The Voyage
The voyage soon brought us out into the open sea. Voices swirled in my head; calling me. They were consistent and insistent that the ship crash upon the rocky shores in front of our bow. It never occurred to any of the crew, including myself that this action might lead to our deaths.
Growing up in a town by the sea has its ups and downs, but mostly it just has fish. My family has lived on this island for generations, or so they say. The town was even founded by my fathers' fathers' fathers' fathers' (and so on) father. Naturally our island is named after that obscure relative of mine. Winden. My mother always pretended that we're special because we were related to the original WInden, but I know that nearly everyone on the island is, so how is that special? Either way, my name is the first since the founder to be Jeremy Elijah Winden.
Ironically, I couldn't wait to get off the stupid island. My heart lies out on the sea.
It has always been my life's goal to travel the seas; to begin the exploration of a world that the people here can't even imagine.
We have small canoes for fishing and even a few larger boats for longer expeditions when the water begins to freeze over. The old regulars, Bill and Tom mostly, always considered me too weak to join them though. Bill was nearing his 50th birthday and had lost an arm out on the sea. Most people would think that this would be a turn off to exploration, but it never could be for me. Tom was just plain old. He had been fishing since he could first hold a pole, and he never let go. The others had joined throughout the years, but they all worked together flawlessly. So, I have never been allowed to roam the seas. I beg them every year. And every year, they shut me down. In the years that those fishermen have worked together, they have learned each others' skills and weaknesses. They can read the expressions of the other men; they have a deep connection with each other. It is this connection that makes them so eager to shut down any outsiders who might wish to join their ranks.
The only time a new member is allowed on the fishing boats, is when an old member dies. It's a sad affair really, but it also hasn't happened in a long time. The friends and family of the man sing, tell stories, and at the end allow his body to return to the sea. Then the next day, volunteers are taken to join the fishing crew. I was too young when the last death happened. But this year, I'm not taking no for an answer. This year, they'll have to accept me. When they see what I've done.
I began to build with the woodworkers just after my twelfth birthday. I had to start with simple things, like carving spears and short knives. It's been a slow and tedious process, but over the past ten years my skills have undeniably grown. I moved up to building huts, homes, and finally my ship. Beauty. Most of the ships here have no names, but the few that do, are dull. I know that my own decision may not have been the most creative, yet it captures her perfectly.
She was just about finished, when I began gathering men for a crew. It would be our first real expedition from the island. There was no shortage of volunteers. They all couldn't wait to get out of this wretched fish oriented town. Even though I was one of the youngest among my ever growing crew, I quickly gained their trust when they saw what I was capable of; when they saw Beauty.
There was a large share of townsfolk who believed that I was just insane. And, it's not that they're wrong, because maybe I really am crazy. But, it also lies in the fact that they just don't understand; that they could never understand. So many people are happy living their lives peacefully, not worrying about the world outside of the island. They only wish to protect themselves, but I still have to be able to follow my own dreams.
It took a week after the final preparations on Beauty were complete before we could set out on our voyage. As soon as we hit the sea, we knew that our goal was simply to see what there was to see out in this ocean.
Our own island disappeared from sight on the first day. We had to celebrate that day. We had to celebrate so that we wouldn't be afraid, we wouldn't fear for those we left behind, so we wouldn't fear for the journey ahead. We had to celebrate in order to keep our drive fresh.
So, we drank, we "yo-ho'd" and we slept. The next morning left me with a crew in shambles. The whole deck of the ship presented us with the mixed scents of alcohol, salt water, and vomit. If there ever was such a thing as a rude awakening, that must have been it. Yet, we rallied quickly enough, and haven't looked back since.
It was slow going. And at first we were quite content without even seeing anything. Out on the water, where we all felt the most comfortable, the most safe, and the most calm. Yet, days began to pass, and even with a powerful wind steadily pushing us along, we still had no sightings of land.
That's when the complaining began. "Why should you get to control the food, drink, and us?" "Who made you captain?" "Just because you built the ship doesn't mean you have the right to wield her." It went on and on. One man should never be in charge of so many others, it only creates problems. You start to think you're invincible, supercharged by the feeling of power. Then, it's all stripped away, when those you believed were beneath you come back and knock you off your feet.
The men wanted their drinks. There was nothing going on anyway right? Might as well have a drink in hand. Eventually I caved.
Two weeks into our voyage brings us to today. Fourteen days. Fourteen days of no land. Fourteen days of just the open ocean. No one even bothered to get up unless they had a drink in hand now. Fourteen days. That's how long it took for the first of us to hear the voices.
Disembodied and beautiful, the voices filled our dreams, our nightmares, and our thoughts. They didn't even speak to us, no, they simply enticed us. The sound was like a music that couldn't be described. Because of this, no one directly mentioned them, but it soon became clear to each of us that we weren't the only one who was visited by the voices. What were they? It was by unspoken vows that we slowly revealed what we had heard.
It didn't help though. We still had no idea where they were coming from or even what they were. It was another week before we all knew.
Twenty-one days into our journey, every single man aboard the ship was visited by a red-haired woman with the tail of a fish. This was the voice. Her beauty was that like none we had ever seen before. Her face was full of life, and a seductive smile played across her lips. It didn't even seem strange that she wasn't human.
Our ship had never had a set course before, but after twenty-one days, we suddenly knew which direction to go. Towards the voice. Towards the woman.
Twenty-one days is how many it took to destroy us all.
Finally land was in sight, and Beauty raced across the waves to bring us to her. The woman, the voice of our dreams. She was joined by other voices, but since hers had filled our heads for so long, we couldn't even focus on the rocky shore in front of us, let alone other songs.
That was when the world exploded.
Beauty slammed into the jagged rocks that lined the beach in front of our eyes. She splintered into a million pieces. The crew was thrown off board into the water. Most of us knew how to swim like champions, a few were a bit weaker, but we all should have been able to manage.
The woman on shore who had appeared so magical only moments before had turned into a beast. A creature of only the darkest nightmares. Everything that had seemed beautiful about her suddenly became a macabre version. The lush red hair that had so enticed me was filled with the life of snakes and her face became stretched tight, the bones poking through the gaunt flesh. She truly had been a demon in disguise.
The water managed to clear our heads, but it was too late. The one vixen was not alone as we had assumed, there were others. It was then that the other she-demons had begun slipping into the water as well. Poisoning our weak minds and lulling us into a false sense of security once more.
I knew I had to try to fight it, but I couldn't. Then they were upon us. Dragging each man down before my eyes. Forcing his head under the water, watching the struggle, and all the while the Siren, their true name finally coming to me, would laugh.
After every crew member was floating away, face down in the water, they turned to me.
I was suffocating before I even had the chance to think. Water filled my nose and mouth. My limbs flailed aimlessly, and I could still hear the chuckles of the nightmarish creatures as the blackness engulfed me.