The Lost Dreams of a Broken Poet

Waves and songs

According to one of my friends, this is the best short story I have written so far, so I hope you like it too.
TW: Major character death

The splash of the waves helps me sleep. The sway of the ship calms me down. And the soft breeze gives me energy. But you... You help me live.

Everyone says sirens are dangerous, that merpeople feast on souls. And maybe it's true. Maybe you want me to drown. But whenever I see you hiding between the sharp black rocks of our island, I realize how stupid it is to claim you are evil. Your smiles, your soft touches...

 But then the bells start ringing and the hunt begins. And I promise that I will keep you safe as we huddle in our small cave. Everyone is looking for you and your family. Even my crewmates join the frenzy. And cries of pain fill our cave as they find your father, your sister, your baby nephew. Because you were too trusting. Because you were too curious.

And I hug you, pull you closer to me as I fear for the worst. It is only a matter of time before they find us too. I urge you to leave when you wish to fight, as you stand up on scale-covered legs and try to grab my sword. I beg you to stay and you denounce my cowardice. A pirate! A coward!? I laugh, a hysterical sound powered by fear and anger. Because I can do nothing at all but cry and wait, and you want to leave, and you want to fight. And you are right; I am a coward. So I watch you stand up and I hesitate for the first time in my life. But I follow suit and grab my musket. Yet before we even get the chance to leave our hiding spot, we are overwhelmed by the sound of gunshots, and I feel my body get pierced and blood pour out of it as I reach for your dying body.
We fall into the water and, before darkness takes over, the waves sing us to sleep one last time.