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Reading:
04/12/25
The ship lurched and fell through the dark seas’ swell, a pale moon illuminated the deck and foredeck in an ethereal light. He wouldn't be surprised if ghosts arose, and walked… or swam… this night. Sighing, and gripping the salt stained guard rail, as the ship peaked through another trough, he stood, his thumb rubbing absently a smooth knot in the wood as he looked out. He watched, as his breath began to mist, and he faintly heard… a song?
“... And, when the Spectral Moon comes a’calling, a'calling...’’
Through the briny darkness came a strong, yet haunting, melody.
“... My wayward thoughts, they turn only to you…”
Not a gruff sailors tenor, this was like honey on wine. He turned once to look about the deck, but he was the only one to draw the watch tonight, while his men were snoring in their hammocks.
The melody grew in tempo, abandoning the slow pace for a quicker, more seductive rhythm.
“... So, lay down your anchor, lay down your dread...”
“... And sink your warm thoughts inside my cold bed...”
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Every note was an answer to a question he hadn't ever known he was asking. The coldness of the deck, the loneliness of his watch, the endless labor against the unforgiving ocean - all felt suddenly unbearable. He didn't just want the promised cold rest; he felt he deserved it. His life had been nothing but salt, wood, and hardship. Why should he fight for another dawn?
Somewhere far away, in the back of his mind, he knew what sang, and what its cruel design entailed. It wanted the ship to capsize, and it wanted him. His hand instinctively loosened its grip on the salt-stained rail. The misting of his breath seemed to grow heavier, catching the ephemeral moonlight and forming a shimmering veil between him and the rest of the world.
He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, letting the song fill his lungs instead of the night sea air.
“... Come, to the current, where silence is gold...”
“... And let our deep water, the weary one, hold.”
His free hand was already lifting up and out toward a sheet rope, ready to pull up and swing his leg over the side. The voice was both everywhere and nowhere. Its source, impossible to pinpoint, and yet he knew if he opened his eyes, he would see it: a flash of iridescent scales, and an impossible shadow in the lunar light.
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But then, his thumb, still absently rubbing that smooth knot in the guard rail, found a splinter, with a sharp, sudden intrusion of pain. It was minor, meaningless, yet the unexpected physical sensation was like a spark of fire burning through the smooth current of the song. The pain anchored him, momentarily overriding the honeyed promise floating in his ears.
He gasped, a sound lost beneath the swell. Duty. The word was sharp and bitter, utterly lacking the siren's simple sweetness, but it was solid. If he went overboard, the ship would continue without a watch, rudderless, risking his sleeping men.
With a grunt that was more strain than effort, he slammed his hand back down onto the rail, gripping the splintered wood until the unholy pull of temptation in his chest was replaced by the throbbing pain in his hand.
"Not tonight," he whispered, his voice rough and unused. "Not this watch."
He didn't quite trust his feet to move him away. Instead, he dragged his gaze away from the sea and focused on the foremast, to a solid, man-made structure piercing the spectral sky. He needed noise, real noise, the noise of work, and danger.
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He staggered back to the binnacle, fumbling for the lanyard of the great ship's bell, and pulled it, hard. The harsh clang shattered the hypnotic melody, painfully loud in the sudden silence. The bell rang out twice more, a waking alarm for a call to deck.
The song stopped instantly, replaced by the frantic, muffled sounds of confused and groggy sailors scrambling from their hammocks below. He leaned against the rail, heaving and shaking, as he waited for the righteous anger of the newly-woken crew.
A little longer #QuickWrite today, I wanted to see where it went!
#SpectralMoon #Siren #Mermaids #Folklore #CreativeWriting #WriterSky #SeaStories #StoryADayKeepBoredomAway
