The Sirens Three

"Epilogue"

I shall never forget the day I met them; their breathtaking beauty, their graceful movements, their dream inducing voices, their eyes.... Oh those eyes and the power they wield, burning into your heart, searching your soul, finding your hidden weaknesses and devouring them. It may be their beauty and song that lures you in, but it's their eyes that hold you, grasping your heart, sending you into the abyss, never to return the same.

But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. I must start at the beginning and the day my life changed forever. It all began on the night of the storm....


"Maelstrom"

As captain of a fishing vessel on the North Sea, I had seen my fair share of large storms. The crew and I had survived many a long night while the ocean tossed our ship around like an insignificant piece of flotsam. Many of those storms were bad, but this storm was different, it was mean and out to destroy all who dared to face it. A true maelstrom.

We had been catching cod on the north sea for the last month. Our holds were full and as we were preparing for the voyage home, the storm hit. At first it seemed tame with winds a steady thirty knots and the seas at twenty feet. We had seen worse and I was confident that we could ride this out and be on our way to town in no time. Oh how wrong I was.

Around midnight the wind shifted directions. What had been a steady west wind became a gusty, swirling north wind blowing with the force of a hurricane. The seas rose and soon the waves were thirty to forty feet high. Occasionally a much larger wave would crash over us. Mother Nature was giving us a pounding, lashing the boat with wave after wave, destroying the equipment on deck and ripping apart the deck itself. It was all I could do to steer the boat into the waves and keep her out of the ditch.

Two hours into the heart of the storm, we began to hear the drums. They were faint at first, but grew louder with each passing second. The drums beat a steady rhythm that grew in intensity until even the sound of the storm was consumed by them. The crew stood frozen, terror written across their faces. We all knew the stories and what the drums meant. The myths and legends were real and being played out before us. The fear of what would come next filled the cabin.

The song started off softly, barely perceptible through the drums, but quickly grew louder and more powerful until we could clearly make out the words being sung.

"Storm lease us all your might,
And bid these sailors final goodnight.
Bring, bring them down, we cry.
Men to us shall fall to die."

The Storm Song had begun, our doom was near.

It continued to grow and reached an ear shattering intensity when the first rouge wave smashed into our starboard side. The boat was tossed on its side, the crew sent flying across the cabin. I was thrown from my chair and slammed into the cabinets. The boat righted itself though and a quick head count showed that we were all fine. Then the alarms sounded and our hearts sank. All power to the main engines was lost. We were floating helplessly on the surface of an angry sea.

Yet oddly, the sea appeared to be calming down. The drums and singing had stopped and even the storm itself was silent. Had we survived the Storm Song's punch?

Thinking maybe we could survive this yet, I sent the engineer down to check on the engines. He was only gone a minute when the drums began anew. A rhythm more powerful than the last took shape, its intense power shook the cabin and rattled the windows. The singing soon followed and as the first verse of this new song ended, a second rouge wave slammed us on the port side shattering the cabin windows and flipping the boat upside-down. The cabin was submerged and the crew was cast into the sea.

All I remember was being thrown from my chair, through a window and into the raging ocean. The last sounds I heard before my icy plunge were the words, "Maelstrom churn" being sung to the pounding rhythm of the drums.


"From Down Below We Sing"

I awoke to the warmth of the sun caressing my body and the soothing sound of waves lapping the shore. Sitting up and opening my eyes, I found that I was on a sandy beach at the head of a horseshoe shaped cove. The cove was bordered on three sides by shear, rocky cliffs. Behind me, above the cliffs, the land rose steeply into a mountain covered in lush forest. It was quite a beautiful scene and my first thought was, I must be in Heaven. I knew that wasn't true though. I was still very much alive.

Where was I then? And how did I get here? I remembered the storm and being thrown into the sea, but not much else. What of my crew? Did they somehow survive too? Sadly, I knew the answer to that question. Why then had I survived?

I sat there pondering these questions, the heavy weight of confusion and sadness on my heart, when I noticed a sound coming from the water. I couldn't make out what it was, so I shut my eyes and focused on it. I listened closely as it slowly grew in volume. It was music. Music being sung by what appeared to be female voices.

I laid back down on the warm sand and lost myself in the melody. The voices blended in perfect harmony as their words wrapped themselves around me. I felt like I was carried into the cloudless sky where I soared high above the ocean on waves of flowing sound. I can't say how long the song lasted, but as it ended I returned to reality and a peaceful stillness settled in the cove. My confusion and sadness were gone.

Suddenly the quiet was shattered by an ominous, drawn out call that echoed through the cove.

"From down below we sing!"

Startled, I jumped to my feet. Drums began to fill the cove with pulsating sound. I tried to decipher where the drums were coming from as the dynamic rhythm surrounded me, coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. I searched the beach for the source, but couldn't find it. Then I saw them, off in the distance three shadowy figures moved on the rocks below the cliff, their arms, legs and torsos swaying gracefully to the beat of the drums.

From my distance the figures seemed to be female, but I couldn't be sure. Were they the source of the drums and singing? My curiosity got the best of me and I decided to get a better look at them. Slowly I moved towards the three, watching their sensual movements as they danced. I felt drawn to them, and though deep down I knew that I shouldn't, I continued walking forward. Soon I was close enough to see that they were indeed females. The desire to be even closer grew. Lowering to my knees I began slowly crawling forward, hoping to remain unseen. Closer and closer I moved. Then the drums stopped.

I froze in place not daring to move a muscle, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. One of them turned, bounded gracefully across two boulders and looked directly at me. My heart stopped. I was still fifty yards away, but the intensity of her stare could be seen even at this distance. The other two quickly joined her and a new song began, a haunting melody that tugged at my soul. The three climbed down from the rocks and began to move towards me.


"The Call"

I had been careless and now was caught. The thought of running passed through my mind, but where would I go? I was locked in by steep walled cliffs, and the ocean. Truthfully though, I didn't want to flee. Their song pulled at my soul, it was so beautiful and the more of it I heard, the weaker my desire to run. So instead of running, I began to walk towards them. Quickly the gap between us closed and we stopped five paces from each other.

Standing this close to them, I saw how breathtakingly beautiful they were. All three were clothed in various shades of blue. The clothes appeared to be made from scraps of material found near the sea. The skirts had many different shredded fabrics arranged together in layers and the sleeveless tops seemed to be held together by pieces of fishing nets and kelp. Now don't get me wrong, they did not appear ragged or run down, just the opposite, they were stunning!

They each had pale white faces framed by bluish colors that began at the hairline, went over the ears, along the jaw and down the neck. Within these blues there was an iridescent light that moved and swirled like the underwater sunlight on a coral reef. It created a magnificent effect that framed the features of their faces perfectly. All three had long, wavy, red hair with shells, pieces of coral, and other treasures from the sea braided within.           

Of all their features though, it was their eyes that truly caught my attention. Each had a different eye color that set them apart, green with gold bursting from the iris, light brown that glowed in the sunlight, and pale, almost transparent, blue. I sensed power in those eyes. The power to alter nature and control the minds of men. The realization came to me then, these three were the sirens of legend, sisters of the sea who fed on the souls of those unlucky enough to be caught by their song. I was caught, it did not bode well for me.

They continued to softly sing as we stood there. There were no drums now, only the beauty of their voices creating harmonious notes that rose and fell in a melody of wondrous allure. Time came to a stand still as deep, ancient emotions stirred inside of me. I had to fight back the feelings that tried to tear me apart; joy and sadness, love and loss, happiness and anger, life and death.

Without warning the song suddenly rose in volume, snapping me back to reality. The three began to move to the rhythm, their bodies swaying like kelp in the sea. One moved forward, her brown eyes gazing seductively at me. She walked up, raised her hand and gently ran her fingers across my cheek, sending a wave of chills down my spine. My heart raced as she touched my arm, running her finger down and back up. Spinning and dancing with the music, she circled around me three times and then stopped, directly in front of me, her eyes staring deep down into mine. I held my breath, frozen from her look. Raising her arm, she ran her fingers through my hair. My pulse quickened as she traced my jawline with her finger and slowly moved it across my lips. A mischievous smile played upon her face as the singing paused and she proclaimed, "You are mine." With one finger she lifted my chin and pushed, sending me stumbling backward as she rejoined her sisters.

Immediately the sirens began to clap their hands and sing in rhythm while moving in a graceful, flowing motion around me. I stood there helpless, watching as their movements closed in tighter and tighter until finally they stood in front of me and looked intensely into my eyes. Reaching out, each placed a hand on my chest. A warm feeling washed over my heart and I felt their hands enter into my body. Quickly they took hold of my soul and pulled away, tearing out long strands.

Again their song intensified as they danced away, spinning and singing. Each held a long piece of my soul like it was a treasured gift. They gazed lovingly at them, waved them through the air like ribbons, spun with them above their heads and caressed them like lovers. Patterns were formed, shapes created, one movement flowing into the next, beauty upon beauty. I felt every tender touch deep inside of my being and knew that a part of me now belonged to them. The sirens then turned their backs to me and slowly drew my soul pieces into themselves.

Their grip on me began to release. Sobbing, I slowly sank to my knees, head in hands.


"Siren Sky"

Moments later I felt a hand on my shoulder. Lifting my head I saw the soft, gentle face of a siren looking down at me, concern showing in her pale, blue eyes. Taking ahold of my hand, she motioned for me to rise. We walked to the water's edge where she gazed longingly at the ocean and began to sing softly. The song was a prayer to the sea, asking it to safely return one who was lost. Visions of my wife, now alone and not knowing if I would ever return, played before my eyes. I longed to hold her and tell her I was alive. With tears in my eyes and an ache in my heart, I turned in anger towards the siren. She looked at me sadly, a single tear running down her cheek. My anger vanished as she took both of my hands into hers, looked tenderly into my eyes and finished her song, "Sea, my love upon him, bestow. I will wait.". Leaning towards me, she kissed my cheek and walked away, down the beach.

My mind was in a haze and I wondered what it all meant. Did this siren, a creature known for stealing souls and bringing death, actually care about my feelings? Was her song and actions meant to console me? Or was she tormenting me? The softness in her eyes and the look of concern on her face suggested the former. I didn't have much time to think about it though as the pounding of drums started again, this time accompanied by a flute.

The green eyed siren walked up, took my hand, and led me into the water. We waded out from the beach until we were chest deep. There I hesitated, realizing that she planned to take me into deeper water where surely I would drown. But the siren looked at me and smiled, her green eyes dancing with excitement. "Walk with me on the ocean floor." she said sweetly. A feeling of trust washed over me and I let myself be led under the sea.

As the water rose above our heads, the siren began to sing. We continued to walk, hand in hand, along the sandy bottom. I found that I had no need to breath as long as I held her hand. I let go of it one time and salt water immediately rushed into my mouth. I grabbed ahold of her hand again and the flow of water stopped. She smiled at me and gave me look that said, don't do that again.

We were now far out to sea and in very deep water. The song continued as the other two swam over to me, grabbed my hands and pulled me upwards. Quickly we rose towards the surface, but just before we broke through, they turned and dove back down, dragging me behind. Each had a huge smile on her face and I could hear laughter in their singing. All three then began to play, rising, diving, spinning around in circles and chasing each other. One was always in contact with me and soon I joined their playfulness. We danced an underwater ballet, the three of them passing me back and forth in a dizzying variety of moves. The music continued to rise in volume until the whole ocean reverberated with it. Drums, flute and the powerful voices of the sirens blended together in an exquisite chorus that made my head spin. Happiness and joy spread throughout me and all sadness was lost. Never in my life had I experienced the feelings and emotions that I felt while soaring with these three through the siren sky.

How long we continued to play, I can't say, it seemed like a lifetime. Eventually though, we returned to the shore and I laid down, exhausted. Closing my heavy eyes, the last thing I remember was the sweet sound of the siren voices singing me to sleep.

"Sleep weary wanderer, close thine eyes
Naught shall befall you here.
Dream you of whispers and lullabies
Of starry nights, calm and clear."


"Farewell"

I awoke to the sound of large waves crashing against rocks and a chill wind on my face. Looking around I realized that I wasn't in the cove anymore. I stood up and saw that I was on a high bluff overlooking the ocean. Large waves pounded the rocks below sending fountains of spray high into the air. It didn't take long for me to realize where I was, I had lived my whole life next to these bluffs. I was home.

My mind raced, searching for answers to the hundreds of questions that sprang up. How did I get here? Where were the sirens? Was it all a dream? Of all the questions though, there was one that kept surfacing, why had they let me live?

I paced back and forth across the bluff, happy to be alive and home, but confused and in need of answers. Finally the frustration boiled over and I yelled out to the sea, "Why am I still here? Why aren't I dead like my crew?"

To my surprise, an answer came, "Ours to kill and ours to spare: Spite of danger, he shall live."

At the sound of their voices my frustration and confusion left. The memories and emotions of our day returned and a feeling of contentment swept through me. Letting out a long sigh, I sat down on the bluff and stared out to sea. A beautiful melody began to rise from the waves and touched my soul like no other. The soulful connection I now shared with the three amplified the magic and I listened to my last siren song with eyes closed and heart wide open. When the song ended I stood and began my walk to town. I hadn't walked far when from the sea I heard, one last time, the voices of the sirens three.

"Farewell, my love, farewell.
Farewell, my love, farewell."

Story is based on and inspired by the music and performances of "Sirena". Lyircs used with permision by "Sirena".