#picturefiction  #flashfiction

The Barnacle had been at sea for a long time – too long. The men were worn and beaten by the unending labors against the hungry deep which would pull them down without a care.
The island wasn’t on any chart and Henderson, the navigator, swore that he had sailed this course not three years ago and there was no island; but there it was. Jagged shores and lush greenery visible in the center.
The captain ordered the men ashore to rest and provision. As the longboats neared the rocky shore the captain spotted dozens of seals; food for the crew.
As they drew near the seals rolled over and waved. Their hair shone like silk and the skin of their breasts, full human breasts, was as white as milk.
“Look, women,” one of the men shouted.
The captain then saw the scales of their lower bodies, mermaids. The tales told of women with the bodies of fish who dragged men to their doom.
He opened his mouth to shout a warning.
“Beware-”
The mermaids began to sing. So sweet, so alluring. He felt himself stir in a way he had not stirred since his wedding night. He must go to these angelic creatures.
“Pull for shore me hardies,” he shouted.
The mermaids grinned their needle toothed grins and beckoned.