To Live on the Land We Must Learn from the Sea

Chapter 2

Word Count: 1,010
   
Stede snuck out later that night. It was a full moon, which was when he usually rose to the surface of the cove to watch passing ships. He also figured that he'd put the pirate ship with the rest of his collection. 

   The merman swam several hundred yards before surfacing a safe distance away from his village. There was no use for everyone else being found if anyone ever caught him. 

  He gazed around at the vast waters. Sure enough, a ship was passing by close to the shore of the mainland. Stede cautiously swam closer but still stayed far enough away that someone would have to use a spyglass to spot him. And even then, they'd probably just think he was a night swimmer from a nearby town. 

   The ship was bustling and surprisingly had a few lanterns lit despite the bright full moon. Stede's sensitive hearing caught yelling and arguing—this didn't sound like the normal drunk bickering, either. Something seemed to be seriously wrong. Words floated through the air like soft and weak and not fit to be captain. 

  Stede's eyebrows furrowed but then shot upward when he heard a splash come from the starboard side of the ship, followed by cheers from the onboard pirates. 

  The merman plunged downward toward the direction of the noise. The sea was luckily not very deep where the ship was at. They were lucky their hull wasn't scraping the bottom. 

  Despite the full moon, the water was still murky and hard to see through, but Stede pressed on. He could hear signs of a struggle and feel vibrations in the water. Suddenly, he was upon a man bound in ropes writhing on the seafloor, his movements creating clouds of silt around him. Stede knew it was vital to not be seen, but also didn't want the man to die. 

   His arms clamped around the squirming man as he swam with all of his might, speeding away from the ship. Stede prayed that the man could hold his breath for a while. Surely that was a requirement for pirates, right? 

  He finally surfaced on a bank hidden behind a wall of large, rough boulders. If the crew was scanning the shoreline from the ship, the man would be hidden.

  Stede hauled himself onto the sand, dragging the man up beside him. Now he could finally get a good look. He had a curly salt-and-pepper beard with hair to match. His dark, weathered skin was riddled with tattoos and scars. He wore leather–an interesting outfit choice for being at sea, in Stede's opinion. His own leather satchel was already cracking from being in water. 

  Speaking of the satchel, Stede took off his bag slung around his body and found a sharp rock nearby to cut the ropes from the man's wrists, ankles, legs, and torso. 

  Finally, he turned the man on his side and hit his back with the heel of his hand, hoping to expel the water in his lungs. 

  After half a minute, the pirate's body seized, and he started to cough up seawater. He began to turn himself over. This was Stede's cue to leave. He hastily propelled himself backward toward the water, fully submerging himself before he was caught. He resurfaced behind a pair of rocks with a crack through the middle, which served as a spy hole for watching this fascinating human. 

  The man fully sat up now, rubbing his wrists and squinting at the ropes around him, his eyebrows furrowed. His eyes landed on the sharp rock laying beside the ropes, then scanned the sea beyond him. The boat could barely be seen in the distance, now.

  The pirate muttered some curses as he stared after the boat, then unbuckled his leather vest and pulled it over his head. The man strained and groaned in frustration as the leather rubbed his wet skin. He finally got the article of clothing off and spread it out on the sand to dry. To Stede's surprise, he wore a purple shirt underneath. The color seemed hard to come by; hardly any of the merpeople owned purple clothing. 

  The dark haired man stood up, causing Stede to sink further into the water. He stretched his arms above his head, exposing his midriff, and then rolled out his neck and shoulders. 

  Stede's eyes were glued on the man's legs in admiration and a hint of jealousy. They were strong but also curved in some parts, like the trees he'd seen close to shore. They swayed a little bit under the pirate's weight as he tried to catch his breath. The merman noticed a curious metal contraption on his left leg. Was it decoration? Did it help him move? Did all humans require one? 

  The man scanned the beach for signs of his rescuer before his eyes landed on Stede's satchel. The merman inwardly cursed himself. Now he'd never get his stuff back! 

  The pirate squatted down, stroking the peeling leather. He lifted the flap before peering curiously inside. He first pulled out the goblet, then the playing card, turning each one carefully in his hands. Finally, he pulled out the bottle. 

  Steve sighed in frustration at himself. He'll probably never find something that cool again. But seeing the pirate's smile was worth it. 

   At least someone seems to appreciate my stuff just as much as I do , Stede thought. 

  "I suppose I could start over," the pirate murmured to himself, still turning the bottle in his hands. "Steal a ship. Get my own crew." He looked out at the sea. "If only I could thank my rescuer," he spoke a little louder. 

  Steve blushed from behind his rock. He desperately wanted to introduce himself, but that would practically be treason against merfolk. Trusting humans led to bad things. 

  Despite the risk of being seen, Stede remained behind his rock, watching the man until nearly sunrise when the pirate finally turned and walked up the beach toward the nearest town, the bottle still in his hand.