Seafarers always kept away from these waters. Strange rumours about it kept them well away. Rumour has it that a Siren roams these waters. She never leaves a handsome man alive. She entices them, seduces them, captures them and takes them to the depths of the sea. Nobody knows what happens to them after. Some say their innards get pulled out and eaten - while they are alive. Some say she locks the men up in a cage, never to be released in their lives.
Nobody knows the truth.
Captain Sam Weston allowed himself the indulgence of the stories - but they were just stories of lonely men who probably hadn’t seen a woman for years at the sea - owing to their jobs on the ships. He stood at the decks of his ship and watched the relative calm of the sea that sprawled out in front of him. The ship cutting through its gentle waves made a soothing and rhythmic sound that helped him calm his mind.
Why would a beautiful sea like this inspire irrational fears in the bravest of sailors was beyond his comprehension.
He took a swig from the bottle of rum in his hands and looked out into the vast open sea. He was pleased with his ship, his life seemed content. He closed his eyes and listened intently to the sea when he heard it:
A strange one, like a woman calling out in distress. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was saying. He looked out and around. He looked at his magnetic compass to ascertain the direction of the sound and turned to it.
A flicker of light in the distance - Did he imagine that? He peered in the direction of the light and saw it again and again for the third time.
“Alston!?” he yelled for his first mate.
“Aye Captain?” said Alston as he ran out to join the captain at the decks. “I hear a woman in distress, I think we need to go and find out.” said the captain.
Alston looked at the captain in surprise, hesitated a bit. The captain noticed - “Don’t tell me you believe in those stories, Alston!”
“Well, No captain, I don’t!” said Alston.
“Good; then lets turn this ship around and see what that is.” said the captain.
“Aye Captain!” said Alston and shouted orders out to the men on the deck to turn and move the ship in the direction that the captain indicated.
The steamer growled and groaned as it cut across the sea on its new path.
As the steamer sped through the sea, the captain kept peering into the darkness to see if he can find the flickering light again - so did the first mate. And he did - he heard the voice again and saw the light flicker - the first mate turned to the captain.
“What do you think that is, captain?” asked Alston, a bit scared.
The captain kept staring in the distance - his eyebrows sulking in his frown. The captain was thinking.
A few minutes later they saw the light again, this time very much brightly. In the thick black darkness of the sea, the light shown brighter now. Sensing they were very close to the object of their attention, the captain asked the ship to be dead slow. He kept looking over the decks and saw her for the first time.
She was in a boat, drifting aimlessly. In the darkness and the little light of the lamp that hung on that boat, he saw the shape of a woman - she seemed to be naked, but her long dark hair covered her either breasts, her legs tightly kept together to hide the place between them. Her hands hugging herself across the chest.
She was shivering.
The captain jumped off the deck into the water, giving his compass and his hat to the first mate. The first mate yelled for a rope and asked the ship to be stopped immediately. He reached her boat and looked at the woman sitting in front of him. She looked scared.
“Are you OK?” asked the captain “Are you alright?”
Nobody knows the truth.
Captain Sam Weston allowed himself the indulgence of the stories - but they were just stories of lonely men who probably hadn’t seen a woman for years at the sea - owing to their jobs on the ships. He stood at the decks of his ship and watched the relative calm of the sea that sprawled out in front of him. The ship cutting through its gentle waves made a soothing and rhythmic sound that helped him calm his mind.
Why would a beautiful sea like this inspire irrational fears in the bravest of sailors was beyond his comprehension.
He took a swig from the bottle of rum in his hands and looked out into the vast open sea. He was pleased with his ship, his life seemed content. He closed his eyes and listened intently to the sea when he heard it:
A strange one, like a woman calling out in distress. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was saying. He looked out and around. He looked at his magnetic compass to ascertain the direction of the sound and turned to it.
A flicker of light in the distance - Did he imagine that? He peered in the direction of the light and saw it again and again for the third time.
“Alston!?” he yelled for his first mate.
“Aye Captain?” said Alston as he ran out to join the captain at the decks. “I hear a woman in distress, I think we need to go and find out.” said the captain.
Alston looked at the captain in surprise, hesitated a bit. The captain noticed - “Don’t tell me you believe in those stories, Alston!”
“Well, No captain, I don’t!” said Alston.
“Good; then lets turn this ship around and see what that is.” said the captain.
“Aye Captain!” said Alston and shouted orders out to the men on the deck to turn and move the ship in the direction that the captain indicated.
The steamer growled and groaned as it cut across the sea on its new path.
As the steamer sped through the sea, the captain kept peering into the darkness to see if he can find the flickering light again - so did the first mate. And he did - he heard the voice again and saw the light flicker - the first mate turned to the captain.
“What do you think that is, captain?” asked Alston, a bit scared.
The captain kept staring in the distance - his eyebrows sulking in his frown. The captain was thinking.
A few minutes later they saw the light again, this time very much brightly. In the thick black darkness of the sea, the light shown brighter now. Sensing they were very close to the object of their attention, the captain asked the ship to be dead slow. He kept looking over the decks and saw her for the first time.
She was in a boat, drifting aimlessly. In the darkness and the little light of the lamp that hung on that boat, he saw the shape of a woman - she seemed to be naked, but her long dark hair covered her either breasts, her legs tightly kept together to hide the place between them. Her hands hugging herself across the chest.
She was shivering.
The captain jumped off the deck into the water, giving his compass and his hat to the first mate. The first mate yelled for a rope and asked the ship to be stopped immediately. He reached her boat and looked at the woman sitting in front of him. She looked scared.
“Are you OK?” asked the captain “Are you alright?”
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