Chapter 10

The wind howled softly in Aiden's ears. Sea spray splashed onto the deck as the ocean lapped against the hull of the sailboat. Staring straight ahead over the horizon, he directed his boat down a straight course. His map was tucked away and so was his compass. He did not need them. He knew exactly where he was going and exactly how to get there. 

There was something inside of him that just knew. It gave him directions and pulled him in the direction he needed to go. He could not sail off course. Even if he were to try, he knew he would not be able to. The light- the golden maiden- pulled him. It guided him. He could not turn away. 

He sailed nonstop for days without so much as even glancing at the stars for direction. Like the map and compass, he did not need them. Soon the waters began to change. The current grew rougher, more twisted and tangled. The color of the sea shifted from a bright, beautiful blue as clear as the purest crystals, to a dark, murky shade of aquamarine. The wind slowly picked up, whipping more salty sea spray onto the deck and into his face. 

But none of that fazed him. For most part, he hardly even noticed the change in his surroundings at all. Though the currents were rough, his sturdy hand kept him firmly on course, refusing to allow the sea to shift him in the slightest. Though the sea was darker, and continued getting darker by the minute, he did not even realize it. Though the wind screamed and spat sea spray in his face, he simply blinked the salt out of his eyes and firmly kept his focus straight ahead. 

He did not notice the sky slowly darkening. He did not notice that the sea slowly started to become less friendly, glaring at him like it wanted to swallow both him and his boat whole. He did not notice Gale beginning to grow anxious, pacing the deck restlessly. 

His eyes were focused ahead. His mind was focused on the golden maiden. 

As the sky blackened once again, bringing yet another long night, he could feel his mind drift off in a dream-like state. He was not dreaming, for he was not asleep. His mind was in a state where imagination mixed with what was real. The state where the golden maiden felt closer than ever, like she was reaching out and touching him.

As if his thoughts were directly manifested into reality, he suddenly felt a soft touch brush against his skin. It was comforting. It was warm. It was not Gale or the wind or his imagination. It was the golden maiden. 

He could see her standing next to him, her body emanating unnatural warmth. A soft golden glow surrounded her, providing the only light other than the crescent moon and the small silver dots of far-off stars. 

Her hand ran up his shoulder and glided down his arm as she stepped in front of him so they were face to face. Her gentle caress sent a shiver across his skin and sparked an explosion of heat in his chest that quickly raised to his face. Her eyes gleamed at him, pleased. Her plump lips parted as a soft hum flowed out of them. The music sank into his soul and wrapped around his heart, squeezing it with long, invisible fingers. 

He felt himself drift off into a feeling of heavenly bliss. He did not know where he was going, but he did not need to know as his body was subconsciously steering the boat for him. It was impossible for him to steer off course now. There was only one path for him and it was the one he was on. 

The golden maiden stayed with him during the hours of the night. Her presence gave him warmth that made him feel well rested without having to sleep and kept him from accidentally dozing off. As a hint of soft violet smeared across the sky, indicating the start of a new day, the golden maiden turned to him with a small smile. "Come to me." She said. 

He stepped closer despite knowing that was not what she meant. "Here I am." He spoke, his voice soft and low.

"I will see you soon." She said. He blinked and she was gone. The warmth she provided him lingered but slowly left as the sound of Gale barking caught his attention. 

Looking around, he found his surroundings strange and unfamiliar. The waters were densely murky and even darker than before. It was impossible to see anything even an inch below the surface. Perched at the bow of the boat, Gale stood as still as a stone statue, staring intently at something in the water. "What is it, Gale?" Aiden asked as he approached his dog. 

Gale whimpered as a low growl rumbled at the base of his throat. Searching the spot the dog was watching so intently, Aiden looked for anything unusual or concerning but saw nothing. His eyes glided across the water but still could find nothing that would be a cause of alarm. The sea was still and empty, silent and vast. "There is nothing there." He told the dog. Gale continued to stare daggers at the water. 

Streaks of fuchsia mixed with sherbet orange slowly smothered the brightening sky as the sun began to rise from its watery bed beyond the horizon. A sudden splash in the water caught Aiden's attention. Gale darted back and forth from bow to stern, barking hysterically. Abruptly he stopped mid run, turned, and dashed to the bow, staring at the water unblinking. There was something in the water. 

Hurrying towards the bow, Aiden pushed Gale aside and took his place, scanning the ocean for any movement. There was none. Gale paced back and forth, a low growl mixing with a snarl that lingered in the back of his throat. 

After searching the sea for several more minutes and still finding nothing, Aiden got up and returned to the stern. Fishing in his satchel, he pulled out an apple and took a large bite. 

Golden rays of light broke through the crimson sky as the sun finally awoke. As Aiden looked up into the heavens at the magnificent sight, an enchanting, lulling voice suddenly caught his attention as it drifted across the calm sea. The voice was one he knew all too well. It set him at ease and drew him to it. He was close. He could feel it. 

As he sailed further the singing got louder, slower, and sweeter. It was tantalizing and alluring. The sound surrounded him, submerging him in a sort of trance. 

Soon his sailboat approached several slanted, jagged sea stacks protruding out of the ocean like bony claws. Large, sharp rocks with tapered points dotted the murky water. Some were like thorns decorating a rose bush with painful but relatively harmless ornaments. Others were giant spikes that were ominous, opposing, and thirsting for peril to come about it. The abundant wreckages of old boats surrounding the stone spikes were evident of that. 

Weaving around the sea stacks, spikes and rocks, Aiden did his best to avoid them all and refrain from getting shipwrecked. Mysterious fog rolled in, getting thicker the deeper he sailed into it. Soon he and his sailboat were fully submerged in it, making it almost impossible for him to see. The singing was now his only guide, it progressively getting louder as he followed it. 

Then the singing abruptly stopped. All was silent. Not a noise filled the air but the soft sound of water lapping against the hull of the sailboat and the low growl that came from Gale. Aiden was snapped out of the strange trance the singing put him in, suddenly becoming aware of his even stranger surroundings. With the thick fog surrounding him, he could barely make out his surroundings and could not tell where to go. 

In the distance a soft splash disrupted the silent serenity of the scene. Or at least he thought it was in the distance. He could not tell as he could not see more than a foot away from the waters surrounding his sailboat. For a while there was no other sound, leaving him wondering if the splash really was there or just in his imagination. But then it happened again. And again.

The splashes got louder as they got closer. This time he could somewhat tell where it was coming from. Or at least he could at first. Another splash sounded but this time it came in a different direction, though still getting closer. Gale heard the splash too and continued barking hysterically. 

"Hello?" Aiden called out into the thick fog as it leered back at him. He was not sure what he was calling out to or what he was expecting. Surely he did not expect whatever was out there to answer him, yet maybe by calling out he could get it to show itself. "What's out there?" Still, there was no response. 

The low breeze picked up, brushing away a bit of the fog, but still it was hard to see completely clearly. But even with his labored vision, he was still able to make out the rough outline of something in the water. It slowly swam closer with long, graceful strokes. 

As the figure got closer and he got a better look at it, he was able to make out what it was. But he did not believe what he saw. In the water, he could clearly tell, was the shape of a girl. But what was she doing out here and how? Was she shipwrecked? If that was the case then he should have come across her ship or at least a piece of it floating through the water- which he had not. So then what was she doing out here?

He got his answer, along with a pulse of shock and astonishment, as the girl got closer. Now she was close enough to see and he could tell that she was not in fact a girl. She was a mermaid.