Chapter One: Sunrise
“Hurry up ya little crooks!” I heard the Captain say, as my other crewmates scattered around upstairs, hearing their footsteps running across the ship. “Aha! There ya are, Skippy!” Looking at the fish net, full of fish, my stomach would growl, I felt like crouching over the ship and hurling. I hate fish. But how can a sailor hate fish if that’s all that he has to eat? My mind kept wandering, still staring at the net. “Oi, Skippy!” I woke up from my daydreams. “Yes sir?” “Stop ya day dreamin’ and go help the men surve up some morning meals!” “Yes sir.” I would say, walking over to the fish net. I would lower the empty net into the sea, looking over the waters, and seeing a strange figure. “Aye, fellas!” “What’s the prob, Skip?” Skip. My other nickname that Joey calls me. Why does everybody have to give me such shitty nicknames? “Skip! What’s the problem?” I stopped my thoughts, once again. “I saw a weird figure in the water, Joe.” Joey blinked, turning his head to the water, then to me, then to the fishermen. He had a concerned look on his face. I looked at the water once again, seeing the figure again, but closer. “Joey, what is that.” Joey would sigh, “Er- haven’t seen these creatures in two years.” “Creatures? What creatures, Joe?” “Er- sirens- they’re called. Y’know those legends that started a few years ago? But nobody really found ’em or knows?” “Ah, okay… heard of ’em before, but neva really thought about learning ’bout ’em.” The figure would come up to the surface, I was amazed. Her long dark hair, her greenish skin, the scales on her back, her sharp long fingers reaching up through the boat. “Ah, hello m’lady.” The siren would blink. Starting to open her long, sharp teeth from her mouth, she would start to sing. “Cover yer ears, boys!” Joey would throw a fish into the water, as it floats on top of the water, the siren would swim back down, seeing her hand grabbing the fish and going back to the deep debts. “We’re all good, men.” Everyone would open their ears back up, and going back to work. What a weird Monday morning.
Glasses and cups kept clinging, the men were talking about the siren, while I was only thinking about it, with a fresh piece of fish and meat on my plate. Skippy would keep wondering about the siren… that secret siren. The more I kept thinking about the siren, the hotter I would feel, the colder my skin would be on the outside. Goosebumps. My face would turn red, my throat would burn, my fingers would freeze. “Skippy!” The wind in my ear blew. “SKIPPY!” My thoughts would go back down. “What.” “Ya gon’ eat that?” Christopher would say. I looked at him with his raggedy beard, his beautiful hazel eyes, and his rotten teeth as he ate the fourth fish on his plate. I started to gag. “Nah, Chris. You can have it.” “Again? This happens every single day, Skip. Ya feelin’ aight?” “Yea, man… just needa lay down and rest, not always feelin’ the best after late night.” I would think to myself, mumbling: “You ain’t always lookin’ the best with those rotten teeth and hazel eyes. Nothin’ on you never match, Chris.” Apparently I spoke too loud, he heard me, I looked up to the table, as Christopher, my friend was staring at me- almost waiting to go off on me like a shark circling around its prey in the water. ‘The hell you just say, Sean Rick?” I stared at him, not blinking. “Nothin’ important, Chris.” I felt the warm air of somebody breathing over me. I looked up. It was Chris, his rotten teeth slammed together, his jaw was tightened, his whole face was just rotten and rude. I felt the table getting heavier, and heavier. I saw everything in the corner of my eye- Chris jolted across the table to try to get to me, and fight me- but I moved out of the way, and he fell to the floor. As I got up, he looked right at me, with his bloody nose saying “you son of a bitch- you little runt!” I hear him yell as I walk away from the dining hall.
