#screaches

Ruby isn’t sure how long she’s been on the island now. Her last guess was about three days. She’d woken up on the beach almost drowned, but alive.

She knows she’s the only one who survived; she’s looked all over the archipelago for anyone else. So far she’s alone.

Well, at least she’s sure she’s alone.

Someone has been leaving fish for her to cook, as well as freshwater in coconut shells. She can’t help but wonder who her savior is.

There’s a feeling in her gut that whoever saved her is the same person she’s heard singing at night. It comes from a cove that’s not too far from her little hut she’d built for herself.

Tonight she’s hiding behind a rock to watch.

The moon is casting everything in almost a silvery glow; Ruby can feel a little tingle of anticipation going up and down her back as she gazes at the cove. Hopefully tonight she’ll find her person who saved her. If anything, she wants to thank them for saving her, and for feeding her.

‘I mean, it’d go against everything my mother taught me if I didn’t do the polite thing and—‘

SPLASH!

‘Wait. What was that?’

The small, tanned girl pops her head up from where she’s been hiding; she can see ripples on the bright blue of the water. Did someone just surface?

Then with a rush of water, a person’s head breaks the surface.

It’s… it’s a girl.

A girl with beautiful ash-blonde hair and full, pouting lips. She can make out eyes the color of pink coral in between strands of hair, with skin almost as dark as hers—if a little lighter.

‘Oh. Oh, wow…’ Ruby thinks, dumbfounded at the sight of such a beautiful girl. She’s never seen anyone like her before. Not even the girls back home look as gorgeous as she does.

The girl looks around, eyes scanning the perimeter for anyone and anything. Then she swims over to a smaller rock, outs her hands on the stone, and hoists herself up…

Revealing the pink fish tail on the lower half of her body.

Ruby claps a hand over her mouth to stifle the surprised squeak that almost escapes; she also scrabbles for a handhold with the other.

A mermaid.

Her rescuer is an actual, real life, honest-to-god mermaid!

She thinks back to all the stories she’d heard from her grandfather, from Greg the tavern keeper, and from her fellow sailors about these beautiful beings; half-fish, half human, with voices that could drive ships to the rocks or enchant a person until they went mad.

Perhaps she’s gone mad herself, maybe even dreaming this. She tests by pinching the skin on the inside of her elbow.

Ouch! Nope, definitely not dreaming.

She now looks up to see the mermaid making herself comfortable on the rock. She gazes up at the moon, as if trying to discern its position in the sky.

A smile spreads across the lovely face, and she begins to sing.

Ruby is now slack-jawed and incredulous. That’s the voice! So she’s the one who’s been singing at night. Such a beautiful voice…

Of course her body chooses that moment to cause a reaction to the speck of dust floating past her nose.

“ACHOO!”

The mermaid gasps, and whirls around to see Ruby fall off her rock with the force of her sneeze.

The sailor sits up from the ground and finds carnelian orbs gazing into hers in surprise. She grins sheepishly and says “…hi. Um, nice evening, huh?”

Her rescuer says nothing as she dives into the water.

“No, wait! Come back!” Ruby scrambles to get up, and runs to the edge of the pool. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” She falls to her knees on to the ground. “I, I just wanted to say thank you!”

She stares down into the dark azure of the water, trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of the mermaid. “And… your singing’s really pretty. I’ve never heard a voice like yours before.”

Swoosh!

The mermaid surfaces right in front of Ruby, making the sailor yelp in surprise. She almost falls backward, but manages not to.

They stare at each other, rose staring into brown, the rosy dawn meeting the earth.

Ruby swallows, her mouth suddenly dry, and says almost in a dry raspy whisper “Thank you for saving me. I mean, you’re the one who saved me from drowning, right?”

The mermaid nods.

Ruby sits more comfortably, tucking her legs under her. “And you’ve been leaving behind the food and water behind for me?”

She nods again.

The sailor smiles. “I guess I owe you a lot, huh?”

To her surprise, the mermaid says with a smile that could light up a thousand lanterns “You’re welcome.”

“What in—you can talk?”

The mermaid giggles, a musical sound, and says “Yes.”

“Oh, uh, oh, I see.” Ruby turns bright red. “Um, well, I feel stupid.”

A hand is placed on hers. “Don’t feel stupid.”

Ruby looks up again, and is flabbergasted by the gentle smile on her savior’s face.

“Beautiful…” she murmurs.

A silver brow arches. “Excuse me?”

“Whoops! Ah, haha, did I say that out loud?” Ruby mentally kicks herself, turning even brighter red, if that were possible. “I mean, of course you’re beautiful, I’m not saying you aren’t beautiful, I just, annnd I’m babbling now, I tend to do this when I get nervous.”

To her relief, the mermaid is giggling, a hand to her mouth. It’s very pretty, almost as much as her singing. ‘At least she thinks I’m amusing.’

“Do you… what’s your name?” Ruby asks, feeling something welling inside her that she can’t name.

The mermaid smirks. “Well, shouldn’t I know yours?”

The sailor swallows. “My name? It’s… it’s Ruby.”

“Ruby,” she repeats, and to Ruby her name has never sounded sweeter. Then the mermaid suddenly lifts herself up so that she is eye level with Ruby. With a soft smile and a voice as smooth as the sea itself, she says “I’m Sapphire.”

“Sapphire…” Ruby says, letting the sound of it roll around in her mouth like a fine wine.

And then out of nowhere, Sapphire leans forward and kisses her.

Ruby, thunderstruck, can only sit in amazement. She feels so soft, and she can smell the salt of the ocean. After a minute or two, she kisses back, reaching up and touching the soft blonde hair.

Finally they part, both breathing hard and fast. Ruby’s heart pounds as she looks at her, Sapphire, who just smiles.

“Do… do you always kiss people you’ve just met?”

Sapphire just outright laughs. “Technically, we’ve already met; you’ve just been unconscious or I’m too quick for you,” she teases, causing Ruby to blush.

Then she looks up at the moon and gasps. “Oh no!”

Ruby looks up to see that the moon is now low in the sky. The sky is lightening near the horizon, and she realizes how late the hour’s gone.

“I’m sorry, I have to go. But can I see you tomorrow night?” Sapphire says, holding Ruby’s hands in hers.

Ruby nods. “Of course. I’d really like it if you did.”

Sapphire smiles, yet makes no move to leave. “…I don’t want to go.” She confesses.

Ruby smiles back. “I don’t want you to. But then I’ll have nothing to look forward to during the day.”

Sapphire sighs, and then leans forward to speak in Ruby’s ear. “Until tomorrow night, then.”

With a splash, she’s gone. Ruby finally collapses backward, grinning deliriously up at the stars.

Being marooned wouldn’t be so bad after all.

—-