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Saps enjoyed hanging around the sea.
Today, the sky was clear as he sat on a flat boulder near the water’s edge, his knees pulled up to his chest as he watched the soft waves wash rhythmically to shore. The afternoon sun left a warm, gentle heat on his exposed skin and clothes.
He picked up a nearby pebble, running his thumb over the flat surface before skipping it into the ocean. He watched as it skimmed the water’s surface before sinking and disappearing under the surface forever.
The ocean was vast, seemingly going on forever. Saps wondered if he could chase the sun into where the sea met the sky, further than the eye could see.
He tossed another stone, watching it splash, but as the ripples began to spread, something caught his eye.
Out past the safety line into where the deep water began, a sleek figure surfaced. Saps froze, his breath catching in his throat as the silhouette rose high enough to be observed.
It looked too defined to be a seal, too unnatural to be a log. It lingered there in the waves, seemingly watching Saps from a distance, it’s sharp features and pale skin catching sunlight before the figure silently sank back into the sea.
Any normal person would've scrambled to get out of there as soon as possible, terrified to see such an abnormality. Stories exactly about creatures like this, warnings that they pulled unsuspecting fishermen under, leaving nothing but their empty boats and fishing rods.
Saps didn't feel a single bit of fear, if anything, he was intrigued. As he headed up the dusty path leading back to the village, his mind was consumed with a burning curiosity, wanting to know more about the creature from the sea.
It was past midnight when he came back, the seaside village peacefully asleep. He had snuck past the room of his unsuspecting parents and climbed out the window, stepping into the darkness.
The night air still carried some humidity, a small breeze blowing through Saps’ hair. A brilliant full moon hung in the sky, casting a sheen of silver on the surface of the deep blue ocean.
Saps walked down the wooden steps of the dock, his sneakers barely making any sound against the rotting planks. He took a seat at the edge, the bottom half of his legs dangling over the water, hovering above the surface.
A sudden whir of sound vibrated through the air.
It was a low hum that he could feel in his bones, resonating in his ribcage with a strange pressure. The water beneath his feet seemed to shift.
A figure rose from the brine, the water surrounding it erupting into an electric blue glow. Every movement sent starry trails of light ripping across the surface. The bioluminescence outlined it’s form, a celestial aura of glowing blue that turned the dark sea into a canvas of light.
The creature rested it’s forearms against the wet wood of the dock, a foot away from where Saps was sitting.
He didn’t flinch, only leaning forwards slightly to squint at its silhouette, taking in it’s features. It looked about his age, with dark, thick hair, the wet strands clinging to its forehead. It’s upper body looked almost human, besides a slight translucent grey and violet tint to it’s skin, with scales along it’s shoulders and torso. Under the water's surface, those scales became more prominent, forming a thick tail built specifically to navigate the deep sea.
The low hum in the air intensified, the sound of the slight breeze and the waves washing up on shore faded away until Saps’s head was fully silent.
“I saw you this afternoon,” Saps murmured, his voice softer than usual, speaking in a mesmerized whisper. “I was wondering if I imagined you.”
The creature blinked it’s eyes, pupils a vivid violet, wide and fixed curiously on the human boy next to him. Most people screamed and fled in a panic, dropping all their things behind, but this boy had seen him in the daylight and came back, purposely seeking him.
“The water here would freeze your fragile body to death in minutes,” the siren spoke, its voice smooth as silk, somehow timed perfectly to the rise and fall of the waves. “I could pull you in and drown you in the dark, why are you here, human?”
Saps let out a soft, breathless laugh, not expecting the creature to be able to speak. He turned his gaze to the moonlit ocean before turning back to stare into the siren’s vibrant eyes “I like the view out here. It's really pretty when it's quiet at night ”
“Do you not fear drowning in the sea?”
“There’s worse ways to go.”
The siren remained confused, letting out a small sigh in response. “A strange human.”
And with a flick of it’s tail, it submerged back into the deep sea.
Saps returned the following night.
He didn't know if the siren's hum had brainwashed him, drawing him back in or if he was operating off of free will, but he came back regardless.
He sat in the same spot, watching the water for any sign of life, waiting.
He didn’t end up waiting long, and soon after he sat down, the low hum returned to the air, the water flaring with radiant blue as the siren surfaced.
It settled on the same spot next to Saps’ knees.
“You came back,” Saps stated simply, slightly surprised, his thoughts fading away to silence.
“No, you came back,” the siren countered, scanning Saps features with a piercing gaze. “You do not act or look like the other humans. You have white hair that resembles sea foam.”
“I was curious, I wanted to see you again,” Saps whispered, drawn into the siren’s presence. “I don’t know what to call you.”
The creature watched Saps for a bit, still taken aback by his focus, showing no fear. “Flux,” the siren offered.
Saps smiled, finally having something to call the siren by. “Saps.”
The silence that followed was comfortable. Saps remained still as he stared out into the skyline while Flux observed his serene demeanour. Saps’ fingers were close enough to the siren’s shoulder to feel the cold radiating off his skin. He wondered what it would be like if he could swim endlessly into the waters deep enough to be unreachable by the sun.
“Why do you stay so calm?” Flux asked, his voice like velvet.
Saps let out a small laugh . “There’s nothing for me to be afraid of.”
Flux watched him for a while longer, observing the steady rise and fall of his chest, his pulse that showed his humanity, separating him from Flux’s cold body. With a smooth rotation of his torso, Flux slid back into the water, tail splashing and disappearing with him, leaving Saps alone on the dock.
Saps didn’t sleep that night. He stayed up, picturing the porcelain skin of the siren he had met, the supposedly dangerous creature that he had conversations with. The memory of those vibrant eyes lingered long after when the sun rose, refusing to let him drift to sleep.
The day passed like a fever dream. Saps found himself mindlessly sitting through school with nothing else in his mind besides Flux. The chatter of his classmates and the teachers' lectures were drowned out completely by his thoughts. He stared out the window towards the ocean wistfully.
By the time midnight rolled around again, he had already walked down the dusty path onto the beach, drawn forward by a magnetic pull that felt worlds away from being a trap. He wanted to be there, so he sat on the dock and waited once more.
See-through clouds floated around the sky, being blown around by the subtle breeze. A cloud passed over the moon, dimming its light.
Flux surfaced again not long after. He didn’t speak immediately, resting his head on his crossed arms as he peered at Saps. In the faint moonlight, Saps could see the siren’s skin, glimmering like marble.
“You came earlier today.” Flux observed.
“I got impatient,” Saps replied softly. “It’s boring lying in bed.”
Flux lifted his head up from his arms, staring intently as he shifted slightly closer to Saps. “If I asked you to step down here,” he asked, his tone experimental. “Would you?”
Saps blinked. He lifted his hand, brushing damp strands of hair out of Flux’s eyes, his fingers coming in contact with the siren's stone cold skin. “Probably, don't ask me to though.”
Flux remained motionless, observing this human’s lack of resistance before slowly reaching his hand out to wrap around Saps’s wrist. He didn't pull away, didn't fight as the cold skin came in contact with him.
Flux leaned back, softly tugging Saps’ body downwards.
Saps yielded to the motion, tilting his weight forward and letting himself be pulled into the ocean without hesitation.
He fell into the sea, the cold waves enveloping them both, a breathtaking storm of blue bioluminescence swirled around them as they drifted deeper and deeper into the deep dark.