This post was inspired by today's 5-minute writing prompt in the Freewriters Community - HOOK IT !
Enjoy !
Image created by AI in NightCafe Studio
A dozen crew lined the caravel's rail, bracing themselves against the storm. Some even lashed themselves to the uprights to avoid being washed overboard.
The small ship pitched and rolled as the storm clouds boiled overhead and waves crashed against the hull. Captain Rodrigo clutched onto the rail of his quarterdeck, scanning the horizon and the foam as storm waves broke on the nearby lee shore anxiously. That shore with it's rocks was getting far too close, and the storm was blowing the ship towards it.
Then he called to his crew, "There it is ! Hook it ! Quick, before it goes beneath the surface again !"
The monster had risen right off the starboard beam of the caravel, sea green in colour, covered in sharp spines and with huge jaws full of sharper teeth. It was nearly as big as the ship itself.
Half the crew cowered back, screaming in fear. Anger this monster and it could kill them !
But two of them, old Sarm and his son Zermel showed no fear. Sarm had told his son what to do; get a hook into the beast's mouth and it would be too focused on that to attack the ship.
"Together now ! Three, two, one... THROW !" The grizzled old man cried.
He and his son threw their harpoons with all their might. The barbed weapons trailing their ropes flew straight and true, both into the sea monster's mouth. Sarm and Zermel quickly turned the free ends between belaying pins.
The monster howled in pain and anguish, and started to thrash it's way out to deeper waters where it could dive and escape the pain. Behind it at great speed, the ship was towed away from the lee shore that would have destroyed it.