Siren's Song

Abigail sighed in frustration. For hours she sat in front of her screen and willed the topic to fill her with inspiration. But after several dozen discarded drafts, it was evident that her muse had failed to show up. Despite a fascinating subject, she could not translate it to text. And her deadline for publication was rapidly approaching. She took a deep breath and begged focus to return. But after several paused moments of staring at two words, she shut her laptop closed with a defeated groan.

She couldn’t stand to stare at her work any longer and raised her aching body from her chair. She resolved that a cup of coffee would bring prosperity to her writing. She busied herself in the kitchen with grinding her coffee. As the coffeemaker purred alive and the sweet yet acrid smell filled her kitchen, her eyes lifted to gaze beyond the kitchen window.

Aquamarine Cove had been an essential fixture of her childhood. Every summer, her parents would rent a little cabin along its coast and spend the entire season swimming in its tempting waters. A year ago, she had purchased the cabin and made it her permanent residence. With work piling up and a nasty marriage finally dissolving, she had not spent much time outside the walls of her cozy abode. But as she stared at the small waves splashing on the bank, she felt an uncontrollable urge to submerge in its calm waters once more.

Abandoning the steamy cup she had brewed for herself, Abigail was already running down to the dock before the thought of work or coffee ever tried to resurface in her mind. The waters were as clear and beautiful as she had remembered from her youth. It was picturesque and perfect. She reached down and traced her fingers on the surface, expecting cold to meet her. But the water was warm and all the more inviting. It called to her, beckoned her to find peace.

She made no hesitation as she began pulling her sweater over her head. Quickly, the remainder of her clothing followed and was discarded carelessly on the dock's edge.

The water was even more warm and thrilling as she dove into the waters. As she resurfaced, she felt exhilarated as she pulled her wet strands of hair from her face. The lake's waters caressed her skin, and she felt herself come alive again. She flipped onto her back and backstroked, watching the sky above her. This is perfect, she thought to herself, swimming further into the lake's depths.

She did not know how long she lay on the water's surface with her eyes closed, but she did not anticipate dark skies above her when her eyelids lifted. Puzzled, she righted herself and searched about her. Gray filled the skies, and a light fog had settled on the water's surface. For as far as the eye could see, she saw no speck of land, save for the small patch of land a decent swim away. Although it was a small distance, Abigail knew it was not the way back to her cabin. Swallowing the knot of panic that was beginning to lodge itself in her throat, she rescanned her surroundings.

And that's when she heard it.

Faintly, the sound of singing tickled her senses. It was so soft; she almost did not hear it over the lapping water around her. But it was there. She listened intently, and while she could not make out the words, the feminine pitch was delicate, melodic, and beautiful. Forgetting her predicament, she fixated on listening to where the source of the singing was coming from. It was so beautiful. She had to know. But as quickly as it came, the melody ceased.

"Hello?" Abigail called out, frantic at the loss of the song. So focused on finding the source, it did not occur to her immediately that the world fell silent around her fell. No lapping of water. No birds in the sky. Not even the sound of her heightened breathing. She swallowed once more and felt dread creeping up her spine.

She released a scream as she felt something slimy brush against her legs. In a panic, she searched the waters, but, despite its transparency, she did not see anything that would give her alarm. No ripples appeared near her, and she laughed at herself at becoming alarmed by lake vegetation. She scolded herself and recollected her thoughts of how she came to be lost. She determined the direction she must have come from and resolved to start making her trek back when she heard it again: the angelic singing.

But it was much closer.

She swore the song was coming directly behind her, but when she turned to look, she saw nothing but water and fog. As she listened, she could make out words but nothing she understood. The feminine pitch was even lovelier now that it was closer, and she felt like it ensnared her senses in an almost dream-like state. It soothed her, and she felt her senses relax.

That's when a head surfaced from the waves, and the music was silenced.

The girl staring back at her had ink-black hair that spilled around her partially exposed face. Her skin was iridescently pale, and dark, curious eyes peered up at her from just above the water's surface. Abigail, startled at first, found herself relieved for human contact.

"You startled me. Were you the one singing?" she asked breathlessly. The girl nodded gently. Abigail smiled and recovered herself.

"Can you help me? I'm lost and can't find my way back to shore," she explained. The girl in the water did not speak or otherwise indicate she knew the way. She merely eyed the lost swimmer. Abigail felt that feeling of dread once more.

"Please," she heard herself beg. She was no longer sure what she was begging for. The girl in the water was still for a moment before flinging herself at Abigail. The pair submerged deep into the water.

Bubbles surrounded Abigail as she descended deep into the water. As the water cleared, she felt her lungs fill quickly with water as she tried to scream. As the girl's dark hair swept away from her face, a menacing face and a mouth full of wickedly sharp teeth were revealed. Desperately, Abagail tried to swim away from the terror, but a large tail collided with her face, smacking her in the nose. Abigail's world darkened for a moment, but the pain from her broken nose pulled her back to consciousness. The last thing she saw was the water's surface as jagged teeth sank into her throat.

A single ripple dissolved into the waters on the lake's surface, and the sounds of water and surrounding wildlife once more filled the cove.