There was no doubt in my mind that that was where I belonged, standing upon the deck of a great ship staring at the glistening blue water. Being on that ship was a true blessing, for I had spent most of my life seeking permission to sail. No captains would accept me on their ships; I was not yet a man therefore not able to handle the excitement and hardships of life on the water. It was my looks no doubt that caused these assumptions. I never outgrew my youthful appearance. My face was frozen in the state of softness, lacking the defined mature features that made you a man in the eyes of others. My hair was curly and blonde, framing my childish face and accenting my large blue eyes. I despised the fact that I was being restricted by my physical appearance.
My prayers were finally answered as I was approached by Captain Shiltz. He was a serious man, his expression hard and he kept his sentences short and to the point. He wanted me to join his crew and sail with him to Iceland. I didn't know why we were sailing there and I honestly didn't care. I was too excited by the thought of what I would see, smell, and hear on my upcoming journey.
I became blissfully unaware of my surroundings, my situation, and the hidden motives of the Captain. I kept myself busy at all times, ignoring my pain, sweat, and blood that would mix with the rest of the seawater on the deck. I also was ignoring the fact that the wine I received every night tasted quite awful yet the rest of the crew drank it with great pleasure. I also ignored the sickness that took me every night and left me unwell through half the mornings. It wasn't until we neared the coast of Iceland that everything fell into place.
That day had not seemed different; there were no signs to warn me of my approaching doom. It wasn't until the sun began to set that anything abnormal happened. First, Captain Shiltz presented me with a large glass of wine, requesting that I drink every last drop. I did as I was told though the taste was bitter and unlike any wine that I had ever let touch my tongue. As I reached the bottom of my cup I saw that it had not simply been wine that I had consumed, but something else as well. White powder clung to the bottom in clumps, suggesting that something had been added. As I began to inquire what it was exactly that I had been drinking, illness consumed me. Never had I felt such an agonizing pain within my stomach. It slowly burned through the rest of my body, inflaming each vein and searing every inch of my skin. I fell to the deck gasping for air.
"Wh-what have you done," I choked.
"I'm so sorry son, but your sacrifice will save the lives of sailors all over the world. You will forever be remembered I promise that," Captain Shiltz said solemnly, looking down on me with pity and sympathy. I stared at him with confusion while clawing at my skin as if that would help. With one last murmured apology I was thrown overboard into the water. It wasn't as cold as I had expected, but it was far from warm. I barely took notice to the temperature of the water, I was too busy writhing in pain.
"Don't worry, you will not die by the poison! The pain will wear off soon enough! We have slowly been slipping a strong poison into your wine each night, building up your immunity! You have just enough in your system to bring you pain but not kill you. However, to anyone who is not immune, a sip of your blood would stop the heart of any man," the captain yelled down to me.
"Why! Why have you done this?" I cried with despair. The captain did not answer; instead he made a large sign of the cross over my head and disappeared.
I was frightened; it was as simple as that. I knew not of the fate that awaited me, but there was no doubt that it would not be a pleasant one. The ship sailed onward, leaving me in its wake. Slowly, as the captain had promised, the pain began to subside. However, that did not correct my situation. I was stranded in the middle of waters unknown to me. I swam for a while, but by the time the moon was full in the sky exhaustion began to overcome my determination to live and I started to allow myself to sink. Suddenly there was a sound, a small splashing only a small distance away. My eyes scanned the dark waters for the source of the now continuous splashing. There was nothing. Then I heard something else, a small giggling. The girlish laughter was soft and musical, almost as if owner of the sweet voice was singing rather than giggling. I followed the sound and to my utter shock there was a figure in the water a few yards away. Even in the dim light of the moon I could see that her hair was rich red colour, the colour of blood. The moonlight paled her exposed skin and I could see that she wore no clothes. Her face was hidden in the shadows but somehow I knew she was beautiful.
"The moon is high and full
The waves gently push and pull.
Listen to my every word
As I sing to you softly.

Sleep now my sweet
Let your troubles melt away
Your eyes shall close
Your breathing is slow
As I sing to you softly," her voice was of such perfection that I found myself instantly captivated. She beckoned me towards her as she continued to sing. My eyelids became heavy and after each blink I had to force my eyes open. I refused to sleep for I feared that this creature was of my imagination and if I slept she would disappear forever. However, her pure wonderful voice brought upon me a heavy drowsiness and so I slept. Even in the depths of my colourless dreams I could still hear her sweet singing.
A sharp pain awoke me from my peaceful slumber. My head had hit a hard surface and now I was sure it was bleeding. My vision was still blurry from sleep but even with impaired eyes I could make out the creature that had visited me the night before. Only, as my vision cleared, I realized she was not the perfect being I had pictured her to be, not at all.
She was leaning over me with lustful red eyes. They gazed down at me with an intense hunger that brought a stabbing fear into my chest. Her mouth was open and dripping a great amount of saliva onto my chest, though I hardly took notice for my attention was focused on the razor sharp teeth that were terribly stained red. I let out a scream of terror and jumped to my feet. I was now standing in a large cave. The creature, which I had come to believe was a demon, remained in the pool of water in the middle. At first I expected her to follow me onto the ragged rock shelf I now resided on, but upon closer inspection I found why she could not. In the place of legs was one large tale like that of a fish. Green scales covered her from the waist down and they glimmered in the water. She was not human, nor was she demon, she was a mermaid.
"Come back," she hissed angrily. "Come back so that I might have your legs, your precious legs!"  I shook my head, unable to utter a word. With a scream of rage she launched herself from the water and grabbed my ankle. I attempted to shake her off but her grip was like steel and she was much stronger than her appearance had lead me to believe. With one hard yank I was knocked off my balance and I fell backwards, hitting my already throbbing head against the rock below. Stars danced before my eyes as I nearly lost consciousness. She dragged me back into the water where I would be helpless. Her fingers closed around my throat as she swam down. At this point I was either going to be choked or drowned. Either way, I was going to die.
The mermaid swam further down into a tunnel and what I found there sent a jolt of revulsion throughout my body. Chained to the walls of the tunnel were human legs. They were discolored from the long exposure to water and rotting in a rather disgusting manner. The chains were wrapped around the bones that jutted from the tops of each leg. Understanding filled me as I realized why they were here. Come back so that I might have your legs, your precious legs... My horror at this display was quickly over as she continued to swim past her collection and deeper into the tunnel. I began to feel dizzy as the pressure and lack of oxygen hit my body and I knew within moments I would lose consciousness. I wished that I could have, it would have made what happened next bearable. Seeming satisfied with the depth, the mermaid stopped swimming and brought my face dangerously close to hers. Her fiery red eyes bore into my own as her lips parted to reveal her most horrifying weapons. Her teeth sliced into my flesh causing an unbearable amount of pain. I opened my mouth to let out a scream but instead water filled and burned my lungs as she continued to tear at me. The water was mixing with my blood and if my eyes had not been devoured, I would have seen the red cloud encompassing her.
She was just finishing up with my brain when suddenly she felt a burning in her chest. The burning intensified, exceeding the heat of a roaring fire. Her screams echoed off the walls of tunnel and were ear splittingly loud though she was still underwater. With one last scream she fell silent, her heart completely stopped. Her body drifted with mine towards the floor of the sea where we would spend eternity together.