The Cursed Doubloon Read Free Page A

me!”
    “Hush, Grace. Please listen to me.”
    “How do you know my name you evil fish?”
    “I am not an evil fish,” he laughed softly. “I am a merman.”
    I kicked my legs to try and keep myself afloat, but I was growing tired. “A merman?” I breathed with barely any breath.
    “Yes.” He brought his hand out of the water and I flinched away from it. “It’s okay, Grace. I’m going to help you stay afloat.” I watched in fear as he grabbed onto my arm to steady me. “See? No harm done to you at all.”
    His touch was warm and his hand was soft yet masculine. Above his wrist was a fin that trailed up his forearm and met with his elbow. “A merman?” I asked again, unable to believe I was encountering one.
    “Yes, I’m afraid so.”
    “But mermen are ugly creatures with green skin and pointed teeth.”
    “That’s what the legends say, yes. But the legends are wrong, aren’t they?”
    The legends were wrong. He was absolutely beautiful. He looked to be somewhat of a man, with strong arms and a firm chest. His face was handsome and his teeth were white and straight like mine. A small fin poked through his slicked-back hair, the only thing on his head that separated him from being human.
    “Yes I’ll have to agree that they are wrong.”
    He seemed to blush at my statement. “You really are as beautiful as I’ve always thought.”
    “Always thought? What do you mean? And how do you know my name?”
    “Well,” he said while casting his eyes down to the water, “I’m afraid it’s a little embarrassing to say, but I’ve been watching you for a while now.”
    “Watching me?”
    “Yes. You stand out quite a bit on a deck full of pirates.”
    “I suppose I do.”
    “I’ve been following your ship for months. I, I’ve become quite entranced by your beauty.”
    “My beauty?” I laughed. “Are you sick or something?”
    “Sick? What do you mean?”
    “I’m nothing but a motherless daughter of a cursed drunken pirate.”
    “No,” he disagreed, “I see much more than that. I watch you on board, taking care of the filthy men that surround you. Your father is no longer who you know but you still love him and watch over him.”
    “Well that makes me a kindhearted person, yes, but not a beautiful—”
    “Your hair is like the finest silk and it glistens in the sun like a flower misted with the dew of a crisp morning. Your skin glows like the moon’s beams that pierce through the sea at night. Your smile . . . your smile is like heaven. Your lips are fit for an angel’s and your eyes light up when they turn toward the sky.”
    “Oh my,” I blushed. “Well, thank you. I don’t know what to say.”
    “You don’t have to say anything. Your beauty speaks for itself.”
    I was at a loss for words. No man had even spoken to me the way he just did, especially a man who was so handsome. His compliments made unbelievable feelings surge throughout my body. It was then that I remembered I was completely naked in front of him. “Oh,” I gasped, “I must conceal myself from you. I haven’t any clothes on.”
    “Don’t worry, I won’t look,” he smiled.
    “Well that’s if you haven’t already.”
    “I promise I didn’t peek when I swam beneath you. I give you my word.”
    I relaxed a bit and looked down at his hand that was still gripped gently around my arm. “Do you have a name, merman?”
    “Ladarius.”
    “Ladarius? What a strong name.”
    “Yes, I suppose it is.”
    “Does it have a meaning?”
    “I am told it means protector , or possessor of good .”
     “Ah, I see,” I smiled. “I guess that means I am in good hands then.”
    “Yes, that’s exactly what it means, Grace.”
    I was pleased by his words. It felt good to have someone look after me for once. I didn’t have that quality in my father anymore, and it was nice to have it from a gentleman.
    “Well, Ladarius, are there many more of you mermen?”
    “Yes, there are plenty. But mermen tend to stay away from