Miss Underwood and the Merma

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vanished beneath the waves. Miss Underwood shot into the air a moment before the whale vanished,
hauling the mermaid with her by the hair. The mermaid screamed again and clung to her rival's arms. They
rolled over and over in the air, struggling with one another, slapping, biting, and letting out the most
piercing of shrieks.
"Cat fight!" shouted one of my crew.
"Get 'er girl!" came the cry from one of the foremast hands.
"That's the way! Slap that pasty face!"
"I've a shilling says the one with wings can take her!"
"I'll take that bet, Chips!"
Someone chuckled, someone guffawed, someone howled, watching these two great queens of
the fair folk rolling about like jealous serving boys fighting over some seawoman's affections. The crew's
laughter rang across the waters, sliced through the wind and waves. It poured forth until even Jack
Tremor joined in. I added my own mirth to the din with the greatest satisfaction.
The pair of them froze in midair, the mermaid's tail wrapped around the fairy's waist. The fairy's
hand in the mermaid's hair and her free arm drawn back to deliver a ringing slap.
The merriment of my crew redoubled at this splendid tableau. Several of the women in the
rigging had to clasp the ratlines and masts to keep themselves from falling as they shook with their
laughter.
The air around the fabulous pair shimmered and I blinked. Instead of a winged warrior and a
mer-queen, my streaming eyes made out a bone thin girl of about ten years suspended by a pair of limp,
flower-petal wings hanging onto a thing that looked more like a boiled haddock woman than a seductive
ruler of the sea.
They looked at us, they looked at each other, they looked down at themselves.
And, oh, Goddess, how they did scream.
The winged girl dropped the haddock woman and flew for the horizon. The haddock dove
beneath the waves, and did not reappear. I laughed again at the sudden thought that the whale might be
waiting for her in order to discuss its terms of employment.
"That was wonderful, Captain Latimer." Captain Tremor's eyes shone with mirth and delight.
"Nothing short of wonderful. However did you think of it?"
I laid a hand on his firm, square, young shoulder. "Belief, Captain Tremor," I said, "I have
learned, is all-important in matters of magic. We believed they looked ridiculous, and for that important
moment, so did they." The clouds were clearing and the breeze freshening all around us. "Of course, I
was praying the entire time that their vanity was as real as their beauty was false."
"You are a marvel, Captain Latimer," he said, with his admiration plain on his open face. "I
hope you will tell me in more detail of your voyage. Perhaps when we have a moment to ourselves."
I let myself be warmed by the young man's earnestness. "First, Captain Tremor, you must guide
us to that sea cave, or my crew will be more put out than either one of us would care to deal with." I
smiled over my deck and my seawomen. "After than, I do believe you and I shall have all the time we
need." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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