Innocent Creatures

Chapter 3 (P.O.V: Sebastian)

Carnivals and thoughts of the Circus make me want to sing.

I stand in the middle of the Mermaid Market next to my small stall, looking around at all the beautiful mermaids strung up by rope, with long, cascading blond hair, and the few that are alive, but barely. Their eyes flash with dread as a new hopefuls prepare to bargain with her owner.

I do not care for them. I do not pity them, and I certainly do not share any aspect with them. They are disgusting beasts hidden in the bodies of exquisite beings. I would happily choke mine with the brown rope hanging to my left, but my profit would shrink considerably. My mermaid is the most amazing one I have seen yet. Her brown, short hair covers the top of her bare shoulders, and her face is too beautiful to be the work of God, no wonder people marvel at her presence. I sneer at the one on a stall opposite mine, and she flinches.

A man wearing a dirty, orange, quilted jacket walks over and points to the last mermaid I have left on my stall. "How much are ya chargin' for 'er then, Mister whatever your name is?" he says, in the deepest voice I think I have ever heard.

"I am charging £350 for this fine mermaid, sir" I say, in the most well spoken voice I could muster.

"350? Where do ya think you will 'ind someone willin' to pay 350 blooming pounds for a flipin' mermaid?" he spits.

"I will find someone, now if you are not going to purchase her, please leave!"

"Excuse me?"

"I said 'please depart from my stall'"

"A'int you a little feisty one! You wan'a fight?"

"No, I do not believe in violence, I think myself rather a pacifist"

"Oh, flip off! The last person who said that to me left the bar with two black eyes and a broken limb!"

"Good for him, now please depart!"

"Fine, keep ya breaches on!" He walked away, flashing me a cold look at me as he did so. My mermaid was staring at me by the time I had looked away from him.

"What are you looking at?" I sneer, poking her tail. She immediately faces the opposite direction, and I smile. I notice that there is blood seeping through the scales where I poked her, and simply bound some cloth around it. Damaged mermaids are worth less money, so hiding the imperfection would be the easiest thing to do.

Suddenly, I notice a pixie.

She has long, flowing, black hair, and her eyes are as blue as the summer sky. I wanted HER. I didn't want the pretty maid sitting next to her fish stall, humming merry tunes as she filleted her cod, and I certainly did not want the odd looking lady winking at me from the stall to my left. I wanted HER. I looked at the pixie, until she noticed me, then made a hand gesture for her to walk over. When she reached the stall, she said "Why have you called me?".

"Your such a pretty maiden..." I say, playing with a ringlet of black hair "And I notice your here alone..."

"How dare you even hint of what I know your thinking!" She shrills, slapping me hard on my right cheek "I thought you would have been a nice gentleman, but I now think not!".

"Oh but miss, I am nice!"

"Yes, and I'm sure all the prostitutes around here think your just marvellous!" She crosses her arms, and glares at me.

"If you don't, I will have no choice but to show everyone your ears..." I gesture to her ears, which were nearly completely covered by a hood.

"You wouldn't dare!" she says, her face now drained of all the colour it once wore.

"Oh, you seem to have mistaken me for another man, because I would" I grin, leaning closer towards her.

"Please do not do this!" she cries, pulling her hood further over her head.

"What is your name, child?"

"M...Misty Lavonia, sir"

"I have a new idea, how about you join my circus?" As soon as I said it, I grab her waist, and throw her over the stall, then I tug her into the circus tent behind me. She screams, but I simply cover her mouth with my hand, which she bites. Her teeth draw blood, but Derik gets here just in time and pins her to the ground with his size. "Look at this pretty pixie" he grins, staring at her face.

"Misty here wants to be set free" I say, running a finger along her left cheek.

"Does she indeed" Derik beams, momentarily glancing up at me. She nods frantically, still trying to escape Derik's iron grip, tears falling down her cheeks.

"How old are you misty?"

"I..... I am 17"

"The perfect age..."