Mariners Anthology of Myth: Passage on Friday

If you reached out, and touched the line where the sky meets the ocean, they say that’s where dreams are made. If you were to reach that spot, just beneath the sun, all of your wishes would come true. The gods would descend from the mountain and praise you for your inhuman feat, and the world would be handed to you on a silver platter. Perhaps, this was the goal for Alexander. To reach the horizon and have the gods hand him what he had always wished for. A place at the table. The power to finally step up and contribute to the world around him. The power to make tomorrow better than today. It was that reason he signed up to crew on the Siren, a gorgeous ship setting sail across the ocean tomorrow.

It was apparently tradition to spend the evening at the brothel prior to setting sail. For the men to get their fill of women before setting off across the ocean and only filling their days with other men. Alexander preferred not to spend his night bedding a woman. He was too nervous to even consider such a thing, instead, drowning his fears with ale was the preferred pastime. He had never crossed an ocean before, let alone even tied a knot. The thought of sailing across the ocean was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating; ale was the right decision in this case.

As the crew grew more rowdy and unruly, Alexander decided to take his ale and adjourn to the back room to quietly contemplate his journey. He always preferred his own company more than others. His mind could wander and perhaps even discover the secrets of the universe. In the presence of so many unruly sailors, it just clouded his mind. The cussing and sexual conversations just got in the way of his dreaming and pontificating. Sure, he knew he should be having more fun before saying goodbye to land for several months, but he was too nervous. He wasn’t even sure he could find the clasps to undo a woman’s dress anyway. Better to stay alone.

Alexander stumbled into the back room, ale in hand. His unsteady steps resulted in him splashing his ale on the already dirty floor. He frowned at the wasted alcohol on the floor. Oh well, he hadn’t paid for it anyway, one of his fellow crewmen had. Alexander came to screeching halt as he came face to face with a young innocent looking blonde woman. Her icy blue eyes stared at him through the dimly lit room. Dozens of candles lingered on the table where she sat. Each of the dancing flames against her ivory skin, casting a sinister, ever changing, shadow on the wall behind her. She smiled, her lips curling up deviously. 

“Care to join me?” She asked, motioning for a chair just across the table from her. Alexander stared at her, and then the chair, unsure of what to do. He didn’t want to spend his evening with a woman, but what other choice did he have? He obviously couldn’t be alone at the moment, but at least with her, it wasn’t as noisy.

“Thank you.” Alexander responded politely, and sat in the chair opposite of her. Her icy eyes scanned him, searching for something. He felt as though she was scanning his soul for some secret, but he knew she wasn’t. He was just drunk and paranoid. So, a normal sailor.

“So, you begin a new journey tomorrow, on Friday.” Her smile fading from her face, leaving only a stern gaze. Alexander gulped loudly. This woman was equal parts gorgeous and terrifying. A true siren he presumed.

“Yes, tomorrow, Friday. We make our way across the ocean and towards the horizon.”

“I’m sure you know that beginning passage on a Friday is a deadly endeavor.” The woman said softly. Not a warning, just a statement of fact. Alexander chuckled and shook his head. He threw back the remainder of his ale and placed the mug on the table.

“That’s just a superstition. It’s nothing more than that. Just something to scare sailors so they will stay an extra night with their wives.” 

“You should listen to it and heed the warning.” She blew out one of the candles and turned her gaze back to Alexander. He smiled and laughed gently. It was just a dumb superstition and nothing more. There were dozens of things that sailors should or shouldn’t do. He knew everyone of them like the back of his hand, every sailor did. But they were just that, superstitions and dumb ones at that.

“Fools.” The woman waved her hand and the rest of the candles went out except for one. The lone candle sat directly in front of her, casting a dark dramatic shadow against her face. Now a terrifying looking woman sat in front of Alexander, he tried to slide back but the chair wouldn’t move.

“For oceans passed, his god must you pay homage 
For wind in your mast, you can’t forget to acknowledge 
For on a Friday, Poseidon lay with his wife Amphitrite,
If you betray, then you will never cross the sea
For behind his back, you chose to set sail
No matter your track, You will never prevail
For eternity, in Davy Jones locker, you shall lie

For no man can escape the gods’ watchful eye.” The woman’s voice felt like it echoed  around Alexander’s head. Was it a curse or a prophecy? He couldn’t be sure but it felt sinister, and somehow real. He took a deep breath and let out a throaty laugh. The words she uttered sent shivers down his spine, but he didn’t want to show that. Superstitions were just that, superstitions. They weren’t real, and they never would be. So, he decided to just laugh it off, because that was easier than believing her and her warning.

She stared him down, not once blinking.

“It would be best that you heed this warning sailor.” Her voice icy.

“It’s a joke, nothing more.” He responded, a soft chuckle in his voice.

“Then a watery grave you will see.” The woman snapped her figures, and the last candle blew out. Darkness enveloped Alexander, all his senses numbed. All the could be heard was water slapping against the hull and wind whistling through the sails. Water? Sails? Alexander’s eyes snapped open and he now stood aboard the ship, the main sheet in his hand. He looked up at the mast that loomed over him like a titan over the mortals. His eyes rapidly tried to adjust the blinding light of the sun. He quickly spun around, nothing around him except the ocean. How did he end up here? Last he remembered he was speaking with the woman in the back room. This couldn’t be real.

“Stop day dreaming you fucking sailor and get that sail down!” The captain called down to him. Alexander snapped out of it, and began pulling the sheet to let the sail down.

Alexander was unsure what had been happening to him. He had no recollection of the events leading to his present moment. He had somehow even gone an entire shift without remembering it. As he pulled the rope, he couldn’t help but wonder what that woman did to him, or who she even was. It did him no good to linger on this moment though, he had a job to do.

Alexander went about the rest of his shift as normal. He pushed the lingering thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on his job. If he couldn’t accomplish that, they’d surely throw him overboard.

As the day went on, the sun set and moved into the night. When the moon reached its precipice, the wind died down until there wasn’t even a slight breeze.

“Well ain’t this some shit. Course it waits until fucking night time to die down. Gods forbid it happens in the light of day.” One crewman shot off as he paced the deck hoping for some wind. 

Alexander leaned against the edge, peering over into the water below. The water was like glass, not a single ripple could be seen for miles. A reflection of himself stared back up at him, as if waiting for something devilish to occur. Alexander slowly raised his gaze to the horizon. Slowly, one by one stars at the horizon began to disappear into the darkness.

He squinted trying to see the horizon more clearly. He stared at it, unsure of what exactly he was seeing. There was no way this many stars were dying at one time. It would make no sense. He had been staring at the horizon so intently that he hadn’t noticed that half the crew now stood at his side watching the same phenomenon he was. Various theories sprung out into the air from the crew.

“The gods are destroying existence.”

“Apollo is riding his chariot early this evening.”

“Doom is awaiting us all!”

The many voices sung out, as more crew members stated their opinion. The panic was beginning to rise on the ship, each person’s voice growing more and more unsteady. Alexander whipped around, back to the horizon, watching as more and more stars began to disappear in the sky.  

He slowly backed away from the edge, trying to gain his bearings. The many voices of the crew started to blend together, each one sounding the same as the man next to him. Until finally, a single female voice rang out among the mass of men. 

Alexander slowly turned towards the companion way and the woman from the brothel slowly walked towards him, illuminated by the moonlight. Silence emerged on the ship, but the mouths of the crew still flapped. Alexander stared at them in disbelief. He looked back to the woman as a small feminine hum began to ring in his ears. The hum was coming from the woman. But how, how could he only hear her and not the rest of the men? 

The stars continued to disappear and the crew rushed about in a bout of panic. Alexander watched, frozen to the spot as the men ran about in slow motion around him. 

The woman stopped, she smiled at Alexander, and slowly opened her mouth to speak.

“For when Poseidon turns his back on thee,
Remember these things, numbered by three.
Demons and Sirens will come to play
When you decided you were too good to pray.
The kraken will no longer lie in dormant
All should fear his singular act of restorement.
Typheous will ravage the open sea
With no Olypian to answer your plea
You have been warned of these numbered by three.”

The woman started to laugh, but no sound emerged from her. Slowly she turned towards the darkness and disappeared into the air like mist. Just as quickly as she appeared, she was gone.

Alexander slowly approached the edge, staring out into the darkness as the crew rushed about him, waiting for Armageddon. Alexander stared down at the water and for the first time noticed there was a slight current pulling them towards the darkness. Ripples began to appear, rushing in the direction of the abyss. It then dawned on Alexander why the stars were disappearing.

“It’s a wave.” Alexander muttered. The water slowly came into view as it rapidly approached them. For the first time he could see the giant wave of water running straight towards them.

“It’s a wave!” Alexander screamed at the top of his lungs. The crew continued to rush about in a panic. 

“Come about!” The captain screamed but it was pointless. There was no wind to fill the sails, and no strong current to push the boat. 

Alexander froze as the giant wave approached. He slowly raised his head to stare at the giant wall of water several stories high towered over all of them. 

As a song rose up, all Alexander could hear was the blissful sound of a female voice singing beautifully, lulling him and the entire crew into a state of bliss. Just as quickly as the wave came on, it crashed into the ship, obliterating it and leaving nothing behind in its wake.

As the wave swept past, the ocean returned to his peaceful state. Not even the slightest breeze could ripple across the water and disturb it’s peace. Among the stillness floated a single plank of wood. On that plank of wood was Alexander drifting towards a rocky island in the middle of the ocean.

“For he who survives the Typheous wave
Must endure the Siren conclave
Because no man can survive the monsters rage
Unless he is gifted by the three Fates
Let this be a lesson for all who say
They should begin their journey on a Friday.”

-by Jake