The Call of The Siren

THE CALL OF THE SIREN

“Matt, have you packed everything you need for this ultimate beach get away?”, asked Avisa, Matt’s mother. “I wish you would stop calling it that mom, its only a trip to the beach”, “call it what you want but I have waited for this saltwater therapy for three weeks.” My husband David, my best friend Kelly and her husband Charlie are going with us along with our sons Matt and Adam. Us girls had spent three weeks planning this trip and we wanted nothing to ruin it, after all we deserve a break. We gather the last of our things and text Charlie and Kelly, we will meet them at Siren Island. I did some research on this place and thought it would be an interesting getaway, it is rated one of the most mystical beaches in Connecticut.

Once we were parked outside of our beach house, we quickly grabbed our things and ran up the long steep stairs to claim our rooms since Charlie, Kelly and Adam had not arrived yet. Once we were all settled in, and everyone had their designated rooms, we headed down the path to the beach, the first step of sand between my toes and the fresh salty smell of the water was a breath of fresh air. The sun beamed down on my skin, which felt glorious, the boys immediately raced for the waters and Kelly, and I sat up our beach towels, umbrellas, and coolers. David and Charlie got the speedboat and Jet skis off the back of Charlie’s truck trailer. Once we were settled and relaxing in the sun a little while I decided I should take a dip. I stepped in the water, and it felt like I became one with the water, I begin to swim out and it felt like I was moving through time and then suddenly, the peaceful, calm water became violent and grabbed me under and began to drag me. I realized I was caught in a riptide. Oh no! This cannot be it for me as I was going under the water it was so dark. My mind was racing, will anyone save me? What will happen to Matt? Will David find me? Then I saw what looked to be a light coming toward me as it got closer, I realized it was a heart shaped locket. As I reached out for it everything went dark and I was in and out of consciousness, my chest burned from the water I had taken in and my last thought was maybe I was saved by that light. When I opened my eyes, it was the next day and I was in the local Hospital, I could barely open my mouth or move from being so sore. The nurse came in checked my vitals and began to ask me questions, this made my head hurt worse than it already did. After the nurse left, David told me I was holding a heart shaped necklace, it was a strange looking locket. It looked as if its design was antique, and it had a scale like armor. I told David when I was under the last thing, I saw was the light that locket gave, I considered it to be a good luck charm.

After I was released from the Hospital, we went back to the beach house. I took it easy that day and sat on the back deck drinking lemonade and listening to the ocean waves crashing and enjoying the sun, I had cleaned the locket earlier and began to wear it. That night I still felt more tired than usual and decided to retreat to the bedroom early. David, Kelly, Charlie, Matt, and Adam were enjoying a game of charades. As I got in bed I immediately drifted off and had the weirdest dream. I was on an Island and all these people on the Island spoke a different language from me. They were carrying on about something that seemed to be troubling them, those people did not look human, though they had human features. They were telling me I needed to come back home, in the dream my mind said this is not my home, but for some strange reason I felt like I belonged here. The next day I told Kelly and David about the dream, they told me I had a rough couple of days and to take more rest. I could not help but feel troubled because the dream bothered me. The following night I dreamed I got up and walked down the path to the beach and stood at the ocean while I watched this beautiful woman, or she seemed like a woman sit on the shore and sing the most beautiful song I have ever heard. As I got closer the woman seemed to have vanished in the ocean almost beckoning me to follow.

I woke up the next morning, my legs and feet had sand all over them, but I do not remember going to the beach last night, how did I get sand all over me? As the days and nights go by, the dreams are beginning to get more intense and real. Kelly and I decided to walk down to take our seats on the beach to watch the sun rise and as we were sitting there, I swear I saw another Island off in the distance. I asked Kelly did she see that, but she looked at me confused, so I told her what I saw. Kelly kept looking at me as if I had two heads and said “Avisa, are you feeling, ok?”, there is nothing out there, so I laughed and said, “my eyes must be playing tricks on me.” Later that night I was at the kitchen sink washing dishes and I saw several Naval Officers on the beach. I went out to take a closer look, there was a Commander who was escorting a heavily pregnant woman and their clothes were very old fashioned. I though maybe they are doing some type of role play because no one seemed to notice me watching. Then I heard it again, the lullaby, I can only describe it as a lullaby because it is so soothing and gentle that it would enchant anyone. The pregnant woman was singing it, I followed them as they walked hand in hand down the beach and they seemed to disappear right before my eyes. When I awoke the next morning Matt said, “Mom you have been acting really strange, are you ok?”, I assured him I was fine. That morning I said to Kelly lets take the boys shopping for a change of scenery, I can always count on her to shop, and I needed to take my mind off the troubling dreams. We waked into one shop and I was browsing and looking at pictures of the history and there she was, the lady I saw on the beach, the pregnant lady with the commander, who looked strangely familiar. I asked the shop owner who she was, she told me the legend was that she was Caira the Siren Queen. They said she would sometimes be seen sitting on the beach singing a lullaby looking for her little princess that was taken from her, I wanted to find out more. After dinner we turned in and I began to dream again, I went back to the beach in my dream and the lady was again singing. I got closer and this time she didn’t leave, instead she turned to me and said “Avisa, my dear, you must return home to me. I wanted to know how she knew my name, but she walked into the water and began to grow a tail, scales, and gills behind her ears. I could not believe my eyes, I was so transfixed I started to follow her in the water, she grabbed me and began to pull me under. When I got under the water, she places a gentle kiss on my forehead and I was able to breathe, I was lost for words.

She took me down deep in the water and I started to see what looked like ruins, maybe from a city once or pieces of damaged boats or probably both. She told the story of how her city was not always under water and the history; it was said to have been occupied by the U.S. Navy and there were small groups of locals on the Island who were amphibious people that live on land and water. The U.S. government by way of the Navy were to learn about these people and figure out how they became and how they survived, as time went on the Queen became the commanders love interest. They had an affair and from that came a daughter. When the government found out they ordered the Navy to abort the mission and leave no trace of the amphibious people. The commander tricked the Queen, while he was away wooing her, her people were being slaughtered by his men, this is the reason she holds so much hatred in her heart. Some of her people retreated to the land and lived as humans while others retreated to the seas and kept their sea form. He spared the Queen because she was pregnant with his child. After the Queen gave birth, the commander came and took the baby away, it destroyed the Queen, for she no longer had enough people to fight for her to keep her child and people safe. She vowed to get revenge. She said the commander, my father, gave her a heart locket and she enchanted the locket so that she would find her missing princess if ever she was in the ocean. I know my father was my birth father, but he told me my mother died during childbirth. This could not be true, because it was a myth, right? I found out the U.S. Government thought they had rid this Island of the amphibious people and claimed this beach as one of their beaches. The Queen was filled with anger and claimed war on the government she and other sirens would take their revenge on every sailor to repay her people and for stealing her baby and Island. If you are ever at sea and you hear a beautiful lullaby steer clear because it is the Queens trap to lure the sailors and kill them in vengeance of her lost empire.