A Mermaid's Curse
By: Donna L Martin
The singing of the whales ripple all around me as I swim closer to the rocks. Belfazar always warns me not to go near these mighty ghost ships but when have I ever listened to my older brother? Tattered strips of sails long torn sway with the current as small fish dart in and out of port holes running along the ship's side. Stories from the elders whisper of the ancient curse said to bind forever to the world above any mermaid caught in the web of a ghost ship. Can it be true? The hypnotic pulse of forbidden adventure lure me on and I thrust my tail behind me as I edge closer to the wreckage.
This may have once been a merchant's ship, carrying treasures to lands far beyond the home of my people, but it lay in shadows below the ocean's surface now; only a hint of the great vessel it may have once been. Ships like this one pass by often throughout the centuries as humans on board come in search of us but seldom are we found. Only a glimpse of shimmery tails in the moonlight and stories to tell themselves of their chance meeting with another world.
All at once I notice a flash of light coming from deep within the ship. What can it be? The reflection of sunlight coming from above? Or maybe a ghost trying to trap me within the ship's ancient curse? My heart beats faster. I pause for only a moment to think how upset my father will certainly be to know his only daughter has gone against his wishes. He would never want me to travel to this mystic place but I can't turn back now as the whales continue their song and the ghost ship beckons me to come closer...
**Now it's your turn. What happens next? Does the mermaid fall victim to the ancient curse? And what is that strange light shining from inside the wreckage? Join in the fun with a sentence or a paragraph. You don't have to run with my flash fiction...if someone else comments and you want to add to their story, then go for it. Let's see where this picture prompt takes us!***
