The Siren of the Titanic

Chapter 1: Darkness

I don't remember much, just the name Nash Hall and pitch black water. Yet it is here that my memory starts, here where not even sunlight can reach.

I open my eyes to seemingly nothingness. The water around me is icy cold, pitch-black and completely still. On instinct I slapped my hand over my mouth, however, I soon realized that although I was submerged in water, I could still breathe. I swim forward, my arms at hip level trying to feel my way through the darkness, and strike my head on something hard enough to make me yelp in slight pain and surprise. The sound of my painful surprise reverberated through the water, bouncing off of walls and objects and came back to me showing me a picture in my mind of what seems like a small room. Shocked, I did it again, send out a small sound and a mental picture comes back, showing me that I had, in fact, hit my head on a piece of wood that once belonged to a bed.

"I may not be able to see with my eyes, but, I can hear perfectly fine." Smiling slightly, I continue to use my sounds to make my way through long corridors, up stairways, and past vast empty rooms, some of which had nice crystal chandeliers hanging from what once must have been the ceiling. "Where am I?" I think to myself. I swim past small fish, crabs, dolls, and trunks, but never anyone or anything like me. Of course, I have no idea who I am or what I look like.

I finally came to a point where the massive labyrinth of corridors dropped off into seeming nothingness. I hesitated at the edge and sent out a signal. The image that returned showed me that there was a sandy bottom which I swam down to, feeling the soft cool sand in my hands. The area around me was littered with similar objects that I had found inside. Leather shoes, suitcases, even porcelain cups and dishes, scattered all over the sandy bottom.

After turning around I sent out several signals towards the mass of corridors and rooms. I soon realized that it was part of a huge metal thing. Ship. A part of me spoke, a distant memory, instinct perhaps? "Wait how is it that I cannot remember anything about myself but I know that this is a ship?" I sighed. "But this sand must be the bottom. I wonder what is at the top?"

With my head above me and the ship below, I began to swim. I must have been swimming for hours before seeing a difference in the darkness of the water. The pitch blackness that I awoke from eventually began to brighten into a greenish blue. Three large creatures noticed me and swam closer. Their bodies were long. Their skin like leather. They had small eyes compared to their large heads which had a mouth that curved as if to smile but swept back down like a large frown. White bumpy patches covered spots above their eyes and on their chins, while the rest of their bodies were a deep smooth gray. I could feel their own signals hit me, sending hard shivers through my cold body.

At first I was a bit afraid of the large beasts, however, a part of me told me that they were not bad. Right whales. So that's what these creatures are. I sent out my own signal towards them in answer. They drew close enough for me to touch, but they did not seem dangerous nor showed any malice towards me. I relaxed, reaching my hands out towards them, touching their smooth leathery skin. Their voices were calming, their movements gentle. After circling me a few times they called out to me with their calming voices and began to swim up towards the light.

I smiled and grabbed ahold of the pectoral fin of the largest of the three whales. After what seemed like hours, the light growing brighter so I no longer had to use my signals to see, the four of us finally reached the water's surface. I released my new friend's fin so he and his family could leap beautifully above the surface. However once again I hesitated just below the surface of the water. The light was bright, blinding, hurting my somewhat sensitive eyes, but slowly, I too breached my upper half out the water. Only when my eyes fully adjusted did I slowly gaze at my surroundings. The air was freezing, although I didn't seem to mind the bitter and probably deadly cold. Islands of bluish ice floated all around, and above me was nothing but blue. Sky. Looking down I finally saw my reflection on the water.

Memories began to flood back all at once as I locked eyes with my reflection. Memories of my youth, my family, and my homeland. Memories of music, dancing, and grand parties. Above all else, however, I remembered what happened on that ship, the Titanic. Memories of my sweetheart, Emma, and I sleeping soundly and being woken up by a horrible scraping sound and the jerking of the ship. The two of us had gathered our coats and scrambled outside only to find others panicking into lifeboats. "Women and children only!" Cried the sailor. "Go, my love, quickly now, I'll find another boat. Now go!" She begged and pulled at me to go with her, but I only shook my head, hiding the tears that came from the knowledge that finding another boat would be close to impossible. I had earlier overheard the sailors talking, worrying about this little-known fact. There were not enough lifeboats for everyone if the ship were to ever suffer damage. However a superior heard their conversation and simply stated that the ship was unsinkable, dismissing their doubts.

After watching my beloved slowly disappear from my view, I dragged my feet, trance-like, back to my room. I whispered a simple prayer to whichever god could hear, begging that my love would be safe. Soon the frigid water entered my room, rising higher and higher. Instead of fighting it I resigned myself, welcoming death with a final shuddering breath.

The blowout from the smallest of the whales dragged me out of the nightmare of my memories. The little one nudged me and I smiled back at him, giving him a small pat on the head. Once again I looked at my reflection seeing how I have changed physically. No longer were my eyes charcoal grey but were cat-like turquoise that seemed to almost glow. My raven-black hair was instead icy blue. My ears and hands were thinly connected with a transparent fish fin-like webbing, with the same ice blue color which faded into white. However, by far the most surprising change was my legs, or what used to be legs.

Gone were the long runner's legs I was known for in my hometown. In their place was a long elegant scaled tail with pectoral, pelvic and primary and secondary dorsal fins. The, estimated 5 foot long, tail started at my waist and was icy blue, but had a pale turquoise stripe on the back. Each dragon-like scale was edged with jet black, giving them an exotic pattern. It also shimmered with a beautiful white iridescence, like that on a bird, which made the tail seem as if it was covered in ice. Each fin was slightly transparent and matched the webbing of my ears and hands, with the exception of my dorsal fin which was the same pale turquoise as the back of my tail. The bottom fin, which is called a caudal fin if I remember correctly, was sectioned into six parts and spread apart like a hand fan. It flowed behind like a cloth but could swim through the water quickly. Gills cut through my neck and under my ribs allowing me to breathe underwater but it seems I can also breathe normal air as well.

"I'm a mermaid! Wait I'm a man so would that be merman? At this point, I really don't care." I sighed looking up at the cloudless sky. My little whale friend nudged me again this time rubbing his head against me in comfort. "Thanks, buddy I needed that." I chuckled at him rubbing my webbed hand against his large head. His parents sang to him, most likely saying that it was time to go. I watched as they began to leave, but the three of them stopped and looked to me as if saying "You coming or not?" which made me chuckle. I swam after them diving back under the icy waves.