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You have a beautiful singing voice…
Those words had never failed to put a smile on Gray’s face.
He’d loved to sing ever since he was very young, and knowing the other sirens enjoyed listening to him had always filled him with great happiness. But he’d never really given any thought to what their song was for. He just liked to lose himself in the melodies he composed.
He’d heard stories, of course, but they’d all sounded so unbelievable to him. How could the sound of his voice lure other creatures to their deaths when it couldn’t even get his brother Lyon to do the simplest thing?
But as he sat atop an ice floe, the echoes of his song still lingering in the frigid Arctic air, he could no longer deny the truth of it.
At first, the speed with which the distant boat had changed course had filled him with great pride. It was his song that had lured them, and because of him, there would be no empty bellies on this eve.
He’d continued to sing, curious to see what these humans looked like. But once they’d neared, Gray saw they were nothing like the other sirens had said. There were no claws, no fangs, not even a single fishing net to be seen on their boat.
In fact, the more he observed them, the more he couldn’t help but notice that the top of their bodies didn’t look all that different from his own. His gaze settled on a small female who stared back at him in wonder. She stretched her arm out towards him, and to his surprise, seemed to offer him something. He didn’t know what it was, but it was white, with some black marks on the top that made it seem like it was smiling at him.
She spoke with words he couldn’t understand, but her delight was unmistakable, and he smiled at her in return. He sang of his life in the ocean and she listened intently until hearts formed in her eyes.
No one will ever be able to resist your song…
It was only when the first human jumped into the icy water that Gray understood the words he’d always taken for a compliment were nothing more than a curse.
He watched with growing horror as the other sirens stirred from their hiding place and swam over to them, their beautiful faces morphing into something ugly and fierce as they prepared to feed.
Gray could feel his own features trying to change in response to his hunger, but he fought it off, refusing to take any part in what was coming.
And when the girl also jumped in, he forced himself to watch. Even though all he wanted to do was swim away.
But he couldn’t.
He was to blame for this tragedy, and he had to see it through to its end.
So he kept singing, hoping the sound of his voice could somehow soothe the humans as his brethren’s fangs tore the flesh off their bodies. A minor act of mercy that could never hope to make up for what he’d done.
And as their smiles continued to haunt him, even in his sleep, he knew he could never be a part of something that awful ever again.
So he left the only home he’d ever known, swimming for countless miles, until he felt the water warming. Once he could withstand the difference in temperature, he continued on, following the currents, searching for a place far enough from humans that he might one day be able to sing without fear.