Chapter 5: The Lure
by Maya Brisa
It was late in the afternoon when Seymour lifted his head from his pillow. The clouds had moved on, leaving patches of fluff here and there. Covering his mouth for a yawn he sat up in his bed peeking through the bay window. He was happy to see that the clouds had mostly gone away, but his mother's words still lingered in his memory.
How could he try to forget? He still didn't feel like doing anything, and his stomach was just as upset as it had been before he'd fallen asleep. He was just about to throw himself back down on his bed when he heard a familiar sound. Not a seagull, but that sweet cry that had put him to sleep the other night.
He leaned into the bay window and peered down to see if he could spot a whale of some sort. Nothing.
"Where is that coming from...?" he asked aloud, looking all over the surrounding area. Without a moment's delay, he hopped up from his bed and this time placed some shoes on his feet before leaving the room.
With haste he padded down the stairs, the curiosity rising from his very bones as the sound grew louder and more enticing. He didn't even bother shutting the door he was so entranced. The cry was more slow and beckoning in a sense, creating a tingling sensation over Seymour's skin rather than putting him to sleep.
His legs gave out for a moment as he descended the ridge; the sand seeming to swallow his feet. Rounding the large wall he looked out onto the water as he stepped into the clearing. Out on the water he could see a young man floating with the waves--the eyes already focused upon Seymour's figure.
"Who...?" Seymour murmured, crossing the beech. He was hesitant to call out to the man, feeling awkward with the whole situation. He licked his lips and peered closely at the face. The young man was pretty far out in the water, but close enough for Seymour to see him relatively clearly. Seymour narrowed his eyes a moment as he studied him carefully.
There appeared to be pretty lengthy ears protruding... a stranded Guado perhaps? With that thought, Seymour took a step closer.
"Do you need some help?" Help he asked? He was afraid of the water. Noting that, he mentally scolded himself, lightly swatting his forehead. Regardless of how stupid he may have sounded, he received no reply.
"Um... can you hear me?" Seymour called, waving an uneasy hand through the air. He watched the man's face bow down, and his eyes close. Within a moment the cry was swirling around Seymour's ears again, and tickling his most private senses. With a thud his rump was in the sand and he found himself panting, staring through half lidded eyes at the water.
The cry continued, but Seymour couldn't see the man anymore... The waters were empty as if he'd never been there. That was, until Seymour saw a head, and then a torso surface near the shore. The face was very handsome at that distance, and now Seymour could discern long, dark-brown hair cascading in tangles over tanned shoulders. From what Seymour could see, this man was naked, and most certainly not a Guado.
"What... are you?" Seymour asked, his tongue having some difficulties forming the words. He saw from the sides of the man's head, two long ears that appeared to be fins of some sort... they were a brilliant deep shade of red. And from around the neck, he saw a very thin rope attached to a flat round stone. Seymour's face was flushing as he stared at the creature. Inside he was afraid, but the sweet song wouldn't let him act on it.
It was obvious that if the creature had come out of the water, Seymour would have gotten up in a flash and ran away. But the man remained half in with the tide hugging at his hips. He sat propped on his hands, peering at Seymour with strange eyes. Seymour's thirsty eyes couldn't help but trail down the man's visible areas and drink in the view. In his perverted escapade he saw three slits beneath the man's pectorals, three slits that seemed to pulse open and close as he breathed. A fish?
Seymour sat himself upon his knees, trying his best not to make any sudden movements. He was very aware that this man was not all human, and not of any other known race in Spira for that matter. The creature tilted his head to the side a little, almost giving the guado a playful look as he backed himself into the water.
"What are you...? Seymour asked again with a little more grace. The song was slowly ebbing away. Once again, Seymour received no reply... he was growing impatient. Could the thing speak?
"Can you not speak?" Seymour grumbled as the last notes of the cry subsided. The man smiled widely as he backed in further.
"Wait! Where are you going?" he asked, quickly lifting a hand. He was utterly fascinated. A hybrid Guado maybe? Perhaps. It was safe for Seymour to assume that this had been the person that helped his head injury earlier, and that they probably lived somewhere on the Island.
Within minutes, the creature was back in the deeper parts of the water, staring fixedly at the boy. Seymour's mouth remained agape as he watched the creature float out in the water. Within a blink of his eyes, the creature was gone. The half guado remained sitting on the beech, slouched in wonderment as he stared at the ocean...