The Pirate and the Mermaid

…98, 99, 100, 101…

1800s pirate, Duncan McBeal, heard his men counting the gold coins he and his mates had stolen from a ship they raided only several hours ago. However, his mind was not set on the successful mission of the booty he obtained. Rather, he was staring at a glowing, almost phosphorous, yet clear, emerald stone about the size of a loaf of bread. Settled in his bunkroom, the stone on his desk, he rested his head at almost eyelevel to the green rock. It wasn’t so much the rock itself that enthralled him, but what was inside the rock and, what he observed, swimming inside that put him in an almost catatonic state. They were baby mermaids.