An Extraordinary Tale by P.R. Ellis

Author:P.R. Ellis [Ellis, P.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC009100 FICTION / Fantasy / Action & Adventure, FIC009120 FICTION / Fantasy / Dragons & Mythical Creatures, FIC009020 FICTION / Fantasy / Epic, FM Fantasy
ISBN: 9781915304353
Publisher: Alnpete Limited
Published: 2023-05-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Our voyage begins

The merman continued to sing while I inspected the deck of the boat peering through portholes at the interior. The timbers of the craft appeared well looked after and I felt confident that the vessel would serve us well for our quest. There was little to see of the interior but through one window I thought I saw movement.

I reached the stern of the boat just as the merman finished his song.

“You have company on board?” I said.

“A friend who has travelled with me many times,” he said smiling, “Come and meet him. He doesn’t say much.”

The merman slithered along the deck using his arms and tail muscles to move. An open hatch allowed entry to the rear cabin. It was almost the full width of the boat and took up about a third of its length. The most obvious feature was a rectangular tin bath that occupied the centre of the space, at least as long as the merman. Its purpose was obvious as it was half full of water. Next to the bath was a bed on which lay an ogre.

The merman flopped into the bath and rolled around splashing water in all directions.

“That’s better,” he said. “My skin was drying out.”

The ogre had got up as we entered the cabin and was making cheerful grunting noises at the merman. All ogres look alike, wide, fat, with random bunches of hair sprouting from their heads. This one wore a threadbare tunic that covered his blotchy brown body. I couldn’t point to any particular distinguishing features, and yet this ogre seemed familiar.

“Hugo?” I asked tentatively.

The ogre’s smile spread across his broad face. He approached me and flung his arms around me, bending his tree trunk like legs to do so.

“What are you doing here, Hugo?” I said pointlessly. Hugo grunted something unintelligibly.

“He has a name does he?” The merman said, wallowing in his bath, “I just call him friend.”

“Have you known him long?” I asked, wondering how an ogre and a merman became acquainted let alone friends.

“He appeared on the harbour one day and seemed eager to come on board. His help was welcome since I lost my wife. He can perform tasks which us sea-people find difficult, even though he has little means of communication. He has accompanied me on my voyages for several years now.”

“Well, fancy that,” I said, still quite astonished to have found our companion. “Who would have thought that sailing the ocean was an ogre’s greatest dream.” That was the only reason I could think for this chance meeting, but Hugo nodded to confirm it.

“What’s that about a dream?” The merman said.

“Oh, nothing important. We all have our desires don’t we.”

“Well, if you desire to take a voyage with me, I must make preparations for our departure,” the merman said, hauling himself, dripping, from his bath. “I’ll see that Hugo prepares cabins for you. How many of you will there be?”

“Four, perhaps five, but two of our number take up very little space.

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