Merla's Song

"We should head back! We'll get in trouble," said Jess, floating behind her brown eyed friend.

"If you're scared then leave. No one asked you to follow me!" said Merla, flipping her long pink hair. It was sunset and the beach they were walking down started to become more and more rocky. Technically only Merla was walking. Jess floated behind her like usual. Her short blue hair bobbed up and down.

"Merla! If Sheva catches us this time, we'll be in big trouble! We already got detention once this month!"

"We wouldn't got detention if you didn't create the tornado in the cafeteria! You can't just destroy things when you get nervous, Jessy!”

Jess pouted, crossing her arms as she floated a little higher. “It’s not my fault I panic! You try controlling a storm when someone throws mashed potatoes at your head.”

Merla snorted. “You need to toughen up! Mashed potatoes aren’t poisonous.”

“You weren’t the one who had gravy in your hair! I smelt like a holiday meal for two days!”

They rounded a jagged rock formation, and the wind shifted, blowing harder. Merla stopped.

“Do you hear that?” she asked, tilting her head.

Jess paused mid-air. “Hear what?”

A song started to play in Merla’s ears. It was sweet and light, but it was about her. Calling to her. Merla took some quick steps forward. “It’s that song again…”

A faint melody floated on the breeze, soft and strange — like someone humming underwater. It pulsed with something deep and ancient, pulling at her chest.

“Merla…” Jess’s voice was shivering. “This is the edge of the island. We’re not supposed to-”

Merla broke into a jog, jumping and hopping her way across the rocks toward a narrow cave opening hidden behind an outcropping. Vines hung over it like curtains. Merla quickly pushed them to the side and entered.

Jess flew after her. “This is a bad idea. This is such a bad idea!”

Merla didn’t respond. She pushed through the vines and into the mouth of the cove. The song grew louder, echoing off the stones. It was pulsing in her mid. The walls curved inward, forming a half-circle around a pool of dark water. Above it, set into the cliffside, was a cave entrance. It was black like an open mouth but had several glowing mushrooms around it.

Jess hovered behind her, arms wrapped around herself. “This place has a chill. How is that possible? It’s summer!”

“Exactly,” Merla said. “Which means there’s something worth finding.”

They walked deeper until the path widened and at the end was a massive stone door, covered in runes that glowed faintly in purple lettering. At its center, a sigil pulsed with blue light. Below it, carved deep into the rock, were the words that were an ancient langue.

Merla scratched her head. “What does this say?”

Jess shook her head. “You should pay more attention in class! This is clearly “Sha-toian”.

“Why study when I have you?”

Jess floated up to the words and then her eyes wide. “This is bad! This literally a warning sign! It says we shouldn’t go inside!”

Merla stepped closer, brushing her fingers over the cold stone. The singing was deafening now, not in her ears, but in her bones. She moved along the wall, hand trailing the edge, until she found a crack, just wide enough for her to squeeze through.

“I’m going in,” she said.

Jess grabbed her arm. “Merla, please! Did you not hear what I said? It’s dangerous! I don’t want you to get hurt…”

Merla looked at her, something wild and shining in her pink eyes. “Then you’ll just have to watch my back!”

Then she slipped through the gap.

Inside, the air was thick and still, like some sort of seaside honey.

Merla stepped into a massive cavern. She flicked her finger and a small fire lit from the tip of her finger. She used it like a light to look around. Bioluminescent moss clung to the walls, casting the room in a stronger blue glow.

A shallow stream cut through the stone floor, trickling toward a pool at the far end. Leaning slightly to one side and half-covered in moss and rock was a pirate ship!

It’s black flag torn. Its sails were rotten, its hull split in places, but it was unmistakable. A ghostly relic, long since forgotten.

Merla let out a low whistle. “Whoa.”

Behind her, Jess squeezed through the crack, panting. “You… went… too fast… woah! Is that a pirate ship?”

Merla was already climbing toward it, hands blazing more to light her path. “Come on!”

They clambered up onto the tilted deck. Every board creaked under their weight, but the ship held. Ropes hung like cobwebs. A rusted lantern dangled from the mast, swaying gently even though there was no wind. There were skeletons of the crew scattered about. There was even a parrot in the corner that was being picked apart by rats.

Jess hovered just above the wood, afraid to touch anything. “How did this even get in here? There’s no way in or out!”

Merla didn’t answer. She was following the song. It was louder now, aching behind her eyes, drawing her below deck.

The stairs creaked under her boots as she descended. The hallway was narrow, the walls damp and lined with barnacles. At the end was a door, hanging slightly open. She pushed it open.

Inside, in what must’ve once been the captain’s quarters, everything was still. A broken desk, a shattered mirror, a tattered red banner hanging from the wall. And in the center of the room, slumped against a barrel, was a skeleton in full pirate gear. A captain’s hat on its head. The jaw was long gone. Its bony hand still clutched something in its chest.

A small, ornate box. Black metal, wrapped in silver veins that pulsed with faint blue light.

The song was coming from that box.

Jess hovered in the doorway, staring. “Merla… I really, really think we should go…”

Merla stepped forward and reached out to it. The moment her fingers touched the box, the song stopped. Then the box clicked open.

Blue light exploded from inside. A rush of wind and water surged through the cabin. The skeleton’s bones shattered. Jess screamed, gripping the doorframe. Merla stumbled back as the light formed into a tall man like shape.

A man, but not quite. His skin shimmered like scales. His eyes glowed like suns. Armor of barnacles and coral clung to his body. Water spiraled around him, alive. A crown of shellfish on his head and a trident of gold in his hand.

Suddenly all the wind and water stopped. Jess and Merla got off the ground, soaked.

The figure looked at Merla and smiled.

“Finally,” he said, voice like crashing waves. “Free! Free to conquer once again.”

Jess stared in horror. “Merla… what did you just do?”

Merla swallowed hard. “…I think I want to go back now.”

The deck above groaned as if the ship itself felt the shift in power.

He floated forward, the water around him swirling in slow, menacing circles. His bottom half was made of a bunch of swirling water like a worpole. He barely glanced at Jess, his glowing eyes fixed on Merla.

"You are not the one who sealed me," he said, voice deep and echoing. "But you opened the door. That is enough."

Merla took a step back, fists clenched. She instantly lit her fist to be one fire. “Who are you?”

“I am king of the seven seas! Commander of the oceans, captain of hurricanes, father to all sea life! I am Poseidon! Despite that witch, Sheva, I am now free again! She thought she could keep me buried!” He raised his hand. The water in the room exploded outward, slamming Merla into the wall.

Jess screamed and threw out her hands. A gust of wind knocked the water back before it could crash over her. However the waves were too powerful and they were knocked back. Jess zipped over to Merla, who coughed and rolled to her feet.

“You okay?” Jess asked in a panicked voice.

Merla wiped blood from her lip and grinned. “Yup. Let’s torch this water freak.”

She launched forward, fire erupting from her palms in a twisting arc. The flames hit Poseidon square in the chest and burst outward but instead of burning him, they hissed and vanished in a cloud of steam.

Poseidon gave a hardy laugh. He raised a hand and flicked his wrist. A whip of water snapped across the room, striking Merla and sending her skidding across the wet floor.

Jess’s face started to get red. Her hair started to stick out and she grit her teeth. Jess launched upward and screamed, “You bastard! Leave her alone!”

A blast of wind ripped through the chamber, tossing broken furniture like leaves. Poseidon shielded himself with a spinning wall of water. The wind barely touched him.

“You are both insects,” he growled. “And you set me free, you fools! I will destroy this island!”

He lifted both arms. The walls of the cave trembled. Water surged up from the pool outside, flooding through the cracks and into the ship. The entire structure shuddered and tilted further, groaning under the strain. Soon the whole place would flood and they would be stuck in a watery grave.

Jess flew higher, dodging a pillar of water that burst from the floor like a geyser. Merla jumped to her feet again, hair dripping, eyes blazing.

“Jess, hit him from above! I’ll distract him!”

“Are you crazy?!”

“It won’t work!” yelled Poseidon. He shot streams of water at Jess, trying to knock her out of the air. Jess dodged the best she could, in any direction.

Merla ‘s arms lit on fire and she made a circle with her arms. Then, putting her hands together, she shot a powerful stream of fire directly at him. It was so strong, it started to push him back. She yelled with all her might. Poseidon then focused all his attention on her and shot a powerful water cannon out of his trident. Soon her fire stream was pushed back by water, flooding the place with steam.

Jess then fell to the ground in exhaustion. She wasn’t used to pushing herself.

“Are you ok, Jess?” asked Merla. Merla could feel his water cannon getting closer and closer to her.

“Yes…” Jess said out of breath. Her chest was pounding. She felt like she was almost out of magic.

“I’m sorry, Jess,” said Merla, “This is all my fault. You should run while you can.”

“What? No, I won’t do that! I can’t!”

“Please! Go back and tell them what happened! What we… what I did…”

Merla felt a pit in her stomach. She hadn’t listened a day since she got here. This is how it went. She got Jess in trouble and Jess took the blunt of it and got them out. But this time it was too much. Too dangerous. She’ll be damned if some fish freak took out Jess too.

Then Poseidon let out a bigger stream and it knocked Merla back at the wall. A picture fell on her head and knocked her out. Blood trickled down her head.

Jess’s world slowed. He hurt her. He hurt her Merla. Something snapped inside Jess. Jess grit her teeth and soared upward. Jess took a deep breath, hovered above him, and spread her arms wide.

“STAY AWAY FROM HER! I’m not scared of you!” she shouted.

Wind exploded outward in a deafening roar. The ship creaked. This time, she didn’t aim for his chest, she aimed for his eyes. The blast charging was violent and bright, making Poseidon flinch. The water churned violently. A miniature tornado formed around her, swirling with blinding speed.

“Take this! F5 Spear!” roared Jess.

Poseidon looked up just in time to see it descend on him.

He raised a wall of water, but the force of Jess’s tornado was too much. It slammed into him, tearing through his shield, knocking him to the floor. He was pinned down. The room shook. Water blasted out in all directions.

“MERLA! NOW!”

Merla woke up to the sound of her voice. She looked around for a second and her memories rushed back. Merla’s chest felt hot. Jess was giving her an opening and she wasn’t going to fail. Not this time.

Merla sprinted through the chaos and Poseidon stuck out his hand. Jets of water shot out of the ground. Merla put her hands behind her, took a deep breath and giant jet like fire streams shot from her hand. Merla left the ground and flew at super speed. She slid across the soaked floor, and leapt over the fallen god. The box lay open on the ground, humming with power.

She grabbed it, flames surging around her, and yelled, “Go back where you came from!”

As she started closing the box, he began to be sucked back into the box. He screamed in terror.

In a blinding flash of blue light, there was suddenly silence.

Poseidon was gone.

The box sat cold and still in Merla’s hands. Across the lid, a name now glowed in faint fiery red:

MERLA.

Jess slowly drifted down beside her, hair a mess, face pale.

“What… what does that mean?” she asked, pointing at the name.

Merla stared at it, breathing hard. “I think it means he’s mine now.”