Siren's Song 15
Lars waited for the merman to laugh at the joke but Zed just stared at him with a confused look on his face. “You get it? You old name was a number and your new name is a letter!” He explained.
“Forgive me master.” Zed bowed his head looking apologetic. “I don’t understand.”
“Zed it’s a letter in the alphabet.” Lars further explained.
“Forgive me master. I do not know this word ‘alphabet’.” Zed begged. The word alphabet was the first English word Lars had heard the merman speak. “My magic it lets me understand all the words that translate between our languages but alphabet does not translate.” Zed eyed Lars’ bracelet and Lars felt a bit guilty.
“I’m not gonna hurt you for not understanding a word.” Lars grumbled and the rest of Zed’s words kicked in. “Wait so that’s why I understand you even though what you say sounds weird? Because of your magic?”
“Yes, master.” Zed answered looking relieved as he spoke. “Although I am puzzled I have learned your language and I shouldn’t need it. I should be speaking in words you understand.”
“You learned English?” Lars asked.
“Is ‘English’ what you call your language, master?” Zed answered the question with one of his own.
“Yes.” Lars answered.
“Then yes I have, master.” Zed answered.
“Then you should know the alphabet.” He considered how to communicate the word alphabet to Zed and then he realized he should show him. “Meet me on the shore over there.” Lars ordered.
He stood up and stripped down to just his under shorts and then dove off the side of the ship. He was startled to find the water much closer then he thought and then discovered he was barely in the water. He wasn’t swimming but he was quickly moving toward the shore. He then realised he was riding on a large wave that set him gently on the shore instead of crushing him against it.
Zed’s head poked up a few feet out into the surf. “Are you alright master?” Zed called.
“Yes, come here.” Lars ordered, curious and irritated at the same time. Another wave like the one he just experienced brought Zed to lay on the sand at his feet. Then it clicked.
“Did you just do that to me? With the wave right now?” Lars asked.
“Forgive me for using my magic without permission but there are large rocks where you were going to land and I didn’t want you to die, master.” Zed looked seriously worried and Lars looked back at the ship and could now see some of the rocks jutting out where he couldn’t before.
“You are forgiven.” Lars spoke automatically still staring at the rocks. “I mean no. You shouldn’t need forgiveness. Never feel bad for saving my life alright? And you have my permission to use your magic to save my life every time it’s in danger understand?”
“Yes, master.” Zed answered looking up at him.
Lars realized how completely helpless Zed look lying there and he felt a sudden sense of responsibility. He also felt very powerful standing over the merman. He set those feeling aside to concentrate on why he brought Zed over in the first place.
He sat down a little bit ahead of Zed where the water wouldn’t reach him and drew the alphabet out in the sand. “Here this is the alphabet. Does it look familiar?”
Zed looked at it for a long time with a puzzled look on his face. “No, master.”
“Hmm well this one here is ‘zed’ it’s your name.” Lars explained and then had another idea. He drew numbers zero through nine and then circled seven. “This is the number seven your old name. Now do you see you went from a number here to a letter here.”
Zed looked over the numbers and shook his head. “No this is all wrong!” He declared. It sounded so very much like the Admiral the Lars felt himself tremble.
“I...I...drew them correctly, sir.” Lars answered forgetting for a moment who he was talking to. Then he realized it was Zed and not the admiral and Zed was supposed to be his slave. He started to blush with embarrassment and then the flushed turned to anger. “Well if you think you can write them better go ahead!”
Challenge and pride flashed in Zed’s eyes as he reached up and carefully drew lines in the sand. “Those are numbers!” He exclaimed defiantly.
It took Lars a long time before he recognized what Zed had drawn and then he fell backward laughing. He smacked the ground around him as he felt the joy of laughing, something he hadn’t done in a while, he sat up and still breathing hard looked over at Zed. Gone was the prideful, defiant look, instead was great worry.
“Master are you alright?” Zed asked as soon as they made eye contact. “Are you hurt?”
“What? No” Lars was starting to think language wasn’t their only barrier in communication.
“Forgive me master, it sounded like....well I’ve never heard the sound before I thought maybe you were crying out in pain.” Zed looked apologetic again.
“I was laughing.” Lars clarified and then frowned. “You never heard anyone laugh before?”
“No, master.” Zed answered looking completely crestfallen.
“Don’t mermen laugh?” Lars asked.
“No, master.” Zed started to look embarrassed.
“Do you know what laughter is?” Lars asked.
“Yes, master.” Zed answered and then sucked on his lower lip for a moment. Watching it made Lars wish he was sucking on Zed’s lip instead. He forced the want out of his head best he could. “May I ask you something master?”
“Of course you can ask me anything anytime. You don’t need my permission.” Lars answered.
“Did I do something to make you laugh?” He asked eyeing Lars’ bracelet. “And if I may be so bold was it the mocking kind of laughter?”
“What ! Oh no no no no.” Lars hated being laughed at and never wanted to be the person laughing at someone else that way. “No it’s just those numbers you drew. They’re roman numbers. No one uses roman numbers any more.” He paused for a moment. “Well unless they want to write up a real fancy letter or something. But even then it’s only to record some noble name or the year or something.”
“Oh I see.” Zed frowned at the drawings. He quickly ran his hands through the sand to ‘erase’ them and then started to draw more things in the sand. “Are these roman ‘letters’, then?”
Lars noticed Zed had actually spoken letters in english instead of his merman language. For the briefest moment Lars wondered if he could teach Zed English but then dismissed the thought and focused on the letters. “I’m not really sure I never learned roman letters just the numbers only you aren't supposed to call them numbers but numerals. Maybe numerals is a roman word.”
“Oh well thank you master for teaching me.” Zed quickly erased his drawings again. “And thank you for not laughing at me.”
Lars still couldn’t believe that mermen never laughed, he thought it was rather sad actually. That gave him an idea. “So since your a merman and mermen don’t laugh does that mean you’ve never laughed?”
“No master I have never laughed.” Zed answered.
“Well then let me see if I can make you laugh.” Lars grinned and then tackled the merman to the sand tickling Zed’s sides, chin and armpits wherever he could reach. It wasn’t long before Zed was squirming and then laughing.