Adam O'Grady

evilsupplyco:

The ship’s captain personally cut the vibrant green apples into bite-sized chunks. Oranges and bananas followed, each put into a net sack. She hefted it to judge the weight, and unsatisfied, continued to rummage through the kitchen — to the annoyance of the ship’s cook.

“You need all of my plums?”

“We are dead, Chunk. We don’t have to eat. But we do have to move and we haven’t had a favorable wind in weeks.”

“A ghoul likes a plum now and again!”

The captain gazed in annoyance at the ceiling. “I’ll add plums to the shopping list, I’ll buy you three dozen when we hit shore.”

“And pineapples. Haven’t had those for months.” Chuck the Cook said after quickly shoving something suspiciously yellow into her mouth. She wiped her lying, pineapple-smelling fingers on her apron. The captain didn’t argue the point, opting instead to add “pineapples, quantity fourteen” to the her growing list.

The basket of fruit was ready. A formally worded card was added as a final touch, signed by the captain herself. Carefully, she lowered it into the unhelpfully calm ocean, where a trio of sea nymphs and a single mermaid were already waiting.

“My plums,” Chuck mounted, joining the captain at the ship’s side. They watched the aquatic procession dive down with the treats after waving goodbye.

“All for a good cause.” “My plums.”

The captain gazed to the heavens, silently willing patience to arrive. When it did not, she resorted to her backup plan and fished a final plum from her jacket pocket. It had ripened just that morning — plums and apricots were in a bitter, millennia-long war about which had better timing. Score one for plums. And Chuck, who beamed and accepted the bribe for an afternoon of silence.

Below the surface, the sirens and mermaids gleefully reviewed their new treasures. Trades were made after the loot was divided, a peach for a pear, a plum for a promise to handle some future chore. Once fully satisfied, the conversation turned to their bartered task. Harmonizing, the coven began weaving spells to ease the ship’s passage and protect it along the way.

Above, the first significant wind in days began to blow.