Fish

The crew sniggered and scoffed as they rowed away, but the captain remained silent as they went back to the ship.

“Please don’t do this!” He cried out, even though he knows they don’t care. He struggled against the ropes, but they didn't budge, and his hands couldn't reach the knots. He looked back to the small boat, and the far ship. Even if he could free himself, there was no way he could get back to the ship before it left, and he wouldn’t survive for much longer than a few days at best. He tried to get free of the ropes again, but only managed to scrape his arms against the rope and splinter filled pallet.

“Please God! I know I have sinned, but please, send an angel or something and free me!” He cried out in desperation. Nothing happened. But then, a splash from the water beside him. He raised his head, looked over, and saw a woman. She looked back at him. He gestured to the ropes with his head. “Free me from the ropes, please!”

She tilted her head curiously and peered at him.

He suddenly realized what he was seeing. A woman, in the middle of an ocean, that very obviously hadn’t been there before, with no ship that would willingly rescue him in sight. This… Wasn’t a woman. Well, not a human one. She had to be a sea creature of some sort. Mermaid? Cecaelia? Something else entirely that he hadn’t bothered to learn about? Either way, she was his only option.

She began to circle him.

That’s either a great sign, or a horrible one, he thought a bit hysterically. She seemed satisfied with what she saw though, and had stopped where he could see her.

“Do you have something to free me?”

She tilted her head in thought, then slowly nodded.

“... Will you free me?”

She pondered a while, then nodded again before diving down, a tail flipping behind her. His hopes soared. Now, she - apparently a mermaid - could free him, and guide him to a ship, or land. But, a thought hit him, only if she comes back. He waited anxiously, as he began to sweat in the heat.

Hours passed. The sun burnt his flesh, turning it an angry red, and thirst burned at his throat. The waves splashing at his body seemed to taunt him, keeping him awake, even as boredom filled him. Turns out, life-threatening situations are only really interesting when you can actively tell you’re dying.

Evening crept closer, but he had long given up hope on rescue. The mermaid was probably a panic-induced hallucination. God, he was going to die in the middle of the ocean just because he was a stowaway. The ship was probably full of pirates and conmen, if he was honest, but did they have to leave him to die?

A few hours later, his hallucination theory was disproved, as the mermaid resurfaced. Hope flared brightly again.

“Did you find something to cut the rope?”

She shook her head, a small smile on her face, and she held up an ugly fish.

“A fish? A fish?” He would have screamed if he wasn’t starving. He sighed instead.“... Do I get to eat it?”

She smiled, and held it out.

“Erm.. Perhaps you could help me out here?”

She ducked her head, seemingly embarrassed, but began untying the rope on his wrists. He sat up when she finished those, stretching his aching muscles. Being tied to flat wood for hours was not an experience he would recommend. He reached for the rope at his ankles, but the mermaid handed him the fish and began to work at them instead.

He began to tear at the fish while the mermaid undid the ropes around his ankles. No need to wait for her, though he did offer her some of the fish, which she declined with a shake of her head.

“Well, now what?” He looked at her, and she moved towards him. Specifically, his pants, which she began trying to pull down, and he smacked her hands away. He may not have many ideas or options, but removing his pants was on the bad-idea list. She glared at him, and reached back over, glaring more intensely when he smacked her hands away again. She huffed and looked away.

“Look, I want my pants on, okay? Sure they’re wet, and uncomfortable, and dirty, but they’re the only pants I have.” He stood carefully, making sure not to fall into the ocean, and felt pins and needles in his legs. Makes sense, I’ve been tied down basically all day. At least my arms aren’t-

Suddenly, his pants were several inches lower, and being torn apart by the mermaid while he desperately tried to keep his balance.

“What are you doing?!”

She glared in response, then knocked him into the water. He resurfaced, spluttering, both to remove water from his face and in anger. His eyes burned from the salt, but his burns felt better in the water. Not that that made up for tearing his pants to ribbons.

She pointedly glanced down, and he noticed the pain in his legs was rapidly increasing. He looked down, but couldn’t see into the dark water. He tried to get back on the pallet in hopes of finding the cause of his pain, but his sides began to burn as well. In his increasing agony, he felt the mermaid holding him, but all other thoughts were consumed in blinding pain.

What felt to be hours later, he lay in the water, head held above water by the mermaid, panting as the pain receded. As he regained more of his awareness, he realized his shirt had been removed, too.

“What was that?” He grunted, words slurring.

“I freed you!” For the first time, the mermaid spoke, much too cheerful for his taste.

“Did it hafta hurt so much?” He slipped into an exhausted sleep before he heard an answer.

Author Notes: This is based off a comic I saw once a few years ago, and have no idea how to find. I didn't know how to add what actually happened at the end there, but essentially, he turned into a merman, which is why I had the mermaid remove his pants and shirt. Pants, because his legs fused into a tail, and it would be very bad to have pants in the middle of your tail. Shirt, because of how I design merfolk - with large gills on their sides, which the shirt would have blocked off.
Anyway, feedback is welcome!

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