The Price of Passage

Beneath the hull, a voice like scraping shells, Offered a bargain, a whisper that compels. Salt-slicked hair, eyes like pools in the dark, The mermaid’s promise, a phosphorescent spark.

Weary and lost, the captain, weathered and worn, Yearned for safe harbour, a storm-tossed, desperate pawn. Her price for passage, a sliver of his soul, A whispered promise, a story yet untold.

He closed his eyes, the pact sealed with a kiss, The ocean calmed, a treacherous, chilling bliss. Days bled to weeks, the sun a distant dream, But a creeping dread, a constant, icy scream.

The crew grew gaunt, their laughter turned to fright, Visions at night, a face pale as moonlight. The captain’s hand, once strong and sure, now shook, A tremor that ran, a memory he forsook.

For the price he paid, a piece of his own mind, Was the echo of voices, forever left behind. Whispers of love, of laughter, and of home, A haunting reminder of all he’d let roam.

Now, guided by the mermaid’s spectral light, A hollow shell, a captain lost to night.