The Pirate and the Mermaids

As the sun sank behind the horizon, Abigail looked out over the ocean, watching the white caps dancing on the waves. You could imagine all manner of things out there in the water. She would go for a walk along the beach in the morning with her grandpa and grandma and look for treasures.

She turned to her grandpa and hugged him.

“Will you do my story tonight, grandpa?”

Grandpa John chuckled. “Oh yes, of course. Let’s get you into bed, lass.”

Abigail’s grandparents lived next to the beach where the sand shone white under the Perth sun and the water sparkled on a clear day. Her grandpa had grown up next to the ocean, but one far away in Scotland, where the beach was black and rocky, and the water so cold it would freeze the air right out of you. 

“I’m in bed, Grandpa,” Abigail called. “I’m ready for a story now.”

“Well, then,” John said, sitting down on the end of the bed. “Do you have a book, or do you want me to make up a story?”

“Make up a story, please, Grandpa.”

“Well, let me think. How about I tell you a story that was told to me by my granny, about the pirate and mermaids.”

“I’ve watched The Little Mermaid,” Abigail announced.

“That’s a nice movie. But these mermaids that came to the west coast of Scotland were nothing like in that Disney movie.”

Abigail gazed up at her grandpa, eyes wide.

“Let me see. Alright. 

“There were sea fairies, mermaids, you might call them. They were the most beautiful creatures that you ever saw, with long silvery hair that swirled and twirled around them. Their eyes were the colour of the marble that you find on the Skye coast. Groups of them would dance in the water, their fish tails darting back and forth. Sometimes you would see them, sitting on the rocks and combing their hair. They liked to look at the land folk and sometimes they would get very close, but they belonged to the sea. 

“There was one mermaid, the most beautiful of them all, who had a comb inlaid with aquamarine stones. She was like a queen to the merfolk who lived there. If you looked out to the sea on a clear day, you might see her sunning herself on the rock or combing out her hair with her aquamarine comb. The other mermaids waited on her. 

“Now, there used to be pirates that would come to the west coast, attacking the villages there.”

Abigail said, “I wanted to watch The Pirates of the Caribbean, but mummy wouldn’t let me.”

“Very sensible of your mother,” John said. “But that movie was just a bit nonsense. Pirates were fearsome men, and the people dreaded seeing their ships. They would steal the village’s food stores and kidnap any strong young men who they thought could be of good use on their ships, and worse.

“There was one, Captain Radcliff, who came to the west coast one summer. The people were filled with fear at what he would do to them and their village. But the mermaids happened to be sitting on the rocks as his ship, the Hawk, approached. They sang their mermaid song and the air was filled with strange music. It was like a magnet, drawing you in, forcing you to listen. Captain Radcliff was standing on the bow of the Hawk, meaning to steer her into the bay but a strange thing happened. As he heard that mermaid song, he stood there, dumbstruck. His crew, all of them, gazing at those sea fairies on the rocks. And the ship came perilously close to crashing on those rocks.” 

“Did he get shipwrecked, Grandpa?”

“Ahh. No, but very close. His ship grazed the rocks, and those mermaids fixed the pirate captain and his crew with their marble eyes. Captain Radcliff leaned out over the bow, reaching out to the queen of the mermaids. He would have fallen overboard and onto the rocks if it wasn’t for a young midshipman, who was deaf. He grabbed the Captain and pulled him back and motioned with his hands to steer away from the rocks. You see, he couldn’t hear the mermaids’ song so he had not been entranced like the others.

“Captain Radcliff came to his senses and shook his fist at the mermaids. They laughed and dove into the water. The Captain tried to turn his ship around but it was listing badly. She’d taken in some water. He made it into the bay, to the horror of the villagers, but he had lost his ambitions of stealing and plundering. His priority was to repair his ship.

“The pirate Radcliff and his crew stayed for several weeks, tending to the Hawk. The mermaids came every day, settled on the rocks, and taunted them. The queen perched on the highest point, combing her hair with her aquamarine comb. Sometimes she would appear wearing an aquamarine necklace of the bluest blue. The jewels were a colour that you’ve never seen; like the entire sea and the sky compressed into one stone. 

“For hours at a time, Captain Radcliff left his crew to their work and watched those mermaids with his spyglass. He was in love with the queen but he was a mere plaything to her. He offered her gold and silver but what use is that to a sea fairy? And she could not leave the sea for too long. 

“By the time the ship had been repaired, the seasons were starting to change. Captain Radcliff sailed off south, in search of warmer waters. Life continued as normal.

“The next year, Captain Radcliff returned. He stood on the bow of the Hawk and called out to the water. Sea queen! It is I! The mermaids appeared, one by one, then the mermaid queen slipped out of the water and onto the rocks. She smiled a dangerous smile at the Captain and began to sing. But this time, Captain Radcliff was prepared. He had stuffed his ears with wool. He carefully steered his ship around the rocks, still calling out to her. Sea Queen, I love you! The mermaid queen dove into the water, teasing him. Captain Radcliff moored his ship in the bay, waiting for her to reappear. 

“She came back the next morning, flanked by her maids. She was festooned with jewels. The men gaped to see such a trove. But the mermaids were taunting them again, and they dove back into the water as one.

“Every morning for a week, this happened. The Captain hardly left the bow of his ship. He could not think about anything else, except for this beautiful mermaid and her jewels. The crew started to become restless, eager to move on, but the Captain would have none of it. 

“After a week had passed, the weather began to change. The air was heavy with moisture and dark clouds were gathering to the north. The crew argued with the captain to make for the south. They were safe enough in the bay, but they were sick of watching their captain making a fool of himself over the mermaids, and there were more villages to the south that they could sail to. Captain Radcliff refused.

“The next day, the sky was filled with clouds as black as ink. The mermaids still sat upon their rocks. The queen played with her aquamarine jewels as if they were mere baubles. Captain Radcliff ignored the entreaties of his crew. 

“The clouds gathered, heavier and heavier. The build-up was unbearable. The villagers busied themselves, preparing for the coming storm. 

“Aboard the Hawk, the crew had decided that enough was enough. They declared a mutiny against Captain Radcliff. He was to be clapped in chains and the quartermaster would take over. They thought that if they immediately set sail for the next bay to the south, they would be able to withstand the storm there and leave the mermaids behind. 

“Captain Radcliff did not resist but just as they were about to shackle his hands, he leapt overboard, calling out to his love. He landed in the water, just short of the rocks, and the mermaids looked at him, as if he was a curiosity, no more and no less. 

“The Hawk’s crew lost no time in drawing up the anchor and setting course for the south. They never returned after that.

“The mermaid queen leaned down over the rocks, singing to Captain Radcliff. He was in an agony, trying to clamber over the slippery stone, but he could not get any purchase. The mermaid queen leaned in closer, keeping just out of his reach. With a gasp, he reached up with one hand and snatched at her necklace. The stones tumbled into the water and she dove after them. Captain Radcliff, seeing her dive down into the water, let go of the rocks and followed her.”

“What happened to him?” Abigail asked. “Did he drown?”

“Well,” said her grandpa. “Some people say that he did. Others say that he turned into a merman and would be seen on the rocks with the mermaid queen, wearing a crown of aquamarine. But that’s just a story, made up.”

“I like that story,” Abigail murmured, as her eyelashes fluttered and her head sank deeper into her pillow.

Her grandparents kissed her good night and turned off the light. 

Abigail’s dreams that night were filled with images of swirling blue and green. She tossed and turned, like a strand of seaweed buffeted by the ocean’s currents.

When she woke up in the morning, she went to the living room window to look out at the ocean. It was calm and flat. You could see all the way out to Rottnest Island.

Her grandparents were eating breakfast at the table and called her over, but she stayed by the window looking at the ocean.

She was about to leave the window when a movement in the water caught her eye. She leaned against the glass pane, squinting, just in time to see a hand clasping a string of aquamarine stones disappearing into the water. “Oh!” she exclaimed as she turned to her grandparents.

“What is it, love?” her grandmother asked.

“I saw something! In the water!”

“There was a pod of dolphins before. Grandpa was up at dawn, he saw them. Come and have breakfast.”

Her grandmother busied herself making toast, while her grandpa read the newspaper. Abigail turned back to the window. Maybe she had just seen a dolphin? It must have been. She left the window to join her grandma in the kitchen.

Out on the ocean, the water bubbled and rippled, closing over the fish tail that had broken the surface.