It was in the dead of winter when Magki’s turn came. When she rose to the surface, she saw whitecaps, ice floes, and even an iceberg or two. She decided that it would be fun to find a seat on an iceberg and enjoy the view. Since Magki was a little heavier than most mermaids, the extra weight on her body protected her from the winter’s chill.
She stretched her arms and deeply breathed in the brisk air. She delighted in the way the cool breeze played against her face and through her hair.
She stretched her arms and deeply breathed in the brisk air. She delighted in the way the cool breeze played against her face and through her hair.
Oh, what a view it was! The clouds in the sky overhead looked like a blanket of snow.
The choppy sea was a hazy shade of gray, the ice floes were soft, silvery white, and the iceberg was a pale blue-gray. In fact, everything she saw appeared in various shades of blue-gray. Ships, which occasionally came close enough for Magki to watch, seemed a deep charcoal gray, though with a slightly bluish tint.
Oh, yes, I must mention the ships. For reasons unknown to Magki, the seamen steering the ships tried to stay as far from the iceberg as they could. One of them was unable to do so, and his ship came closer to the iceberg than the other ships.
At length, the ship’s helmsman caught sight of the beautiful mermaid sitting on the iceberg. He quickly put his mind back on his work. To avoid crashing against the iceberg, he had to fully concentrate on steering the ship.
It all seemed quite a contrast in attitudes. The helmsman, hating and fearing the weather, was desperately struggling with the helm. To lose his concentration even for a second could destroy the ship.
The choppy sea was a hazy shade of gray, the ice floes were soft, silvery white, and the iceberg was a pale blue-gray. In fact, everything she saw appeared in various shades of blue-gray. Ships, which occasionally came close enough for Magki to watch, seemed a deep charcoal gray, though with a slightly bluish tint.
Oh, yes, I must mention the ships. For reasons unknown to Magki, the seamen steering the ships tried to stay as far from the iceberg as they could. One of them was unable to do so, and his ship came closer to the iceberg than the other ships.
At length, the ship’s helmsman caught sight of the beautiful mermaid sitting on the iceberg. He quickly put his mind back on his work. To avoid crashing against the iceberg, he had to fully concentrate on steering the ship.
It all seemed quite a contrast in attitudes. The helmsman, hating and fearing the weather, was desperately struggling with the helm. To lose his concentration even for a second could destroy the ship.
Magki, by contrast, enjoyed the fresh, bracing weather. As the wind caused her hair to billow, she smiled broadly, threw back her shoulders, stretched her arms behind her, and completely filled her lungs with the brisk winter air.
In the next instant, the ship crashed into the iceberg and sank in minutes. There were no survivors.
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