Ruthless Winds and Raging Seas

Chapter 2

Gray smiled as he felt the salty sea air and the wind blowing in his face. There he stood at the head of the ship watching the sun set over the horizon. He had spent many days just like this one and he enjoyed them all. His father Commodore Silver Fullbuster was the Queen's top navy officer, there was no other sea man she could depend on more than him. And whenever he was called to go over seas he would take his wife Mika and young son Gray with him.

"Gray get off of that thing at once! You're leaning too far out!" Cried the concerned voice of his mother Mika.

"Oh let the boy be." His father Silver told her.

"But Darling what if he falls off? You know he can't swim! Gray get back here now!"

"Yes Mother." The boy huffed before coming down from the front of the ship and hurrying to where his parents stood.

"Really Mika you worry too much." Silver said.

"And you don't worry enough." She said. "I just don't want my little boy to drown."

"Mother I'm not so little anymore." Gray said blushing. "I'm eight years old."

His parents chuckled, Silver then placed Gray on his shoulders.

"Come on son, let's go see if the sailors are tying the right knots."

On top of his father's shoulders he could see the entire ship. The sails blowing in the wind, the sailors swabbing the deck and tying up the ropes, the captain steering the ship, it was a great view.

"How's the view up there Gray?" Silver asked.

"Amazing as usual. When do you think we'll get back to Fiore?"

"Soon. Very soon."

"Commodore Fullbuster." The captain said. "We need some help down below."

"I'll be right down." Silver put Gray down. "I'll be right back son, look around but don't do anything that will upset your mother."

"Okay."

Silver went below deck to help the captain, Gray went over to the edge of the ship to look out at the sea. Even though he couldn't swim he was fascinated by the movement of the ocean. How the waves would rise and fall, then crash against the ship. It was all very fascinating.

Suddenly he heard a voice singing vocally. It sounded like a little girl singing and it was a very sweet voice but what he found very unusual was that the voice was coming from the sea. He leaned over the ship toward the sea, trying to see where the source of the voice was. In his search he saw some very unusual things, a little white arm in the curl of a wave, then the glint of a tail rippling in the water, and finally the glimmer of a small fair head peeping from behind some rocks. Was he seeing things? Or were they actually there?

"Is something wrong dear?" His mother asked.

"Mother do you hear singing?"

"Singing? Well I sometimes hear the sailors carrying a little tune now and then but if you ask me they're very off key."

"No Mother it's a girl's voice."

"A girl's voice? But Gray there's no girl on this ship except for me of course."

"It's not coming from the ship, it's coming from the sea."

"The sea?"

"Must be a mermaid you heard singing." One sailor said. "Careful lad, if you get ensnared by her voice she'll drag you to a watery grave."

"Mermaids? Ha! That's just nautical nonsense." Silver said.

"But it ain't nonsense, it's the truth." The sailor argued. "Mark my words sir, next to pirates mermaids are the most dangerous things in the entire ocean. Vicious and manipulative monsters that would kill you without mercy!"