Siren’s Song

The soft sounds of the ocean’s waves hitting the hull of the boat was the only thing I heard as I stood overlooking the sight of the vast nothingness. There was no land for miles; there were no city lights that polluted the night sky either. The sky was cloudy, though, which covered up even the moon’s beams that usually lit up the night. The only source of light that could be found was from the boat’s navigation system, which was shoddy at best.

The stillness was always my favorite. In a world where everything is instant, the hush of the motionlessness was a breath of fresh air. The darkness that blanketed the world’s loud noise was a reprieve from the movements of life. There were no expectations or responsibilities that were expected of me from out here. Well, except for one duty that I had taken on many years ago. But that was an inconvenience at its finest.

The sharp coldness of the ocean’s salty breeze hit my face, snapping me out of my trance. I scrunch up my nose in response. I looked at the antique watch that rested on my wrist, knowing that the wind was merely a warning for what was about to begin. I turned around and faced my crew, who were all finishing what they had to do. These nights were crucial for us if we wanted to continue to appreciate the ocean and its wonders. Or, survive it.

“It’s time.” I yelled out to my crew, who nodded in understanding.

The soft lapping of the ocean’s waves against the boat’s metal frame slowly became rough and unruly, shaking the boat from side to side, nearly knocking it down. I grabbed onto the railing, steadying myself as I watched the fog roll in, surrounding us. The navigation lights began flickering, which made it hard for me to watch out for what was to come. That is, until I heard it ringing all around us.

The lull and hum of the creature’s voice was all that can be heard; the music was beautiful and soothing. Her voice was soft and sultry. The music played to something deep within you. It played to an intrinsic feeling of wanting to be nearer to the music and be held by it. But the siren’s song only really worked on men, which I never understood. I also never intended to probe the answers to that question any further, either.

Luckily, my crew was composed of only women, except for one man. We all turned to look at him, who was already entranced by her song. His eyes were glazed over and a goofy smile rested on his face. He giggled as he stood up and made his way to the railing.

None of us made any attempt to grab him as he threw himself overboard. The song was interrupted by screaming and yelling from the poor guy. Looking over the side of the boat, we could see that the blueness of the ocean was being covered by the redness of his blood. One of my crewmates whispered under her breath about how gross it was.

I shrugged at what she said. A deal’s a deal. A man must be sacrificed to the siren every month in return for safety provided by the siren herself. It was like this for many, many years now and it worked perfectly for all of us.

“It’s time we put up another ad for a crewmate.” One of the girl’s said, another groaned in response.

“It took us forever to find this guy!”

“Let’s get on that soon then.” I responded, as I looked back out to the horizon. The fog was rolling out and everything returned to its prior conditions. The calmness had returned, as did the happiness that came with it. The rest of the girls lounged around the deck of the boat, admiring the beauty of the ocean. They all soaked in the relaxation that came with being out here.

I smiled. Like I said, the only responsibility that we had was nothing compared to the rewards that were reaped. Closing my eyes, I took it all in. The stillness was always my favorite.