Under Murky Waters

A SHIVER RAN down Zale’s spine. Although he was unfamiliar with the tale, he could still hear the fear in that word with how the man enunciated every letter carefully. Goosebumps began to form on his skin, showering him with an unpleasant sensation as he rubbed at his arms in an attempt to get rid of the feeling.

“What’s the difference?” Kyle asked, wrinkling his nose. “Mermaids, sirens, both half fish and half human.”

“They are vastly different, lad!” The second man cried out.

The first one shook his head, rubbing at his nose before waving a nonchalant hand. “I have better things to do than to listen to this argument again,” he grumbled under his breath before lugging the barrel of water away from the group.

“Never mind him,” the former mumbled. “You boys need to know the difference in order to survive in these waters. The merfolk are a breed that should not be trifled with. If you cannot even tell the difference between the two, you are a doomed sailor that is fated to die out on the waves.”

“That’s how I plan to go, anyways.” Cheekily, Zale grinned broadly.

“Not this way.” The unnamed man shook his head, curly white hair falling over his eyes. “The mermaids are peaceful creatures. Their tails are nude, matching their skin tones whatever that may be. Mermaids travel in packs, groups, and they have an entire underwater society. The sirens, however, are killers. They lure unknowing sailors into their deadly murky waters with a song as beautiful as angels. Then, they pull them under and drown them for fun. Some say it is sadistic joy but I reckon it is for revenge. Legend has it that sirens are all women, those that had died a violent death while at sea. Their tails reflect the color of their soul: dark as the night and freckled with the green of evil.”

“That was unnecessarily explicit,” Kyle commented.

“It is needed if you want to live.” With those as his parting words, the man turned and left, off to continue with his chores.

They were already out in the open sea, rocking along with the waves as the sun flew over their heads. By the time dusk had fallen and the world was drenched in darkness, an uneasiness lodged itself into Zale’s throat. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe, a struggle to even gasp for air. When he rushed to the top deck and clutched at the sides of the ship, he was met with a faint song coming from the deck. The men had started to sing, all in harmony, reciting the exact same words to an eerie tune.

Oh, Cordelia

Sing to me

Then proceed to

Kill me at sea

Under star shine

And whispering seas

Oh, sweet Cordelia

Why won’t you take me?

“Why are they singing?” Zale asked with a lowered voice once Kyle made his way over, the former pointing at the men that were scrubbing at the decks. “And those lyrics.”

“I had the exact same question as you do about five minutes ago,” Kyle mused. “Apparently, it is to pay tribute to the ship that sunk. They named the siren that single handedly destroyed the crew ‘Cordelia’, after the name of the ship. Although the lyrics make you think otherwise, they believe that the song is meant to ward the sirens away. They think that it can fool them into thinking we are one of them.”

“That is just idiotic.”

“Tell me about it.”

At first, the music was faint. However, Zale soon noticed the alarmingly growing volume of another voice that chimed in with the song, this time, a female whose voice was heavenly. The blood in Zale’s system ran cold as ice as he spun around, grabbing at sides of the ship as he searched the night for the source of the voice.

There, in the inky dark sea, was a single woman that was submerged in the calm waves. Her hair was dark and long, falling over her shoulders and blending into the water. Only her head, neck, and shoulders were exposed, the water coming to her collarbones.

Even from the distance placed between the both of them, Zale could see the woman’s lips moving. Her pale skin shimmered with the moonlight, the water droplets dazzling like priceless gemstones and crystals.

There, in all her glory, was the beautiful nightmare that the entire ship feared.