A Ship

The One and Only Part

Today a ship sets sail, out into the harbor. This ship has no intention of returning to the dock. "I do believe today is your dying day," spoke the Captain in a gurgly voice. His breath smelling of rum on the younger man's nostrils. "How is this fair?" the young man with shaggy blond hair questioned pulling against the ropes that tied him to the mast, the dry ropes burning his torso with every jerk. When he finally gave up he slid down the mast, splintering wood rubbing into his skin. "You have broken a mortal law, the city has decided that you should be sentenced to death on the sea of which we came," spoke the Captain as he was walking away from the young man. The thud of the Captains heavy pegged leg was heard throughout the entire ship over the yelling and bickering of the few crewmen that were on the ship so the fugitive didn't get away. Another ship was following close behind, their instructions were to sink the fugitive on his own ship as soon as the crewmembers were safely away on a dingy.

"We are far enough out lads!" a crewmember yelled as he sank the anchor into the deep blue water, the ship jerked as the anchor hit bottom. "To the boat then, boys!" the Captain shouted as he walked towards the smaller boat that was strapped to the side of the much larger ship. As the men boarded the boat the blond man tried one last time to break free of the ropes, with no such luck. "I will make it out alive," the man swore to himself. He could see the boat containing the people who have kept him tied like an animal over the ship's wall. With one last look at the sea he heard a boom, splinters of wood came flying in every direction. Another, he heard the seawater rush into the floors below him. He soon felt the water at his toes, the cool water sending chills up his spine.

The majority of the ship had gone under now. The as the water reached his knees he saw a finned figure approach him. Soon the creature surfaced, it was a man, or so he thought. This man had a brilliant midnight black fin where human legs would have been. "Hello," the finned man spoke clearly. "Can you please get me out of this," the blond man spoke frantically as the water was reaching his torso. The finned man only offered a fish, a deep blue fish with shimmering scales. "I can't eat that!" the man fugitive yelled, "Just untie me!" The merman refused holding the fish to the tied-up man's mouth once more. Then he spoke, "Eat, you will have drowned by the time I untie you for I am no good with my hands." The blond man shook his head, once again refusing. The water was at his chin now. The merman held up the fish one last time as the water closing in. "Fine!" he yelled opening his mouth just before he was completely overtaken by the water. He wanted desperately to spit out the fish because it tasted of sewage, but the tailed man held a hand over his mouth. He swallowed the fish, as he was submerged completely under the water. He wanted to take another breath. Surprisingly when he thought he would get lungs full of water he actually could breathe. He looked through the ropes, there was a deep sea green tail where his legs once were. He looked around for the man who had helped him but he was nowhere to be seen. Soon though he felt a tug on the ropes that bound him and the man was untying the ropes at a very slow pace. Once he was free he hugged the man who had set him free. The man was shocked at first but then he accepted the hug. After they split from the hug the original tailed man took the hand of the newly tailed man and they swam off to be happily free from all ropes that bound them.