Chapter 6

Iwas going to die. I was going to eat all the porridge, and then I was going to die. Either a rogue wave would take me out, the ship would capsize, or whatever made the men flee would soon do the same to me. Hiding in the galley wasn't helping, but I found myself shaking, holding my knees, and crying. Thoughts of the inn danced through my mind. Chopping melons, tearing at coconut flesh, the drunken stories of the sailors that came by. Now, I sifted through those stories like a hand of cards.

Some warned that the worst you'd find would be the ocean monsters, ones with long triangular teeth and pointed fins. Some more massive still, with long ropy arms that could grab you and steal you away. I shuddered at the thought of one of those lurking beneath the very wood I sat. Worse yet, others warned… were the pirates. Gods, no. I'd never met one, and yet their stories were spoken about in more hushed tones than the monsters. And I was sure they were real. I wasn't as positive about the monsters, but pirates were not a figment of sun poisoned boat work. What if pirates had taken the crew?

That didn't even make sense. Not when I replayed the events of the storm. The men were acting strange before that, though… none of it made sense. But regardless of what the answer to the riddle was– I was alone on a ship I didn't know how to sail, in the middle of the ocean.

Furthermore, I was a coward, hiding in a kitchen.

No, I was back at the inn, back at the stoves, fixated on the patch of flour on Rummy's tan cheek… I swallowed, realizing I'd never see her again. Wasn't that the point of coming out here?

No, the point was a new life, not to find my death. Though the men with me had found theirs… unless maybe they'd gotten on another boat and stranded me for some reason? My head was fuzzy as I slowly ascended the stairs into the waning sunlight. It was close to suppertime; it would be dark soon. Would the monster or pirates come back for me?

The sound of something beating against the wood startled me. A rope swung free, hitting a post, while a sail sagged, limp in the ocean breeze. I'd only caught glimpses of the crew going about their chores, and I'd immediately regretted not paying closer attention to what they were doing. But I was fairly certain the rope shouldn't be spinning around and hitting things. I grabbed it and pulled it tight, wrapping it in a weak knot around something metal and heavy on the dock.

Wiping my brow, I walked up onto the platform and stood at the captain's wheel. The ocean looked beautiful from up there, I realized, and I wanted to get higher. Finding the ladder, I climbed the same sail post I'd seen the men do, and held tightly onto the top, looking out over the miles and miles of water. Hope sprang and vanished in an instant when no land was to be seen. There was no way to know what direction I was headed, and the waves rocked the boat. One more storm, one more bad decision from me, and I'd be going down with the ship.

I stayed there for the longest time, watching the sun dip and cast the most radiant shade of orange and purple along the shadowy depths. When my eye caught something, it shouldn't have.

Something not real.

It was… a woman. A woman treading water mere yards from the ship.

My heart leapt into my throat, and I called out,"Hello?"

A song, a wordless, beautiful song, flitted through my ears. Like an angel, like an instrument I'd never heard… high and feminine and so haunting it broke my heart. My hands were shaking as I climbed down, seeking it, seeking her. I had to help her. Who was she?

The melody continued, and I climbed.

Forgetting the stories.

Forgetting the sailors' warnings.

Forgetting what the men had heard the night before.

I climbed down toward my death.