Fairy tales for young and old ~ English version

The Mermaid's Bargain

(Storytober - Day 29 - Pirate)

 Once upon a time, in the roaring waters of the Emerald Sea, there sailed a fierce pirate captain named Kathleen 'One Eye' Everit. Her ship, The Crimson Wraith, had braved many a storm and battled countless foes, but on this fateful night, the sea itself seemed bent on swallowing them whole. The wind howled like a maddened beast, and the black waves crashed against the wooden hull, tossing the ship as if it were a mere toy. Her crew clung desperately to the rigging, crying out as the waters threatened to pull them into the abyss.

"Hold fast, you dogs!" Kathleen bellowed, her voice cutting through the chaos. But in her heart, she knew they could not withstand the storm for long. The sea had grown wild and vengeful, and even a pirate's iron will could not calm its fury.

As the ship tilted dangerously, a strange voice, both haunting and sweet, echoed from the depths below. "Captain Everit," it sang, "do you seek a way to save your crew?"

Peering over the side, Kathleen saw a figure rising from the turbulent waves—a mermaid, her hair like flowing seaweed and her eyes glimmering like the deepest ocean blue. Her name was Jenibelle, a creature of legend, known to offer her gifts at a cost.

"What is it you want, sea witch?" Kathleen shouted above the roaring wind, her single eye narrowing as she met the mermaid's gaze.

"Not your soul, nor your life, dear captain," Jenibelle replied with a voice like the tinkling of coral bells. "I ask only for your most precious memory, the one that lives deepest in your heart."

Kathleen hesitated, for she held many treasures in her memory—maps to lost islands, the warmth of gold against her skin—but as the ship groaned beneath her feet, she knew she had no choice. "Aye then," she growled, "take your price and save my crew."

The mermaid's lips curved into a smile, and with a graceful motion, she lifted a hand. The storm began to calm, the waves smoothing into gentle swells, and the wind's wrath eased into a mere whisper. But as the sea grew still, a strange emptiness bloomed within Kathleen's chest, as if a part of herself had been carried away by the retreating tide.

Days passed, and though her ship was saved, Captain Everit felt hollow. Her laugh was not as loud, her spirit not as fierce. The crew noticed it too, whispering of a shadow that had fallen upon their captain. For though she could still wield her cutlass with deadly skill and steer the ship as deftly as before, there was a light in her eye that seemed dimmed, as though some cherished part of her had been plucked away.

Kathleen pondered what she had lost, and the answer eluded her like a ship slipping into the fog. All she could grasp was a faint sense of warmth, a fragrance of wild roses, and the sound of a gentle lullaby, but the rest was as intangible as mist.

Determined to reclaim what was hers, she sought the mermaid once more. She sailed to the heart of the Emerald Sea, where the waters shimmered with a pale green light, and called out for Jenibelle.

"Ah, Captain Everit," the mermaid replied as she surfaced, her tail sparkling beneath the moonlight. "What brings you back to my waters? Has the price I took become too dear?"

"I seek what you stole," Kathleen said, her voice edged with a longing she did not fully understand. "Tell me, what memory did you take from me?"

Jenibelle's expression softened as she spoke. "It was the memory of your mother, captain," she confessed. "The touch of her hand upon your brow when you were but a girl, the sound of her voice as she sang you to sleep. It is a memory as precious as the stars."

The revelation struck Kathleen like a blow. She remembered now, a woman with bright eyes and a gentle smile, but her image seemed faint, slipping like water through her fingers. "Give it back," she demanded, her tone rough with desperation. "I will not live without it."

The mermaid's gaze held a hint of sadness as she answered, "I would, but a price paid is not so easily undone."

"Name your price, then," Kathleen urged, her voice softer now, edged with a plea she rarely allowed herself.

For a moment, Jenibelle did not speak, and then she lifted her head, her eyes gleaming with an unspoken yearning. "There is only one thing I desire in exchange," she murmured. "Let me take human form and sail by your side. I have longed to walk upon the earth and feel the sun upon my skin, to live as you do, even if only for a time."

Kathleen's brow furrowed, but the ache in her heart stirred something else, something curious and tender. "You would give up the sea?" she asked, almost in disbelief.

"Aye," Jenibelle said, "for the love of a pirate's life and the chance to know you beyond our bargains." There was a light in her voice, a boldness that spoke of more than simple curiosity.

After a long pause, Kathleen nodded. "Very well," she said. "Take your place among my crew. But mark this, Jenibelle—betray me, and you'll find the sea holds no fury like a pirate's wrath."

With a shimmer of magic, Jenibelle transformed, her fin splitting into legs, her hair drying into waves of auburn. She stood upon the deck, unsteady but glowing with wonder, and at that moment, Kathleen felt the emptiness in her chest begin to fill once more, as if a forgotten melody had found its way back to her.

The days that followed were unlike any the crew had seen. The former mermaid proved herself a worthy sailor, quick to learn the ways of the ship and bold enough to meet Kathleen's gaze without flinching. There was a lightness in the captain now, a warmth that had been absent since the storm, and some swore they heard her humming an old lullaby as she steered the Crimson Wraith through calmer waters.

Though the ocean forever called to Jenibelle's heart, the warmth of the sun, the touch of the wind, and the company of a pirate captain seemed to hold her just as dear. In time, their bond grew, not merely forged by bargains but tempered by trust and the quiet yearning that had drawn them to each other from the very first.

So it was that the mermaid found a life upon the earth, and the pirate regained the memory she had lost, but gained something far greater—a new treasure, as precious as any she had ever sought, and a love that even the wildest sea could not take away.

And they sailed on, side by side, where the ocean met the sky, with nothing but freedom on the horizon.