Cutting through the ethereal fog, a siren’s voice rang out. Her beautiful sound carried far and wide, searching for a hapless soul to fall prey to her irresistible charm. She never did have trouble finding willing participants. For her, it had become a science, almost second nature, as expected from a being of her stature. But today was different. A crisp breeze swirled the air around her. Her intuition told her something wasn’t quite right, but she brushed it off, hoping the feeling would soon pass. Just then, a small boat quietly approached, and the siren smiled.She sang some more, guiding the boat directly towards her. Her sweet songs reeled in her prey, yet, something still felt… off. She could see a man on the boat, all by his lonesome. The vessels that usually entered her domain consisted of crews with dozens and dozens of sailors practically throwing themselves overboard to reach her. The siren continued to sing, but the knot in her stomach grew, and the waters surrounding her jagged perch began to show life.Coming into clearer view, the man waved gently. The siren was taken aback. He showed great restraint, something that the siren was not used to. It was almost comforting, in a way. How his eyes twinkled in the sunlight, his face radiating a warm glow. She began to ignore the gnawing feeling inside of her as the man’s boat docked and he stepped off to greet her.The siren became infatuated, needing to know more about this man. Who was he? Why did he come? Surely he could have ignored her call, and she would be none the wiser. But now a seed of doubt had been planted. Was she losing her charm? What would the others think?Before she could even utter a word, the man approached her. Standing face to face, she could feel his breath on her lips. It was sweet, like a fabled nectar. Her heart fluttered, rising like a crescendo in her ears.Then, as if a thread had pulled taut, their lips met seamlessly. In that single touch, visions of a fairytale life bloomed in her mind. A home. A family. Love. Just like the legends of mortal lore. Stories meant to sow hope, where happiness overcame all. But, like most fairytales, there could be no happy ending.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A moment that felt like an eternity was over in an instant, however. The skies grew gray as clouds began to swarm. A quick crack of thunder clashed overhead, causing the two to break their trance.The siren looked at the man before her, and froze. His gaze turned vacant, his body hollowing into something unrecognizable. Before her eyes, he crumbled into ash, scattered by the wind. She reached out, grasping at what little was left of this story’s bastion, but there was nothing left. Only echoes of what could have been.As the siren tried to make sense of what she had just witnessed, she turned to the turbulent waters around her. The waves surged with a restrained ferocity, as if holding back a tide of wrath, waiting for the right moment to strike. Then, from the churning depths, a silhouette emerged. Beautiful, radiant, and terrible. The figure floated above the surface, her presence commanding and divine. A look of stern indignation painted her face as thunder crashed, heralding her arrival.The siren swallowed the cold salty air. Her heart sank like stone. She knew why the presence before her had come. She had broken the siren’s oath: She had fallen for her prey. She closed her eyes, slowly inhaled through her nose, and turned to look at the woman.They locked eyes. The divine entity broke the silence, her harmonious voice filled with rage and sorrow. It reverberated through the air, sending a chill down the siren’s spine. She steeled herself, bracing for the earned punishment she was about to receive. But even still, she was not prepared for what fate had in store for her.Without hesitation, the imposing figure raised her hand. A flash of light surged from the sky, wrenching the golden song from the siren’s throat. She gasped, clutching at her neck with trembling fingers. Her gift was gone.The woman before her slowly outstretched her arms, palms open to the sky. The waves obeyed and began to encircle the siren, rising with divine wrath.Realizing what was unfolding before her, she instinctively opened her mouth to scream. Air rattled its way out of her throat, dissipating into nothingness as it left her lips. As the waves grew higher, she tried once more to scream. Again, to no avail.As the waves closed in, she gave one final gasp, desperate to make a sound. Something. Anything. All that was left for her was the memory of the moment she shared with the mysterious man just minutes ago. A shattered promise of a future untold. And just as the waves crashed, with her vocal chords constricting in pain, her world went black.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A piercing scream broke the silence, and my eyes darted open. I jolted awake, heart pounding in my chest. I sat up and quickly surveyed my room. With nothing out of the ordinary, I softly shut my eyes and took a deep breath.While my heart rate slowly began to normalize, I collected my thoughts. That dream. Or, nightmare, maybe. It was so vivid. So real. So… visceral. I raised one of my hands to my throat. It was sore. Was that me screaming when I woke up? Was that me in that dream? Was I dreaming of myself as this siren?I breathed another deep breath to compose myself. It just felt so real. Everything that this siren felt - the ecstasy spent with the strange man from my dream, the panic as he faded from existence, the fear in standing before judgment, the despair as her gift and life were stripped away - I felt it all, too. I felt… connected. And, it scared me.I didn’t understand why, but I was afraid. Like a part of me was now lost, washed away in the tides. Why was this dream so strong, so powerful, that it was affecting me in such a way?Eventually, it hit me: She was the part of me that I was losing.For so long, she had been singing her irresistible tunes, and yet my ears couldn’t hear it. Or rather, didn’t want to hear it. I was so caught up in keeping this current version of myself alive that I almost drowned out this siren inside of me. The one who, through it all, never stopped singing. Never stopped believing that her voice deserved to be heard too.I began thinking of the strange man who heeded the siren’s call in my dream. Could that have also been me? Finally giving in to my siren’s call. The moment of unity between us signifying the acceptance of my true self. The ashen shell, a premonition of the future. My future. One without unity. One without being whole.That’s what terrified me. That’s why this dream resonated so much.And so, in that moment, I decided that changes needed to be made. The part of me that had been shut out for so long finally deserved to take center stage. The siren, who moments before had had her dim light nearly extinguished, just needed that one tiny spark to bring her songs roaring back.And she was here to stay. To stand before everyone and let her voice enchant the world.I am her, and she is me.This is me.This is...