The Blue Cave
by
Christopher Pelletier
copywrite 2009
Billy woke up to what he had been seeing for the past four days: the wide blue ocean with clear a horizon. His former ship’s grating on which he floated kept his dirty pantaloons mostly dry; but occasionally the water popped up through the square holes keeping his seat constantly wet. He did not pay it much mind anymore. His red scarf kept his neck protected from the sun, and his white chemise had many tears in it, with several attempts at patchwork. The sudden storm which sunk the Raven did not allow him to take a change of clothes. In fact, the only possessions he managed to take were the Captain’s locked chest, a tin mug, and a seaman’s knife.
by
Christopher Pelletier
copywrite 2009
Billy woke up to what he had been seeing for the past four days: the wide blue ocean with clear a horizon. His former ship’s grating on which he floated kept his dirty pantaloons mostly dry; but occasionally the water popped up through the square holes keeping his seat constantly wet. He did not pay it much mind anymore. His red scarf kept his neck protected from the sun, and his white chemise had many tears in it, with several attempts at patchwork. The sudden storm which sunk the Raven did not allow him to take a change of clothes. In fact, the only possessions he managed to take were the Captain’s locked chest, a tin mug, and a seaman’s knife.
Hunger was all that he had for breakfast, and he was so thirsty that he wanted to take a drink from the salty water underneath him. The gunner’s mate had once talked about a similar situation that he had been in and said “If ye gets caught on an open boat fer a long spell, don’t ye be drinkin’ the sea water. It’ll only make ye thirstier.”
Misfortune seemed to always follow Billy ever since he was forced to sign aboard the Raven two years before. He was a fourteen-year-old cabin boy turned pirate overnight. The role never quite felt right to him.
The last ship they had taken was a merchantman, not unlike his former ship. The pirates intimidated the captain and crew of the other ship and set them adrift in a longboat. Billy had never stopped feeling bad for that crew. Although the pay and treatment was much better aboard a pirate ship, Billy found himself often battling his conscience.
Pirates had a sense of equality among their fellow shipmates, though, unlike the crew aboard merchant ships. Even though Billy was greener than the rest, he still had equal shares as the rest of the hands, except for the captain or those injured during battle.
Now I must be cursed, he thought. I be paying the price fer signin’ on with the devils. But they’ve paid their debt in full durin’ the storm.
He looked to the morning Caribbean sun and cupped his hands in prayer just like he had seen his former shipmates do after a hard night of rum drinking in Tortuga. He started his prayer as they did, “Dear God, if ye get me through this, I’ll change my wicked ways. I was ever a fool to sign on a ship on the account. I see that now. Grant me a pardon, get me out of this, and I swears to ye, dear God, that I will ne’er step one foot aboard a ship unless it be an honorable one. I swears it in blood!”
His dagger pricked his left index finger and droplets of blood spilled to the ocean. “Idiot,” he said aloud, “now the sharks will know where to look fer ye!”
He sat with his back to his former captain’s chest. The motion of the ocean rocked him gently back and forth and soon sleep overtook him.
The afternoon came and his groggy eyes opened to see a rocky island jutting up from the waters dead ahead of him. He nearly fell into the water when he leapt up. His bouncing made it an unstable platform, but he managed to keep his balance. He started to dance a jig and grabbed a plank that he had used for an oar. With eager heaves, he brought his wooden grating closer to the island.
As he got closer, his smile diminished. The island was a small-ish set of dark, barren rocks, devoid of any green, birds, and place to get ashore. He plopped down onto the grating and put his face in his hands. He shook his head back in forth and said, “Why me?”
As if an answer to his question, he heard some singing. It was melodic, but faint. Was his mind playing tricks on him? But the more he listened, the more he assured himself that it was a girl’s voice.
Grabbing the plank, he stroked some more and moved in the direction of the singing. After rounding the island, he came to a cave entrance. It was quite different from the outer appearance of the dark island, for it glowed with a pale blue color.
He called into the cave, “Ahoy in there!”
The singing immediately stopped. He heard some splashing and then nothing.
He paddled into the cave and marveled at the aura of blue. He had never seen anything like it. His vessel eased in a ways from the entrance, and he lashed it to a nearby rock with some shredded line.
Billy heard the water move behind him and turned to see a head peeping out at him. It was a girl! She had dark hair and, whether it was due to the lighting of the cave or not, greenish colored skin. Her eyes were yellow and she looked upon Billy with curiosity.
“Umm. Hullo,” said Billy with a smile and a wave.
The girl dived down and disappeared. Billy sat back and scratched his head. But it was not too long before she returned and offered him an amulet. He bowed his head, took it and put it around his neck. The girl said to him, “Can you understand me?”
“Aye.”
“Good,” she said hopping onto a flat rock several feet away from him, revealing her fishy lower torso.
Billy had heard some tales of mermaids but never believed in them. But here was one right before him in the blue cave. “Can ye help me? I's aboard a ship, ya see, but it sunk during a storm.”
“I have seen many sunken ships.”
“Well, I's lucky and lived to tell about it. My shipmates weren't so lucky.”
“What do you want?” asked the mermaid.
“For starters, how about some victuals and drink.”
“There is plenty of water in here.”
“No, I can’t drink the sea water.”
“No, no, no. Look on that wall.”
Billy turned and saw a small stream of fresh water. Eagerly he reached his cup out and filled it up. Three times he did so. The mermaid had disappeared again but returned with some fish. It was uncooked, but he did not care at all. He devoured the lot and picked the bones from his mouth.
“Thank ye kindly, miss. ”
She just nodded.
“Can ye help me get home? Or at least to somewhere that people are?”
“My people are below the ocean.”
“I meant people people. I can’t live underwater.”
“I know. I have tried to help your kind before, but they all died when I brought them to my family. You are not like us.”
“Aye, we are very different. So, can ye help me?”
Her fin slapped at the water and she gazed at the ripples. With the light of an idea glowing on her face she said, “If you can impress me, do some wonderful things for me, I will help you back to your people.”
“Like what?”
“That is for you to figure out,” she said. She slid off the rock into the water and disappeared again.
Billy grabbed some more water and sat in thought. What am I goin' to do to impress her?
Night came and the cave had a dim glowed with a magical dim blue light from some sea lichen. Billy just sat on the grating and tapped his dagger on the grating. His thoughts went to the chest that he was leaning on. It was locked and Billy thought of trying to use his knife to pry it open, but thought better of it, as he did not wish to break the blade.
He found a loose stone nearby, and he hoped that it was hard enough. He raised the make-shift key and slammed it onto the lock once, twice and on the third strike it busted open.
He was a cabin boy for two years and had never seen the contents of his captain’s chest. Inside he found a logbook, a nautical chart, a piece of flint, a black flag, a candle, a sewing palm for the sails as well as needle and some heavy thread, some coins of various nationalities and a brush and mirror.
What am I going to do with this stuff?
Billy took the flint and ran his knife along it. Sparks shot out and he lit the candle. He dripped some melted wax onto the grating and set the candle into it so it could stand by itself.
Grabbing the logbook, Billy turned the pages, but could not read the writing. There were some illustrations of women and ships in it which he found entertaining. He wished he had a pen to draw some pictures to pass the time.
The mermaid popped her head up and said, “Oh, how wonderful!”
Billy looked up from the book and said, “What is?”
“That! That light! I have never seen anything like it! It is truly amazing.”
Billy noticed that she was looking at the candle. “Oh, this? I just lit it up so I could look at this old book.”
“I am impressed landsman. What is your name?”
“Billy Green. How about yers?”
“Salion,” she said with a smile. Her teeth were sharpened at their ends.
Avast there, she’s impressed, thought Billy. “So, ye like it?”
“Very much.”
“How about helping me to get home then?”
“I still want to see more.”
She threw some food onto the grating and dove back down to the deep.
She wasn’t too happy about getting me home. I wonder if she ever will…
He thumbed through the book some more and ate his fish until sleep caused his eyes to droop. He extinguished the candle and went to sleep.
The next morning, Billy was hard at work with some black fabric, complements of the Jolly Roger. Salion brought him some breakfast and tried to look on. Billy turned his body away to prevent her from seeing what he was doing and asked her to return before night. She shrugged with indifference and dove away. He could focus again.
He tried to estimate her size in his mind and was hard at work with his thread and needle, cutting with his knife.
Evening came and she returned with some food. She said, “Well, what were you doing?”
“Here, I made ye this.”
Billy held up a short dress and she spun in circles in the water smiling. “Oh, it is so lovely. What is it?”
“It's a dress I made fer ya. Here, let’s try it on.”
She swam up to him and quivered a bit at being so close to Billy. He slipped the long sleeveless tunic over her head and helped her arms through the holes. The white skull of the flag was on the back.
“I am so lovely. Do people on land wear things like this?”
“Women do. Men don’t. We aren’t done yet. Turn around.”
She did as she was told and Billy brushed her long blue hair. There were some snarls that he had to work out with his knife, but he got her hair proper. He held up a mirror and said, “Turn around.”
She stared into the mirror, as she probably had never seen herself so clearly before. She did not speak for many moments and Billy noticed a tear forming in her eye. “Thank you for the gifts. Can I have that?”
Billy gave her the mirror and she just kept looking into it like she was hypnotized.
“So, can ye help me get to land?”
“Hmmm. Oh, you have been very impressive but I still want to see more. I will be back in the morning.”
“Good ni—“
She was gone before he could finish his sentence. He looked at the book some more.
What am I goin’ to do now? I got nothing to work with. The map’s worthless in the water. He blew out the candle and put his face in his hands.
Morning came and Salion brought him his breakfast once again. He was sitting up looking at the book and twirling a gold coin in his fingers. She dropped the food on the grating and said, “Well, what do you have for me today.”
Billy shuffled on the grating and scooted closer to her. He said, “I am glad you like the candle and the dress and the mirror. I have been trying to think all night of what I could give you that you haven’t had before….”
“Well?”
“Come here.”
She swam up to him and he bent down close to her. He could see that she was shaking a bit and almost ready to swim off, so he approached slowly. He touched the back of her head. It was not unwelcomed. He brought his mouth close to hers and closed his eyes. Their mouths met and he kissed her as he had seen from the drawings in the book.
He awkwardly chewed her lips a little. Her breath tasted of fish. He had never thought his first kiss would be with a mermaid. But he could feel a tingling in his body. He liked it.
The kiss ended and he opened his eyes. Salion still had hers closed and she drifted a ways back from the grating.
He said, “Well?”
Still with eyes closed and mouth opened she slipped under the water.
What does that mean? Did she like it?
He sat back against the opened chest and opened the book. She returned after quite a bit of time. Three dolphins accompanied her.
“What is this? A party?” Billy said.
“No, they will help to bring you home. I have given them instructions. You have given me so much. Now I will give you your gift.”
Another two dolphins came up bearing a chest between them, lashed by some lines from some sunken vessel. Billy took it and put it on the grating.
“It is full of those round pieces that you were playing with earlier and some pretty colored stones. I collected them from other ships. We have no use for them down here. Maybe you could use them where you are going.”
Maybe? Oh, Salion, you have given me a king’s ransom in gold and gems!
He shouted for joy and bent down to offer one more kiss. Salion swam up to him to enjoy the experience one more time before they parted.
After their passionate embrace, Billy kissed Salion’s forehead and lashed a longer line to two holes in the grating. He made a huge bowline in the end of the line and the three dolphins took it in their mouths like a huge bridle and started to swim out of the cave. They pulled the grating and Billy was on his way. He turned and could see Salion watching him and he waved goodbye to her. She returned his wave.
The island grew small in the distance as he headed to open sea. He smiled as the spray licked his face. He was heading to land, returning to civilization and people—and not just as an empty-handed cabin boy, but as a young gentleman of fortune.
Misfortune seemed to always follow Billy ever since he was forced to sign aboard the Raven two years before. He was a fourteen-year-old cabin boy turned pirate overnight. The role never quite felt right to him.
The last ship they had taken was a merchantman, not unlike his former ship. The pirates intimidated the captain and crew of the other ship and set them adrift in a longboat. Billy had never stopped feeling bad for that crew. Although the pay and treatment was much better aboard a pirate ship, Billy found himself often battling his conscience.
Pirates had a sense of equality among their fellow shipmates, though, unlike the crew aboard merchant ships. Even though Billy was greener than the rest, he still had equal shares as the rest of the hands, except for the captain or those injured during battle.
Now I must be cursed, he thought. I be paying the price fer signin’ on with the devils. But they’ve paid their debt in full durin’ the storm.
He looked to the morning Caribbean sun and cupped his hands in prayer just like he had seen his former shipmates do after a hard night of rum drinking in Tortuga. He started his prayer as they did, “Dear God, if ye get me through this, I’ll change my wicked ways. I was ever a fool to sign on a ship on the account. I see that now. Grant me a pardon, get me out of this, and I swears to ye, dear God, that I will ne’er step one foot aboard a ship unless it be an honorable one. I swears it in blood!”
His dagger pricked his left index finger and droplets of blood spilled to the ocean. “Idiot,” he said aloud, “now the sharks will know where to look fer ye!”
He sat with his back to his former captain’s chest. The motion of the ocean rocked him gently back and forth and soon sleep overtook him.
The afternoon came and his groggy eyes opened to see a rocky island jutting up from the waters dead ahead of him. He nearly fell into the water when he leapt up. His bouncing made it an unstable platform, but he managed to keep his balance. He started to dance a jig and grabbed a plank that he had used for an oar. With eager heaves, he brought his wooden grating closer to the island.
As he got closer, his smile diminished. The island was a small-ish set of dark, barren rocks, devoid of any green, birds, and place to get ashore. He plopped down onto the grating and put his face in his hands. He shook his head back in forth and said, “Why me?”
As if an answer to his question, he heard some singing. It was melodic, but faint. Was his mind playing tricks on him? But the more he listened, the more he assured himself that it was a girl’s voice.
Grabbing the plank, he stroked some more and moved in the direction of the singing. After rounding the island, he came to a cave entrance. It was quite different from the outer appearance of the dark island, for it glowed with a pale blue color.
He called into the cave, “Ahoy in there!”
The singing immediately stopped. He heard some splashing and then nothing.
He paddled into the cave and marveled at the aura of blue. He had never seen anything like it. His vessel eased in a ways from the entrance, and he lashed it to a nearby rock with some shredded line.
Billy heard the water move behind him and turned to see a head peeping out at him. It was a girl! She had dark hair and, whether it was due to the lighting of the cave or not, greenish colored skin. Her eyes were yellow and she looked upon Billy with curiosity.
“Umm. Hullo,” said Billy with a smile and a wave.
The girl dived down and disappeared. Billy sat back and scratched his head. But it was not too long before she returned and offered him an amulet. He bowed his head, took it and put it around his neck. The girl said to him, “Can you understand me?”
“Aye.”
“Good,” she said hopping onto a flat rock several feet away from him, revealing her fishy lower torso.
Billy had heard some tales of mermaids but never believed in them. But here was one right before him in the blue cave. “Can ye help me? I's aboard a ship, ya see, but it sunk during a storm.”
“I have seen many sunken ships.”
“Well, I's lucky and lived to tell about it. My shipmates weren't so lucky.”
“What do you want?” asked the mermaid.
“For starters, how about some victuals and drink.”
“There is plenty of water in here.”
“No, I can’t drink the sea water.”
“No, no, no. Look on that wall.”
Billy turned and saw a small stream of fresh water. Eagerly he reached his cup out and filled it up. Three times he did so. The mermaid had disappeared again but returned with some fish. It was uncooked, but he did not care at all. He devoured the lot and picked the bones from his mouth.
“Thank ye kindly, miss. ”
She just nodded.
“Can ye help me get home? Or at least to somewhere that people are?”
“My people are below the ocean.”
“I meant people people. I can’t live underwater.”
“I know. I have tried to help your kind before, but they all died when I brought them to my family. You are not like us.”
“Aye, we are very different. So, can ye help me?”
Her fin slapped at the water and she gazed at the ripples. With the light of an idea glowing on her face she said, “If you can impress me, do some wonderful things for me, I will help you back to your people.”
“Like what?”
“That is for you to figure out,” she said. She slid off the rock into the water and disappeared again.
Billy grabbed some more water and sat in thought. What am I goin' to do to impress her?
Night came and the cave had a dim glowed with a magical dim blue light from some sea lichen. Billy just sat on the grating and tapped his dagger on the grating. His thoughts went to the chest that he was leaning on. It was locked and Billy thought of trying to use his knife to pry it open, but thought better of it, as he did not wish to break the blade.
He found a loose stone nearby, and he hoped that it was hard enough. He raised the make-shift key and slammed it onto the lock once, twice and on the third strike it busted open.
He was a cabin boy for two years and had never seen the contents of his captain’s chest. Inside he found a logbook, a nautical chart, a piece of flint, a black flag, a candle, a sewing palm for the sails as well as needle and some heavy thread, some coins of various nationalities and a brush and mirror.
What am I going to do with this stuff?
Billy took the flint and ran his knife along it. Sparks shot out and he lit the candle. He dripped some melted wax onto the grating and set the candle into it so it could stand by itself.
Grabbing the logbook, Billy turned the pages, but could not read the writing. There were some illustrations of women and ships in it which he found entertaining. He wished he had a pen to draw some pictures to pass the time.
The mermaid popped her head up and said, “Oh, how wonderful!”
Billy looked up from the book and said, “What is?”
“That! That light! I have never seen anything like it! It is truly amazing.”
Billy noticed that she was looking at the candle. “Oh, this? I just lit it up so I could look at this old book.”
“I am impressed landsman. What is your name?”
“Billy Green. How about yers?”
“Salion,” she said with a smile. Her teeth were sharpened at their ends.
Avast there, she’s impressed, thought Billy. “So, ye like it?”
“Very much.”
“How about helping me to get home then?”
“I still want to see more.”
She threw some food onto the grating and dove back down to the deep.
She wasn’t too happy about getting me home. I wonder if she ever will…
He thumbed through the book some more and ate his fish until sleep caused his eyes to droop. He extinguished the candle and went to sleep.
The next morning, Billy was hard at work with some black fabric, complements of the Jolly Roger. Salion brought him some breakfast and tried to look on. Billy turned his body away to prevent her from seeing what he was doing and asked her to return before night. She shrugged with indifference and dove away. He could focus again.
He tried to estimate her size in his mind and was hard at work with his thread and needle, cutting with his knife.
Evening came and she returned with some food. She said, “Well, what were you doing?”
“Here, I made ye this.”
Billy held up a short dress and she spun in circles in the water smiling. “Oh, it is so lovely. What is it?”
“It's a dress I made fer ya. Here, let’s try it on.”
She swam up to him and quivered a bit at being so close to Billy. He slipped the long sleeveless tunic over her head and helped her arms through the holes. The white skull of the flag was on the back.
“I am so lovely. Do people on land wear things like this?”
“Women do. Men don’t. We aren’t done yet. Turn around.”
She did as she was told and Billy brushed her long blue hair. There were some snarls that he had to work out with his knife, but he got her hair proper. He held up a mirror and said, “Turn around.”
She stared into the mirror, as she probably had never seen herself so clearly before. She did not speak for many moments and Billy noticed a tear forming in her eye. “Thank you for the gifts. Can I have that?”
Billy gave her the mirror and she just kept looking into it like she was hypnotized.
“So, can ye help me get to land?”
“Hmmm. Oh, you have been very impressive but I still want to see more. I will be back in the morning.”
“Good ni—“
She was gone before he could finish his sentence. He looked at the book some more.
What am I goin’ to do now? I got nothing to work with. The map’s worthless in the water. He blew out the candle and put his face in his hands.
Morning came and Salion brought him his breakfast once again. He was sitting up looking at the book and twirling a gold coin in his fingers. She dropped the food on the grating and said, “Well, what do you have for me today.”
Billy shuffled on the grating and scooted closer to her. He said, “I am glad you like the candle and the dress and the mirror. I have been trying to think all night of what I could give you that you haven’t had before….”
“Well?”
“Come here.”
She swam up to him and he bent down close to her. He could see that she was shaking a bit and almost ready to swim off, so he approached slowly. He touched the back of her head. It was not unwelcomed. He brought his mouth close to hers and closed his eyes. Their mouths met and he kissed her as he had seen from the drawings in the book.
He awkwardly chewed her lips a little. Her breath tasted of fish. He had never thought his first kiss would be with a mermaid. But he could feel a tingling in his body. He liked it.
The kiss ended and he opened his eyes. Salion still had hers closed and she drifted a ways back from the grating.
He said, “Well?”
Still with eyes closed and mouth opened she slipped under the water.
What does that mean? Did she like it?
He sat back against the opened chest and opened the book. She returned after quite a bit of time. Three dolphins accompanied her.
“What is this? A party?” Billy said.
“No, they will help to bring you home. I have given them instructions. You have given me so much. Now I will give you your gift.”
Another two dolphins came up bearing a chest between them, lashed by some lines from some sunken vessel. Billy took it and put it on the grating.
“It is full of those round pieces that you were playing with earlier and some pretty colored stones. I collected them from other ships. We have no use for them down here. Maybe you could use them where you are going.”
Maybe? Oh, Salion, you have given me a king’s ransom in gold and gems!
He shouted for joy and bent down to offer one more kiss. Salion swam up to him to enjoy the experience one more time before they parted.
After their passionate embrace, Billy kissed Salion’s forehead and lashed a longer line to two holes in the grating. He made a huge bowline in the end of the line and the three dolphins took it in their mouths like a huge bridle and started to swim out of the cave. They pulled the grating and Billy was on his way. He turned and could see Salion watching him and he waved goodbye to her. She returned his wave.
The island grew small in the distance as he headed to open sea. He smiled as the spray licked his face. He was heading to land, returning to civilization and people—and not just as an empty-handed cabin boy, but as a young gentleman of fortune.
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