When he was a boy he was told stories about them, the beautiful cratures hiding in the deep waters. Back then he didn't believe. The boy grew up, the waters were like his home, until he is told the stories again, but this time he can't ignore it.
I...
The captain tumbled backward into the floor. The sailors that were on deck with him looked back in confusion. The rest of them that were in other parts of the ship came out, having heard the mysterious voice.
"You...you hear that too?" The captain addressed his crew. He laid on the wooden floor, as stiff as a board. All of his sailors nodded to his question and some even went up to him, checking if he was alright. Their proud and fearless captain was now frozen by the sound of a mysterious voice in the distance. He was shaking at the realization that it was real and it was happening. All of this time, trying to convince himself otherwise had taken a toll on him and now he was hanging by a thread.
"Cap, what's wrong?" The First Mate asked. The captain just shook his head and got back on his feet. He had to be strong for the others. He walked to the edge and examined the area around. The humming had gotten stronger and it was closer than he had ever heard it.
"What could that be, cap?'' the chef of Lucia asked. The captain didn't answer and just shook his head. He wasn't planning on telling them it was a siren. He couldn't find the words in himself. He had always been logical and usually when he wasn't sure of something, he wouldn't say it just for the sake of it. This time it was different though. He was sure, but it wasn't logical. As much as his crew was loyal, in his mind, there was a line to be crossed.
As you'll soon see however, this particular decision of his wasn't the smartest.
"If any of you sees anything in the water tell me immediately!" He ordered his crew. They all spread around in different directions. They didn't know what was going on, but they never questioned their captain. They had total faith that he always knew what he was doing.
There was a piercing silence on deck. No one dared to say a word. They were cautious of every movement. The captain had a telescope pressed against his eye. There was no sight of anything, but the humming continued. The crew was becoming frustrated and nervous at the neverending singing. It was the same melody, over and over and over again. They might have thought it was beautiful in the beginning, but now they wanted to rip their ears out of their heads.
"What is this?"
"Will it stop?!"
"My head feels like it's gonna explode!"
The siren book that was on the floor caught the captain's attention. It was closed, but suddenly the cover started lifting itself. Then the pages started flipping one by one and all the attention was on it. There was no wind anymore and the air had become hotter and stuffier.
"Why-why is it doing that?" The young sailor started shaking one of the captain's arms and pointing towards the book. The pages started slowing down and eventually stopped. The captain got out of the sailor's hold and walked towards the book. It had stopped at the beginning of a chapter and at the top of the page it said in bold letters:
The death song
The captain recalled reading this part. It was describing the songs that the sirens sang to their victims. It was when the humming would finally become coherent and tell stories close to the sailors' hearts.
In the distance, something was swimming in the water. It was making circles for a while and then it came closer. It stopped, swam in circles, and came closer. It continued doing this in a loop, just like its singing. It was kept hidden, roaming not completely out on the surface, but close enough so her voice could reach the sailors. It was however within a distance that the watchful eye of the captain couldn't properly notice her.
She was excited. She had been waiting for this moment, the moment when she could finally get her meal. As much as it was a way to put food on her stomach, it was also a game. A game her kind would always win, a game she enjoyed playing. Once she noticed the frustration and confusion of the sailors, she decided it was time.
The captain finally saw something. A splash and a shimmer. The creature was now swimming towards the ship with a speed the captain had never seen before in a sea creature. She jumped to the surface, giving all of them enough time to get a glimpse of her mystical body.
The top half of a woman, the bottom half of a fish. Her tail was turquoise, every scale reflecting back light. It ended in a long, flowy fin. Her hair was jet black, like the ink of a squid. It absorbed all the light, leaving nothing. It was only for a split second, but all the sailors had her appearance glued in their minds right away.
"Go back everyone, go back!" The captain ordered. They all made quick steps backwards but kept their bodies turned to the siren. They all wanted to see a little more. A little peek wasn't enough, they wanted to see her some more. No, they needed to see her more. hey were already hooked.
The captain looked back and saw the book he was reading. The one he had been so skeptical about, as he tried to remember all he had read.
"Cover your ears!" The captain ordered his crew, who immediately put their hands up to their ears.
The captain did as well, but no matter how hard he pressed his hands against his ears he could still hear the humming. The siren had already gotten inside his head and there was no way to stop it.
He heard something emerge out of the water, but he was too far from the edge to see it. He closed his eyes shut in fear of becoming the prey. Little did he know he had already been the prey for a long time. Nobody on Lucia knew what to do. Most of them couldn't even believe what was happening and thought they were dreaming.
The effect of the siren's melody was starting to affect the captain little by little. He felt the urge to go and see the beautiful siren that was standing so close to the ship. Only a few steps and he would be able to meet her eye to eye.
Don't fall for it, the rational part of him said but it was becoming more and more distant with each passing moment. He was losing control and conscience of his own body and mind.
His father had told him how powerful sirens were and how he couldn't be the ruler of the sea. He wanted to see this great threat. He read so many things about her beauty. He wanted to see her.
The humming was starting to become whispers. Words that he couldn't hear properly because of his hands. His hands were preventing him from hearing the alluring song. His hands started to move. His crew screamed, telling him to stop. They shouted and even tried to step in front of him but for the captain, they weren't there. It was only him, the siren, and the ship.
His hands fell on his sides and he could finally hear the song the siren made just for him. It was his present and it would be rude of him not to take it and thank her. He started walking closer to the edge. The crew themselves felt paralyzed and couldn't move. Tears started rolling off their cheeks as they kept watching their captain giving himself to death, unable to stop him.. They themselves had heard the tales of the sirens and as much as they wanted to help their captain, they felt paralized and glued in place.
With each step, the captain could see more of the tail. The book was right, it did shine like diamonds. Her fins floated at the top and moved quietly. He started to see more of the tail and then the hair. Lastly, her eyes. They were a light purple and glimmered like pearls. Her skin was a very pale blue and a smile tugged up her lips as her prey finally showed up. Now he knew why the book couldn't describe sirens. No one could. In the captain's eyes, she was sparkling like a diamond. The captain felt the urge to jump in immediately.
The siren was satisfied, she was so close to getting what she wanted. She opened her mouth and started singing out loud. Each word was clear and each, more captivating.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
