Siren's Lake

They had been planning this trip since the moment Jared proposed. It was a time of great happiness as the couple threw the last of their baggage into the back of the vehicle. The drive to the cabin was filled with the beauty of October leaves displaying their proud lives well spent. The wind churned as it passed judgment on the next one to fall. With each one holding an account of the passing summer's memory. The cold of winter began its long, slow, creeping into the world. A plethora of pleasant conversation filled the journey as the two newlyweds made their way to the site where they would spend the next few days celebrating the lives they imagined for themselves in the years to come.

Jared grew up on this pleasant expanse of calm water. He spent every summer learning and growing in the way a child can only experience when away from school, living a childhood free from the burden of responsibility.

“Let’s go already!” Jared’s wife declared excitedly.

Her words snapped him from his memories, and Jared smiled in admiration of her beauty as he nodded in agreement and gathered the bags from the trunk. Upon entering the familiar cabin, his senses were assaulted by the scent of childhood. It was a fragrance of aging oak walls alongside the lingering burnt wood from the fireplace’s lost warmth.

“It’s gorgeous,” Jade declared as she looked upon the room with a gentle spin.

“Not as gorgeous as you,” Jared declared boldly dropping the bags and taking her into a warm embrace.

They shared a lingering kiss promising the passion to come later before departing each other’s embrace with a satisfied sigh. These things would have to wait as the cabin stood ready to be brought to service of the life inside its walls.

“I’ll get a fire going,” Jared said looking over to the fireplace and seeing a small pile of wood waiting.

“And I will unpack,” Jade replied with a soft smile and a seductive wink as she grasped the handle of a bag and walked upstairs.

Her pace was slow, and Jared felt his face flush as her hand traced the smooth grain of the wall with a single finger as her hips swayed upon each step up the narrow passage to the bedroom.

“Save it for later,” Jared said softly aloud with a shake of his head to clear the thought of rushing up and taking her now.

They had waited for marriage to enjoy each other. They had played by a God’s rules. Now he said they could experience the desire which led them to a ceremony of bonding. Two years of pent passion had built into a crescendo as the lovers made their way to this serene place of refuge from a world lacking the discipline they’d held in such importance. Tonight, they would release their passion and begin to live as one.

Jared finished building up the fire as Jade made her way back down the narrow staircase. She paused for a moment watching him as he used a metal rod to poke at the crackling flames. She was proud to call this man her husband and continued down the steps coming up behind him whispering into his ear after a playful nibble.

“The sun is setting soon. Why don’t we go watch?” She asked seductively.

He set the metal back down on its pedestal and spun quickly lifting her high as he spun once, and she let out a playful giggle.

“I think that is a brilliant notion,” he answered still holding her.

They shared another passionate kiss before he returned her feet to the ground, and they held each other’s hands walking out to the porch.

“It’s so pretty,” she said resting her head on his shoulder as they gazed at the fiery defiance of the setting sun playing out across the gentle lake.

“I told you it would be perfect,” he said in answer as their hands squeezed tightly and they walked toward the rocky shoreline.

They spent some time walking along the shoreline enjoying the scenery in silence before they found a large, smooth, stone to sit upon and gaze out at the water.

“Why do they call it Sirens’ Lake,” she asked as they enjoyed each other’s warmth in the cooling approach of night.

“Because the beauty of this place has fired the passions of many a couple,” he answered with a wry grin.

“Stop it,” she said giving him a playful push.

Their eyes met and they thought of the night waiting for them with happiness as they both smiled and turned back to enjoy the rest of the sun’s set upon the day.

The air grew colder as the last of the sun left the horizon allowing the moon to take stewardship of the sky. It stood full as its light danced across the water.

“Want to go inside?” Jade asked with a hint of excitement.

“Of course, give me a moment” Jared answered trying his best to hide the nervous anticipation of their conjugation of the marriage.

Jade stood and started walking inside as Jared stayed at the shoreline for a moment. He heard the door shut behind her and sighed softly to himself as he smiled and enjoyed the still water for another moment before turning to join her. He made his way to the cabin and walked up the three wooden steps enjoying the give of the wood under his feet as he reached for the handle of the door. Just as he prepared to open it the sound of singing drifted across the water. He turned for a moment feeling surprised and looked out across the water. The sound faded as soon as he gazed out at the lake and he shrugged thinking it his imagination as no fires of other campsites, or noise of any kind broke the serenity of the night.

He went inside and locked the door behind him prepared to spend the rest of the night inside. He could hear the shower running upstairs and smiled to himself as he sat down on the couch near the fireplace. He knew she was preparing herself for the evening and prepped a bottle of wine for her as he enjoyed the soft crackling of burning timber. The cork popped and he set the bottle down on the small table in front of him as he went to find some glasses. Jared stood by the sink rinsing them of the dust of time when he felt an uneasy feeling of being observed. His eyes lifted to the window above the sink. Jared nearly dropped the glass as he saw the pale face of a beautiful woman staring back at him.

Taking a step back he shook his head in disbelief as the woman continued to stare with an unbroken gaze. The hairs on his arms raised as the cold rush of fear crept up his spine.

“What the hell?” He asked aloud closing his eyes in disbelief.

When he opened them the woman was gone…

Jared continued to stare for a few more seconds before reason took hold of his mind once more and he set the glass down and went over to the wooden door holding back the night. His hand hesitated for a moment as he contemplated whether to open it or leave the vision as nothing more than his mind playing tricks. The cold tingling of fear continued to persist at the edge of his mind, and he lowered his hand feeling his nerve to explore the curiosity leave him. The sound of the shower shutting off drew his attention from the door and he took a step back and decided he had just been seeing things. Jared closed all the blinds around the first floor before he took his seat back on the couch.

The warmth of the fire quickly chased away the cold touch of fear as he heard his wife call him.

“Jared, come upstairs,” she said in a seductive tone.

He sighed and decided the experience was simply his mind playing tricks as he grabbed the bottle of wine and went up the stairs feeling the anticipation of their encounter rising with each small ascension of his feet.

His blood rushed as he saw the sight of his wife waiting on the bed with a short robe covering what he’d waited so long to see.

“Is that for me?” She asked seductively as she saw the bottle of red wine in his hands.

“It is,” he answered in a deep tone as he poured the contents into two glasses and carried them over to the bed.

“Thank you,” she said caressing his cheek as she spoke.

They enjoyed the glass of wine, each slowly caressing the other as the sexual tension grew at a steady rate. Their heartbeats rose as the kisses became more passionate and the glasses soon found themselves empty on the nightstand as they finally gave in to their passions and began to make love for the first time.

The room echoed with the sounds of their love as they fully explored the bodies they had so long denied themselves access to. Before long the sounds of sexual ecstasy reached a crescendo and they lay panting as the afterglow left them feeling a deep well of love for the other. The two laughed lightly attempting to catch their breaths. Jade rolled out of the bed to go to the bathroom before they started again.

Jared sat for a moment before pouring himself another glass of the wine. As he raised it to his lips, he felt the sense of being watched once again. The rim of the glass hesitated at his lips for another moment before he shook the feeling and took a long drink of the wine. He set the glass down on the nightstand and looked around the room still holding a smile at the memory of his wife’s body. His eyes fell to the window to his left and he jumped from the bed giving a startled shout as the pale face once again stared back at him.

“What the hell are you?” He called out as fear and anger rose rapidly in his tone.

“What did you say?” His wife asked coming out of the bathroom and looking at his shocked expression with worry.

She followed his gaze to the window and wondered what he was looking at seeing nothing but the black of the night staring back.

“You don’t see her?” He asked as the face continued to stare back.

“I don’t see anything. Are you sure you didn’t have too much of the wine?” She asked in a concerned tone as she walked over to him and put a hand on his back hoping to calm him down.

“She’s right there,” he said seeing the pale face break into a wicked grin as he looked to his wife.

“This is the second floor. No one can be there,” she answered looking back to the empty window.

His shocked expression drifted back to the window, and he felt a sense of rising dread seeing no one there.

“It…It was right there…” he said confused.

“I think we should just go to bed,” his wife said in a disappointed tone as the night took a different direction.

“Yeah…Maybe you’re right,” he replied still feeling the now growing familiarity of fear sitting in the back of his head.

“No more drinking for you this trip,” she said in a huff as she got in bed and turned out the lamp on her side before rolling over to face away from him.

He felt guilty over ruining their fun as he got into bed and turned off his light. He couldn’t take his eyes off the window and found sleep eluding him as the gentle, rhythmic, breathing of his sleeping wife filled the room. His eyes eventually began to droop as the fear subsided and the lure of sleep overcame him.

Jade awoke a short time later rolling over to look at her husband. She was frustrated his drinking had ended their night early, but she was still happy to be with him. After a few minutes staring at his sleeping form admiring his strong features a small, eerie sound of singing started at barely an audible tone. She shrugged the sound off wondering if it was simply a trick of her mind from being so familiar to the noise of a city, but soon the sound grew in volume. In a few more moments the ghostly sound filled the entire room and she sat up trying to find the source.

Jade was about to wake Jared when he lifted up in the bed and turned as his feet touched the wood floors below.

“Do you hear that?” She asked him as she paced the room seeing nothing.

He failed to answer, and she walked over to him seeing his eyes still closed.

“Jared, wake up,” she snapped her fingers and shook him slightly growing fearful as the sound increased in volume once again.

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand as she watched him rise and begin to walk.

“Where are you going?” She spoke in a raised tone as worry overtook her patience and fear began to grip her.

She tried standing in front of him and he easily pushed past her as he began to descend the stairs with his eyes still shut.

“Jared, come back,” she called out to him following closely down the narrow passage wondering how he kept from falling.

He paused for a moment in the middle of the living space downstairs, and she used the opportunity to shake him once again. He still refused to wake. Quiet desperation began to grow inside her mind as the sound of singing continued.

“Just shut up. Just stop,” she screamed out as loud as possible.

The music stopped for a moment as a ghostly giggle echoed in its place.

“Where are you?” Jade called out scared and confused.

The sound of singing started once more, and Jared began walking toward the door.

“No, don’t go outside,” Jade yelled as she grasped his shoulders and attempted to hold him back.

Her efforts were futile as he shrugged them violently sending her falling to the ground as he opened the door and walked outside. She sat recovering for a moment watching him walk down the steps and head toward the still water highlighted by the rays of the full moon.

“Jared, please stop,” she called out standing back up and running after him.

She exited the cabin, and the sound of the singing filled the air as it seemed to come from the lake itself.

“Just stop. Please don’t do this,” she yelled and pleaded as tears filled her eyes.

Jade stood directly in front of him trying to push him back with her hands. His eyes were still closed as he continued to walk forward despite her attempt to stop him. She fell once again as a rock caught her foot sending her to the ground. He kept walking forward as tears flowed freely down her face. Jade watched in silent horror as her husband stepped into the shallow water and paused a moment.

“Jared?” She called out hoping he was about to wake up.

The singing paused for another moment as a chilling laugh echoed out once again from the center of the lake. A moment later the singing began anew. Jade looked on helplessly as her husband began walking deeper into the still, cold waters of the once adored lake.

Jade crawled forward tentatively on her knees with hands outstretched as she watched the top of his head disappear below the water line in the soft moonlight. A few small bubbles broke the surface of the otherwise still water as she felt her voice catch in her throat at the sight of a pale woman rising from the water. The Siren smiled a wicked grin before disappearing back below…