User blog:Revontheus1746/The Husband Tales, Part Two

 Naturally, after spending mere moments in my own mind to panic, I shout as loud as I'm able:

 MAELSTROM!!!

 A boatsworth of heads snap in my direction. "A Scylla and a Charybdis are-" Too late. A whirlpool appears and bashes the boat into an outcropping exposed by the rapidly whirling tide. Jagged rock pierces the hull and sends three fishers into the brine. In the distance, I see the waves getting choppier and riddled with air bubbles. I couldn't save them if I wanted to. Cursing my luck, I look behind me to see-

 Tentacles. Just absolutely unfathomable amounts of tentacles. Different sets snatch up fishers, and I'm left with my only hope: the harpoon in the cabin. Swinging down from the crow's nest, I make my way towards the cabin. It isn't easy to get to, what with all the tentacles grabbing at me. The Captain. He was there. His harpoon glinted in the sun as it drove back multiple Scylla. At first, I was inspired by his example and soon began beating back tentacles with a stray plank. But alas, no man is without his limits.

 When I saw the harpoon sliding past me, I knew he'd either tired out or gotten gagged by a tentacle and dragged off the ship. Bending quickly to retrieve his weapon, I stood my ground, eager to somehow avenge the mariners. There I stood, a half-bent plank of wood in one hand, slimy harpoon in the other. Each Scylla eyed me hungrily, and the Charybdis drew closer with each moment. A tear rolls down my cheek as I say goodbye to the sun, the sky, and the warm, humid air of these tropics.

 I fought for mere minutes before the ship reached the center of the whirlpool and the ship broke in two as it was dragged under, sending me into brine, followed by several Scylla. My last thought before I felt the slimy tentacles of the Scylla embrace me was trying in vain to take one of those hags with me. What began with two separate mamono turned into a battle for survival and freedom. When I woke up, I felt nauseous. No, nauseous isn't the right word.. more like.. suffocated.

 I wake up to feel suction cups sticking to my body. I'm in a tug of war between around five Scylla that have stolen me away from the Charybdis, herself having claimed the three fishermen who got knocked off the ship by the boat smashing into the rocks. It seems the other Scylla have found their own prey, and are busy pulling them deeper below. None of the ones tugging me know I'm awake for the moment, but I have nothing to fight them off with. I can't help it when I suddenly squirm to free my arms so I can swim, and thus they take notice of me and my bursting lungs.

 Much later, one Scylla has wrapped me in her tentacles and is holding me so close it feels as if my body is glued to hers. I don't know how, but I can breathe again. Even so, every breath is labored and full of heat. Even after so long, she still isn't done clinging to me.. but why? Why is holding me so tightly and desperately? As I wonder this, I can't stop myself from reciprocating and holding onto her using my own arms, free as they are. For how long we stayed like that, I have no idea.

 Months later, I pay a visit to the surface. I'm still dizzy from earlier in the day when I woke up to.. well, a loving grip. Though I do enjoy what I can eat underwater, I need something more palatable than fish and clams. Then, I'm tackled to the ground by a powerful force. I'm not concerned since I think it's my wife, so I shrug it off. "Honey, I was only going to be gone for-"

 "Five months?" asks a familiar voice.

 " Jack?! " I ask in disbelief. He picks me up, and I shake free of the sand. "You.. I saw you go overboard! When the ship hit the rocks-" He interrupts again, "-I fell right into the whirlpool, yes. What saved me was me trusty boot knife. Couldn't let those hags have their fun, could I?" Chuckling, we both chat for a bit longer before the inevitable happens. "So, what actually happened to you, huh?" This is going to give him a heart attack, I swear.

 "Well see, we fought a few minutes longer against the Scylla, but then more and more kept showing up. It was a hellscape of tentacles and rushing water." Jack listens intently, the scenario probably playing out like a heroic last stand in his mind. "Pretty soon, only me and the Captain were left. He managed to hold out using that harpoon he kept in the cabin. Remember how he told us never to touch it?" He laughs. "I do! 'Might save yer life one day, runt' he'd say. Ha! Guess he got one-up on me in that regard, with him distracting most of'em while I swam to shore."

 After taking a second to mentally note that the Captain indirectly helped someone escape I continue. "In any case, I'm knocking back all these Scylla with a half-bent plank of wood, watching a couple go over the side, and what do I see sliding past me? Only the Captain's very own harpoon. Not going to lie, I was quietly thinking to myself how angry he'd be that I touched it." More laughs.

 "So there I am, half bent plank of wood in the left, harpoon in the right, and a whole swarm of Scylla to fight off. It was pretty tough going; no one left on the ship but me, the ship itself got loose from the rocks somehow and started going toward the center again, and the bite of the saltwater was fresh. I fought on, until the boat was sucked into the deep as we reached the center. I said my goodbyes to the warm tropical air.. the blazing sun.. but above all, it'd be the sky that I would miss the most."

 I noticed Jack had gone quiet and began staring at me, so I looked over. If the term 'starry-eyed' could be taken to a new level, it was what I saw on his face. I tried playing it off, but ended up saying, “It’s just as open and free as the day I said goodbye.” This made him smack me on the back and start whipping up sand with his feet. He was riled up now, and cursing in some language I swear I’d heard on the high seas some time ago. “B-But it didn’t end there!” I shouted to get his attention and he sat back down. His face was vermillion. “See, those Scylla had me from all sides, but they were fighting over me. When I started to suffocate, the smartest one seemed to be able to redirect the other one’s attentions and take me for herself.”

 An eyebrow was raised, but silence was maintained. I continued. “She, uh.. well, she had me where she wanted me and I couldn’t do anything but lie there and take what she gave me. Then she clung to me like she was starved for affection, and I just.. I’unno, I just couldn’t help myself. I wrapped my arms around her and went from there. The way she clung to me made me remember what life was like before the port, before the trade.. and I couldn’t say no. We stayed like that for days, and even after all that time, she was afraid I’d leave her forever. It was a herculean task to convince her I was just coming up to visit. Eventually, I guess I fell in love with her.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;"> Jack shifted uncomfortably. He had something to say, but wasn’t saying it for some reason. “I thought it weird that I could breathe underwater, but she explained one day that she took me to a Sea Bishop right after I passed out. Sea Bishops make it so you can breathe underwater, apparently.” I stopped. Jack looked solemn. He didn’t say anything when I rose and walked toward the surf, but he stopped me just before I got back in. “Wait. You remember when I said I swam to shore?” I nodded. “Yep. Was there more to that?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:11pt;"> Jack wasn’t saying anything more. I could tell it was a story for another time, so I said goodbye and he waved from the shore. I made a mental note of how he’d changed.. the past five months were rough on him somehow, and I wanted to know why. For now though, I have a wife to return to.

“That’s how I met my wife.” I finish my drink and sigh. “You’d think I wouldn’t be so thirsty since I live in the sea now.” The other guys clap, and Seton raises my empty glass. “A round on me, boys! Let’s get plastered while we can!” The whole bar roars in approval, and I can’t help but do the same.