When he was a boy he was told stories about them, the beautiful cratures hiding in the deep waters. Back then he didn't believe. The boy grew up, the waters were like his home, until he is told the stories again, but this time he can't ignore it.
I...
During his time at sea the captain had had his fair share of storms, but nothing like what they had just experienced. The clouds had left just as abruptly as they had come, but no one complained about that. To everyone's relief, the crash had resulted in minor damage that could be easily fixed and in a few hours they would be able to continue their trip. They were heartbroken though every time they lifted their heads and didn't see their flag at the top of the mainmast, flying gracefully against the wind. They would make sure to make a worthy replacement soon. Sadly, not everything goes to plan in life, does it?
The thought of going back to Windin had crossed their mind, but they were already too far away and the trip back would just lead to more damage. The lifeboats were ready just in case anything happened. While rushing from one place to another, the captain passed by the old man again. He couldn't dare look him in the eye. He was ashamed at the way he disrespected his elder and had been so immature. He went to the storage where there was more work to be done. Some of his sailors were already there, but they had asked for more help. A wrong move could cause a bigger crack in the ship's body. The repair was meant to only hold for a couple of days until they could arrive at their destination and have it professionally repaired.
His worries about the siren stories had seemingly vanished just like the storm as he was occupied with busy work all around Lucia. But soon enough, sirens returned to his mind. He couldn't forget them no matter how hard he tried. He knew that even thinking about sirens and their existence went against everything he believed in. He hadn't even given sirens a second thought as a child when his father first told him about them and now that he was all grown up and the proud captain of Lucia he was thinking about them more than ever before.
He thought about Black Pearl, the ship whose entire crew disappeared into thin air. They hadn't exactly disappeared for that matter as they had left behind a red sea. The captain had met the crew of Black Pearl before. They were all smart and hard-working men. Nothing could have made them all jump into the sea.
Except something obviously did.
When he had first noticed the shine he saw in the sea, he had wondered about what it could have been. With no sun, there was no light to be reflected. The captain had more questions about sirens than he would have ever wanted to. The book he placed in the drawer earlier was calling for him to pick it up again and maybe this time he was willing to not brush everything off. There could be more information on sirens that might change his opinion.
As the job in the storage section was done, they went on to take care of a couple things of their own. Lifting fallen bookshelves and disorganized rooms. It took the captain a long time to find his book. He put almost all of his belongings in its places, before finally finding his book with the dark blue velvet cover. This time, he went out on deck to read. The air in his room felt stuffy and all he wanted was to enjoy the sight of the sea that stretched out for miles on end. There was something about the air after a storm, it was clean and cold. Taking a deep breath brought a feeling of delight to his chest.
The wind was chilly after the storm and the sea had calmed down except for some light movement here and there. He flipped back to the very beginning of the book, to the parts that he had skimmed through. As the writer would describe the siren's tail, the captain felt a shiver from head to toe. It explained how it should shimmer like diamonds even in the darkest of nights and the cloudiest of days and that mirrored what the captain thought he saw during the storm.
He read further and further, most things written he hadn't seen, which gave him comfort and the thought about it being nothing of importance came back. That was until he reached a part that made the hair at the nape of his neck stand up.
Unlike some myths where sirens are seen as a group sitting on top of stones close to shores, they have never been seen close to land. Usually after one of them draws the victim into the water more sirens have been seen charging after the body from all directions in mere seconds and taking it deeper underwater. In a few seconds, they go back to where they came from, not to be seen again.
"Was this what happened to Black Pearl?" he mumbled.
The book on his hands would talk about there being no evidence of sirens as nothing was left behind. That was the reason why the theory about them taking their victims to live like them was so popular among people inland. Maybe it was so popular because no one wanted to believe in the gruesome death of innocent people. But there was so much blood at the scene of Black Pearl, nothing like the book described. It gave the captain false hope. The hope that it could have been a shark or some other known sea creature. The possibility that the other ship that discovered Black Pearl came just as catastrophe struck and there was no time for the blood to spread and not be so visible was strong.
He dared to open the book again and continue to read another section. It was about ways that people have tried to prevent being under the spell of these beautiful and deadly creatures. Most of them didn't seem to be entirely effective even though it said that in some cases trying to close your ears has helped prevent the entire crew from throwing themselves in the water.
Then it talked about how many pirates have declared taking, capturing, and selling sirens, even though there was no proof. The captain, who sadly had encountered quite a few pirates, knew not to believe this part. Most of the lovely encounters had been at some sort of bar and he had been glad it had happened that way. They were dirty and loud and loved to lie more than anything. They would tell you about all the creatures and treasures they had found and things they had done. A trip to a kingdom up in the clouds. A treasure hid in an underwater cave that was guarded by ghosts. A flying ship that had bird-like wings. If they had found so much treasure maybe they would give themselves a bath and a new set of clothes.
They stole and destroyed every place they would step foot in. They entered bars and taverns even when they weren't welcome, but it's not like the owners had a choice. Either let them in or see your place being engulfed in flames and soon enough dissolved into ashes. The one time he had seen a pirate ship out at sea, they were one thread away from being attacked.
He kept reading with the desire of finishing the whole book in one sitting. His crew would pass by to report the state of the work that was left from time to time and they hoped to get back to sailing in three hours.
As the captain finished one of the chapters and was about to turn a page, he stopped. A distant humming suddenly filled the air. The female angelic voice that he heard the previous night was back. With every passing moment, he would hear it louder and louder. The captain jumped from his seat so quickly that the chair he was sitting on tumbled backward as he looked out into the sea. Nothing.
He knew he wasn't sleeping this time and was wide awake. The humming lingered in the air and echoed. For a moment he thought his mind was playing tricks on him again. The storm had obviously shaken him and stressed him out. He massaged his temples, trying to get the song out of his head.
"The others hadn't said anything so it must not be real," He laughed at himself. "It's just me."
"Does anyone hear that?" A sailor said.
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