The Voice of Lake Eris

Evil as the tail, the wicked will crawl from hell. Do not close your ears because she is closer than she appears. A lovely voice, but let us hope he makes the right choice. Once upon a legend, there was a beautiful woman with the voice of an angel. She lived near the shore of Lake Eris. While the woman was collecting seashells and singing a song, a prince came out from the forest seeking the voice that led him there. He told her, " I have never heard of a voice more beautiful in my whole life; may I ask your name." " My name is Serene, and I do not know who you are; I ask that you state your business," she replied. He explained his situation to her and asked if he could seek refuge with her for a while until his ship arrived here. She asked him for his name; he replied, " Ederin Hills of YorkBrim." She explained to him that she lived alone and all she had was a small room for him to sleep in. He was humbled and thought that he was in a comfortable setting.

A few days go by, and they start to get closer to each other; they get more attracted to each other. One day Ederin assisted Serene with her daily chores and planned a picnic near the shores of the lake. He planned to confess his love for her and wanted her to become his lady. Serene, on the other hand, wanted to do the same but was very hesitant. How can she love someone that she barely knows anything about? Would he still love her if she told him her secret? She decided it wasn't the right time to explain her mystery to him, so she got ready for the picnic instead. Upon their arrival at the lake, Ederin gave Serene roses that were as red as her dress. He complimented her hair, her smile, and her body. Serene laughed at his compliments and caressed his face; "this is the best day of my life, and I am glad you stumbled upon me singing. I will be sad when your ship arrives, and you will have to leave me all alone." Ederin looked confused because he planned to take her with him."Serene, you have it all wrong. You will accompany me as we settle down inward land, and you become my lady." "Ederin, I can not leave here; I must stay close to the water. This is my home, and this is where I will raise my future child."

Ederin looked confused, but he came up with a plan to impregnate her to get her to come with him. "My dearest Serene, we can stay here and build a life, but who knows when my ship may arrive. I apologize for my rash decision. Let us plant the seeds of life tonight under the moon." Serene seemed convinced he would stay with her, but if she were intimate under the moonlight, she would get pregnant; maybe he would want to stay with her. Both had become wrapped up in their own thoughts and desires. After the picnic, Ederin places a kiss on Serene's lips and caresses her face. Serene takes Ederin's hand and guides him to the water; He is confused but doesn't want to ruin the moment. The water seemed to glow with the moon bathing them in all its essence; their bodies moved with the water as one. Ultimately, they started to create mini waves, not knowing they were being watched from a distance behind the rocks. Once the blissful moment had passed, Serene knew she had become a woman entirely. From that moment on, they continued this love ritual for a couple of weeks until Serene started to show in the belly.

As time passed, Serene had to seek help from a midwife to help prepare her for the birth of their child. Soon, Ederin noticed how more women started to visit Serene at her home; he became more suspicious about where these women were coming from. None of them arrived with men at all and had already started building shelter for themselves. Many of the ladies appeared from the lake on little canoes bearing gifts. Other ladies emerged from the forest just like he did when he first arrived at Serene's home. The more she sang her special hymns, the foggier it became; One man and many women made it questionable for his stay. Ederin started to calculate when his ship should arrive; it was supposed to be here months ago. He never even received a message back from his hawk. He started to become irritated and aggressive, he went to find Serene, but to his surprise, she was nowhere to be found. He asked all the women around, and none of them would answer him. He went back to the house and waited there for her to return. Hours passed by, and it was after sunset when Serene returned home. She was soaked head from the toe, "Where have you been?" Ederin said aggressively. " I went to visit my midwife and went down to the lake for a little swim..., "Serene answered. "You've been gone hours; I've been worried about you and our child. How can I know you are safe if you do not leave a letter or anything behind?" Ederin looked sad and fell to his knees, weeping. Serene grabbed his face and kissed his head, "Do you want me to sing you a song, or would you like to hear a story." Ederin laid his head across her bosom and asked for a song. "In the season, where harvest comes. A new life will be born in the storm. Under the blood moon, a sacrifice will soon be made. All come to me, first of her kind. A rare sight it will be, Father, do you hear singing my song. Soon the time will come, glory to all. For this will be my greatest creation of all." Ederin fell asleep listening to the melody.

He dreamt of becoming king and taking Serene back as his Queen, but the only thing that could hold them back was the bastard child of his. Even though he was promised another before he left home, he felt his fate tied with Serene. If only he could get Serene to leave with him immediately after birth. He wanted life to go back to how it was when it was just the two of them. He needs his ship to arrive before the birth of his child. The blood moon is often known as the harvest moon in his kingdom; Is that when his child will be born? Ederin concluded that the child could not be delivered; he would have to get rid of the bastard. Whether Serene wants to go willingly or not, he would attempt to take her with him. A few days go by, and Ederin acts like everything is normal. Serene always comes home drenched when the sun goes down, and he offers to take care of her clothes for her, but one of the girls, Cleo, tells him here to duty to please her. She had attendants for everything, he was trying to please his woman, but it seemed impossible to happen. He sent his hawk out with one last message in the hope that his ship would arrive. The next day while Ederin was in the field, his hawk returned with a letter from his boat. "We took so long because the original route was not an option; the bandit pirates tried to capture us, and we had to use the alternate way to get there. We will arrive in two weeks. Given the situation you are in, we will prepare for a hostile situation. We will guarantee the safety of lady Serene, the child, and you; then we make way inward land, visit your father's kingdom. Then we will ask for his blessing and ask him to wed thee together and ask for her to become your consort. ~ Edwardo

Ederin ran to Serene and told her that his ship had finally contacted him and they would be there soon. Serene hugged and kissed Edrin, "This is excellent news, and guess what, our moon child will be here in one week as well. It's about that time, and we will be delivering the baby in the lake for safety purposes. It's also traditional to have birthed this way." "I understand, but I've been thinking it's time for us to journey to my father's kingdom. I've been away from home for a while, and we can go as a family," Ederin explains. "I want to explain to you once again. I must stay here. I can not leave this place, physically on land. Do you want me to die? If I go, I will turn into something unsafe for both of us and our child. I am not of this world; I live on two different planes. I am not even human."Gasping, Serene put her hand over her mouth.

Ederin aggressively grabbed her by her hair and asked her, "What do you mean you are not human? What else could you be but a woman? ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!! WHERE ARE YOU FROM, AND WHAT THE HELL KIND OF SPELL DO YOU HAVE ME UNDER! WHO THE HELL ARE ALL THESE WOMEN. DAMN, TO THINK ALL THESE MONTHS, I THOUGHT I KNEW YOU, BUT THIS IS A BETRAYAL." He dragged her out of the house and in front of all the women in the village. "All you wicked women, tell me what you are and why are you here." Cleo broke down in tears, "Please release the Queen, she has done no wrong, and we need this child to be safe. They are the bridge to both worlds. We are mermaids, and every other year, we get to come on to the land mate with males or guard the shores. This year we got to have our new Queen receive a moon child that will be the heir on both sides. Do not be angry and let this child be born safely." Ederin laughed and thought there isn't a way they could be mermaids. They walked on land, how just how. Serene used her voice and commanded everyone to step back; she then gripped Ederins hand backward. "Release me at once; you came to my home seeking to lay with me and then kidnap me from my home. Foolish mortal, I only needed you to complete my mating ritual. I loved you until I started to see your true colors a couple of months ago. I've always known your plan to take me away, which is why I command a small company in the water to make it where your ship disappears. The letter you received is fake; you can either stay here with me and care for our child or die. I will no longer play these games with you. Make your choice NOW!" "I rebuke thy wicked woman, I curse you, and that bastard child must die!!!!" Ederin lunged at Serene with his knife and stabbed her in the abdomen, leaving her in a bloody pool. All of the women started to chase Ederin toward the shores; they got him in and started to pull him down under the lake. Tearing at him and his clothes and forcing him to stay down to witness the mistake he caused.

Serene was taken to water so she could transform into her proper form. He forced her into labor and witnessed her give birth to a child in a bloody bubble. A baby girl that looked human and had brown hair. She was beautiful, but she was spawned from the hellish waters. He fought his way back to the shores and ran towards the forest. "You are not Serene. You are a... Siren who enchants men with their voices and turns us against our will. I will never forget you and will hunt you for generations to come. Take care of our child but don't ever let me catch you because that will be the last of your kind. Serene was heartbroken, but from the outcome of this relationship, she learned that human men are worthless and this will be a war from here on out. She smiled at the name siren because it sounded like her own, but she knew it was a reckless name. She would tell her child of the devastation that came and teach her to use her beauty and voice to wreck men's lives.

"And that is the story passed down to generations in our family and why we come down to Lake Eris every harvest moon. We wait for the sirens to come to shore to kill them and rid them of this earth." Danton Hills explains to his son at the bonfire while holding a shotgun, under the blood moon.