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Chip knew something had been fishy about him.
The way he stayed far from the ship, with only his head above the water. How he’d only laugh and swim further away when Chip tried to steer the boat closer.
At first, Jay had called him mad. Claimed that she couldn’t see whatever he was seeing, even though he was looking right at the mysterious man with the bright green hair.
“It’s like seaweed, Jay!” He’d said to her once. She’d said something stupid in return, probably asking if he was sure it wasn’t just seaweed.
He barely listened to her anymore, and she had long since stopped trying to steer the ship towards a port whilst Chip slept.
Though, Chip doesn’t sleep anymore.
The music doesn’t let him. He had tried to sleep through it in the beginning, but he always found himself back on the deck by the morning, staring at the man in the water.
He isn’t sure when he last checked the sails, or tried to make sure they were going in the right direction. The ship has continued to sail, following after the man in the water.
Chip was pretty sure the distance between him and the seaweed haired man was growing smaller with every passing day, as the water they sailed in slowly changed from a crystal blue, to a murky green.
Planks of wood and the occasional gold coin would be floating in the water as they passed, though Chip’s desire to collect the coins had long since been abandoned in favour of keeping the man in sight at all times.
Even when the sea darkened even more, the green being overtaken by a never ending black, an oddly nostalgic black- Chip kept his eyes on the man. His hands were probably laden with splinters from the railing, fingers stiff and cramped. He didn’t care.
Even when he hadn’t seen Jay for days- when he couldn’t stand the rotting smell coming from somewhere (he couldn’t tell if it was on his ship or on the sea), he didn’t care.
All he cared about was the man in the water.
One day, he finally stopped. Chip could tell he was stationary, as the gap between the man and his boat shrunk.
The music started.
That was strange.
Chip had never heard the music during the day before. It didn’t matter. It was somehow more beautiful than ever, and Chip found himself leaning.
Creaking.
Snapping.
Plummeting.
Chip felt a pain surge through his hands as the- by now- withering railing broke beneath his hands, sending him down into the inky water.
This is good.
He was closer to the man than he ever had been before. His legs worked to stay above the water, he rose and fell with the waves. But the man was still in sight.
Swimming towards him made Chips limbs burn- but the music . He couldn’t resist following it. Soon enough, Chip was close enough to touch the man who had moved towards him ever so slightly.
Blue skin glistened in the sunlight as a hand reached out towards Chip. His nails- as black as the water he swam in- dug into Chips arm, red staining the damp cloth of his sleeve.
Red..
He hadn’t seen red in awhile… the sight made his eyes well with tears, but he put it down to the beauty of the music.
His eyes moved from the red bleeding onto his sleeve to the eyes of the man. They were a piercing blue, like waters long since sailed on, the slit of a pupil staring into his soul.
Tugging.
Something wound itself around his ankle and began to squeeze. It squeezed harder and harder, until Chip knew it would definitely bruise.
All at once, it tugged. Hard. His arm was released from the man’s grip as he was plunged beneath the tide, salty black water moving into his mouth with the surprised gasp.
Darkness.
It was only darkness around him.
As he was tugged further and further down, he could just barely make out a few shapes against the darkness.
A boat.
A large, grand ship.
Chip felt a pang in his heart.
It all faded away.
“Chip! Wake up- there’s someone outside!” Chip shot up, breathing heavily as he grasped at the hand on his shoulder.
“I- Jay?” He mumbled through a few coughs, feeling something wet hitting his hand.
She nodded.
“Dude- relax- I know someone being outside the ship is a big deal, but there’s no need to almost choke.” Her tone was light, and Chip found himself more grateful than ever for her company.
“Yeah- You’re Right. Give me a sec, I’ll be right there.” Jay squeezed his shoulder lightly one last time before turning and heading back to the main deck to wait for him.
Pulling his hand from his mouth, he froze when he saw what covered it.
Black water.
Wiping his hands on his pants, he shook his head. It was probably just a trick of the light. Nothing more.
He sped up to meet Jay, where she pointed into the water. Following her eyeline, Chip saw a head in the water. A mysterious man with bright green hair.
The man in the water.