Sirens of the South

by Gee Pascal

She had found something that would mean she’d never be poor again – but there was a catch – she would never step foot on dry land again.

The sirens of the south had offered her a home, a brand-new life that she had always wanted. Sirens were just fleeting hearsays in the ports and were usual topics of drunken sailors’ morbid tales, but she knew what she saw at the port at the crack of dawn that day. Their enchanting melancholic voices were full of pity directed at her, but they also sang of promises of a new life for her. Living life as a beggar in different ports, asking for food or for a couple of shillings, was never really her life.

Now that she knew such creatures actually existed in this world, and being offered something that she greatly desired, there was simply no way that she would let this opportunity slip from her hands. Dry land and humans had never given her the chance to truly live. Of course, what they had offered might never even be certain, as sirens were known to be deceptive creatures, but she had nothing to lose.

With a final glance to where the waves met the sand, she took the outstretched hand of one of the sirens that she had seen early at dawn today, never really thinking of all the life that she would leave behind. She did not think twice and swam with them towards the great abyss.

Down and down they went, to the uncharted depths of the Antarctic ocean. Cold and dark, she had never expected this. For a moment, her life played right before her eyes, everything that had happened to her that day a ringing memory. Doubt consumed her; had she really made the right choice?

At the horizon far below, was a faint glowing light, like a gold coin struck by the first rays of daylight. And right then she found a struck of hope; maybe this would really not be that bad for an old beggar girl who had known nothing but the ports, and the ships who went out and came back in a couple of months, the travelers, the sea farers, the stories of pirates, and of sirens, which she had encountered, and which were now currently bringing her where they promised they would.

The faint light was now a glare of white; her eyes were hurting because of it. It seemed like she was dying and yet at the same time rejuvenated. And as she glided gracefully towards the light, everything felt warm and light, her life on dry land like a faint memory that she would never take a hold of. Shining blue scales then slowly covered her hands, and her feet now became an enchanting tail. She then excitedly swam through the light, never to be seen nor heard again.

Gee Pascal is a frustrated writer and bookworm at heart. If she’s not reading nor writing, you can find her singing her heart out acting like a Broadway musical star. She aspires to someday publish a book and travel the world volunteering for a greater cause.