The Cursed Doubloon Read online

  Two: Merman

  I was soaking wet and freezing, but I welcomed a swim in the sea. I left the ship and hurried around its side, hiding myself in its shadow as I took off my dress and underclothes. The water stung at first but turned to a comforting warmth as my body became accustomed to it. The ocean never scared me much. Sure there were plenty of creatures in there to be afraid of, but I figured if a whale was going to eat me then he would eat me. The curse would be sure of that.

  I rolled onto my back and floated on top of the water while staring up at the stars. “I miss you Mother. One day I will see you again.”

  “Oh come to me oh my beauty,

  And lay your head on my chest;”

  “Oh no, the fisherman!” I dropped my feet below me to cover over my naked body with water. Hoping he hadn’t seen me floating so openly, I sucked myself to the ship’s side and listened to the rest of his song:

  “I’ll prove to you that my love is true,

  And I’ll lay your sorrow to rest.”

  I couldn’t see him anywhere. The fog had cleared but I could find no man on shore and no boat was close enough that he would be on. A cloud passed over the moon and muted the sky. The singing turned to humming. I slid my arms gently through the water and pushed myself to the back of the ship, trying to find the direction in which the magical voice was coming from. Once I made it to the stern I peeked around the side and tried to see through the darkness. When my eyes finally focused I saw what seemed to be the silhouette of a man sitting on a rock that was protruding out of the sea.

  “There he is. What a crazy fisherman, positioning himself on a lone rock with no boat to get him back to shore.”

  The man quieted and turned in my direction, making me duck back behind the ship, hoping he didn’t see me. After a short moment his humming returned and I continued to watch him in the darkness. His voice entranced me; it was so smooth and enchantingly beautiful. I had never heard a man sing like that before. All I was used to hearing was the graveling chanteys of the crew.

  “Come swim to me oh my beauty,

  And show me your lovely face;

  I’ll hold you now and forever more,

  Come here my beautiful Grace.”

  My breath caught. “How does he know my name?”

  Just then the cloud moved away from the moon and completely illuminated him. It was easy to see that his chest was bare and firm and that his skin shimmered wildly like silver dust beneath the moon’s glow. My eyes quickly darted to his side as he flipped a scaly tail out of the water and waved it in my direction. “Hello, Grace.”

  “Mermaid!” I flipped around and swam as fast as I could to shore. Within seconds he popped out of the water in front of me, stopping me from going any further.

  “Grace, please, wait a moment.”

  “No! You’re a mermaid! You’re going to kill me!”

  “I’m not going to kill you! And I’m not a mermaid!”

  “Father help! Help me!”

  “Hush, Grace. Please listen to me.”

  “How do you know my name you evil fish?”

  “I am not an evil fish,” he laughed softly. “I am a merman.”

  I kicked my legs to try and keep myself afloat, but I was growing tired. “A merman?” I breathed with barely any breath.

  “Yes.” He brought his hand out of the water and I flinched away from it. “It’s okay, Grace. I’m going to help you stay afloat.” I watched in fear as he grabbed onto my arm to steady me. “See? No harm done to you at all.”

  His touch was warm and his hand was soft yet masculine. Above his wrist was a fin that trailed up his forearm and met with his elbow. “A merman?” I asked again, unable to believe I was encountering one.

  “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

  “But mermen are ugly creatures with green skin and pointed teeth.”

  “That’s what the legends say, yes. But the legends are wrong, aren’t they?”

  The legends were wrong. He was absolutely beautiful. He looked to be somewhat of a man, with strong arms and a firm chest. His face was handsome and his teeth were white and straight like mine. A small fin poked through his slicked-back hair, the only thing on his head that separated him from being human.

  “Yes I’ll have to agree that they are wrong.”

  He seemed to blush at my statement. “You really are as beautiful as I’ve always thought.”

  “Always thought? What do you mean? And how do you know my name?”

  “Well,” he said while casting his eyes down to the water, “I’m afraid it’s a little embarrassing to say, but I’ve been watching you for a while now.”

  “Watching me?”

  “Yes. You stand out quite a bit on a deck full of pirates.”

  “I suppose I do.”

  “I’ve been following your ship for months. I, I’ve become quite entranced by your beauty.”

  “My beauty?” I laughed. “Are you sick or something?”

  “Sick? What do you mean?”

  “I’m nothing but a motherless daughter of a cursed drunken pirate.”

  “No,” he disagreed, “I see much more than that. I watch you on board, taking care of the filthy men that surround you. Your father is no longer who you know but you still love him and watch over him.”

  “Well that makes me a kindhearted person, yes, but not a beautiful—”

  “Your hair is like the finest silk and it glistens in the sun like a flower misted with the dew of a crisp morning. Your skin glows like the moon’s beams that pierce through the sea at night. Your smile . . . your smile is like heaven. Your lips are fit for an angel’s and your eyes light up when they turn toward the sky.”

  “Oh my,” I blushed. “Well, thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Your beauty speaks for itself.”

  I was at a loss for words. No man had even spoken to me the way he just did, especially a man who was so handsome. His compliments made unbelievable feelings surge throughout my body. It was then that I remembered I was completely naked in front of him. “Oh,” I gasped, “I must conceal myself from you. I haven’t any clothes on.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t look,” he smiled.

  “Well that’s if you haven’t already.”

  “I promise I didn’t peek when I swam beneath you. I give you my word.”

  I relaxed a bit and looked down at his hand that was still gripped gently around my arm. “Do you have a name, merman?”

  “Ladarius.”

  “Ladarius? What a strong name.”

  “Yes, I suppose it is.”

  “Does it have a meaning?”

  “I am told it means protector, or possessor of good.”

  “Ah, I see,” I smiled. “I guess that means I am in good hands then.”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what it means, Grace.”

  I was pleased by his words. It felt good to have someone look after me for once. I didn’t have that quality in my father anymore, and it was nice to have it from a gentleman.

  “Well, Ladarius, are there many more of you mermen?”

  “Yes, there are plenty. But mermen tend to stay away from the surface. They don’t like humans much.”

  “No?”

  “No, not really. Humans have hunted us in years past. The mermaids make themselves known though, especially the Sirens.”

  “My father thought you were a Siren tonight.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “But are you not a Siren? Your voice is enchantingly beautiful. It seems like you could use it to lure pirates to their death.”

  “No, I am not a Siren,” he chuckled. “I am a ShipSaver.”

  “A ShipSaver?”

  “Yes. I do the opposite of what Sirens do: I lure pirates to safety. Well, most of them anyway. There are a few I don’t fancy at all. They can crash into the rocks for all I care.”

  “Sometimes I feel the same.”

  He smiled down at me. “Would you lik
e to go sit on the rock? I can bring you to it if you like.”

  “Oh, well, I think I can swim there myself, thank you.” He smiled and slid his hand away from my arm. “I have to stay in the water, though,” I said as I bobbed in front of him. “A lady wouldn’t reveal herself to a man she’s just met.”

  “Don’t worry, Grace. I have to stay partly in the water as well.”

  We both smiled and took off swimming toward the rock. When we made it there he crawled on top and left his tail dangling in the sea while I crossed my arms over the jagged surface and rested my chin on my wrist.

  “Your tail is magnificent,” I complimented him.

  “Thank you. Would you like to touch it?”

  “May I? That isn’t odd for me to, is it?”

  “No, not at all.”

  I reached out and trailed my fingers down its length. The smoothness of his scales surprised me; I expected them to be rough and slimy like a fish. But he was nothing like a fish at all. My eyes met with his and I saw that he was quietly watching me, seeming to be entranced by my touch.

  “Your tail isn’t slimy,” I told him.

  “Boy, you really do think of us mermen as vile things, don’t you?”

  “Not now I don’t.”

  “Good,” he smiled.

  My eyes settled on the top of his head. “And what about the fin in your hair? Mermaids don’t have those.”

  “No, only some of us mermen have them.”

  “Not all of them?”

  “No.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “Well,” he sighed, “I guess it’s a symbol of status, really.”

  “Status? What do you mean?”

  “Let’s just say I’m highly regarded among Merfolk.”

  “Highly regarded?”

  “You have a lot of questions, don’t you?” he laughed.

  “Can you blame me? Here I am, a girl of twenty, seeing a mythical creature for the first time in my life, only to be righted by the fact that you are not a green slimy monster with pointed teeth and rough scales. I believe I have a right to ask as many questions as I like.”

  “Rightly so,” he agreed with a smile. He sat quietly for a moment and watched me wading in the water below him. “So,” he began, “a girl of twenty you tell me? And not yet married?”

  “Well look who I have to choose from: pirates. I hate pirates. All the well-versed men on land won’t come near me because of my father’s curse. So yes, I am twenty-years-old and unmarried.”

  “I don’t know how any man could stay away from your beauty, even if you are surrounded by pirates and a cursed father.”

  “Well they do, Ladarius. I can assure you that.”

  He leaned forward onto his stomach, placing his face in front of mine. “Well no pirates curse can keep me away from you.”

  His closeness aroused a fire inside of me. “You sure are a charmer,” I said while feeling my cheeks flush over. Out of nervousness my eyes migrated to his hair. “Would it be too much to ask for me to touch the fin on your head?”

  “You can do whatever your heart desires.”

  I reached up and felt that it was smooth, just as his tail. “A symbol of status. Is it a good symbol?”

  “Yes.”

  He watched me intently as I ran my hand along his fin and trailed my fingers down his neck to his shoulder. “Your skin is dazzling. It sparkles so beautifully in the moonlight.”

  “As does yours.”

  “Thank you,” I smiled. “But yours looks like diamonds were crushed over its surface.” My eyes pored over his body, taking in all of his unique features. I studied the fins on his forearms and ran my hand along one of them. “You have gills,” I pointed out, noticing fine slits on both sides of his ribcage.

  “That I do. It’s how I breathe underwater.”

  I took my hand away and crossed my arms back over the rock. “Do you like living in the sea?”

  “Yes, and no. I would like to walk on land someday.”

  “Well I would like to swim beneath the sea someday.”

  “I think you would enjoy it. It’s a beautiful place.”

  “I’m starting to realize that,” I grinned. “Are you popular in your realm?”

  “Very.”

  “With the mermaids?”

  He chuckled and looked down at the rock, a smile of embarrassment lifting his cheeks. “I would say I am popular among the mermaids, yes.”

  “Oh.” I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. I didn’t know why, though. He was not mine, and he certainly wasn’t human, so nothing would come about from our friendship anyway. “So you have had many?” I asked.

  “When you are held in such high regard you are awarded certain, I don’t know, entitlements. Does that offend you?”

  “It shouldn’t.”

  “But it does . . .” He sighed heavily through his nose. “Well, surely a woman as beautiful as you has had many as well.”

  “Do I look like a strumpet?” I scoffed.

  “Not in the least.”

  “Good. Because I’ve only had one. We were young and foolish and I regret it.”

  “Why do you regret it?”

  “Because I didn’t love him. I feel like I threw away a precious gem that I can never get back.”

  “You mean your virginity?”

  “Yes.”

  “You can get it back,” he said softly. “You will have it again when you are with the person you love.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I sighed.

  “Well, as for me my entitlements have gotten quite boring and don’t fulfill me the way they used to. And then I saw you . . .”

  “And you grew curious of me?”

  “Yes.”

  I smiled once more, flattered by his interest. “When was the first time you saw me?” I asked.

  “A few months back. You were standing on the port side of the ship in a coral-colored dress that flowed in the breeze, and your hair fell in loose curls around your chest. I watched you stare out at the sea and pat your face with your hand. Then you pulled all of your curls to one side of your neck and began heaving over the side of the ship. I have been captivated by you ever since.”

  “Oh dear, how terribly embarrassing!”

  “No, please don’t be embarrassed. You are an angel even when you are sick.”

  “Well that isn’t my idea of a good first impression.”

  “Well you’re making up for it now.”

  “I hope so,” I smiled. “I had a really hard time when I first joined my father’s crew. It took me a while to find my sea legs.”

  “Your sea legs? Do humans have different forms of legs?”

  “No, no,” I chuckled. “It’s an expression that means adjusting your balance to the motion of the ship. I wasn’t used to being thrown around so much. I’ve gotten a lot better but I still get sick in a rough storm. I got sick in the storm you sailed us through earlier tonight.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “My goodness, you know just about everything, don’t you?”

  “I try to. You leave me very curious.”

  “You do the same to me, Ladarius.”

  Happiness warmed his face. “Do you have any more questions for me?”

  “Hmm,” I pondered aloud. “How old are you?”

  “I have been alive to see the great grey whales wander past twenty-five times on their journey.”

  “So you are twenty-five years old?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well we don’t differ too much in age then.”

  “No, we don’t.”

  Our conversation was interrupted by the sounds of the drunken crew leaving the tavern. “Oh no, I better be going. I have to get back to land and get dressed before they see me.”

  “Will you come back tomorrow? I must see you again, Grace.”

  “I don’t know if we will be here tomorrow. My father never has a plan; we go where the wind takes us.”

  “Then I shall f
ollow you, just as I’ve already been.”

  I lifted my hand to the warmth of his cheek. “Then I shall meet you tomorrow night, wherever we may be.”

  He smiled as I sunk back into the ocean and kicked off of the rock toward shore. When I felt the sand beneath my feet I trudged out of the water, grabbing up my dress and underclothes and pulling them back on over my wet skin. I looked back at the rock to see that Ladarius was already gone, hidden somewhere in the blackness of the sea.

  Three: A Merman’s Kiss

  I couldn’t sleep that night, and it wasn’t because of the belligerent pirates that surrounded me. It was because of Ladarius. He was spectacular, and he left me captivated. Everything about him was marvelous, from the fin on his head to the end of his smooth tail.

  Over the next month Ladarius followed our ship wherever we went. When we docked I would meet him somewhere at night, hiding out from the eyes of my father and his crew. At times it was hard and I couldn’t get away, so I would go to the stern of the ship and pretend to be sick. The men would stay away, leaving us time to chat as much as we could before anyone grew suspicious.

  One of the nights when I was able to get away we planned to meet on a small hidden beach that was beyond a wall of rocks. I waited until the coast was clear and then left the ship, quietly wading into the water. When I swam around to our meeting place I spotted Ladarius lying on his side on top of the sand with his tail still submerged in the calm water. He looked glorious as always.

  “You sure made me swim a ways for this one,” I said when I pulled myself out of the water. “It’s hard treading water in a dress.”

  “You don’t have to wear one,” he smiled.

  “I’m not that kind of woman, Ladarius. You know that.” I sat down next to him and nudged his arm. “I feel one hundred pounds heavier in this soaked fabric.”

  “Well you look one hundred pounds lighter in it.”