Trapped with a Way Out

by Jeffery Martinez

  From the main cabin, she could see scores of men covered in shadows filing out. Standing by the cabin door, nearest to her, was a very tall and tan human covered in coarse fabrics. He wore a thick green-brown coat and trousers over high black boots, a thick red scarf around his neck, and a wide-brimmed hat with a side pressed in. He had a long, angular face, a black patch over one eye, and a long red-brown braid draped loosely around his neck like a scarf. He also had a smoking stick clenched between his teeth, and he was grinning at the festivities before him. He was looking away from her at first, with the patched eye closer to her, and then he looked right in her direction!

  William gasped and pressed her back firmly against the outer ship wall.

  When she thought it was safe to look again, she peered back over, only to find him looking over the bulwark and practically right at her!

  "EEP!" William squeaked, and let go of the ship.

  William' belly hit the water with a hard slap, and then she groaned in agony as she slowly sank below the surface.

  Schrödinger laughed himself a fit to die.

  "You should have seen the look on your face, William!"

  "Oh, be quiet!" she snapped, then clutched her torso painfully.

  "That's what you get for leaping before you look!" he gloated, and broke out laughing again.

  "Stop laughing or I'll smack you!" William snapped, and splashed him with water.

  Schrödinger continued to laugh and splashed her back, but he slowly settled down.

  "Es tut mir leid, Schatzi, you can just be so much fun. Are you going back up there?"

  "Of course I am!" William cried enthusiastically, and climbed once more.

  Schrödinger laughed again. "Nothing ever stops you!" and he climbed after her.

  When she made it back up the side of the ship, William' annoyance melted away and she once again felt overjoyed to see humans up close!

  She carefully avoided the eye of the strange one-eyed human though. He was still looking out over the bulwarks with a discerning eye, as though searching for her. William pressed herself against the shadows of the ship, waiting for him to leave. She could not watch the humans if he was watching out for her, and she was growing impatient for him to be gone.

  'Go away!' she thought petulantly.

  Then, the loveliest of baritones called from a way in, "Captain Bernadotte, I need you."

  "Of course you do," the one-eyed human grumbled, and turned to walk away.

  William sighed with relief, then placed her hands once more on-deck and looked inside.

  The sailors were still singing and dancing, but hidden almost in shadows was a very tall, dark, and formidable looking human that William had not seen before. Her heart pulsed just at the sight of him. He was easily the tallest and darkest man on the ship, and yet he had a captivating presence about him.

  When fireworks once again lit up the sky, she saw that he was easily the most handsome creature she had ever seen in her life. His hair was as black as the night sky, and so smooth and silky it seemed to reflect the starlight off its tresses. His face was as radiantly pale as the moon, and his eyes were as clear blue as the sea after a storm. Though she knew little of human fashion, even William could tell he was impeccably dressed. He wore a charcoal suit with leather riding boots. His neck tied in a flamboyant, intricately knotted black cravat, and covered by a full-length black frock overcoat. Everything about him, from his appearance, manner and dress, reflected a confidence and regality that the entire royal family could not equal.

  William' clear blue eyes widened when she saw him, then they melted with deep infatuation.

  "So, what do you think, William?" Schrödinger asked loudly from atop the bulwark, "Quite the sight, eh?"

  "Schrödinger, Get down from there!" she hissed, and yanked him into her arms, "They'll see you!"

  "Oh, I see. Don't want to get caught, eh?"

  "You know a human's gaze is agony to a mermaid," she murmured, looking in once more.

  "But I am not a mermaid!" he grinned.

  "No, you're annoying."

  He chuckled. "You're such a spooooilsport, William!" he grinned, and nuzzled her.

  "Get away," William blushed, and pushed him aside.

  As Schrödinger did not want to hang off the side and William did not want him to rest on top of the bulwark, he draped his arms around her shoulders and contented himself by nuzzling her neck. William frowned, but eventually resigned herself to it and continued watching the humans she so adored.

  The dark human was still talking to the one-eyed human, and there was something in his manner and way of talking that she found very alluring.

  "I've never seen a human so regal before," she confessed as she saw the dark human walk among his men.

  William rested her cheek against her crossed arms and sighed. "He's very handsome, isn't he?"

  Schrödinger looked. "I don't know. He looks kind of dirty and scruffy to me."

  William realized he was looking at the one-eyed human standing beside him!

  "Not that one!" she giggled, and tilted his chin in the right direction. "The one as lovely as the moon."

  As the celebrations continued, the two men continued to talk. William strained to hear, but of course she could not. The scruffy mariner seemed very awkward and unsure, while the gorgeous gentlemen glowed with confidence and pride. The way he walked, the way he talked, the way he stood and carried himself… Every gesture, every movement that he made was pure divinity to William.

  Schrödinger yawned beside her. "BORING! Let's go someplace else."

  "You can go," William scowled, and then went back to mooning over the count.

  Eventually, the two men drew close enough that she could hear a bit of their conversation.

  "Your men handled themselves quite well in that storm, Captain Bernadotte."

  "Eh, we are not so unseasoned as that, Count Ramos."

  Count Ramos… William furrowed her brows. It was a very dark name, but also strangely... thrilling.

  It got very late, but William could not take her eyes off the ship or the handsome count. The brightly colored lanterns were put out, rockets ceased flying through the air, and the cannons no longer boomed. But there was a mutter and rumble deep in the sea and gather clouds around, and the swell kept bouncing so high she could feel the water lapping at her fins.

  "So, uh… you still want to pursue that Madam Mina lady, huh?"

  "Yes," the count smirked, "She is truly a fine specimen of a woman."

  The seaman looked uncomfortable. "You know she has married that bloke, Jonathan Harker, right?"

  "She became engaged to him before she and I ever crossed paths," the Count said easily. "She may believe, as most women do, that it is her duty to remain faithful to the man she has pledged her hand; even though he is infinitely unworthy of her, and she did so only before she discovered that a far more suitable match could vie for her hand."

  "And yet you punish adulteresses in your land," the captain said.

  The count smirked, "And yet divorce exists in hers."

  The captain looked uneasy at this.

  If William had heard this from any other person, she would have been put out by such a blatant disregard for the sanctity of love and commitment. However, this count was so handsome and had such a wonderful speaking voice that everything he said was silver and diamonds to her.

  The count seemed to notice the captain's unease, and smirked. "Fear not, captain. Once you encounter a woman that changes your entire world, you will understand."

  William sighed romantically.

  Schrödinger retched.

  "With all due respect, my count," the captain said, "You only saw a photograph of the woman and you encountered her only once before she set off to be married. Surely, she has not left that great an impact? Surely, there are better fish in the sea."

  William frowned at the captain's course words, but listened eagerly for the count's response.

  The count turned
deathly calm. "With all due disregard, captain, he who has never manned the waters of his own heart has no right to judge those that have braved the journey…" he paused, "Or signed his cheaque book."

  "All right," the captain shrugged, "I know it is not my place."

  "See to it that you remember," the count glared.

  The captain shrugged, and took the smoking stick out of his mouth.

  He seemed to think about something for a while, and then smirked.

  "… Heh, in order for a girl to change my world…" he said after a while. "She would have to be a great beauty."

  "Appearance and shape means very little," the count said, "It is a woman's character that determines her worth. It is the same with men. Same with everyone."

  "Well, if you find such a woman, let me know," the captain said. "I always figure, if there was such a one, she would cause a 'coup de foudre.' How do you say? It would hit me, like lightning."

  Right on cue, gathering clouds flashed lightning and rumbled with thunder in the distance.

  The party began to wind down as the winds and waves began to increase. Now the ship really began to sail. Canvas after canvas was spread in the wind, the waves rose higher and higher, monstrous clouds gathered and lightning flashed in the distance.

  The captain grimaced, "Ah merde, we are in for a terrible storm."

  The handsome count retired into his cabin as the mariners made haste to reef the sails. The tall ship pitched and rolled as it sped through the angry sea. The waves rose up like towering black mountains, as if they would break over the masthead, but the swan-like ship plunged into the valleys between such waves and rose to ride their lofty heights.

  To William this seemed like such good sport, but to the sailors it was nothing of the sort. The ship creaked and labored, thick timbers gave way under the heavy blows, waves broke over the ship, the mainmast snapped in two like a reed, the ship listed over on its side, and water burst into the hold.

  Only then did William realize the sailors were in peril, and she darted over to see what she could do. Several mariners had managed to loose a few life boats from the fast sinking ship, and William wove between the sinking

  One moment it would be black as pitch, then the next the lightning would flash so bright she could see every soul on board. Everyone was scrambling to jump off the ship, get into the life boats, or keep said life boats from tipping over in the great storm. William wove around the shattered beams to help any soul she could. This one would be sunk far below water and so she would push him up to the surface, while that one would have his boot tangled to some ropes tied to a large chunk of the ship that was sinking, so she would untangle the rope so he could rise to the surface.

  Amidst the chaos she watched closely for the handsome count, and when lightning struck the ship she gasped and flinched back to see such fire. As the ship split in two she heard a great mast creek and splinter as it came loose, and began to collapse over him. The main mast fell around them, but when a great fiery splinter the size of a javelin looked like it would impale his heart, William' own felt a jolt of terror like that which she had never known and she bolted forward to save him.

  At the very last second, William' hand shot out and she grabbed the mast before it could pierce his heart. The average mermaid's strength is truly greater than that of us mortals, and a year of hard labor dragging large nets of rocks, clams, and other heavy things had given her greater upper body strength besides. Regardless, William struggled to keep the wood from sinking into its mark. She placed a single arm on the count's chest and wrapped her tail around his waist and used all the strength in her body to keep her arm straight to that it would not impale him.

  "Sir!" she cried, "You have to move!"

  But he was unconscious. A large amount of debris had hit him on the head and knocked him.

  William pushed the mast splinter aside, but the burning wood collapsed onto her and drove them both below water. She struggled to get it out of the way so it would not crush them both, and the next second she realized it was biting her hand and raining painful little. William did not understand this pain. It was the fire. William had never touched fire before. The burning wood was scorching her hand, and the little flaming splinters that shed off the main mast were snowing little flakes of ember onto her head and shoulders.

  William wanted the discard it, but she couldn't, not without hurting him.

  "Sir! You have to wake up! Please wake up!"

  William did not know it, but the count had been driven into a deep state of despair. Not only had he been physically knocked into darkness, but the psychological knock of pain and loss had driven him to a deep despair. He had lost everything over the following year. He had lost his land, his estates, his lands, his servants, his world. He had been cast out, hated and rejected. Lucy had never wanted him. Mina had never wanted him. He had struggled and fought and nearly died to much and for what? He had nothing. He was nothing. There was nothing.

  And yet…

  "…RAMOS…!"

  "…RAMOS…!"

  'I hear a voice…' he vaguely thought, 'A distant voice calls out to me…'

  "…RAMOS!"

  "…RAMOS!"

  'Who is it?' he thought, his soul drowned with despair, 'Who is it? Who is it who calls out to me? Who?'

  His body was giving up and his mind was fading out from the seriousness of his injuries. Regardless, he opened his eyes for a moment, and through the fog of losing consciousness and through the dim light of the stormy night… he could see a girl with large blue eyes and blonde hair. His mind barely comprehended these before his eyes closed and his world went black.

  William gritted her teeth and strained against the fire and weight of the wood. She could not hold out, as much as she wanted. There was no other way to save him.

  "I'm so sorry for this, my count," she whispered, and with all of her strength she shoved the mast aside and let it fall over her.

  The force of the impact shoved them both deep underwater, and the force of the waves and current drove her away from the count. For several wild moments, she did not know where he was and only prayed she reached him in time.

  She had been scorched and nearly crushed, but she was determined to save him no matter what, and she darted back into the sinking debris of the shattered ship. She wove among all the floating planks and beams, careless of whether they crushed her.

  She drove through the waves and rode their crests until she reached the count, who was still unconscious. She held his head above water, and then struggled to keep it afloat as she let the waves take them wherever they may.

  William swam all night, keeping the count above water and trying to direct them anywhere the land might be.

  When morning arrived and the storm had passed, not a trace of the ship remained. The sun rose out of the waters, gold and bright, and its beams seemed to bring the glow of life back to the cheeks of the Count, though his eyes remained closed.

  William rested from paddling for a moment to gaze upon his beautiful face, and kissed his cold and pale forehead. As she stroked his wet hair in place, it seemed to her that he was smooth and cool as a marble statue.

  "Please be all right," she whispered, and she kissed him again.

  Then their heads each sank below water, and she heaved him back up with difficulty.

  He was so large and tall compared to her, and wore so many thick layers of clothes that she had to discard most of them just to stay above the surface, yet it still took all of her strength to keep his head above water and keep them swimming toward shore.

  "Oh, where's Schrödinger when I need him?" she thought.

  The little catfish had been nowhere to be scene since the lightning had struck the ship.

  Soon she saw dry land rise before her in high blue mountains, topped with snow as glistening white as a flock of swans. Down by the shore she saw splendid green woods, before which stood a church, or perhaps a convent; she didn't know which, but anyway it was a building.
Orange and lemon trees grew in its garden, and tall palm trees grew beside the gateway. Here the sea formed a little harbor, quite calm and deep. Fine white sand had been washed up below the cliffs.

  William swam up to the little harbor with the handsome count in her arms. With great difficulty, she heaved him out of the water and stretched him out on the sand. Her arms ached from pulling him all night, her fin scratched painfully against the sand, and she was ready to collapse from exhaustion.

  He was so much bigger and taller than her, and even heavier out of water. However, she made sure to move his face away from the splash of waves, and to pillow his head up high in the warm sunlight.

  When the count was safely lain out on the beach, William collapsed on top of him, gasping and panting. Every muscle in her body ached, and she longed to fall asleep in his arms.

  "Well, that wasn't too bad, was it?"

  William turned around to see the little sea devil smirking at her from out in the water.

  "Schrödinger?!" William cried.

  "Surprised to see me? You shouldn't be. I am everywere…"

  "'Und novhere.' Ja, ja, where were you last night?!" William demanded.

  "Well, I was going to help you, but I got so caught up by the fun of the storm, und you seemed to haf things well in hand."

  "I was struggling for my life out there!" William retorted.

  "Please, don't be so dramatic!"

  "I'll show you dramatic if you don't…"

  The count began breathing heavily, and William gasped with joy and embraced him.

  "See? He's alive!"

  "You would haf been all right if you had just left the sunken ship," but William was no longer listening.

  "Look, he's breathing!" William cried, and tucked a silken hair away from his eyes.

  "He's so beautiful…" she whispered, and tilted his chin so she could look more closely.

  What would I give

  To live where you are?

  What would I pay

  To stay here beside you?

  What would I do to see you…

  Smiling at me?

  The bells began to ring in the great white building, and a number of young maidens came out into the garden.