The Birth of a Legend
773 Words
Mairi looked around for a second, then with grim determination, she pointed ahead. "The ship was moving that way, I think. I was found on board within a matter of hours. We need to go back the other way."
"Stay with him!" I said.
I ducked below the surface and began to push the board as quickly as I could, using my strong tail to propel us in the water.
"Aélienor!"
I popped my head up over the surface.
"He's awake!"
Eóghan appeared disoriented. He might be awake, but he definitely wasn't fully with us. His eyes found Mairi for a heartbeat, then he closed them again. Did he recognize her? Does he know whats happening? One thing was certain, we had to get him to land or he wouldn't live.
"Mairi, just hold him to the board. I'll get us to land as fast as I can!"
She nodded. I could see the pain on her face as she tried desperately to help me push while still holding him tight to the board. He was definitely going to be sore later with how tightly she was holding him down.
I resumed our frantic journey to a shore I could only hope was close by.
After about an hour, I could make out a looming shape on the water ahead.
Land?
No! It was a ship!
I checked on Eóghan to see if he was still breathing. He was, but it definitely didn't sound good. His chest was making a scary rattling sound, and his breathing seemed shallow. There was a wet sound to it. Each shallow breath sounded as if his lungs were filled with water. It was almost like he was breathing with a heavy weight on his chest. Maybe he was, who knew how much pressure Mairi was putting on him to hold him to that piece of wood.
"Mairi! Sing! Sing as loud as you can! We have to get their attention!"
Mairi began to scream.
"HELP! HELP US PLEASE!" Above the surface, even her screams turned to song.
Eóghan stirred, he looked at Mairi for a second. I could have sworn he did recognize her, then his eyes closed again. I drove us toward the ship with everything I had.
Soon I could hear the wind in the sails and the quiet splashing of the water against the boards of the ship. I looked up and joined Mairi's song.
"HELP US!" We shouted.
I kept pushing the board toward the ship. I saw a man look over the side.
"In the water..." I heard through night fog.
I was grateful for the light of the full moon. Someone had spotted us!
I saw a second face, then a third.
"There's a man in the water!"
"MAN OVERBOARD!"
"Cast a line!"
I could only hope we had done enough for Eóghan to survive.
We saw the men throw a line into the water, one began to climb down, hand over hand, from the side of the ship.
"Mairi! Help me push!"
She joined me under the water and we pushed the board until,
Thud.
The board had made contact with the ship.
"Mairi, we have to go!"
"I don't want to leave him!"
"They cant see us! What will they think?"
Mairi looked desperately at Eóghan on the board above us, then back to me. I was desperate for her to get out of sight.
"Mairi get DOWN!"
She dove beneath the waves just as the first man leapt over the ship's railing. We sat beneath the board watching, just in case Eóghan slipped of into the water.
"What if he doesn't make it?"
"We can't do anything else!"
We saw a rope pass under the board as a man's legs worked around to the other side. I moved back to give him some room. I definitely didn't need him to feel me in the water beneath him.
The sailors were tying the board to the line.
The rope grew taut and after a few more splashes, we watched the board as it was slowly lifted from the water.
We backed off a little, then we watched. The sailors had Eóghan tied with two ropes and four of them were laboriously drawing him up the side. A fifth man had dropped another line in and the sailor who had jumped into the water was using it to pull himself up.
Eóghan's eyelids fluttered again. We could make out his mouth moving.
"Mairi..." he whispered.
"We REALLY have to go!"
Mairi nodded.
We had done all we could. Whether Eóghan lived now rested with the gods... and with Eóghan himself
- Writer
