Overboard

Her hair smelled of the sea. A salty haze of an ocean ecosystem and an island breeze filled his nostrils, with every kiss he placed upon her neck. That was one of the things he loved most about her - she was totally at one with nature, unlike any woman he had ever been blessed to know. She seemed so present with him compared to the Europeans and fellow travelers he had crossed paths with in his time. There was a lack of "proper" civility in her that captivated him, knowing she didn't care for the shallow pleasantries of his modern world. He wasn't exactly the most civil of sailors himself, but she was wild, and unexplored. It reignited the adventurous spirit within that had already driven him so far across the globe. She was the compass that guided his joy. Like the primordial sea creatures in the darkest depths of the ocean's abyss, their love glowed in the moonlit night, secret and transcendent.

So much of her he still wanted to understand, but how ever would he? The multitudes within her were as vast as the sea itself. There was something ancient inside her that unlocked a new life in his heart, which he didn't even know existed until now. He had spent many years exploring far and wide across the West Indies, but she by far, was the greatest treasure he had ever uncovered. It was ironic to him how no one else could know. The other sailors would be flabbergasted and envious at such a romantic secret. Plus, he knew their superstitions. You never bring a woman aboard... only stirs about bad luck. Yet how lucky was he though, to be in her presence? She was his exotic, mysterious stowaway.

He was her pirate prince, worth his weight in gold. There was a spark ablaze in his eyes that enchanted the enchantress herself, though she did her best to seem nonchalant about it. She wondered if he noticed the way he made her blush, for he lit a fire within her that even the raging waves of Calypso herself couldn't extinguish. Though she had many suitors waiting in line back at home, he captivated her spirit like no other. What was she doing here, so far out on the deck of this ship, and so eager to love a man that barely knew her world? These foreign travelers were dangerous, and she bet her kind would scoff in disgust at such a match. It didn't matter to her though. Independent as she was, she knew true love when she felt it, and nothing had ever made her feel quite like this before.

She realized it wasn't logical, to be with a lover like him. She'd observed the women of his world from afar, and knew that she could never fit into their frigid society, nor conform to their strange gender norms. She just wasn't built like that. It wasn't the way of her culture. Yet she dreamed the impossible dream of their love never ending - of the family they would raise, that could never be. They were closer than ever, yet realistically, they knew their lives were oceans apart. Only hidden in the misty sea's night, could their love breathe and find life.

She traced his brow with her wet fingernails, the bracelets he had gifted her clinking against her wrist in the soft winds. It felt warm against their skin, but not as warm as they made each other feel inside. It was a gift to have such a calm, clear night, for usually she would have to hide. At least until the coast was clear, and they could be alone together again. It was moments like this, they wished they could live in forever.

The gentle, tropical colors of sunlight slowly began to brighten the starry sky in the East, and they knew this meant parting yet again. Though neither of them spoke the other's language, they understood the emotions in each other's gaze - sad and yearning, pure and true. Their lips met once more in a soft, salty kiss, as if to say, "farwell my love, until next time". She sang into his ear sweetly in her native tongue, with enough tears in her eyes to fill all the oceans. Finally, as their fingertips parted, she turned and took a mighty leap overboard from the ship's ledge, diving swiftly into the endless, equivocal waters. He watched from above longingly, as the scales of her iridescent tail fins swept beneath the sea, and she disappeared with the moonlight.