Laughter?
Levi could hear giggling. Levi could hear women giggling. This was odd for him, hedidn't remember having any females in his crew or on his ship.
My ship! was thesecond thought to come to his mind. It did not feel like he was rocking back and forth on water. It did not feel like he was on his ships hard wooden floors. So where was he?
He slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a cove. Sitting up, he examined the place. There was sand everywhere, and straight ahead he saw the ocean. The laughter he heard was still present, but it was not coming from inside the cove he was in. It was coming from outside; coming from the water. He decided to check who was laughing and if they had any information on what had happened to his ship and his crew.
He stood up and looked down at his clothes. Wet, raggedy, words that he hated to use to define anything he was wearing.
"Petra, are you sure there aren't any more men?" a woman's voice. Definitely one of the giggling girls.
"Yeah, it always gets so boring when we're done with them," another woman.
What do they mean by 'done with them'? He was starting to feel uncomfortable and confused.
"I'm sure," a third voice stated. "You can look for yourself!"
Two splashes were heard after that last comment.
"Alright, we'll look then. Don't have too much fun while we're gone!" one of the voices said. The sound of water splashing hit his ears, the two voices were swimming away. This was not looking good for him at all.
Levi was sure that two of the three voices he heard had left, so he made his way slowly. He pressed his back against the walls of the cove and inched his way around. Instead of walking straight out, it was better for him to sneak his way. As he reached the edges of the cove, he peaked his head out. He wanted to take a good look at who was talking.
His breath hitched. What he saw was only something he had heard in stories, legends, and myths.
Just outside the cove was a mermaid, or a siren as he knew it as. She, or it, was sitting atop of a rock and had a fin the color of onyx. The color of her tail brought about the red of her hair. This siren was beautiful and young-looking, just like what he had heard in the stories about them. He moved his head back in the cave. If the stories were true, he would hear her voice and be dead before he knew it.
"I know you're there, human," came the voice he heard earlier. She let out a small laugh, the other sound he heard when he first woke up.
There was no use in hiding anymore, so Levi came out. The siren looked at him, he stared back. He didn't say anything.
"Can you speak?" said the siren in a smooth voice. He twitched. She didn't need to sing, her voice sounded heavenly enough.
"Yes," he said hoarsely. He cleared his throat once and repeated his 'yes' once more.
She smiled at him. "Good. Come closer, will you? I want to look at you," she said. It almost sounded like a command.
It was as if his body had moved on its own. He took a few steps forward and stopped. His boots were in the water. Her eyes, a golden color he noted, looked him up and down.
"Are you going to eat me?" he asked suddenly. He didn't know where that question came from, but he felt like it needed to be asked. "I want to know how I'm going to die."
She gave him a small giggle, "Don't be silly," she started, "I don't eat humans. Especially not ones as handsome as you are."
His face turned the lightest shade of pink. "What happened to my crew? My ship?"
"Gone," she frowned. "My sisters got to them. I spared you and hid you in the cove."
"Why didn't you—" he was cut off by her silencing him. They heard splashing and giggling getting closer and closer.
"Those are my sisters," she said. "They're back. You must go," she commanded him. She positioned herself to jump in the water.
"Wait," he brought a hand out to signal for her to stop, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Levi," Another smile formed on her lips.
"How do you know my name?" He asked, confused. He didn't remember ever introducing himself.
"Your crew," was all she said.
A small frown escaped his lips. The siren jumped in the water and began to swim away. She stopped mid-stroke to turn around to look at him. She began to swim back.
Levi's feet moved on their own as he began to walk closer to the siren, stopping only when the water hit his knees. The siren stopped as well, leaving several feet in between them.
"My name is Petra, Levi," she told him.
"Petra," he tested the name on his tongue. "Will I see you again?"
Petra gave him a sad smile, "I hope you will not."
Petra swam away, leaving Levi behind to live.