The air was cool, the wind carrying the scent of seaweed and salt to the shore. Nix stepped up to the edge of the water, letting it cover her ankles as she watched the horizon, digging her toes in the sand. The beach was her home away from home. She spent most of her time wishing she was out on the waves, away from the house she was afraid to go back to. 

As she stood mesmerized by the glimmer of the water, a ship faded into view. She watched as it grew in size. As the details became more prominent, she noticed that this was not one of the ships owned by any around the area. She had seen them all come and go for years. This ship was different somehow; it was larger than most privately owned and similar in size to the war ships that belonged to the King. She was confused at this new arrival, but curious to see who it belonged to. She quickly grabbed her socks and boots and ran to the docks which were bustling with people buying fresh seafood, all seemingly oblivious to the oncoming ship.

Nix pushed her way passed the populace to stand at the edge of the dock. “Hey, girl!” Someone yelled. She whipped around to face a large muscularly built man who towered over her. “What are you doing on the docks?” He demanded. She was in awe, never having been so close to someone so enormous.

 “I - I’m watching the ship.” she replied, pointing behind her. He looked up, seemingly unenthused by her claim. She watched his eyes widen and jaw drop, face turn pale. She turned around and gasped. The ship had let free a giant black flag with a skull and crossbone. “Pirates,” she whispered trembling in fear. The man turned her around to face him and clamped his massive hands on her shoulders.

“Listen,” he breathed, “the people on that ship are going to come here and kill every one of us they can. They will take some prisoners but very few. You need to get out of here as fast as you can and hide somewhere they won’t be able to find you. Do not keep a weapon. If they see you have one, you won’t survive the night.”

Nix nodded and ran through the crowd as quickly as her legs would move, coming to a halt halfway through. She knew there was nowhere safe to hide that she could get to quickly enough. Thinking swiftly, she turned back towards the docks. The man she had met disappeared within the multitude. Without stopping, she took a sharp left and dove into the water. The cold embraced her as she broke the surface to breathe, the sensation of pin needles all over her body. She swam under the docks and waited.

The ship was close enough now the rest of the congregation had noticed what was coming towards them. Panic broke loose with the first terrified shriek of “Pirates”. They had almost reached the mainland and could certainly hear the cries of fear which engulfed the area. Six smaller boats were lowered to the water full of shouting men. 

Upon arrival they tied their vessels to the anchorage and climbed on the dock, stretching their legs and brandishing their swords. A large man addressed the group, “‘Aight you pickaroons, let’s get to finding our loot and taking what’s ours. This be but a pit stop on our way to greater treasure.” To this, the men raised their swords and cheered. They rushed off the deck, save for the addressor. He chuckled at their enthusiasm, standing to observe their wake. 

It didn’t take long for the fires to start or for the screams of terror to begin to die down. Nix waited silently, shivering in the cold of the water, watching the scene from under the dock aware that if she made a sound she would be found. The large man stayed planted in place, silently fiddling with a coin in his right hand, letting it flow through his fingers. He stood, playing with the novelty until his men began to return to the docks, blood soaking their bodies and yellow teeth showing. He tossed the coin in the air as a sign of triumph. He missed the catch and it fell through a crack in the wood, sinking in the water. 

“Get me mah coin ya filthy knaves!” The man shouted, now suddenly bubbling with rage. Nix could see it sitting in the sand, a golden coin with sapphires. She quickly submerged herself to grab it and moved to hide behind one of the small boats. Just as she reached cover, two of the men jumped in the water, frantically searching for what was no longer there. After several moments of splashing and shouting the men yelled up, “Captain it’s gone!”

Nix’s heart was racing, she was afraid of what would happen to her if she was discovered. The large man didn’t say another word. He stepped off the dock into the water and violently sifted through the sand below where he had been standing. After lots of angrily shouted insults at his men and furiously throwing water and sand, he abruptly stopped. “Snagged by a wench of the sea.” He mumbled, barely audible. 

There were a few beats of silence, the only sounds coming from the fires of what used to be and the waves of the water. The man climbed into the nearest boat and looked at those in observance. “Back to the ship!” He barked out. Nix hid herself with the boats, unable to get back under the docks. The men loaded up and immediately started rowing back to their abode. 

Fear welled up inside her, gaining prominence as she was taken further into the sea. When they reached the ship, she knew she would be found if she went up with one of the boats. She was too far out to swim back to land. She frantically searched for another place to hide, frightened at the thought of her impending doom. The only thing she could find was a very large chain that sprouted from a small opening in the woodwork and dipped into the water. Based on what she knew from all her time watching vessels from the beach and docks, this was the anchor. The thought of being trapped on the vessel with so many hostile men was terrifying for her. She did not want to sneak aboard but had no other options with the absence of a way to get back to shore. Her only hope was to escape the next time they docked. When nobody was looking, she swam over to the chain, ready to hang on when it was brought up.

Nix sat in her hiding place, looking at the coin that had caused so much anger from the ship’s captain. She spent most of her time looking over the details. It had six small sapphires embedded in the gold surrounding the embossed image of what seemed to be a sleeping woman, her hair taking up most of the surface of the coin. It almost appeared as if the sapphires were meant to be flowers in the hair, with lines shaping petals around the stones barely visible. It was a beautiful piece of art, meant for show. Nix wondered if the coin was made as part of a collection or if it was simply a stand alone piece for a long deceased nobleman.  

As she was looking over the coin, the ship violently shook, almost as if they had struck something. The coin flew from her hands and she scrambled over to pick it up. Just as she was putting it back in her pocket two of the pirates walked in. They jumped back, eyes wide, shocked to see her standing in their food storage area. Nix let out a squeal of terror, knowing this meant something terrible for her. She froze in place; there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The men advanced on her, “Look a’ what we got ‘ere!” One of the men jeered. 

“It’s a strumpet, yes it is!” The other proclaimed. 

“Let’s bring ‘er to the Captain! Women are bad luck on board the ship. He’s gonna wan’ to take care of her.”

“Please, I just want to get out of here. Don’t hurt me,” Nix begged. The men ignored her, grabbing her and dragging her up to the deck, roughly throwing her into objects and against walls along the way. 

When they reached the deck the other men turned their attention to the spectacle, the noise of their arrival causing much curiosity. Nix was shoved onto her hands and knees, scraping them against the ship deck. The captain, seeing this unwanted stow away, angrily stomped towards her. “I thought I smelled a rat,” his voice boomed. Nix held the coin with both hands to her chest, sobbing. This is it. She thought to herself. The captain grabbed her by the hair and roughly pulled her to her feet. She failed to meet his eyes, fear keeping her gaze at her feet. This angered the captain, “Such disrespect will not be tolerated you bilge rat!” He roared at her, using his massive hand to smack her right in the jaw. The force knocked her off her feet, violenting throwing her to the right. She braced herself with her hands, letting the coin fly out of them. It rolled on the deck and straight into the water. Nix lay on the deck writhing in pain, tears flowing down her cheeks, the entire left side of her face red from the force of the blow. 

    “What was it rolled out o’ yer hands!” The captain snarled at her, his voice now low and threatening. Nix whimpered, unable to amass enough courage to admit it was the coin. He rushed towards her, not allowing her to cower away from him. He grabbed her by the hair again, pulling her to her feet once more. This time, he shoved her into the mast, drawing his blade and putting it to her throat. “What was it rolled off me ship?” He growled, voice deep with anger. 

Nix didn't know how to respond to this massive man. He was an image straight from a nightmare. His clothes tattered and stained, rotting yellow teeth bared, and his sword pressed against her neck. If she even swallowed she risked a slight cut. "It was a trinket..." she softly cried, tears streaking her cheeks.

"A trinket?!" the captain roared. His face was red, the vein on his right forehead bulging. "A lying, thief ye are!" He aggresively sheathed his sword and grabbed her by the neck. He choked her, taking pleasure in watching her struggle for breath. After a few moments, just when Nix thought she would lose consciousness, the captain smiled, his stress seamingly vanishing from his face. He threw her to the deck and boomed "Bind the wenches hands and feet! Throw her off me ship and let the sea have her!"

Nix was gasping for breath as the captain barked his order to throw her overboard. Fear took over, threatening to swallow her whole. Heart racing, unable to breathe, eyes blurred with tears - she shakily stood up, unsure of how to react. If she allowed herself to be bound, she would surely drown, but if she tried to swim in the open ocean there was almost no chance she would survive. “I’m sorry,” she softly cried, “if you’re going to kill me, please just do it yourself, I don’t want to drown.” The captain smirked and walked up to her. He lifted her face and whispered, “Aye, and I wanted to keep me coin.” 

    He walked away from her and with a wave of his hand, dismissed her. His crew then advanced upon her, crooked teeth showing. She let out a whimper and looked to the sea. A light rain began to fall accompanied by the brisk cold of a fresh breeze. As she stared at the flourishing crests of the water, she knew she would have no chance whatever she decided. 

    “Well, then. I’ll test my luck with the sea,” she breathed before darting to the starboard side of the ship. She paused briefly, the wind beginning to pick up as she took one last look behind her, solidifying her resolve as she watched her assailants advance. Before anything else could be said, she jumped into the water.

    An icy chill engulfed her, the shock of the sudden change in temperature causing her to let out the breath she had been holding in. The injuries from being abused by the crew members stung from the salt, the sensation of pins and needles stabbing her entire body. She struggled to move her limbs, the cold making them numb. Water flooded her lungs, taking away the last bit of energy she had left. “This is it,” she thought to herself, allowing the darkness of the ocean to take her.

    As she sank, the life leaving her body, a light began to glow beneath her. Suddenly, as if the water was home, she could breathe. The coin that had caused her misfortune floated up to her eye level, slowly spinning, emitting a light that seemed to call to her. She reached out to it, curious about the effect it was having. “I’m hallucinating,” she challenged. The words she spoke were clear as day, even under water as she was, her voice now coated in a raspy tone. She did not sound like herself, but this was the least of her worries. 

    The coin halted, the woman embossed upon it facing her. She stared in wonder, curious as to what would happen next. The eyes of the woman opened as if she had awoke and a spectre in her image emerged from the coin. She came towards Nix, arms stretched out and pulled her into an embrace. The sapphires in her hair lit up, flowering and begining to slowly twirl around the perimeter of the pair. “Sing.” The word rang in Nix’s ears, seemingly coming from nowhere. 

    “Sing.” She was prompted again, after remaining silent. Realizing this command was coming from the coin, she opened her mouth and began to sing. The chords that left her lips were husky, but beautiful. The sound of her song drifted above the water, echoing above the ship she had escaped. As she continued to sing, her rough notes rounded out and the waves above picked up, becoming more violent as she became more confident with her tune. The drizzling rain became a downpour, the wind becoming strong and rough like her voice. 

    The crew began to panic as they lost control of the ship, the storm gaining strength the longer Nix’s song rang out in the night. The storm crescendoed and finally, as Nix was ending her song, a rogue wave towered over and crashed into the ship, completely destroying it. As the captain and crew drowned, the song now over, Nix’s legs merged together into a long and beautiful tail, the spectre and flowers dissolving around her. The coin grew dim, returning to its original state, and sank leaving Nix alone with the corpses of her abusers floating around her.