Chapter Text
“Can you tell me a bedtime story, grandpa?”
“Sure, kid. Hmm… what should I tell you?”
“The sea cultists! The sea cultists!”
“Oh, haha! No, that one’s a little too exciting for bedtime.”
A little girl sank down into her covers, disappointment written in her shining blue eyes. “Aww…”
“It’s okay.” An old man reached down and ruffled her hair. “You know what? I’ll tell you a better story. Are you ready?”
“What’s it about?”
“Listen, and I’ll tell you. See, I used to be in the Coast Guard. I went all around the world, kid, and that’s relevant, ‘cause you know where this takes place? Antarctica.”
“Where’s Antarctica?”
“Right at the bottom of the globe. It’s a weird place. You know I was there during the winter, and that whole time the sun never rose. And it was cold, too. Real cold.” He patted her blanket. “I wish I’d had something like this out there!”
“How cold was it?”
“Ah, I’d tell you a number but it wouldn’t mean all that much to you. Suffice to say, I’ve never put on so many coats in my life just to still feel cold when I was up on deck.”
The old man looked past her for a second, his eyes shining with memories. He patted her bed again, and cleared his throat.
“Where was I? Oh, yes. It was a strange place. You know the strangest thing that ever happened to me?”
She huddled under her sheets. “Is it scary?”
“I don’t think of it as a scary story, Raya. It sorta starts out like one, though.” He sat back. “It was right at the start of the rescues. I was up on deck, and I was freezing my – my tail off while we were loading up for a mission. It was real dark; sun never rose, but it did get brighter around morning. It was the middle of the night, there was none of that.” He shook his head a little. “And I’m working, and I look up, and I see this figure sitting on the rails.”
“Were you scared?”
“Hah. No. Honestly, I thought it was just someone goofing around, so I went over to tell’em off.” He chuckled. “I got a little closer, and it was definitely not one of the guys. It’s a mermaid.”
Raya’s eyes went wide. “A mermaid?”
“Yeah! He – it was a he – was sitting on the rail, and he has this big old tail hanging out the side of the ship like it’s the most normal thing in the world. I’ll never forget the way all those scales glistened in the light. It was, it was surreal, I’ll tell you.” He shook his head again. “This was right after the Transcendence, too. I’d never seen anything like it.”
“What did you do?”
“Well, I said hello. Didn’t really know what to do, so I figured being polite was a good place to start.” The old man crossed his arms. “He sorta sat there for a few moments, flapped his tail against the side of the ship, and then he spoke. ‘Do you play cards?’ he said. And he brought out this real beat-up deck, wrapped in seaweed. I, heh, I wanted to ask him if he was looking for a new deck of cards, but I didn’t say that.”
He looked down at Raya, who was huddled in her blankets, her wide-eyes peeking out of the top. He smiled and ruffled her hair. “I told you, kid, this isn’t a scary story. Your parents want me to put you to sleep, not keep you up all night.”
“What did you say to the mer-guy?”
“Well, I told him that I did play cards. I was actually pretty good at it, you know. He says, ‘Human, I’m bored, and you’re in mortal danger.” Leaning back on the bed, the old man looked up at the ceiling. “He says this riddle, he says, ‘Ancient sirens sing of snow. Beat me in a game of cards, and I’ll block your ears.’ I asked him what that means, and he just looks at me.”
“Nooo. Don’t play him!”
“Kid, don’t worry.” He smiled at her. “I told him, ‘Hey mister, I’m sorry but I got a wife and kids at home. I’m not taking some weird magic bet. But,’ I says, ‘if you’re bored, I’m always happy to play a friendly game.’ I didn’t think he’d take it – he didn’t say anything for a second – but then he starts dealing cards to me, and next thing I know I’m playing cards with a mermaid on the deck of my ship.”
“Wait, so, you just… played?”
“I just played.” He saw her eyes droop, and he tucked her in a little bit more. “It was freezing out on the deck, but other than that it was a pretty good game. And you know what? I won.”
“What happened? Did he…” She yawned. “Did he give you earplugs?”
“No. He did offer it to me, after I won. I said it was a friendly game, but he just shrugged and said he liked playing cards, and he liked my company. And he leaned forwards, and he stroked my face,” He ran a soft hand from Raya’s ear to her chin. “Like that, and then he slips off the fence and dives back into the sea. And I thought, well, that was weird. But you know, for all the strangeness that goes on down there, it’s not such a bad place. That’s what I thought at the time.” He looked back down at Raya. “Now, you see? That wasn’t a scary story.”
She struggled to keep her eyes open. “It was… kinda creepy.”
“Eh, I guess.”
“I still liked it. What about… what about the mission?”
He blinked. “The mission?”
“Why you were in Antarctica.” Raya’s eyes drooped, and then closed. “Why… how did it… go…”
The old man’s expression sombered. He gently rose from the bed, and tucked her in just a little tighter. He leaned forwards and kissed her on the forehead, then drew back.
“That story’s not for bedtime, kid. Maybe when you’re a little older.”
Rodney Garn turned out the light and left, closing softly the door behind him.