The Siren's Song

Chapter Three- Shrubbery And Scales

I look down, jaw agape with disbelief, at the tail that definitely wasn't there before, when I remember that I am underwater at the moment, and I'm not eager to drown. I splash up to the surface of the dark sea, gasping, disturbing the water and making it glow. It feels so bizarre, swimming without legs- as if I'm wearing flippers but my legs are tied up with duct tape. It doesn't feel bad, just... weird.

I do an awkward dolphin kick back to the dock, and the agitated water sparkles as I paddle. I hoist myself up onto the edge of the dock in an uncomfortable manner, so that my... tail (god, it feels weird to say that) is hanging off the side.

The tail is somewhat beautiful, making the black water spark up with colour as it slowly moves back and forth. It shines a golden orange in the moonlight, each scale a part of the intricate pattern. The fins are a bit transparent, save for the opaque ridges supposedly made out of something akin to cartilage. Along the sides of the tail, there are two pairs of fins made out of the same cartilage, and also what looks like tentacles down the sides of the tail. It is nothing like the way I imagined a... a mermaid's tail to look like, but it doesn't freak me out like I'm pretty sure it should. It's pretty in an eerie way, with its iridescent scales and the delicate fins.

My curiosity wins over my uncertainty, and I hesitantly reach a hand our to touch the golden scales. I jerk it away before I feel the strange scales, but I ease it back after a few seconds.

The tail is cold and slick, like how a snake would feel after being dipped in the ocean, and a bit rubbery. There seems to be a thin layer of oil covering the surface, perhaps to make it dry quicker, and it smells salty and strong. I wrinkle my nose. The scent is exactly like fish; it smells like the sea and dead stuff at the same time. Not quite appealing.

I look up to the full moon, and I wonder vaguely why this happened.

Then it hits me.

The shell! That shell and the pink vapour and music was what caused me to change like this. I slap my palm to my forehead.

Stupid Cory. Why didn't I think of this sooner?

I think back to when that happened, when I was floating in the air, light and buoyant. I absently start to hum the tune that had come out of the shell, but I nearly jump out of my weird new skin when a voice that's definitely not mine slashes through the silence of the night.

That voice is smooth and hauntingly beautiful, mysterious and chilling.

That voice can sing.

There's no way it can be me!

Even though it does seem to come from my mouth and hums the exact same tune I am, there's no way.

Aw, who am I kidding?

This weird new transition into a demi-fish must've changed my voice. A wave of excitement floods me. My voice actually doesn't sound like a dying cat! For the first time in my life, I utter one actually beautiful melody. I do a little fist pump of victory.

I decide to try out my voice again. Timidly, I open my mouth and start to sing a song.

"She says she loves you, and you know that can't be bad..." The melody echoes loudly  I pause, looking down at my hands, resting on either side of my body on the rough wood. "She loves you, and you know you should be glad..."

Cold encases me as I unthinkingly drop into the water.

I swim out farther. The tail isn't hard to maneuver, it's just... weird. Everything feels so weird. The fins make giant disruptions in the water, making the phosphorescence glow brighter and brighter. My breath is still taken away by the sheer beauty of it. The waves start to pick up, and pretty soon, they're stirring the water with their force, crashing against islands and making arcs towards the sky. The sky is still a dark ebony colour, but now wind whips the air like the waves in the sea.