Fed to the Fish

"Avast Ye!" The captain of the ship calls to his crew, "This 'er beauty decided she ought to do whatever she wants!" says the horrid man in his loud, pirate manner. He grabs her wrist, the hound woman could feel the start of a bruise around the area where he keeps on violently grabbing her. "What shall we do 'bout er? Me sayin' we punish 'er if she keeps goin' on." One peculiarly distasteful pirate decided to speak directly to the poor woman.

"Har! Wut's wrong with you? Don't ye listen to ye master? Capt'n ought to be respected." Eliza's heart dropped. She held back the tears as the entire crew bellowed and "har!" -ed in agreement.

Eliza stared at her bare feet on the floorboard of the ship, hears the creaking of the mast and whoosh of the water,  feels the stare of all the gathered pirates. Poor young Eliza trapped herself, here, this stinking ship. She was forced to do some unthinkable things and had to live with an entire crew of entitled, disrespectful men. Captain Edwin Tripps thinks she belongs to him now."If ye on my ship, ye mine" in his words.

She slept with him once one drunken night, and ends up cursed for life. She became his possession, not even a stolen treasure. Just a piece of junk! That's what she felt like. That night, she was robbed of her freedom, her pride, her life.

"Never will I ever willingly do anything for you disgusting men!" she spits, tears finally trickle down as her eyes start to water with rage, desperation, and regret. Her throat nots Breaks out in tears and her words become wet and snotty ""What life would I live? A maiden, living in horrid conditions and working for horrid men?"

"Arrrg!" growled a scrawny pirate "throw 'er to them seas!". All the pirates growl in agreement.

"Aye! Feed her to them fishies" added another one with as many teeth as he had brains, very little.

"What do ye say, me beauty?" He snickers.

"I just, I just don't understand how monsters like you exist in this world!! You're just an ugly pirate that can't even speak!" she sputters

All he does is laugh, and the others laugh too.

Eliza just can't help it anymore. She musters all the dignity left in her and stands straight "If you want something to laugh at, go look in one of those stolen mirrors of yours!" she spits in his face.

The old captain lets go of her wrist, now blue and bruised. His brows scrunch up and his face grows an ugly red. A red so ugly and red that she knew she had to back up right away "NOW YOU KEEP THAT LIL' TRAP A CLOSIN' !!!". He moves closer and closer to her. She backs up more and more, closer and closer to the plank. The plank was now right there behind her, and she stumbles backwards onto the plank.

"Please! Don't do this!" she cries and sobs "Let me go!" she begged, and he just laughed. He laughed a full hearted laugh, he laughed with his belly, he laughed loudly, as if this was funny.

"Ye ar' o' no use," he said. All the other pirates snickered (they chant)

"No, no. Please no-o—o—-" Eliza gluttered in between sobs.

He keeps on leading her. This time poking her forward with a broom. The entire crew cheers on. She can't help but stumble forwards and hold on to keep her balance. Finally, he can' treachery her anymore, he stops; but she can't walk back.

Eliza decides to get up and stop gloating. Her bare feet touch the splintered wood. When she presses her foot down more, she felt the creaking of the wood. One more step or two, and she looks back. Terrified. She felt her lips quiver.

It's so quiet now...

"Please," she tries again, begging for mercy. She is not afraid to look at all the disgusting faces of the pirates, make eye contact with them. The captain pulls his lips up in a wicked grin, and Eliza concludes that he obviously won't change his mind.

So, this is it. She faces the water, her back to the ship and gaze on the horizon. Only the horizon. The beautiful horizon. The gorgeous sparkle of the light reflecting on the silent waves. Screaming fear still squeezes at her heart. She knows she has to do this.

One step.
Two steps.
Breath.

Three steps.
Four steps.
Breath.

The ship is silent as a ghost vessel,
Eliza looks back at the crew, stoic.
She turns her gaze, to the horizon again.
Keeping her same determined glare.

One more step...
her foot hanging over nothingness
The void.

Step! Fall!
*gasp*

The world spins around her in her last moments!
It spins, spins, spins..

Now, you might be feeling the injustice, the hopelessness, the bravery, the horror that she felt in those three falling milliseconds. She dips under and lets herself float to the surface. Eliza stares. She stares up at the cloudless sky, single tears streaming down. Eliza doesn't look; as they cheer and drink, and they sail away the sound of their laughter fades in the horizon. She doesn't look away when the waves bring her someplace else. She doesn't look away when something tickles at her feet, because what does it matter? She's is already bound to die, already gone.

Minutes, hours, days pass by and she falls in a state of peace. The panic has seeped away, so has her soul. She is just driftwood, afloat. At this time, her legs mend, her skin changes, lungs evolve, and her eyes open.

She has transformed into a beautiful siren.

Off she goes with only one thing in mind, for her death to not be in vain for them pirates must pay for their crimes. This is the sirens' duty, to swim the sea, searching for revenge. Not a beautiful destiny, but surely not an ugly one either.

Sailors have always spread tales. Fantastical stories and urban myths. You have heard so many, this is but another; but this is also just the story of poor, naive Eliza.

~THE END~

Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment about what you thought, and vote if you liked it. :)

How was the dialogue? Was is believable?
What would you do if you were in her sitation, and would you seek revenge?