Thunder cracked violently, rattling every fitting on the ship, and briefly illuminating the crew scrambling in all directions. “Get those crates secured, men! That tea is our payroll!” The captain stumbled with the rocking of the ship and the whipping rain; it was almost too much even for his old sea-legs. The storm stirred up waves as high as the crow’s nest, sending supplies and sailors sliding back and forth across the vessel. The storm pelted every square inch of exposed wood, and seawater crashed onto the planks creating gushing waterfalls below deck. Out of the hazy mess of sideways rain and frantic crewmen, came his first mate. “We can’t bail out the water quick enough, captain! We’ll need to drop some weight if we’re to stay afloat long enough to make landfall!” “Do it!” he shouted over the piercing wind. Men were already shoving barrels of precious provisions overboard as more struggled to drag sacks and crates up from the hold. Thousands of pounds were shed off into the inky depths of the raging sea. The captain ducked involuntarily as a bolt of lightning exploded right overhead and split the main mast. “It’s not enough!” came a cry from below deck. “We’re taking on water too fast!” He looked at the only crates left on the ship, the tea they were to deliver to the trading port. There was no choice; he gave the order. “Drop the tea!” The crew may have argued if they weren’t all about to meet a watery grave. The first crates of their precious cargo were about to go overboard when the man in the crow’s nest screamed down to them, “Land! Land!” As the ship crested a wave and leveled out momentarily, he saw the dark mass of an island not far in the distance. The captain threw up his hands and ordered, “Tie down that tea and pale water! All of you!” He turned to his first mate. “Steer us toward that island!” With the main mast split and hanging sideways from the rigging, the sails were barely catching any wind; if they hadn’t found the island, they would’ve sunk far before they reached port. The ship rolled over the waves, getting closer and closer to the landmass. The captain was able to make out what appeared to be a huge cave mouth running from the water well up the side of the cliff. “We’ll drop anchor in there!” he yelled through the pounding rain. “We might run aground in that cave, captain. No way of knowing how deep its waters are!” “She’ll never stay afloat out here; we anchor in the cave, or we’re marooned.” The bow of the ship pointed roughly toward the opening; they were nearly upon it. The men frantically threw bucketloads of water over the railing as the ship sagged lower and lower into the sea. “Steady as she goes!” the captain urged as his first mate guided them into the opening. “Steady! Steady! Brace men!” The ship collided with the side of the cavemouth, knocking the crew off their feet. The vessel rocked violently to the side opposite the impact and hit the water inside the cave with a deep splash. “Drop anchor!” the captain cried out. The capstan spun around quickly, accompanied by the clicking of the anchor’s chain sliding off the ship. As it hit the bottom, the chain went taught and the ship keeled forward as it dragged to a halt. Suddenly it was quiet. The captain held a white-knuckled grip on the railing by the wheel. The ship rocked with the energy of the sudden stop, but gradually calmed to a gentler bob. Towering waves of the open sea crashed and dissipated against the protective walls of the cliff face outside, allowing in only subdued surges of water. The men slowly got their bearings, and got back to bailing water from the holds. His grip on the railing loosened as he took in their surroundings. The cave was huge inside; the ceilings were several times taller than the ship. A round opening at the top let in some of the cascading rain. Around its edges, flashing lighting revealed lush clumps of fan palms, coconut trees, and hanging vines thrashing in the storm. Dulled claps of thunder shook the boards under their feet. “You men alright?” the captain called out. Their responses came in a tired and disorderly unison, “Aye, captain.” As the men dumped the last of the water out from below deck, he looked to his first mate and let out a sigh of relief. “We live to see another day.” “If only to try and get ourselves killed again tomorrow,” he chuckled. The captain laid a strong hand on his friend’s shoulder and descended the stairs to the main deck. Exhausted crewmen sat back against the railing and reveled with their crewmates about what they’d just survived; there were relieved bouts of laughter and joking remarks. He made some quick rounds through the ship to see that no one was unaccounted for, then strolled up to the bow. Leaning on the railing, he let himself relax a little. They’d managed to keep each other alive through the unprecedented storm, and somehow even held onto most of their cargo. A night in the cave and they would have clear skies and calm waters to sail for port tomorrow; they’d need to repair the mast as best they could before then. Something interrupted his thoughts, movement out of the corner of his eye, just under the surface. He leaned over the rail to watch the spot closer, and he saw it again, a fluttering glint obscured by the dark murk of the water. His first mate came to his side. “What is it, captain?” Slowly rubbing his stubble and squinting his eyes, he muttered, “I don’t— don’t really…” His eyes widened and his body tensed once more. Suddenly, he knew where they were. He frantically looked over the water, and again caught a fleeting glimpse of something closer to the surface. Every sailor had to live with the fear buried in the back of their mind that they may someday wander upon them, but none ever thought they would be the soul unlucky enough. “Cover your ears! Now!” he screamed out to his crew. He received startled looks of confusion, but the men’s attention quickly went elsewhere. The water around their ship came alive with gentle churning and splashes. “Cover your ears, men! Do it now!” Some of them heeded his warning, others were too infatuated with the shimmering ripples in the dark waves. It didn’t matter. Even with his hands clasped as tightly over his ears as he could manage, the captain still heard it, the pure and ethereal voice of a woman. She sang a slow and gentle song, the most beautiful he’d ever heard. The melody flowed throughout his body, intoxicating his very being. He struggled against it, but soon came to forget why he was covering his ears. His clenching muscles relaxed, and the captain slowly let his hands slide down to his sides as the song beckoned him closer to the black depths.