The Siren

Drift

The waters bubbled and splashed as the young Octoling swam through them. She'd often find herself giggling at the feeling of the kelp gliding across her skin and tail. "Come on, Master!" She called, turning back to face the shark pup that followed her. He gave her a soft growl in response.

She noticed a shimmering object only a few feet ahead of her and began swimming toward it. Master let out another growl and swam in front of Shiver and the object. "Come on, Master! I'll be fine..." she said. He growled again. "I know Mama told me not to go past the kelp forest but I'll be fine!" She flapped her hand out to make her point, "I'll only be a minute."

Master reluctantly moved and let her pass and she swam over to grab the shining object.

It was a necklace with a yellow creature on the charm. Shiver recognized this as an eel. She'd seen them a few times around the ocean.

She clasped it around her neck and began swimming back to Master when a powerful force shoved her back to the middle of the ocean. She pushed further toward the kelp forest, but found herself unable to make progress.

"MASTER!" She yelled, panicked. The shark swam after her but was shoved back into the forest. Shiver had heard of this before. Strange random riptides. This must have been why her mother told her not to go back here. "MASTER!!!" Shiver cried, being pulled further away from her beloved shark and home. Master whimpered and swam back to retrieve help for his 6-year old tamer. Shiver could feel the flaps of her gills on her sides opening and closing as she took in panicked breaths.

"HELP!"

She felt the current pulling her farther away and she eventually fell to the ocean floor in an unconscious state.

~~~~~~

When she awoke, she was being pulled up by a net. She could hear talking from above the water as she was hoisted up. She felt herself breech the water and she once again panicked. She cried and pulled at the net, desperate to get free. She stuck her arms out of the net and began clawing at the water underneath her.

"Stop fighting," a man said. He plopped her down into the boat and began cutting off the net, "Found you while I was diving...you'll be useful, Little Mermin. I can tell." Shiver yelped as she felt the guy cut into her tail. "Yikes...your tail is sensitive, huh?" He chuckled. Shiver glared at him. "What's your name?" He asked. Shiver closed her lips even tighter. She did NOT trust this guy. He glared and stuck the knife into her tail, earning a cry of pain from the pup. "Shiver!" She choked out, looking down at her bleeding tail. "How old are you?" He asked. "Six..."

"Hm...you're young but you'll do well."

He placed a towel over her tail and she felt an odd sensation as she felt her tail dry up. "What happened?" She asked, peeking under the towel to see not a tail, but legs. Actual Octoling legs like she'd seen on land.

Once they reached land, the man had gotten some other workers to help her fix the towel around her lower body and they left.

He first stopped at a clothing shop to get her a pair of shorts. After all, if she was going to work for him, she had to be fully clothed and not just with a towel.

He helped her into his house and got her set up with a bedroom and a small meal. It was composed entirely of a strange looking meat. "What is it?" She asked. "Chicken. Now eat before you get to work." He replied. Shiver took a bite and could hardly stomach it. It made her want to throw up.

She pushed the plate away and curled up into a ball on her bed. She just wanted to go home. She wanted her family. Her soft bed of coral and kelp. Her mother's hugs and lullabies.

"You are the ocean's great waves. Destined to seek life beyond the shore just out of reach. Yet the waters never change. Flowing like time. The path is yours to clime..." Shiver sang to herself. Her mother had often sang this when she was feeling particularly weak or scared. "Mama..." Shiver whispered with tears in her eyes, "I miss you."

She only hoped her family was looking.

I wonder how many people know the song I used for Shiver's lullaby...hm. Comment if you know. :)