Siren

Chapter 3 - A Day at Sea

Marinas eyes fluttered open to the first light of the early sunrise which painted the sky in beautiful shades of pink and gold. The sea outside her window whispered promises of adventure, for today she would be joining her father and Uncle John on a day out at sea. This isn't something that happens very often. Marina is often considered the beacon of hope and luck, she is the one that sings the melody to make sure the husbands, fathers, brothers and uncles all return from their travels safely.

She rose of out bed with excitement rushing through her body. As she got ready for a day out at sea she couldn't help but wonder what mysteries awaited her.

Marina pulled on her worn-out sea jacket that once joined her mother on countless of adventures on the ocean. She tied her long raven hair back into a ponytail allowing a few strands down to frame her face. With a swift look in the mirror she muttered a small prayer to the ocean, asking for a safe journey and return.

As she made her way down the harbour, Marina felt admiring stares from the villagers around her. The look of respect and awe filled Marina with such positivity she knew she was going to have a magical day. Her father and Uncle John were already preparing the boat, loading it with nets and lines. The boat "The Dazzling Pearl" looked strong and sturdy, ready for the adventure ahead.

"Ready for an adventure?" Thomas asks, his eyes twinkling with the same sense of wonder in her heart.

"Always father." Marina stepped onto the boat with confidence in every step she takes. She took her place by the stern, her hands touching the wood ever so lightly, almost like she can feel the secrets and stories pulsing at her fingertips.

As the boat sets off from the dock, Marina sang a soft melody, a tradition that it meant to provide a safe return. Her voice drifting across the sea sinking into the waves and creaking of The Dazzling Pearl. The ocean seemed to listen, the waves calming, slowly pulling backwards and forwards until it eventually lays still.

Marinas heart raced with excitement as the coastline faded into the distance, the vast blue stretch opening before them.

As the sun climbed higher and the day wore on, casting a glare on the ocean. Marina, her father and Uncle John had fallen into a peaceful silence, each one of them lost in their own thoughts as the boat glides through the waves.

Suddenly, a school of brightly coloured fish leapt up from the water. Their scales glittering in the sunlight. Marina clapped her hands, the beauty of the moment capturing her heart.

"It's a good sign!" Thomas recorded, watching the fish with a grin. "The sea is full of life today."

Marina leaned over the boat, following the coloured fish as they fell back into the sea. But as her gaze sank deeper into the vast, inky blue, something stirred below. A shadow, long and graceful, shifted through the water with an unsettling calmness. It was too sleek to be a whale, too fluid to be a manatee. The dark figure moved like it was part of the ocean itself, as if it were watching her.

Her breath caught in her throat. What was that?

She swallowed hard, eyes searching the surface, but the shadow was gone. The water rippled, but everything else remained still. Too still.

"What is the matter?" Uncle John's voice cut through the silence, but Marina couldn't tear her eyes away from the spot where the shadow had vanished. Her heart raced.

"I...I don't know," she murmured, but doubt gnawed at her. It felt like the sea had spoken to her in that fleeting moment, but the words... the meaning... eluded her. She quickly forced herself to look away, pretending it was just a trick of the light. But it wasn't. Was it?

With the days adventure coming to an end and their boat making its way back to the harbour, Marina couldn't shake off the image of the shadow beneath the waves. The sea had always felt somewhat of a second home, and yet today it felt like it was revealing something new.

Her father and Uncle John busied themselves with securing the boat and their catch, their spirits high with the days success. But Marinas thoughts were somewhere else, her mind replaying the unknown creature that graced her presence.

"Dinner will be grand tonight!" Her father exclaimed, his voice bringing Marina back to the present. She smiled and nodded her head, looking back out at the horizon for any more signs of the creature.

That night, after a hearty dinner filled with laughter and tales of the sea, Marina retreated to her room, the days events swirling in her thoughts like a whirlpool. Despite the warmth and light from the family dinner, a part of her remained out at sea, chasing the shadow that had darted through the waves. She leaned against the window sill, gazing out at the moonlit ocean, its surface a mirror to the stars above.

The image of the mysterious shadow lingered in her mind, elusive yet compelling. It was if the sea has whispered a secret only for her ears, a call that she simply couldn't ignore.

Drawing a deep breath, her eyelids grew heavy. Her dreams that night were filled with the oceans song, and shadows that moved so gracefully in the depths of the sea.