Deception From the Water - - winner

The vessel tottered as the water washed onto the deck. The clouds were like sackcloth as drops of rain pelted the surface of the ship.

“Take down the sails! The wind will shred them to pieces!” said Captain Nithose.

“Aye, captain!” said the first mate, John. He lowered the sails as people held onto whatever they could.

A bolt of lightning struck the water, inches from the hull. Everyone held on for life. After much despair and gloom, a patch of sunlight appeared.

“Do you see that! Sunlight!” said John.

“Let us pray it grows,” said the captain.

Twenty minutes later, the patch of light widened.

The rain also began to reduce just as the roaring sea. Soon, the raging water softened. Few clouds remained in the sky and, John, the first mate hoisted the sails as a moderate breeze pulled the craft straight forward.

“At last, peace,” said one of the mates.

The captain gazed in the distance. He pulled out a looking glass. “I see land! It appears to be an island. It is surrounded by rocky crags.” The captain lowered the looking glass and frowned. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He looked again. “Either my eyes are playing tricks on me or there are mermaids on some of those crags.”

Nithose gave the instrument to John.

“I see it too!”

“We should anchor the ship, so we do not collide with the rocks. Then we will lower the skiffs,” said Nithose. “I wonder what this meeting will entail.”

One of the mates, Gerand, shook his head. “I do not believe that God created half human beings that live in the sea.”

“We are close enough to see them!” said John.

“Something, diabolical is afoot. I suggest we use caution. There is something more than meets the eye,” said Gerand.

Nithose ordered three of his crew to drop anchor.

Three skiffs, each holding ten men, were boarded and lowered into the water. When they were two dozen yards away, three mermaids jumped and swam for the boats.

“They’re swimming closer!” said John who was left on the deck along with Nithose and Gerand as did those remaining.

The mysterious neared closest skiff.

“They’re conversing. What are they saying?” said Nithose.

A crewman stood on the boat and waved his arms to signal the ship.

Captain Nithose looked with his looking glass and saw the man use hand gestures.

“He says the mermaids want to show our men the rest of the mermaid family. Apparently, there is an inlet that leads to a large lake where they live. Tom asks for permission to go there.”

“What will you say, captain?” said Gerand.

“They seem harmless.”

Tom looked through his own looking glass and Nithose gave hand gestures to confirm their permission.

“I have given them three hours to return,” said Nithose.

“Captain Nithose, don’ t you think it is odd how these creatures speak English?” said Gerand.

Nithose paused. “Hmm…good point. That is odd.”

“I am telling you there is something unholy about those “mermaids,’” said Gerand.

“You are inexplicably religious. What harm could they do?” Nithose headed for the cabin. “I am taking a nap.”

The storm had tired them all and most decided to sleep as well. A few hands on deck remained.

Two-and-a-half hours later, Nithose awoke, followed by Gerand and John sometime after that.

Soon Nithose grew worried. “Their tardiness alarms me.”

“Perhaps we should investigate,” said John.

“I agree,” said Nithose. “But only us three will take the last skiff,” he said as he pointed to himself then at John and Gerand.

They were lowered by boat onto the water and they began rowing. They careened in and out of the rocky spires that jutted out of the water until they reached the narrow channel that led to a very broad lake.

Suddenly, a mermaid popped her head out of the water. And swam towards the boat. When she had neared just twelve feet away, Gerand jumped to his feet and glared at the mermaid. The creature’s eyes widened and she shrieked.

“Entities of evil! I knew it!”

“What is happening Gerand!”

“We have been deceived by evil spirits!”

The mermaid seemed to take a nebulous, black flamelike form.

“I rebuke you in the Lord’s name, evil one!”

“Noo…Ah!”

The spirit’s form became like ashes that dispersed in a heavy wind.

“Let us hope our shipmates are alive somewhere,” said Gerand.

John and Nithose were white with terror.

“What is happening!” said John.

Another dark nebulous figure rose out of the water and hovered in the form of a sphere.

“Where are our companions, spirit!”

“They are ours now,” said a gargling voice from the apparition.

“In the name of God, I adjure you to release them!”

The figure shrieked and seemed to turn to dust and blow away.

Numerous bodies arose out of the water, floating on their backs with eyes closed. Their eyes opened and they splashed about.

“Help us!” cried a crewman.

“Swim for the three skiffs beside the shore over there!” Gerand said as he pointed to a spot by a bank.

Not wasting time in that cursed place, the four boats were rowed for the channel.

More spirits rose from the water and took the form of horrid sea serpents.

But Gerand would not be frightened by them and shouted. “I rebuke you, servants of evil!”

The morphed entities shriveled into black dust and they, likewise, dispersed into the air.

They rowed through the channel and went past the rocks and stopped beside the ship. Two ropes per skiff were let down and tethered to the front and back of each one and were drawn up to the rails of the ship.

When all had boarded, they pulled up anchor.

“We owe you our lives, Gerand,” said Captain Nithose.

“Thank God. He saved us.”

It was agreed that such an account would sound ludicrous. And so, each one would bring their experience to their graves.