirely. The sky was darkened by ominous skies. There really was a storm rolling in.

"Isn't it unsafe to go out?" Niylah's voice was nearly drowned out by the roar of the ocean as the large fishing vessel cut through the waves with its rumbling motor – a deafening cacophony.

"I have a deadline," Tom yelled above the noise from where he stood. She had joined him inside at the helm of the boat. He stood tall and firm, his hands gripping the wheel as he guided them through the rocky sea. Seawater sprayed the windows they were looking out of and a ball of worry weighed down at the pit of her stomach. "We'll be okay. We'll be in before it gets bad."

Niylah wasn't as confident as him, but he knew better. Who was she to question?

The storm seemed to hold off the most part. Whitecaps made smooth sailing impossible, but it was an almost soothing rock as the vessel rolled over the waves. The Ne Hwas seemed to take on the waves with exceptional expertise. It was definitely a boat made to handle the rough seas.

"We're far enough."

Tom stepped away from the ship's wheel, giving Oliver the controls, and led her out onto the deck. He moved across the unsteady surface with ease as he headed to a set of controls. Niylah peeked around his shoulder to see what he was doing. She watched in amazement as he controlled the big crane nearby, watching as it lowered the large net into the ocean. So, this is what Tom did day-to-day.

The Ne Hwas towed the fishing net alongside it and Niylah peered over the edge of the boat. The smell of saltwater didn't mask the fishy odor emanating from the boat. Away from the town, the sea, despite being rough, held an atmospheric calm. It was a strong sense of nostalgia though, she couldn't remember a time where she spent it on the vast sea.

The sound of the crane whirring to life broke her from her enamored trance. The net lifted slowly out from the dark depths below. The catch seemed to be quite large as the crane groaned, struggling to lift the load.

"Caught something big!" Tom cheered, his voice full of hope.

Whatever it was, it was putting up a struggle. The crane creaked and groaned with effort. Just as the net was nearly out of the water,it seemed as if whatever was fighting to be free, had won. The crane was no longer struggling to lift the load.

"Dammit!" Tom raced to the edge of the boat to look at what happened. Curious, Niylah followed him. They watched as countless fish flopped out of the net and into the water. She could hear him curse under his breath as Tom pulled the net onto the deck.

"What happened?" Oliver called from the helm. He tried his best to look through the windows at their situation.

Tom's jaw set as he examined the net."What the hell?"

Turning around, her father held it up, revealing a large cut in the netting. She could see Oliver squint before a look of obvious frustration crossed his features. Niylah knew from the encounter with the man earlier that this wasn't a good sign. He had something to do with her father's business and the fact that they lost the majority of their catch to a tear in the net was not a good sign.

  Niylah looked over at the fish flailing on the deck. There was still a lot, but definitely not as much as they could've gotten. Bending down, she began to help by catching the fish and throwing them in the fish tote. However, something caught her attention. Something was standing out among the fish and it didn't look like it belong on the boat. She crouched down and picked up the object, holding it in her hand. It looked like a handcrafted knife, or the tip of a spear, carved from bone or rock. Niylah flipped it over, inspecting it carefully. Could this have been used to cut through the net? If that were the case, she wasn't so sure she wanted to figure out what they had caught in that net. Or, what had fought so hard to escape.