Siren

She was still standing there when we made our way back down the beach. I walked Bailey past here at least an hour ago and this girl was stood in the same place, the water had come in closer to the end of her long skirt. She had her shoes in her hand and the waves lapped over her feet. Her long hair flowed in the wind as she just stared out at the water. She wore no coat, just a vest top. I could feel the chill from the ocean wind and had no idea how she had managed to handle it for so long.

‘You aren’t going to walk in, are you?’ I said as I walked a bit closer. Bailey ran towards her and she held out her hand for him to sniff.

‘I have thought about it,’ she replied, still fixated on the water.

‘Might be a bit cold.’

‘I don’t feel cold.’

‘No, but I might when I run in to rescue you.’ She finally turned to look at me. The wind blew her dark hair across her face and she reached up to hold it back. She had striking cheekbones and even though I wasn’t that close to her, her eyes were so blue I could see them from the distance, like little pools of the ocean itself on her face. She was beautiful, even with her hair whipping all around her.

‘Are there any places to drink wine near here?’ she asked.

‘Eh, yeah there’s a few pubs.’

‘Would you like to get a wine with me?’ she asked, looking me dead in the eye. I don’t think I’d ever met a girl so forward.

‘Sure, I just need to drop Bailey home first.’

‘Can I come with you?’

‘To my house?’

‘Yes.’

‘You aren’t going to kill me are you?’

‘Why would I kill you?’

‘I don’t know, I’m a bit afraid you might some kind of water nymph or something, trying to lure me home to kill me.’

‘I think you mean a siren. And wouldn’t I just lure you into the water if that were so?’

‘Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Do you wanna go then?’ She nodded and followed me. Bailey ran beside her. He seemed to trust her, and weren’t dogs always good judges of character?

She put her shoes back on as we left the beach. It wasn’t a very big town, but the beach brought in enough traffic to warrant having three pubs in it. I lived a short walk away and we made the journey in relative silence. She glanced around at all the shopfronts and people we passed, a few of them I knew who glanced back at this curious girl with the big eyes and long, wild hair.

‘Do you have any wine?’ she asked when we got back to mine. I took Baileys lead off and filled his water bowl so we would be ready to go.

‘No, but I’m sure the pub will have some. Don’t you still want to go?’

‘It would have been easier if you had the wine here.’

‘Sorry, not much of a wine drinker, but I could run to the shop if you like?’

‘No, that’s fine, let’s go to the… pub.’ She put an odd emphasis on ‘pub’ like it was the first time she’d ever said the word.

‘After you,’ I said as I reopened the door for her.

It was still early in the day so the pub wasn’t too busy and we got a table easily. Once the match started later it would be impossible to move in the crowd, which I was usually part of and I was hoping she would want to head before then and stop me having to explain this. Whatever this was. Patricia, one of the owners came over to take our order. Which wasn’t ideal, she had known me since I was born.

‘Alright Matt love, bit early for you to be in isn’t it?’ she said, clearly eyeing up the girl more than me.

‘We just fancied a drink after the beach.’

‘Going to introduce us then?’

‘Of course, sorry, Patricia is one of my oldest family friends. Not oldest like you’re old, like you know you’ve been friends of the family for so long…’ I shut up my rambling at the sound of the girl laughing. I hadn’t heard her laugh yet, it was a nice sound.

‘He’s a charmer, isn’t he?’ said Patricia.

‘I’m sorry, you knew what I meant.’

‘I’m Elena,’ she said and held her hand out to Patricia. Elena. I only just realised I’d never asked her name. What was it about this girl that was making me lose my mind?

‘Lovely to meet you sweetheart. Nice to see our Matt in here with a girl instead of those football hallions he normally hangs about with. What can I get yous?’

‘Wine please.’

‘Any particular kind?’

‘Any kind.’

‘Ill see what we’ve got. Two glasses is it?’ Patricia asked me and I nodded. Although I really wanted a pint.

‘So, what brought you to town?’ I asked when we were alone again.

‘What makes you think I’m not from here?’

‘It’s a small town, I think I’d remember seeing such a fit girl around.’

‘Fit?’ she said and raised an eyebrow, she said the word the same way she had said pub earlier, like it was completely new to her. Yet her accent wasn’t so different from mine, she easily could have been from around here.

‘Like good looking you know.’

‘Oh, so you think I am good looking?’

‘Well yeah, of course, you’re a knockout.’

‘That’s good, that you think that.’

‘Yeah so, anyway, what did bring you here?’

‘The ocean.’

‘Ah yeah you seemed pretty keen on it earlier. Do you swim?’

‘Yes, very well. The water is home to me.’

‘From a beach town too then? Yeah, I’ve always felt the same way about it. Would love to go explore the world a bit, but think I’d miss this little part of the ocean we have here you know?’

‘I know exactly what you mean,’ she said whilst reaching her hand out to mine and accidentally knocking over the vinegar on the table and spilling onto my trousers.

‘Shit!’ I shouted jumping up, trying to stop the spread getting worse. Patricia arrived carrying a tray with a bottle and two glasses.

‘Oh dear, let me grab a cloth, you go try to salvage them trousers in the loo,’ she said and I done as instructed, mouthing an apology to Elena as I went.

I rubbed the worst of it off my trousers and washed the smell off my hands, but there was definitely going to be a lingering vinegar smell following me. When I got back to the table, it had been cleaned up and Elena had poured the wine into the glasses. She held mine up for me.

‘I’m very sorry I spilled on you,’ she said.

‘No worries, although I hope you don’t mind me smelling of vinegar now?’ I said as I took the glass off her.

‘It’s a merlot according to your friend. San!’ she exclaimed and knocked her glass against mine.

‘San? What’s that?’

‘It’s what you say when you take a drink with someone.’

‘Oh, like a cheers. What language is that in then?’

‘It is the language of the sea.’

‘San it is then,’ I said and knocked my glass against hers before taking a gulp, which I almost spat back at the poor girl. This stuff was strong.

‘Do you like it?’ she asked.

‘It’s great!’ I said taking another mouthful, not wanting her to think I didn’t want this drink she had wanted so badly.

‘The smell is quite strong.’

‘Yeah, it is a bit strong,’ I said taking a whiff of the stuff, I was surprised just doing that hadn’t knocked me off my seat.

‘No, you, the smell on you.’

‘Ah shit, I know that isn’t great either is it? Maybe I could pop home and change.’

‘Or you could ask your… old friend, could we bring the bottle home?’

‘Oh yeah I’m sure she wouldn’t mind us doing that.’

I asked Patricia who gave one look at my stained trousers and gave me an approving nod. I thanked her and we headed back to mine. I felt a rush to my head as soon as we stepped out onto the street, I didn’t think I’d had enough wine to feel as wavy on my feet as I did. But when she offered me the bottle, I still automatically took a swig.

The walk back to my house was quick, but staggered. Elena didn’t seem to be affected in the same way I was, I guess she is a bigger wine drinker than I am. Bailey ran and jumped on me as soon as I got the door open.

‘Hey buddy! I’m just going to change,’ I slurred and stumbled down the hall to my room, leaving Elena standing there. I guess I wasn’t that surprised when she followed me to my room. I pulled off my trousers and tripped, catching the end of the bed to steady myself.

‘Sorry, I think that stuff has really gone to my head,’ I said as I sat down on the bed.

Elena came over and pushed me down so I was lying on the bed. Then she lay down beside me.

‘That’s alright, we can just lie here then.’ We lay facing each other, she ran her hand down my chest, it wasn’t long before I was pulling her closer and were kissing.

I woke up under the covers, no clothes in sight, and also no Elena. My head was completely busting, I couldn’t lift it. A creak by the door caught my attention. Elena stood in the doorframe, it was dark but I could just make her form.

‘I lied to you,’ she said, not moving from the door.

‘What do you mean?’

‘When I said I wouldn’t kill you, I lied.’ I still couldn’t see her that well, but she was slowly moving into the room, and she closed the door, shutting out the light from the hallway. Bailey started barking on the other side of it. I tried to sit up but I couldn’t move, my body felt paralysed.

‘Elena, what do you mean you lied about not killing me? What was in that wine?’ I felt her weight on top of me as she straddled my lap.

‘I’m sorry it had to be you, you are a sweet guy.’

‘Elena, what has to be me, what are you talking about?’ One small strand of light was peaking through the blinds, Elena raised something in her hand that hit off it. Was that a knife? She bent closer to me and her face hit the same slither of light. The cheekbones that looked high and defined earlier were now poking through her skin. Skin that was now more of a green colour. Her long hair was slicked back, was she wet?

‘They told me to eat a wine stained liver, if I want to keep my body, my beauty, it won’t last without it.’

‘Please don’t eat my liver…’

‘I have to,’ she said as she raised the knife above my torso, I still couldn’t move.

‘Bailey! Bailey, get help!’ I yelled and I heard him barking.

‘Don’t worry, I will look after Bailey.’

I couldn’t move, my shouting was futile, she brought down the knife.

One Month Later

The girl with the long dark hair and beautiful high cheekbones walked along the beach, a dog running by her feet. She watched the waves lapping onto the sand, until a young man caught her eye. ‘He will do,’ she whispered to her dog. ‘Excuse me, do you know of any pubs in the area?’ she called out to him.