Stories and creations

Missing

A jagged rock sliced her thigh. Blood dribbled down her knee, her calf, her ankle  then the stones that she scrambled over to continue the search. "Liam!" She called, expecting no answer and hearing no response. Disappointment washed over her, night 4 of the rescue unsuccessful. Clutching her injured leg, she returned to the group, greeted with medical help followed by pity filled sighs. The chances of finding him were slipping through her fingers and with every moment her faith depleted.

Stumbling blindly over tree roots, covered in mud, scratched and scraped by countless branches and vines, he thrashed though the unrelenting forest. Lost and alone he shook with fright, banished to solitude and confusion as each turn and tree looked the same as the last. Turning insane and incased in his doom, his shirt was ripped from his body by the twisting fingers of nature, causing him to fall.

After what seemed like an eternity, he was startled by the cool feeling of water. It lapped gently at his bare skin as it washed over the sandy embankment. Inhaling deeply as he felt a breeze hit his chest, the claustrophobia from the dense forest finally assuaged and the panic he ensued at last alleviated.

He laid for many minutes, relaxing and connecting with the slow pushing and receding of the tides, scrunching his fingers and toes. The sand seemed to entwine it's fingers with his as he smiled, forgetting his girlfriend, his family and his life, thinking of nothing more than the peace and tranquility. Opening his eyes slowly, they began to adjust to the orange glow of the sunset. He tilted his head slightly, looking back at the thick undergrowth that he had fallen from, that now seemed less menacing.

His eyes drifted shut, soothed by the sound of the water and the tender hold of the delicate sand. As sleep beckoned him, he moved further into the shore leaving only his fingertips stroking the water's edge. Enveloped by unconsciousness, sunset turned to night and the moon rose, glittering against the waters of the large lake. Perfectly spherical in shape, the lake lay untouched and unspoilt. Separate from the world, it remained completely natural and filled with mystery and potential.

A soothing and sultry whisper woke him sweetly. A soothing and sultry whisper rendered him useless. A soothing and sultry whisper enticed him in. "Liam?" A beautiful sound, like the ringing of wind chimes, was carried by a gentle breeze. He timidly looked out, blinking into the sun. With eyes wide and mouth agape, he had clearly seen her. She sat naked, legs tucked under her, on a smooth slab of rock, running her fingers over her thighs. With porcelain-like skin, pale as the moon and fiery, red hair that cascaded down her back and over her breasts, she was a beauty. Sensing his stare, she peered back at him with cerulean eyes through long eyelashes that seemed to flutter. "Liam?" She whispered again through blood red lips, he could almost see his name rolling off her tongue.

Pulling himself to his knees he moved into the waves, closer to her perch in the middle of the lake. Closing her eyes and stretching out her legs, she began to sing. After just one entrancing string of notes, he was infatuated. He had to have her.

"The water always brings around

The fear of creatures, fairy tales

And whispers in the light of moon,

Sunlight at the height of noon

I was the one who came for you,

Called you into the deep and blue

Once you're mine you'll always be

But I warn you nothing here is free"

He swam further and further into the lake, following the allure of the woman.

Another night, so far unsuccessful, she called out for her boyfriend. Again, expecting no answer and again, hearing no response. Searching though the dense undergrowth, she found pieces of Liam's shirt on a branch, damp with sweat and spotted with blood. Fearing the worst she ran through the surrounding areas, bellowing out his name and meandering over the forest floor. Stumbling and out of energy she decided to turn back. A tree root gripped her ankle and she tumbled down an embankment landing in shallow water, the same water as that in the lake.

As he swam to her she suddenly stood, smiling before diving into depths of the inky blackness. She emerged in front of him, regal and majestic, a droplet trickled down her cheek, her neck, her breast before returning to the pool. "Take off your  clothes, let the water consume you"

He obeyed immediately. She trailed her nimble fingers across his shoulders and then down his torso before leaning in to kiss him. As they leaned away he saw something glistening in the water, he was alarmed to see that this woman now had a tail. The woman is a Siren. Before he had time to panic, she began caressing his body with dainty hands and moaning his name in between breathy sighs. "My name is Alana, Please do not fear me.." She purred into his ear, licking and nibbling his neck. All knowledge of the evils of the mythological siren no longer mattered. He was captivated, consumed and enamoured.

Cara thought nothing of her watery experience as she attempted to clamber from the large puddle. Instead of rising, she seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the shallow pond. An ancient force  held her, pulling her deeper. Face down and unable to hold her breath any longer she frantically grabbed out, unable to the grip the slippery rocks. Deeper and deeper she was pulled until she was completely submerged. Unconscious yet somehow alive, she began the transformation. For men, the water was simply enticing, but for women it was a curse.

Liam continued to swim with her, laughing as they kissed and he admired her tail in shimmering colours of blue and purple.
"I want to stay here forever" Liam mumbled to which Alana warned,

"Nothing here is free"

They both swam deep under but as he looked at her, she was no longer beautiful, she instead had razor teeth in over-sized jaws, her fair fanned around her like a mane and large unblinking eyes. Her siren song no longer drew him in, all he could hear was her unbeatable shrieking. Horror-struck and hysterical, he feared what she had quickly become.

He fought with every ounce of his energy to reach the surface, to escape the panic. Kicking and flailing his limbs he could see the light, webbed fingers wrapped around his ankle, then leg pulling him deeper. His chances of survival rapidly decreasing, he used his last oxygen to scream out as he was face to face with the demon of the water. The siren.

As life left his now limp and cold body, her face returned to its original beauty and her tail transformed back to a pair of legs and her curse was lifted. By giving his life to water she was rewarded with her own, after remaining it's prisoner for 85 years.

Cara raised her head, gasping for air just in time to see Alana slink off into forest. Surveying her surroundings she noticed Liam's body lay slumped against the shore and raced over to him. She pushed him up the embankment and called his name over and over. In an instant, his eyes shot open, his voice corse and rough, he looked at his girlfriend and stated one thing.

"Nothing here is free".