Seawater Pours from My Heart

This one if for the 26th follower I lost twice in the time since my last story. A lot of major life stuff bowled over me but things are settled for now and I cooked this one up amidst all the chaos. Second part is almost done. Please comment, if anything, It's my favorite part of posting.

++++++++++++++

"You took a big risk, you know," the man said to me, pausing to blow his nose into a handkerchief and promptly tossing it overboard. "Looking back and all."

My gaze lingered on the waves but I did face him, finally.

"Bad luck, they say."

I nodded, and returned to the water. The man was not bothered. He lingered and leaned against the railing. I wondered what purpose he served on the ship, other than to confront its passengers. The Boatswain's cry rang out, and my unasked question was answered.

The man left me and pulled himself up the mast into the crow's nest. The man was the ship's lookout. Strange, I thought, to be scrutinized for looking out by the lookout.

What he said was true, though. It was bad fortune to look back at the island on departure. It was said that if you looked upon the island aside from sailing into its embrace, you would never see it again.

I felt that I should look upon it, one last time for last time's sake.

I confined myself to my cabin for the remainder of the voyage, my desire to see anything else run out.

Soon enough, a storm arrived to collect Fate's due. I heard the sailors cry out as they fought the ship and the sea itself. The ship rocked and shuddered relentlessly, as the wind and waves assaulted the entirety of the craft. The hull creaked and groaned all around me, threatening all who dwelled below decks with destruction.

I swayed along the passageway along with the other frightened passengers to pour out of the hatch onto the deck in a torrent of souls rather than water. The sailors rushed about their tasks to preserve our lives in a maddened frenzy that did not address us but push us bodily out of the way.

His function no longer necessary, my lookout was amongst the frantic deckhands and I called out to him. He spared me but a glance before returning to his mad knot tying.

"What can be done?" I shouted over the furious wind.

He grimaced and gestured to the raging waves overboard with his head, saying, "You can plunge over the side, for all I care! Might spare us your foul fortune."

I let the sailor be and looked over the rail, considering the likelihood of my responsibility for the twist of fate that befell our vessel.

I experienced clarity I had never before experienced, gazing into that bottomless, roiling water. Things seemed to have calmed for a moment, the wind let up enough to allow me to take to the rail without fear of being blown over. I heard the lookout cry and could not turn back.

I stepped out, onto the plane of what awaited me next; be it destiny, death, or salvation. I scarcely felt wet as the maw of the ocean separated to greedily swallow me deep into its depths. I saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing, as peace tamed the waves and I was stored safely within.

I dreamt the Lookout dove in after me. Not to save my life, but to grumble that he told me it was bad luck. I dreamt I smiled and turned over in my bed of watery oblivion. Then I dreamt of a girl I may or may not have known as a boy, wavy haired and limber, dancing through the dark to reach me. Her dark hair obscured everything but her face, curtailing us away for a moment together. The bubbles slipped from her lips and the mirth on her face was washed away by concern, for I let my own bubbles loose as well. Her hair swung down like a fleeing squid, and suddenly I was being dragged up with her.

I squirmed in her grasp as we barreled through the sea. She looked down at me, and her coral red eyes showed pity on me. I relaxed in her arms and let the dream fade out around me.

++++++++++++++

I woke on a beach, as far as I could estimate from the sound of the waves lapping at my feet and the obnoxious seagull's cry. Feeling and pain flooded back into my vessel as seawater flowed from my lungs into my throat. I struggled over to my forearms so I could expel the toxic water, heaving and hacking it out. Burning replaced the water in my lungs as I lay there.

A sound akin to a wistful flute's music began to drift over the beach. I pushed myself over and searched under the shade of my hand for the source. The sun beat down unimpeded and harassed my sea-stung eyes.

There, just before the breaks, two shining red eyes were watching me. They stared steadily, bobbing with the waves under a dark green mess of curls. I peered closer and the owner of the eyes finally noticed and sank under the water.

Perplexed, I struggled to my feet and shuffled over to the water's edge. The music played muffled under the water, slowly inching closer and closer to me. I crouched down, leaning as close as I could to look for the eyes under the clear blue water. The shine of her eyes preceded the figure as it swam to the water's edge.

In the blink of an eye, those eyes burst from the water to halt but an inch away from mine. I fell back onto my elbows but could not make myself crawl away. I was frozen, latched onto those eyes.

It was her. From the dream.

Bright rubies for eyes gazed at me with intensity from the smooth face of a woman. Her cheeks were high and angelically angular, her nose small and round. I could discern no ears underneath the sprawl of black-green ringlets that flowed down her shoulders.

I felt my jaw slowly drop agape and the woman did the same. She imitated my surprise until she satisfied the expression for her memory. I could make no sound, but reached out to her, as if to command her to explain herself. She shrunk away again, but seeing no threat was extended by my hand, she rose higher out of the water.

I could see her bare chest, down to her navel. Her hair obscured her breasts, which I realized after instinctively looking away. She noted my shame and cocked her head to the side inquisitively. I smiled at her and she imitated that as well, revealing rows of neat, pointed teeth. I gasped at the sight of such vicious looking things. She understood and shut her mouth promptly.

I felt remorseful to have scared away such a lovely smile as innocent and comforting as hers. I smiled again and waved my hand at her to attempt to assuage my concern. She waved back at me and the smile she displayed was just as beautiful as her first, though she concealed her veritable fangs.

I was intrigued, and attracted to this woman of my dreams. I was unsure if she was a creature or a woman, possibly a survivor of the ship I had doomed at sea. I got to my feet and carefully crept closer to her. Her eyes were ever watchful, and though she had gained heart, I knew she was ready to flee at the first sign of danger.

She watched me sit cross legged before her and relaxed. She smiled at me once again. I could see now that her skin was a pale, lustery green. Tiny, shining scales layered her flesh and sparkled in the sunlight. She noticed me examining her body and straightened up, proudly shaking her breasts free from the cover of her hair. I was awestruck at the sight of her naked breast. They hung generously off her chest in two perfect seraphs devoid of nipples, though the scales darkened toward their centers, giving the appearance of large areolas. She beamed, teeth and all in reaction to the wonder in which I marveled at her body.

"Wonderful, my lady," I let out.

Her head bounced as she sang sweet music as if to say, "Thank you, I know."

I chuckled and her flutist voice replicated the sound.

"Where am I, my dear?" I asked her, leaning close.

She responded whimsically and rolled closer with the push of the tide. I was perplexed how she had the strength or ability to stay upright and move so effortlessly in the water and then I saw it.

The rest of her body. Her waist and hips tapered and flared out but instead of sloping down into a pair of legs, there was a thick, powerful tail like a shark's.

I cried out in alarm, and the creature saw I had been frightened by her unexpected lower appendage. She was bold, now, and flapped it in the shallow water playfully, splashing water around herself as if to suggest there was no shark in her. I pointed at her tail and she sang a short melody and flicked water in my direction with it.

"You... are a siren... a mermaid!" I said, after futilely attempting to dodge her spray.

She displayed the first confirmation that she understood my language through a nod, and slid back out to deep water to submerge. She demonstrated her ease in the water, pushing herself powerfully through the water and over the waves. She returned to me like a dog coming back from fetching a ball.

I was speechless. My dream had manifested itself into reality, or, more likely, was not a dream at all. So if she was real, and had saved my life, where was the Lookout?

"That was wonderful to behold, dear girl. Tell me, have you seen anyone else, human, like me, around this island?," I asked, gesturing to my person and the island.

The mermaid bubbled and glanced to the western end of the island. I looked over to the hill that ran off into the sea and then back to her. She nodded and sank back into the water. I saw her start to fan out around the edge of the island, so I followed her to the western part of the island.

It was scarcely a few minutes of walking before I reached the other end of the beach. The mermaid's music sounded somber and she pointed to the little inlet that brooked inland. I asked her if she had seen someone follow it and her sad song persisted in confirmation.

I followed the weak stream of water into a natural grotto that lay still below a cave within the hill that mounted the tiny island. I climbed up the slippery rocks and explored the relatively dry chamber of stone that encased the cave above. It was totally empty and free of any sign of man's touch. I was about to head back and confer with my new friend when I tripped over my old one.

Lying in the center of the room was the body of the Lookout who had jumped in after me. His arms and legs were battered but the cause of death was not apparent. He was pale and still damp to the touch.

I wondered why he had drowned and I had lived, or, why had the mermaid saved me and not the Lookout. Nevertheless, I was grateful to them both. I carefully scooped up his corpse and laid him over my shoulder. I made my way over the rocks as quickly and cautiously as I could.

My aquatic friend raised her nonexistent eyebrows but seemed to have expected me to find my shipmate in such an unfortunate state. I didn't say anything to her, but she followed me back to my awakening spot anyway. She set herself down upon her belly and watched me set the man down from the cradle of her hands. She whistled after a sound of glass tinkled as I let the man rest upon the sand.

I searched his coat and found a half-full bottle of rum, the cork swollen with seawater but a barrier still. I raised the bottle to the mermaid and set it to the side. His pockets produced nothing else but a knife, which I was sure would be a boon marooned on an island.

I stood and surveyed my surroundings. The hill was covered in trees and foliage that stood at the center of the small speck of sand that was the island. I saw no sign of animal life but birds darting from treetop to treetop amidst the canopy, and, possibly, the mermaid. I looked back, and could spot no other island or sign or a sailing ship, nor any flotsam that could tell what became of my ship. The mermaid swished her tail idly in the water while she watched me.

"My friend, I haven't gotten your name yet," I said, upon returning to her.

She grinned and with a great focus and effort made noises and growls that I could not discern. She looked quite pleased with herself and I saw it unfortunate I could not understand her attempt to produce a semblance of a recreation of my language.

"I wish I spoke your language. May I give you a name?"

She nodded once, getting the feel of the unconscious gesture she must have gleaned from my speech. I looked into her eyes and felt I may not need to speak her tongue to be able to understand her. Those glorious shining gems saw me simply, without consideration of my past or my ideals. Her eyes were the purest treasure I had ever seen.

"Ruby, is what I will call you." I looked about the island once more and walked to the Lookout's corpse. "He," I pointed, "His name was Lookout."

Ruby fluted her equivalent like she wished to commit it to memory. I grimaced, pleased by her dedication to learning, for her sake and my own. I was troubled by the loss of the good Lookout, however, and bid Ruby goodbye while I explored my little island.

She waved after me and I set out toward the 'jungle.' I had almost reached it within just a few moments, and by the time I was through it, I saw that if there were no plants to obscure my view, I would still be able to see the mermaid. I cursed my fortune and found misfortune compounded by the lack of any creature swelling within the miniature model of an ecosystem or any plants I could recognize as edible.

Next I climbed up the tiny mountain that was more a lump than a lookout. I could see nothing from its peak I could not see from the shore. The view reminded me of the Lookout climbing up his mast only for a storm to blow unto his view. I found the soil easily manageable and decided this would be my late friend's final resting place. I chuckled and presumed he would appreciate such a spot. I climbed down the hill and made my way back to the grotto. I wanted to explore the cave one more time.

I found the cave an agreeable size and temperature, and the closest thing to shelter I could attain on the island. The floor was smooth, likely the result of erosion and the countless eons of changing sea levels. Light spilled in from the grotto, though imagining myself dwelling there I saw that I would need to find a substitute for candlelight.

I spent the rest of the day digging the Lookout's grave. I carried him up the hill and used a large stone I found on the trek up to dig a hole deep enough to protect his remains. I set him down, and with a pull of his rum, I bid him farewell. The bottle remained in my hand, and carried me back down to the beach.

The sun was on its way into the sea, and Ruby was swimming laps back and forth along the shore, singing her light melody to herself. I plopped onto the beach and continued working on my bottle. The mermaid noticed my return and blew happy notes to me as she swam back to the shallow water before the beach.

"Ah, hello again, maiden!" I called out to her. I beckoned her closer and she happily obliged, amused by my altered state. She pulled herself out of the water, onto her stomach beside me. The end of her tail remained in the water, to ensure she could get back into the sea, I presumed.

She watched me drink into a stupor, both amused and perplexed by the change I overwent as the rum took effect. The communication barrier became a reef, as I lost agency over my speech. I recall her lyrical laughter all through the night, but I do not recall starting a fire right there on the beach. Suddenly, orange light colored my memories and cast a glow on Ruby's pale viridian skin.

I drank and danced around that fire long into the night. I told myself it was in honor of the Lookout, but truly it was a farewell to life as I had known it in civilization. I couldn't acknowledge it, but I knew I would be on that island for the rest of my days. Even though I yet lived, despite my attempt to achieve otherwise over the rail of the ship, I had despair in my heart. The terminal deficiency that resided within me at the boarding of the ship remained even then. I tried to wonder about the cause, the reason behind it, but the bottle emptied before I could reach a conclusion.

++++++++++++++

I awoke freezing. I had slipped into oblivion right before the starving fire and laid uncovered all night. I groaned and labored getting up to my knees. My head was pounding and the sun overpowered my sore eyes as I searched for Ruby. I quickly gave up trying to spot her among the shining waves and instead listened for her song.

No music drifted into my throbbing head so I endeavored to rest in my cave. I stumbled down to the grotto and found my friend floating in the pool of water. I feared she had drowned somehow, in my muddled state, and plunged headlong into the pool in an attempt to 'save' her. The tremendous, graceless splash woke her and she sprang into action. A shrill note permeated the water in waves and roused me from my shock.

I began to panic at the bottom of the relatively shallow pool, but Ruby had already gotten ahold of my collar and was dragging me to the water's edge. She chattered excitedly and frisked me all over in search of injuries. I was embarrassed by her touch, her expression of true concern.

"Thank you, Ruby! Thank you, I'm alright, I assure you!" I said, attempting to relieve her efforts to ascertain my condition. "Such a shock cleared my head right up."

The mermaid blinked but released me with a practiced nod. I pulled myself onto a boulder and wrung out my clothes. It was the silence that made me notice Ruby no longer sang, and that she was intently watching me relieve my sodden shirt. I grinned at her sheepishly and did my best to act naturally, as she was merely curious.

I could feel her eyes pour over my chest and down my stomach. Her gaze was indeed curious, but there was something else there, in those clear crimson eyes. Had she never seen another man? Even a male of her species? I had looked upon her breasts likely much the same way and I had seen my humble share of women's bodies, so perhaps I was not one to judge her.

"My apologies, Ruby. Come to think of it, I have no other clothes, so you will have to bear with me in my naked state."

She smiled up at me with all her sharp little teeth.

"How did you get in here, by the way?"

The mermaid giggled and dived deep into the grotto, disappearing for a moment before reappearing in the sea, smiling that same toothy smile.

"Oh! You crafty woman. I'll be glad to have your company once I've made this place my home."

This pleased the mermaid and she bubbled happily to herself as she meandered away.

I saw no other alternative than to lay my clothes out to dry if I wanted to stay warm that night. I swallowed the embarrassment I would surely face under Ruby's bulging eyes and stripped down to my underwear. I took a deep breath and made my way out of the grotto and back to my campfire. I set down my clothes to dry under that powerful sun.

I could already feel its rays drying my skin, refreshing me from my cold, drunken slumber. A low, sultry tune blew over the ocean breeze. I turned toward its origin and yet again found the mermaid's eyes of ruby shining over me. Her stare was unabashed, full of an unnerving sort of fascination. She slithered autonomously over time the shore, slinking low like a predator.

"Are you alright, Ruby?"

She didn't answer, but some of the desire in her eye faded. She seemed to recognize what her gaze had revealed, and her song shifted to one of levity.

"Ah, don't worry, Ruby. I realize the sight I must be right now," I said in an attempt to waive her shame. "I suppose I must learn how to make my own coverings at some point. I don't see any tailors in the neighborhood."

I don't think Ruby understood completely, but she hummed a careless melody anyway. She bit her lip and glanced at me frequently, at my face, my chest, my lower region -it was evident she was still curious. The rumble of my stomach interrupted the strange tension between us.

She recreated the sound in her own tongue and looked up at me with a different sort of curiosity.