Genevieve ran around the cabin, holding a toy boat in her hand.

"Boom!" she cried and pretended the boat had been hit by cannon fire. Her father walked into the room, his bright red waistcoat damp from the salty spray on deck. He swooped her up into his arms and spun her around. She giggled and put her arms around his neck.

"What are you doing my little tempest? " he asked ruffling her curls.

"The boat got hit by cannon fire!" she said and held up her little toy. He smiled and put her down onto the table.

"Are you the captain of the ship?" he asked playfully. Genevieve nodded seriously. "Well, then you need to practice for when you take over this boat someday. Practice your pirate talk!" He pretended to salute her. She stood up on the table and yelled.

"Get to work scallywag! I am the captain of this ship and I want the decks squeaky clean!" Her father pretended to drop to his knees and clean the floor.

"Say aye aye Captain!" she demanded.

"Aye, aye Captain!" he mimicked. She giggled and jumped down from the table. Suddenly screams came from the deck and unearthly shrieking noises. Her father went pale.

"Mermaids," he whispered. " Genevieve, go hide in the corner and don't come out until I say so," he said. Genevieve ran to the corner and hid under the desk. She clutched her toy boat to her chest. Her father ran out of the cabin and closed the door. She rocked back and forth, whimpering every time a new scream came. The door crashed down and crashing through it came a mermaid. She was injured, a long gash running down the side of her face. The mermaid pulled herself to the corner of the cabin where Genevieve was hiding. Genevieve tried to hold in her whimpers as the mermaid edged closer. She didn't seem that...dangerous. She just looked hurt and scared. Genevieve inched out from under the desk.
"Hello?" The mermaid turned and hissed at her in surprise. Seeing it was only a little girl she relaxed and looked at her curiously. She was bleeding badly now.
"I can help you," Genevieve said. The mermaid looked hesitant for a moment but then nodded. Genevieve got some bandages from a cabinet and wrapped them around the mermaid's injury. Suddenly they heard footsteps coming toward the cabin.
"Here," Genevieve whispered. "Hide in the wardrobe." she pointed at the big wardrobe in the corner which she used for hide-and-seek often. Together she and the mermaid managed to pull her into the wardrobe. Genevieve went back to her hiding place under the des. Not even seconds after the door to the cabin opened and her father walked in.
"Genevieve?" he whispered. She crawled out from under the desk. He hugged her, relieved she was fine.
"I have to go fight, but I just wanted to check you were unharmed. I saw the door was broken into." her father explained. She nodded and crawled back under the desk. As soon as he was gone she opened the wardrobe and the mermaid fell out.
"You have to go back to the sea," she demanded. The mermaid smiled at her and said,
"Yes, I do. But first I must give you a gift in return for helping me. What do you wish for, Genevieve?" The mermaid stared at her with unnaturally blue eyes waiting for a response.
"Is it true that you could make me breathe underwater?" Genevieve wondered for she loved swimming. The mermaid flipped her dark braids and smiled enigmatically.
"Yes, but I doubt you need that gift. How about this?" the mermaid handed her a pearl. "You can call for help from me if you are in danger. But it only works when you are actually in danger," she warned.
"How do I use it?" Genevieve asked, doubtful it worked.
"You throw it up in the air and say my name. My name is Anenome." And with that, she slipped at the window of the cabin and disappeared.