"Follow the ocean breeze through deep seas, where the water sparkles a hue of blue, where the rocks stand ever so tall and true, where the coral sings a song of orange and pink, where no brave soul dares to blink, where the waves are still through storms that shrill awaits a destiny, a curse, an adventure... One that'll make you surrender."
This was our song, our lullaby of the sisterhood used to lure the innocent into the our home where our powers flourished with the touch of salt and water. Outside of the ocean our strength had turned into legs, and our voices our only hope for survival.
Misunderstood didn't even begin to describe our kind. The land dwellers would hunt us as they would say we posed a threat, a danger to them. They were not wrong, however we needed them to continue our bloodline...
When I turned twenty-one, being of age, the sisterhood took me on my first expedition to land. I was both scared and nervous as I knew what followed. As we arrived near the shoreline, the moon had a different face - it was round but not silver, instead it echoed a luminance of crimson, of romance, of violence, an everlasting irony. The stars shimmered with the unknown, making my heart race against the waves of the ocean.
"Lyric, now is your turn to transform into a land dweller. Eat this," Shira said offering me a string of kelp.
"I'm not hungry Shira, and you know I don't like kelp," I said, pulling my face in disgust. The others watched in angst, awaiting my transformation.
"Lyric now is not the time for your stubbornness, we only have until the crimson moon lays its head on the bed of the ocean glowing silver once more for you to be with child. Our kind depends on you! Anyway, this kelp is specifically enchanted with lionfish scales and land dwellers' bone dust for you to transform, if you don't eat it, it'll be betrayal against the sisterhood," Shira sternly explained forcing me to eat the enchanted kelp.
I slowly placed the kelp in my mouth, its bitter taste dancing in my mouth as I chewed. I could slowly feel myself transforming - I no longer took a breath from my gills, but from my nose; the scales from my violet tailfin scattered off falling to the ocean floor, glimmering like the jewels of a lost treasure which was replaced with two legs; my glowing diamond-like eyes dimmed causing the world's brightness to fade. The transformation hurt in more ways than one. Physically it felt like my fin was spilt in two, mentally I felt at loss with myself, and emotionally I broke knowing I had to lure an innocent man into the cove watching him drown in confusion.
"Remember the lullaby," Shira said before her voice turned into screeching, a language I no longer understood.
I struggled making my way to shore. My breath was fast and my body numb escaping the ocean's grip. I only had a few days to accomplish my task but I had no idea where to start. As I laid breathless on the shore I could hear the screeching get softer, the sisterhood returned to the cove leaving me to figure this out on my own.
I rested a while feeling the waves tickle my toes and the sand rubbing against my body, until I felt water on my face - this was not water from the ocean, but from the heavens. Shira, the head of the sisterhood, was the only one who possessed the ability to call upon the heavens for storms or sunshine as she called it, if need be. Eventually light came down followed by a roaring noise. I was frightened and not knowing how to use "legs" I was stuck where I laid, shivering.
Suddenly a creature came running towards me with teeth like that of a shark, but instead of biting me it licked my face. It made a distinct sound as if calling someone. Just then I felt my naked weak body being lifted and carried away towards a spinning light piercing the storm, and everything faded to black.
I opened my eyes to the sun caressing my face and remembered that I was now a land dweller and that I was no longer on the beach where I started my journey. Frightened I looked around, but no one was in sight. My body was covered with cloth making me feel warm. I was placed on a land dweller's bed. The sensation of fright faded, for some reason I felt safe.
In the distance I could hear someone approaching. I couldn't do much so I awaited my fate - whatever were to happen I was ready to face it for the sake of the sisterhood.
A tall man with short brown hair stood in front of me. His upper body naked, revealing every muscle sculpted with complete perfection. His arms were strong, but he was injured - a large scar ran down his right arm, bulging in remembrance to a painful incident.
"You're awake. My dog found you laying on the beach almost lifeless," the land dweller said. Surprisingly I understood his language as he spoke, his voice a mesmerizing echo to my ears.
"I should have left you to the storm, or killed you," he said looking down as if feeling guilty about something.
Suddenly my thoughts transformed into words, into his language, "Thank you for saving me and not killing me, but why would you?" I asked a bit uncertain.
"I know of your kind, Siren, I know what you came here to do. It is my duty as the lighthouse keeper to protect people from these waters and from things within them. I just... Couldn't," he explained. I looked into his azure eyes and saw the ocean - a quiet, gentle type of tide swirling, currents of care and protectiveness, but also waves of sadness.
"I have a name, it's Lyric by the way. But am I right if I say that by not killing me you feel like you betrayed your kind?" I asked him, picking up the same conflict as what I had to deal with.
"Indeed. You must've placed one of your spells on me not to kill you, well at least that is what I can tell the townsfolk" he laughed.
"No, the only way for me to enchant you is by singing a specific lullaby taught by the sisterhood of the cove, which I have not yet done. And don't laugh as if drowning innocent people is a joke, I hate the thought of it!" I said lifting my voice in concern.
"Not yet, eh?" he smiled.
"I'll have you know just as you feel like you're betraying your kind by not killing me, I am betraying my kind by not wanting to lure you into the depths of the cove to continue our bloodline," I said irritably.
"Wow, don't you think we should get to know each other better first, my name is Ethan by the way," he said lifting his eyebrow. I looked away and started crying as this whole ritual felt like a mountain on my shoulders.
He sat next to me on the bed, gently helping me sit upright, and folded his arm around my shoulders. "Don't cry Lyric, there is another way to get out of this mess, of course it is based on a myth so we'll have to figure this out together," he explained consoling me.
"The lighthouse keepers before me were all siren hunters, the lore, our quests have been passed down from one generation to the next through books and stories. As a child I was taught to kill a siren on the spot, but I found a book one day as I collected seashells. The book was bound in a strange material that felt like sharkskin, inside a language I couldn't comprehend. I did research and unfortunately made out only one word... Curse. You are my first siren, and I have a feeling that you might understand that which is written within those pages, which could assist us both," he said intriguing me with his defiance against those before him, and the strange book that could solve everything.
He took the book out of an old chest and handed it to me. The book was written in the language of the sisterhood, luckily I could still read the language. It talked of a woman who was the mistress of a wealthy man. The man was married to a witch who followed him one night under a blood moon as he went to see his mistress. In an act of rage she placed a curse on the woman to never walk land without death and heartbreak following her, she would never be able to commit to eternal love where she would live eternally. After the spell had been cast the mistress was bewitched to serenade the man which lured him into the ocean where she got pregnant whilst drowning him. Her legs became fins and her lungs attached to gills. Henceforth the only way to break the curse was by finding the mistress and drink her tears cried for love.
I explained to Ethan what I had just read, but it seemed impossible. I know all of the sisterhood, and none of them are immortal. All of them have the same goal in mind. But then it struck me...
Shira was the only one who could control the weather, she was the only one who taught and even forced the sisterhood to drown the innocent, she was the only one with hatred in her eyes each time land dwellers were mentioned as if she was bewitched.
I was furious, it was never to continue our bloodline, it was revenge on humankind. She turned her curse into vengeance, and her love into hatred. If she couldn't love she wouldn't tolerate love, she would order the seduction of men to take them from their families, which in turn would give her another member of the sisterhood. The more members, the more men she could take.
I waited with Ethan in the lighthouse until the crimson moon transformed back into silver. In those few days we fell in love. sharing stories of our worlds divided.
As the time came, I transformed back as I entered the ocean and swam to the cove to talk to Shira. My heart felt empty leaving Ethan not knowing if I would ever see him again.
"Lyric, I thought they took you. Where is your prey?, is he handsome?" she asked.
"Shira, I...", "I told you she wasn't ready!" I was interrupted by Gemma.
"You didn't bring someone did you?!" Shira shouted, her face angry, her behavior violent.
"Shira, I found the book, I know you are immortal, I know what your intensions are and I am not going to be a part of it!" I said, a storm of tears running down my face. Shira looked shocked.
She stayed quiet for quite some time, and then she spoke, "You are right, Lyric, but now I'm going to ban you from the sisterhood which means killing you. You will not stand in my way, those humans are the cause of this and you have betrayed us all!" she exclaimed.
"However, you are off with a few things, yes I'm immortal, and so is my mother. After she drowned her love, she fell pregnant with me causing the spell of immortality to flow in my veins. I discovered her journal and developed a deep seated hatred for humans and their so called love. As I reached twenty-one I wanted to avenge her, disappointed my mother disappeared, as she still believed in love. So good luck finding her and breaking the curse. My mother tried breaking the curse with her own tears, but failed, it takes a pure heart of our kind to do so, again she is nowhere to be found."
Just then Shira shoved my against a wall, it burst open revealing Shira's mother. She was locked in there for years trying to warn us, trying to save us. Shira was beside herself, the other members of the sisterhood held onto her while I freed her mother, Esmerelda. She cried and gave me her tears. The sisterhood was just as betrayed as I was was, hurt even that she kept this from us causing us to kill.
I drank the tears when storm filled the ocean, its currents sweeping us to shore where we were finally freed and human. Sadly, Esmerelda and Shira died as the spell of immortality wore off as the curse was broken. Their stories never to be spoken of again.
I ran to the lighthouse and told Ethan that the curse was broken, where he embraced me with relief. We could now be together guiltfree as no curse, song or ocean could divide us anymore.
