by Garry Hicks
Derek, Keela, Brandon and Treena, Kyle and Anna sit on benches around a fire. The guys drink rum, the children play. Arianna observes it all.
Kyle says, "Shark teeth are big close up. I’m not going back in, I’ve seen Jaws."
"They were going to take you to the sirens, not eat you." Arianna responds.
Brandon sighs. "Great, from paradise to prison."
Derek purses his lips. "What’s the difference, we have no way to get back home, our boat’s gone." he opens both hands. "We’re stuck here."
Arianna responds. "No, you're not."
"Not what?" Derek asks.
"Not stuck here...you're not stuck here."
"What are you gonna do, call a water taxi? Or maybe you have a secret airport strip and you can..."
"My, my, my, for a grown man you whine like a little girl." she pauses. "Your boat is safe, it’s well hidden on the south side of our island."
The guys glance at each other, then stare at her in disbelief.
"You’re kidding, why haven’t you told us before?" Brandon asks.
Arianna, smug, answers, "Simple. You didn’t ask."
Derek asks, "Soooo, you’re going to let us go?"
"If you'll remember, I told you when you got here you can go, if you work with us."
Brandon stares at Treena and smiles. "I’m ready to work."
Arianna grins. "What a surprise."
"You’re a pig Brandon!" Derek adds.
Brandon curls his nose. "Oink, oink!"
Two little girls, Alison and Isabel, 7 - 8 years old, hear Brandon oink and rush over to him.
Isabel looks up, wide eyed, "What does that mean?"
Brandon smiles. "And what are your names, little fishes?"
Alison, firm, answers, "I’m not a fish, I’m a mermaid!"
Isabel adds, "Yeah, me too! Do that sound again."
"Tell me your names, then I’ll do it."
"I’m Alison." she holds out hand. "Nice to meet you."
"I’m Isabel, very nice to meet you."
He shakes both their hands.
"Wow, what manners. Okay, oink, oink...oink oink oink!"
The little girls giggle.
"Do something else." Alison asks.
Isabel puts her hands together, pleads. "Yeah, something else, please!"
He holds his two bent thumbs together and makes it appear he separates his thumb. The girls giggle.
Alison smiles. "Again, another one! Please!"
Brandon shoots a look at Arianna. "I love an audience."
Both put their hands together, eager smiles on their faces.
Brandon sighs. "Okay, here goes. Gene Gene built a machine, Joe Joe made it go, Art Art let a fart and blew it all apart."
The girls stare, confused. Isabel asks "What’s a fart?"
Arianna rolls her eyes. "Some things you girls don’t need to know, now run off and play." she stares at Brandon. "I guess what Derek said earlier is true."
Brandon raises his eyebrows. "And what might that be oh mighty underwater Queen ruler of all that moves or swims."
Arianna smiles. "I think, uhh, something about a pig."
Derek adds, "Nice job Brandon, way to represent us."
Brandon sighs. "C’mon, I was only playing. Lighten up dude! Anyway, I got this nice piece of gold history." he holds out the medallion. "Should set me up if we ever get back."
"We have no use for gold, everything we need is here." Arianna says.
"It comes in preeettty handy in our world." Brandon replies. "How can we get back to the shipwreck?
Arianna answers, "You don’t need to. Come with me."
The guys grab torches and follow Arianna up a darkened path. The torches only light up the area a few feet in front of them. Strange animal sounds echo in the night. They creep along the path until they see a darkened outline of a cave opening. They approach the cave, hold out their torches, peek in. It's dark, eerie and damp inside.
Kyle checks out the cave walls, says, "Did I ever tell you how much spiders freak me out?"
"Me too, big spiders with hairy legs." adds Derek.
"Who can't wait until you walk by." says Brandon.
"Exactly." responds Kyle. "So they can jump on you."
Arianna and the girls stand behind the guys, arms folded. They glance at each other, smile.
Arianna frowns. "I have never seen such grown men act like scared little children. Give me your torch, me and the girls will lead the way."
Kyle grins an embarrassed smile. "Great idea." He hands her his torch, she takes it, leads the way in. As they worm along the dark tunnel, a huge swarm of bats screech and dive at the guys but circle around the mermaids, who remain calm.
The guys hunker down and cover their heads.
Brandon yells out, "Crap...I hate bats, they're worse than spiders!"
Kyle responds, "Don’t let ‘em get in your hair!"
Almost as quick as they appeared, the bats disappear. The group continues until they soon spot the end of the tunnel. The guys shoot a cautious glance at each other, then step into a large, open cavern. Their torches illuminate giant mounds of gold and jewels, some piled high, some strewn around.
No one says a word, the guys just stare in wonder at the treasure. Kyle finally breaks the silence. "I will finally be able to live a life of that for which I was intended."
"Where did all this," Derek waves his hand, "these treasures, come from Arianna?"
"Pirate booty. We find it...useful, for trading." answers Arianna.
Brandon exclaims, "Let the trading begin!"
Derek breaks in. "Whoa, hold up here. You find it useful for trading...trading with who? You're on an isolated island no one can see."
Arianna smiles. "Do you think you're the only humans to ever reach our island?"
"Enlighten me." responds Derek.
"While there have been other visitors like yourself, most have been pirates. They have landed and invaded our island for hundreds of moons. This gold has been traded to them in exchange for leaving us in peace."
"That makes sense." reasons Derek.
The guys rush over and grab handfuls of gold, inspect different pieces. Each put necklaces and medallions around their necks. Kyle places one around Anna’s neck, she smiles. Derek and Brandon do the same with Keela and Treena.
"I've never seen so much treasure in one place." grins a giddy Derek.
Brandon follows, "There's enough here to last our lifetime and our grandchildren's lifetime."
Kyle smiles at Brandon. "That's a big assumption."
"What is?" asks Brandon, a bit confused.
Kyle nudges Derek. "That someone would actually marry you."
Brandon fires back, "Says the bearded freak that looks homeless."
"I may look..."
Arianna interrupts. "Uhhh, there's jussttt...one thing."
Brandon sighs. "Damn, always a catch. So tell us about 'the one thing'."
Arianna explains. "Dead pirate spirits have roamed our island since...since hundreds of moons ago."
Brandon asks, "How is it they are..."
"Dead? Other pirates killed them and left their bodies here. You cannot see them because they are spirits...but they are very alive."
Derek sighs. "That totally figures. Sirens, mermaids, and now pirates."
Brandon adds, "Dead pirates at that."
"We have huge piles of gold in front of us," Derek says, "but no, we can't take it because of pirates...dead pirates no less." he nods his head, sighs. "What do they want?"
Arianna, a bit nervous, wrings her hands and answers, "Your blood."
Derek throws up his hands. "Are you kidding me? My blood! That's all they want...my blood! Hell, I thought it was something more serious."
"If they can kill one more human, they become flesh again. They will then drive us off our island." Arianna pauses, wrings her hands. "You must fight them if you want their gold. I'm sorry, it’s the only way."
Derek points to himself. "Me..
.fight a pirate?" he waves his hand toward the other guys. "Us? Do any of us look capable of fighting pirates?"
Arianna explains. "It's not as bad as you think. We have berries, what you would consider magical berries. When you eat the berries, they will take you to the pirates. Your skills will be equal with them, your sword as deadly as theirs."
"Someone help me, I must be drugged." says Derek.
Kyle adds, "I wanna be drugged."
Arianna continues. "You must kill the Captain, then it will be done. Our island will be safe, you will have your gold."
Derek asks, "Is this the real reason we're here Arianna? To fight these pirates so you can stay safe on your island?
"You're here because the sirens lured you here." Arianna says, a bit angry. "Don't you dare accuse me of bringing you here to fight pirates...I did not bring you here. We saved you from being locked in cages by the sirens."
"You're right, I apologize...I'm sorry." replies Derek.
Brandon thinks out loud. "I knew it...I knew it would come to this."
Arianna asks, "To what?"
"Captain Pardel?" asks Brandon.
Arianna is stunned. "You had a dream?"
Brandon grins. "Yes, before I left."
Arianna’s eyes well. "We have waited so long, so many moons for this, for the right men."
Derek, frustrated, says, "You guys are idiots, freaking berries and pirates...I’m glad you’re ready."
Brandon squeezes his shoulder. "Your insecurities are showing my brother."
Derek shoves his hand off his shoulder. "Maybe, but I don’t live in a video game world."
Brandon responds, quick. "Dude! We’re on an island of mermaids talking about eating magical berries and fighting dead pirates. What kind of world do you live in?"
Derek purses his lips. "Shuddup man."
"Please, follow me back to the fire. It is a very special night." Arianna says.