Tales from The Dread Tides
01/31/2025
Prompt: In an old seaport tavern called Sea Dog’s Rest, a man retells a timeless story about a sea god’s curse, a young fisherman, and a love that transcends the bounds of the lands of Port Calypsa and beyond the horizon of The Sapphire Sea.
—
The great ol’ tale o’ Davey O’ Malley
Din’t begin on an ol’ pirate galley
A young man no more ‘an the age o’ twenty
Sailed his fishin’ boat wi’ hopes o’ plenty
Fer Davey was called by a siren o’ the sea
An’ ‘cross the Dread Tides he’d search fer she
Wi’ the wind in the sails o’ Celena’s Song
He would look fer what his heart di’ long . . .
An old man hummed as he traced the rim of his wooden tankard. There wasn’t an empty seat at Sea Dog’s Rest that stormy night in Port Calypsa, and there was a familiar and comfortable cadence to the meandering conversation circulating the old seaport tavern.
Lost in thought, the old man was observing a painting of a young deep-sea fisherman when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He grumbled and turned around.
“Hmm,” he said in greeting as a scruffy elderly gentleman joined him at the bar. He was older, eyes wrinkled, squinted to the point of seeming closed. He regarded the old man with a toothless grin.
“Evenin’,” he said, voice wavering. “Pardon me keen ear, but is that ‘The Shanty o’ Davey O’ Malley’ yer singin’?”
“S’pose so,” the old man replied with a grim nod. His elderly companion pounded his tankard against the bar, eyes shining.
“Well,” he said with a low chuckle, “I s’pose I’ve not heard that ol’ tune in quite some time in these parts. Not since me ol’ da’ passed. Most o’ these landlubbers ain’t heard the tale, an’ much less have e’er stepped foot on a boat. S’pose ye can’t blame ‘em. These be simpler times.”
“Mmm,” the old man agreed.
The elderly man shifted in his seat.
“If ye don’t mind me askin’ . . . could ye humor an ol’ man on a dreary night wi’ some company an’ an account o’ the ol’ tale?”
The old man met his gaze for a long time, then smiled.
“Wi’ pleasure,” he said. “Lend yer ear an’ settle in. This be the tale o’ a lowly fisherman o’ great passion an’ skill, who braved the Dread Tides an’ found love in the sea. A savior or god o’ sorts, I s’pose. But I’ll let ye decide that fer yerself.”
—
In days o’ yore, this ol’ port town went by the name o’ Cape Cerulean, an’ a hearty crew o’ fishermen set sail on The Sapphire Sea. When Winston O’ Malley, the ol’ fishin’ boat captain, turned his sights fer home, that’s when he heard a voice, the cry o’ a woman lost at sea carryin’ on the wind. Winston was drawn to the beautiful stranger, rushin’ to her rescue, an’ ‘twas love at first sight fer Winston O’ Malley an’ his lovely Calypsa.
Winston an’ Calypsa eagerly married upon their return, an’ Winston named the ol’ town Port Calypsa in his lady’s honor. Soon she bore a son, an’ that’s where the tale o’ Davey O’ Malley truly begins, an’ where the fate o’ Calypsa would be sealed, fer ‘twouldn’t be long afore she and Winston’s short-lived happiness came to an end.
‘Twas after Davey’s birth that Calypsa revealed the truth. Born o’ the sea, she was no mere mortal, but a mermaid mistress o’ Poseidon hisself, fled from watery depths. An’ ‘twas after that day that the sea would ne’er be the same, fer Calypsa, The Heart o’ the Sapphire Sea, was Poseidon’s secret treasure, an’ fer her betrayal, she would be the cause o’ ol’ Sapphire’s Ruin. An’ so the angry sea god unleashed his wrath on the town, cursin’ Calypsa an’ the seas from shore to horizon. The curse would remain ‘til Calypsa’s heart was returned to the sea, an’ the sea would become known as The Dread Tides.
An’ so Winston soon buried his lady love, who was cursed wi’ a mysterious disease that took her life. Some say ‘twas by the hand of some dark magic, though none know fer certain. Either way, Winston would ne’er remarry, an’ knowin’ nothin’ else but his love fer Calypsa an’ the sea, he would raise Davey to be the greatest young fishermen Port Calypsa had e’er seen. Mind ye, ‘twas a dangerous time fer sailors foolish enough to take to the seas, but e’en so, Young Davey an’ his father soon joined the lackluster crew o’ scallywags upon an ol’ schooner vessel named The Ruddy Pearl, an’ at the mere age o’ twelve, Davey took to the sea in a special way. ‘Twas as if he had a natural born command o’ it, like he spoke the words o’ the depths o’ the great waters an’ all that dwelled within, who harnessed the wind wi’ secret words unknown to man. ‘Twas even said that he was part fish, seein’ as he could swim better ‘an any o’ his crewmates an’ hold his breath fer a half hour wi’ not so much as a blush in his cheeks. But believe what ye will ‘bout that.
‘Twouldn’t be long afore Davey ran into his own bad luck. After a terrible storm on a fishin’ trip, the captain o’ The Ruddy Pearl barely escaped wi’ his life. He retired soon after, an’ the fate o’ the Pearl was sealed by an unassuming landlubber from nobility who claimed the ship an’ crew fer his own. Wi’ no knowledge o’ mannin’ a ship, an’ no fear o’ an ol’ sailor’s superstitions, the foolish captain renamed the ol’ boat Dread’s Doom, an’ any sailor wi’ their wits about ‘em knew it wouldn’t be long afore they waved the white flag an’ went down wi’ the cursed ship. I could regale ye wi’ the tale o’ the folly o’ Dread’s Doom, an’ how the foolish captain di’ everything but sink the ship hisself, but I s’pose that’s a story fer another time.
When the ship sank not e’en a fortnight later, Davey was the only one spared. The captain, his father, an’ the entire crew were swept below the depths o’ The Dread Tides, to their watery graves. An’ ‘twas that dark an’ cursed night that somethin’ unusual happened. Young Davey was delivered safely to shore, wi’ nothin’ but the knowledge that he was now an orphan boy, an’ the faintest memory o’ a siren’s song. Somethin’ in that song stuck wi’ Davey after that day, an’ he believed he was spared by an angel o’ sorts. An’ so it was that a young lad became captain o’ a sunken ship an’ a boy wi’ no livin’ family, all in one fateful night.
Davey began to hear the siren’s song in his dreams, an’ e’er since the shipwreck, he felt a strong pull to her. He grew mad wi’ the idea o’ findin’ his siren savior, whom he had grown to love in his slumbers. An’ so Davey would take to the seas once more as the renowned fisherman he was, alone on his gaffer boat, named after a sea nymph goddess. Fer eight years, Davey would wander on the waves o’ The Dread Tides aboard Celena’s Song, an’ would grow to be quite lonely as he pined fer a woman that may not e’en exist.
One night, Davey was caught in a violent storm. Stumblin’ drunk, he tumbled arse o’er kettle into the black waves below. As he lurched an’ rolled in the darkness, he saw a gleamin’ light afore him, an’ soon he was face-to-face wi’ the siren from his dreams. Wi’ a kiss light as a feather, her lips moved ‘gainst his own. Then he heard her voice, clear through the dark water:
Ye must restore the Heart o’ the Sea
If yer wishin’ to e’er love me
Undo Sapphire’s Ruin, an’ do make haste
Afore the curse lays yer weary soul to waste
A small token o’ yer love fer mine
To right this wrong, yer sacrifice divine . . .
An’ by a power that weren’t his own, Davey was safely delivered to the shores o’ Port Calypsa once more, where Celena’s Song lay waitin’ in the shallows. ‘Twas then he knew that his siren’s love was true, an’ he sought to unlock the secret to the ocean’s curse. But how could he restore a heart that was buried six feet below?
Davey prayed o’er his mother’s grave, to Poseidon hisself fer the answers he sought. But alas, there was no answer, ‘side from the raging storm that ravaged Port Calypsa that coulda easily taken his life that night. Thanking the god o’ the sea fer the twice-sent angel o’ his rescue, Davey lay down to sleep. His rest was fitful as the storm raged outside, an’ when he finally drifted off in the wee hours o’ the morn, the answer came to him in a dream.
The deep sea waves surrounded him as he stood on the ocean floor. A faint shimmer o’ light from the sky above revealed a hidden treasure, twinklin’ in the glittery sand. He reached fer it, an’ the grains fell away from his hand, leavin’ a silver necklace in his palm. Davey had seen that necklace afore. The sapphire jewel suspended on the chain sparkled in the ocean’s refractin’ light, an’ in the distance he made out a familiar glowin’ figure as it came near. The siren outstretched her hand, an’ as Davey held the necklace out, he woke up wi’ a start. ‘Twas then that Davey understood, but he also knew that an impossible task lay afore him. Was he to shirk his duty to Port Calypsa as the master fisherman an’ sailor o’ the cursed seas? Was it a foolish notion to believe that the ocean spoke to him, that there was a beautiful an’ mysterious love awaitin’ him in the Sapphire Sea?
Davey was at a crossroads indeed as he wrestled wi’ his guilt an’ doubts. Yea, ‘twas a notion that he once would’ve found mere foolish fantasy. But what was a young lad to do in the face o’ true love, no matter how far-fetched? Fer ‘twas his love o’ the sea that made him believe in fantastical things to begin with, when he was a young boy aboard The Ruddy Pearl. An’ what would become o’ Port Calypsa if he din’t try? Alas, the only thing he knew wi’ certainty was that he would ne’er know the love o’ his beautiful siren if he stayed.
Wi’ a pull to the sea he dared not ignore, Davey vowed to complete the task, hell or high water, to save Port Calypsa fer those that would come after. An’ so he loaded his boat, an’ wi’ his mother’s sapphire necklace tucked away in the black bag slung over his shoulder, he set off on The Dread Tides . . . an’ ‘twould be the last that anyone saw o’ Davey O’ Malley. An’ I don’t need to tell ye the dark omen that the poor folk o’ Port Calypsa saw that day when he stepped onto Celena’s Song wi’ that black sack. To them, Davey had accepted his dark fate afore he e’en set sail; he knew he would ne’er return.
As the clouds rolled in, Davey sailed fer the horizon. He dug in his pack an’ retrieved the necklace, clutchin’ it in his fist. An’ wi’ a silent goodbye to Celena’s Song, Davey stepped off the railin’ o’ his ol’ fishin’ gaffer an’ plummeted into the dark sea below.
Not one mortal soul knows what happened next, but to hear the folks o’ Port Calypsa tell it, soon after Davey’s boat disappeared on the horizon, the storm ceased an’ the dark clouds rolled away. An’ though nobody knows if the young man met an ill-awaited or a blessed fate, they knew the dark days o’ Poseidon’s curse were behind ‘em. The darkness o’ the water gave way to the hue o’ the ol’ Sapphire Sea, restored once more to its former glory, an’ the townsfolk rejoiced.
Davey O’ Malley became a hero o’ legend that day, an’ he lives on through the stories that the men o’ Port Calypsa tell in taverns. A bronze statue was erected in his likeness, to remember ol’ fisherman Winston’s son: Master o’ the Wind an’ Sea, Captain o’ a Sunken Ship an’ a Lonely Fishin’ Boat, Young Legend an’ Savior o’ Port Calypsa.
Some say they’ve seen Celena’s Song on the edge o’ the horizon on a cloudy sailin’ day; others claim they’ve heard the call o’ a beautiful siren an’ the answer o’ her love. I be o’ the opinion that Davey was rewarded fer his good deeds, an’ that he will ne’er grow old o’ heart, nor will he be forgotten. Stormy days like these became a good omen, an’ Port Calypsa’s fishermen an’ sailors alike have reaped the splendor o’ blessed winds at their back an’ plentiful fishes an’ treasures to capture any seafarin’ mortal’s desire e’er since The Heart o’ the Sea was returned.
—
When the old man finished telling his tale, he noticed the room was silent, and all eyes were staring intently at him. With a grumble he took in the tavern crowd.
“That be the end o’ it,” he said, emphasizing his statement with a final swig from his tankard before he set it on the bar with a light thud. He turned to the elderly man beside him.
“What say ye? D’ya think Davey O’ Malley met an ill or good fate?”
The elderly man scratched his beard, eyes squinted in thought. After a long moment, his old dull eyes met his. He stared for a moment too long, enough to make the old man shift in his seat, even though there wasn’t a chance that he would recognize him. Nobody in Sea Dog’s Rest would, not now, not in the last hundred years.
“Oh I know the young lad survived. Down to me ol’ weary bones. If it can be believed, me ol’ da’ was there that day. Says he saw the storm break an’ all, an’ I ain’t one to argue wi’ an ol’ man’s beliefs.” He narrowed his eyes at the old man with a smirk underneath his snow-white beard.
“An’ ye tell it jus’ like me ol’ man. If I din’t know no better, I’d say ye were there, though I’d be a fool to think so. I must have thirty years on ye at best, an’ by the looks o’ it ye’re a spring chicken compared, in me humble opinion.”
“A fool indeed.” The old man smiled as he reached for a fresh tankard of ale.
The elderly man waved a dismissive bony hand and grunted as he descended from the bar stool.
“Well, thankee fer humorin’ an ol’ geezer at any rate,” he said before he nodded and disappeared into the rainy night outside.
The old man looked after him, smiling knowingly.
‘Tis nice to see that things have nay changed in ol’ Port Calypsa, he thought as he went back to his ale and his humming.
THE END