Teaser!
Well It is overdue, but here it is as promised! This is my teaser piece for my most recent creation -Ambergris. I hope it wets your whistle and leaves you hungry for more, enjoy!
The waters raged and beat the ship, tossing her from side to side against the heavy waves like a ball and pushing her into the shallow reef ahead. The Captain stood on the bow and shouted orders to his crew in a vain attempt to control their inevitable fate and veer them off their collision course with the rocks ahead. But it was all to no avail as the unnatural storm had seemingly enraged the sea and started it to boiling beneath them – as if it were innately determined to sink The Red Wasp and all aboard her.
The eerie, strange song that had led them there was coming from every direction now and it seemed to be pulling their vessel into the shoreline. No matter how hard they tried to steer the ship clear, it was as if she had a will of her own and followed the haunting melody right into the dangerous shallow reef. Despite all their efforts, The Red Wasp crashed violently upon the rocks, tearing open the hull and throwing many of the crew overboard. Upon impact, Oliver was rapidly whipped backward then abruptly forward into the bulwarks of the upper deck, the force of the thrust nearly sending him overboard into the dangerous, angry rapids below. He wrestled his own weight against the gravity of the struggling vessel and as he prepared to push himself back up, he caught a glimpse of what looked like a woman in the water. Within a blink she had escaped his gaze and with a flash he caught sight of a large fishy tail flipping up and then quickly submerging, disappearing into the reef.
Oliver stood on shaky legs as the shipwreck began to settle and he stared deep into the blue abyss of the dark and tempered surf. The only light coming from the glow of the full moon above, he squinted and tried to find some semblance of the image he had just seen before. He searched the choppy waves from aft to bow optimistically awaiting another fleeting look at what he thought he had found there. Oliver was so entranced with his search he hadn’t even noticed the other crew members screaming and vanishing all around him.
Just when Oliver had atoned himself to give up he noticed rippling in the water a few yards from his port position aboard deck. He waited anxiously for what he hoped was there, his pulse rapidly gaining momentum and not disappointing, the mermaid reappeared. She pushed herself to the surface and bobbed there, revealing her perfect naked body but only from the waist up. Her hair was long and dark and it draped provocatively over one of her exposed breasts while the rest of it spiraled in the water around her like the twisting tentacles of some great cephalopod. Oliver stared at the temptress as she stared back at him, her eyes glimmering against the reflection of the moonlight that danced across the water’s undulating contours and he was utterly enchanted. She was as enticing and alluring as any magical thing could be.
Oliver was so captivated by the seductive visage before him he could not move, his climbing pulse suddenly screeching to a halt as he momentarily forgot to breathe. Could it really be? Was he truly witnessing this mythological entity he longed for, or was he dreaming? Perhaps he had taken a blow to the head when the vessel took a header into the rocky shoreline, he thought unwittingly. Either way, he was hypnotized by this vision in the water. She was so beguiling and fantastic he was compelled to dive in and brave the treacherous reef, risking his own doom, just to lay a hand on her soft features once before the cool blue waters took him under.
Tempting him and inviting him to join her the creature smiled and beckoned Oliver, casting her spell as skillfully as any fisherman spreads his net. Oliver stretched his arm out as far as he could and reached out to her only to be abruptly yanked ‘round by the shoulder. Temporarily snapping out of his stupor he faced Captain Breckenridge whom had come from behind and whipped him around to stop him doing anything foolish. Not out of any great favor for Oliver but because he had a vested interest in what Oliver had promised him. Beyond that, Breckenridge would have been contented to let the ocean and its monsters have him.
Saying nothing, Oliver regained himself and gave a thankful nod to the captain, then he turned once more toward the sounds emanating from the great boiling salted waters surrounding them. That is when Oliver noticed the merman. He was massive and it appeared he and the female were quarreling. They spoke in some ancient language that was loud, broken, and interrupted with various chirps and clicks. Even though Oliver could not readily decode their conversation their body language indicated the male was agitated and angry, maybe even jealous. Suddenly, the male's attention turned to Oliver, his gaze unbreakable and chilling, and Oliver was instantly filled with dread.
I hope this snip-it is enough to keep you interested. I'm not a fan of spoilers, so I will stop here for now, but fair warning, don't be fooled by the misleading fairy-tale characterization of the mermaids I revealed to you here - they are much, much more than what I have shown you! They are true to their mythological roots and are therefore, something unexpectedly menacing and vicious! Check back soon for release dates and further info. I just can't wait to share this new world with you all!
