Jules

The water was silent tonight, with no signs of other boats. The midnight sky above her was filled with stars. The constellations were all she could see when looking up at the starry night, some she could name by heart. The moon was out and provided her with light. The water glimmering around her. She looked back to see, the ship was exactly where she’d left it. The ship was silhouetted by the moon, making it look ethereal against the water. Her crew was there, her family waiting for her. It was only a day since she had gotten her first mission.

The sun was high, and sweat began running down her face. She had been scrubbing the deck from breakfast until noon. She used her sleeve to dry off the sweat and prayed for a little shade. Her days on the ship consisted of helping in the kitchen with her father, being Captain Amory’s little bird and scrubbing the deck. Her workday got interrupted when she was told the Captain needed to talk to her. She figured it was for her task as his little bird, to give him information and gossip. When she entered the Captains cabinet she was surprised to find her father standing by Captain Amory.

The Captain had a smile on his face when he said. “There’s a mission for you little bird” She looked at the Captain wondering if this was a test or a trick, but he nodded as to say it's not a trick. She then looked to her father for another confirmation, he looked at her proudly. Giving her all the confirmation she needed.

“For me?” she said trying to hold in her enthusiasm “I’m honoured my captain, I didn’t think you deemed me ready yet -”

“Mija of course you’re ready!” her father said in reply “I proposed this mission to the captain some weeks ago, and you are of age now. We both agreed you’re ready.”

Her heart was beating twice as fast, it was impossible containing her excitement. They trusted her, they wanted her, the Captain himself wanted her for this mission.

The Captain spoke more assertive this time “Your mission is to retrieve a map of mine on this little island. This mission requires stealth and working in the shadows, someone petite. To be frank, I would have asked any other of the crew, but they need to lay off the rum first.” He glanced towards her dad and his belly, she laughed at that. “Can you handle it little bird? I can send someone else if you’re not ready?”

She looked at her dad, then back at the Captain waiting. “I’m ready, you have my word Captain. I won’t disappoint. thank you so much, thank you, thank you!”

She continued rowing as silent as possible, making sure no one could hear her. She took a break from rowing to regain her strength and drink her water, dehydration was not how she would go down. Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention, a movement in theMy Jolly Sailor Bold water. She quickly turned her head to find nothing, just some bubbles and a few waves. Someone was here, a shark, fish or…. something deadly.

The once silent ocean was now filled with a melody, a song. Marina looked around searching for the angelic voice, it was mesmerizing and beautiful, but nowhere to be found.

Upon one summer's morning, I carefully did stray

Her mind told her to cover her ears, but her heart told her to listen. The song seemed to draw her in, telling her to go into the water. Marina leaned closer to the water, wanting to know its song. “Follow me,” a voice in her head said.

Down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay

The most beautiful woman she’d ever laid eyes on was right in front of her. Everything about her seemed ethereal, there was nothing average about her. She drew closer to Marina, with a glint of mischief in her eyes. Marina couldn’t help but look at her, falling under her spell. She wanted to follow her, to go wherever she went, to drown…

A few yells were coming from the ship, the sound carrying on the water. Followed by more yells and something crashing down. The noise distracted the singer and the spell severed for a moment. Marina snapped back to reality and couldn’t hear the singing any longer. The girl right in front of her looked strangely around, with her brows frowning in confusion.

“Who are you?” Marina asked the girl. The girl no longer frowning looked at Marina with hunger.

My heart is pierced by Cupid -

Marina understood quickly what the girl was trying to do. The control the girl had on her, it made her shudder. She didn’t want to go through it again. Before the girl could finish her sentence, Marina grabbed her by her face. Levelling her face up towards her own.

Marina spoke “You listen here, fish-girl. I know about you and your kind, and all of your little tricks. It won’t work a second time if you try I will feed you to my crew - is that understood?” Even if it was a lie, she couldn’t show her fear, these creatures feed off human emotion making them easily manipulated.

The girl nodded, and a devious smile crossed her face. Marina relaxed her grip, and let the siren down. She looked back at her ship, grateful for their little brawl. They had saved her life by disobeying her and Captain Amorys orders on being quiet tonight. She hadn’t forgotten about the siren, still hanging around the side of the boat.

My Jolly Sailor Bold “Can you talk or do you just put words into my head?” Marina asked the siren.

The siren gave her a little smile and tilted her head to her right. Marina studied the girl, wondering if the girl was mute or just choosing not to talk. She should be able to communicate Marina thought. A pain seared through her head, more painful than a migraine, albeit it didn't last long. Then a voice, “Aren’t you a curious one, human - why don’t you come into the water, it’s so refreshing” She was teasing her, of course, she wouldn’t give her a straight answer. Marina rolled her eyes at the siren, and continued rowing, paying no attention to the siren.

The humming continued, there was no singing, but the power still lingered. Marina let out an annoyed breath but continued. The Siren was following her, out of curiosity or she wasn’t giving her prey that easily up.

“This little boat won’t stand a chance if more of her kind came!” Marina thought now even more worried. This simple mission turned out to be more dangerous than she’d thought.

She continued her rowing, but the humming was no more. The Siren had given up. All Marina could hear now was her own breathing, and the oars carefully hitting the water over and over again. The land was close, she wouldn’t fail her mission, she couldn’t. The crew trusted her, they gave her this mission to prove herself. Nothing would stop her, not even that siren could stop her.

Something hit the boat from below, making the boat unsteady. Marina had to use her oars to make them stable again. Another hit, but from the starboard this time. Her starboard oar slipped out of her grasp as she tried to sit still. With her one oar, she tried to poke the sea creature, but she could only see herself. Her eyes narrowing trying to see beyond her reflection, she could only see a tail.

The boat tilted and with it, Marina fell into the sea. Her eyes opened and pain followed, she tried to look around herself only to see bubbles. Her eyes reddening from the salt, her body shivering from the cold. A painful shriek came from her right, something monstrous was close, the one who tilted her boat perhaps. With the energy she had left she tried to look after her weapons, she prayed her dagger survived. Her clothes felt heavy on her, but the dagger was still where she’d left it, by her hip. She kicked up to the surface for air, but someone had a hold on her foot. She tried kicking, but the grip only grew stronger. Panic seized through her, weighing her down.

“Is this punishment? Were the gods angry at me? I cheated death once when I was a baby, saints…. are they taking it back? You can’t fool death twice, as the old crones loved to say.” There was nothing she could do anymore, but let the black sea swallow her.

She couldn’t seem to understand what was going on around her, all she could see was death’s door closing in on her. Her lips grew pale, her lungs filling with saltwater, she felt aMy Jolly Sailor Bold heavyweight on her chest from the pressure. She opened her eyes again to find the alluring Siren in front of her.

The siren looked around then at Marina distressed “You will live, human girl” then she continued singing her siren song.

Come all you pretty fair maids

Whoever you may be