Time's Speech

Merah

And with one last stroke, he broke out of the water surface with his head. Immediately letting out the breath he'd been holding. In his arm, was the body of the mysterious woman he had found deep in the water. He held her tightly, keeping his balance, while making sure her head is above the water level.

"Oyy, Merah!", a man voice can be heard, calling for him from atop of the ship in front of him. "Did you found anything?" the man asked.

"Let down the rope, I found a person!" the man called Merah, shouted back.

"A person?" The man murmured, puzzled. Yet he asked the nearest sailor to fetch a rope.

Merah then tied the woman with the rope neatly, and ask the sailors on board to raise her up. He made sure the woman was on board safely. Then he went and get on the ship using the outer ladder.

A young man wearing a long loose coat with Turkish influence quickly examined the woman's breath. And then her pulse. 

Then he smoothly positioned her hand around her chest area. 

He had good intention.

But Merah hold his hand, and give him a questioning look.

"What're you trying to do, Han?" Merah asked.

Han let out a small sigh, "It's a trick I got from the traders, we need to pumped the water out of her body."

Merah gave him a judging stare. Han gazed right back, making his intention came across to Merah. His pure intention!

Han tried to move his hand, but was pulled back by Merah.

A middle aged woman came forward and break off their hands.

"Enough, let me do it then." She said, stern yet motherly. "A person is dying, and these two is playing around."

Merah and Han both apologized to the woman, whom they called Ibu Ratika. Han then asked Ibu Ratika to loosened up the woman's scarf and showed her the way to pump the woman's chest. And then her abdomen.

The woman coughed out water a couple of time before went back into her slumber, now with a much calmer breathing rhythm.

The woman was then taken to one of the ship's quarter, and kept warmed with a new changed of clothes. a couple of additional oil lamp was placed in the quarter, not sure if it would work, but they're hoping it would warmed up the woman a little more.

***

Merah returned to the ship's deck soon after. Nakhoda Bayu, the ship captain walks to him. Nakhoda is a title given to the ship's captain. Bayu seemed to be a little bit older than Merah, donning a dark green, Johor-influenced Baju Melayu, paired with checkered brown samping. A simple black cloth was tied around his waist, holding a malay's traditional weapon called keris, neatly at his side. 

"The ship is moving now." The captain explained.

"Peculiar. Just now, it was as if the devil himself stopped the ship. Rendering it unable to move" Merah replied.

"What if, it were the devil?" Han interrupted both of them. Not sure where he came from.

"A woman suddenly found in the middle of the sea, that's raising a suspicion enough isn't it?" Han added, with an amused smile carved on his fair face.

"Did you really believe that?" Merah asked.

"Not really, but I was hoping for a better reaction." Han answered, disappointed that Merah doesn't show much emotion at his teasing.

Bayu however, reacted differently. His eyes lit up as he exclaimed "Perhaps, a mermaid?".

Both Han and Merah stared in awe as the captain made his conclusion. Han immediately burst into laughter.

"Should I kiss her then? Before she turns to bubbles?" Merah said in a jokingly manner, referencing a myth he heard from passing westerners' traders, holding back his laughter.

"But look at her attires, I never saw clothing like that before, and some of her accessories are  out of this world too." Bayu retort.

"Maybe her tears will turn into pearls?" Han added, still laughing.

"We better keep her then!" Merah replied, now he's laughing along.

Bayu narrowed his eyes, and walked away to his position from the laughing duo while sulking.

"Oy, Bayu! Wait! Where are you going?!" Merah chased him out feeling sorry, but still unable to hold back his laughter, leaving Han who is now crouching on the floor out of laughing too much.

"Work." Bayu said.