“I am, for the most part. I’d say island living presents its own unique set of challenges. But so do most places. I think with anything in life you trade certain stresses for others. For example, I no longer have to deal with shoveling snow. However, I do have to deal with cockroaches wandering their way into the bedroom once in a while.”
“Ewww,” Samantha breathed, and Lucas laughed.
“See? Different stressors. I’ll still take the occasional bug over a Chicago winter.”
“I don’t blame you. Do you miss the seasons?”
“I thought I would, but not much. Sometimes I miss being cold,” Lucas admitted.
Samantha rolled her eyes at him. “Miss being cold? Come on.”
“No, really!” Lucas laughed at her. “It’s so warm here all year long. Granted, we get a rainy season and there are times it’s chilly. But I honestly miss being cold – as in, wearing jeans and a cozy sweater, stoking a fire and curling up in a heavy blanket while the snow falls outside. I always loved watching the snow fall. I just hated shoveling it or commuting in it.”
“That ugly grey sleety slushy snow,” Samantha agreed.
“That’s been tromped all over and turned to a sheet of ice you can’t see under the fresh snow,” Lucas said.
“Which you inevitably fall on in front of people.” Samantha smiled.
“Always.”
“So now… Siren Island. A long way from the cold winters on the shores of Lake Michigan. I like the name of the island. Is that because it calls to you?” Sam asked. She was surprised to see she’d already finished her glass of wine.
Lucas smoothly refilled her drink, then leaned back in his chair once more, turning his head so that his eyes met hers. Her mind flashed back to when she’d been cradled in his arms earlier. Though he wore a loose linen shirt, Samantha had been up close and personal with the muscles beneath it.
“The official explanation is that sailors used to claim they could hear sirens singing over the waves,” Lucas said, gesturing toward the end of the island where a rocky outcropping of cliffs jutted proudly into the sea.
“I swear I heard singing last night – but it was also in the middle of my almost twenty-four hours of sleep so I can’t exactly vouch for that,” Samantha laughed.
“A whole day of sleep? You most certainly did need it then,” Lucas said. “And you might have heard singing.”
“Really?” Samantha asked, snagging a sugared almond, intrigued.
“Well, at least what they say is singing. Up by the cliffs are long narrow caverns. When the tides come in or out, the rush of the water creates an echo-like sound that often can be mistaken for singing.”
“No way,” Samantha said. “That’s so interesting. I’ve never heard of anything like that. I wonder how the caves are made so that it sounds like songs. Can visitors go there? Does it really sound like singing? Have you heard it?”
“Well, that’s the official explanation, as I said. To answer your questions – no, you aren’t supposed to go there. Yes, I have heard it, and I do believe it sounds like singing. But I’m more apt to believe the local lore than the official explanation.”
“The locals don’t believe in the caverns?” Sam asked, wondering why they wouldn’t believe in the caves when they could easily see them in the cliffs.
“The locals believe in the sirens.”
Chapter 14
“Ohhhh,” Samantha said. “Tell me, tell me.”
Lucas laughed and raised the bottle to top their glasses off.
“Settle in, pretty lady, as I’ve got quite a story for you,” Lucas said.
Samantha sighed in delight, leaning back in her chair to look out over the horizon. The sun had already sunk far below it, but the pink rays still kissed the wisps of clouds that danced across the sky over the sea.
“A couple hundred years ago, this island was just a small fishing village. Visits from larger European ships were rare, but vessels from other local islands would often make their way over for trading,” Lucas said, pointing to the sky, where the first star popped into view. “The islanders found they enjoyed these visits from those on neighboring islands, and soon new routes were proposed – for both business and pleasure. You see, island life can be a little slow. Visitors always brought with them some excitement – or danger, but either way, it was something new and different.”
“I’m sure,” Samantha said.
“Plus, the villagers would fall in love or yearn to see other lands and so on, so more shipping and trading routes were mapped and the island population began to grow a bit. Which meant more sailors trying to navigate the treacherous waters around the island – and with that came stories. Of things seen in the water, and spoken of in hushed whispers.”
“Mermaids,” Samantha breathed, sipping her wine and looking out at the cliffs in the dim light.
“Mermaids. Or sirens. One and the same, though different cultures have their own derivatives of each.”
Samantha nodded. “Sure. Some are evil, some are good, some are half-seal like the Selkies.”
“Ah, the woman does read some lore,” Lucas smiled, his eyes crinkling deeply in the corners.
“It’s hard not to find mermaids enchanting. It’s probably the main reason I took my friend’s suggestion and booked this villa – for the name alone.”
“I feel like every woman wants to be a mermaid, or at the very least has some mermaid essence in her,” Lucas said, turning to study her.
“I haven’t found mine yet, if that’s what you’re looking for.” Samantha raised an eyebrow at him.
“Hmmm. Maybe you just don’t see what I’m seeing,” Lucas said softly, and Samantha blushed into her wine, biting back a smile of delight. Even if it was meaningless flirting – what did it matter? It was never bad to make someone feel good about themselves.
“Well, as I was saying, the fishermen began to report seeing a woman way out in the waves, singing to the moon. Or nestled on the rocks, half naked and combing out her hair. Of course, most of this was met with great doubt and simply dismissed. And so the stories became just that – stories to be talked about over a fire here and there, but with most believing there to be little truth to them.”
“Still an interesting diversion,” Samantha commented.
“Naturally. One time they had planned all month for a festival t0 honor the sea and how she nurtured their lives, providing fish and seaweed and so on. Many boats came from many islands – the fire was big, the dancing carefree, and a full moon rose that night. Now, one of the most handsome men in the village was a young fisherman named Nalachi. He spent his days fishing and his nights tending to his family, particularly his ailing mother. Though many a pretty woman approached him, Nalachi wasn’t interested – he would rather dream up stories and learn what lay over the next horizon than try to bed one of the local maidens.”
“A dreamer, our Nalachi,” Samantha murmured.
“Correct, a dreamer he was. So when a woman stepped into the festival – a woman he’d never seen before – and caused his heart to skip a beat, he knew he had to make his way to her. No woman had ever caught his eye, or his imagination, like this one did. She was a goddess, throwing herself into the dancing, the firelight playing in her curls, her dress oddly woven from shells and palm leaves. The other women hated her on sight, but she paid them no mind. She seemed delighted with the music, swaying her hips in time to the beating of the drums and laughing her way around the circle. It was as though she was moonlight personified, and Nalachi was pulled into her orbit.”
Samantha sipped her wine, imagining what it would be like to step into a circle of dancers, laughing her way through a group of people she didn’t know, beckoning to an unknown man from across the circle.
“The other men didn’t stand a chance, did they?” Samantha asked.
“They did not – our Nalachi was in his prime and considered by many to be the prize catch in the village.”
“And what was our fair maiden
’s name?” Samantha asked.
“Irmine, the lovely lady of moonlight and fire dancing, allowed Nalachi to dance with her through the evening, until the hours of the night drew to a close. Then, with the moon hanging low in the sky, she slipped away into the dark when he’d gone to bring them water.”
“The classic sneak-out,” Samantha murmured.
“Yes, but in this instance it was not lack of interest in young Nalachi that pulled our lovely Irmine away. She had other reasons.”
“Daylight?”
“Among other things. So Nalachi pursued her through the night to the cliffs, and found her at the water’s edge. He asked her to stay with him – to be with him so he could know her better. She told him she must go. But to where? he wondered, and she replied that she had a boat around the way. Seeing that she refused to stay, Nalachi asked for something of hers – anything – so she would come back to him. Irmine, our tempting lady, pulled off the shell necklace that hung between her breasts and draped it over Nalachi’s head. Needing to touch her as much as he needed his next breath, Nalachi grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed a passionate kiss to her mouth. When she pulled away, Irmine pressed her finger to his lips and told him to listen for her song, and he would know when she was coming back. She disappeared so quickly into the darkness of dawn that even Nalachi’s trained eyes and ears couldn’t see her boat or hear her in the water. He waited until at last, just from the horizon, he heard a voice so beautiful it brought tears instantly to his eyes.”
“What did she sing?” Samantha asked, completely engrossed in the story.
“Where the starlight kisses the sea, this is where you’ll find me. It won’t be so long, for in your heart is my song,” Lucas sang in a surprisingly sexy alto.
The air seemed to shimmer around them for a moment as the notes trailed off, and a thick weight of tension pressed against Samantha’s skin. A need, buried deep within her, cracked open and cried for attention. She understood longing and loneliness better than she would have liked.
“Heartsick, Nalachi returned to the water each night, necklace in hand, waiting to find his love where the starlight kissed the sea.”
“But she never came again,” Samantha breathed, commiserating with the sadness poor Nalachi must have felt.
“Ah, but the story isn’t over. You see, she did return. Nalachi, mooning over the water one night, was shocked to see our pretty Irmine come dancing over the cliffs, radiating joy and light. It was in that moment his heart was truly lost – for she sang for him. Her heart had yearned for him as much as his for her. Under the blanket of stars that evening, they gave themselves to each other, worshiping each other’s body and soul under the brilliant light of the full moon,” Lucas said.
“Yeah, Irmine! Get yours, girl,” Samantha laughed.
Lucas nodded in agreement. “Yes, Miss Irmine certainly had her fun with Nalachi. However, it turns out she was a love-him-and-leave-him type, for when he woke, huddled against the wall of the cave in the early morning light, she was gone again,” Lucas said.
“Oh, Nalachi. It’s hard learning you’re a one-night stand.” Samantha clucked her tongue.
“Happen to you before?” Lucas slid a glance to her.
“A time or two in college. It’s never a good feeling,” Samantha said, fudging a bit. She’d never been one for one-night stands or fooling around outside of a relationship, but she didn’t want to appear dreadfully prudish to this man.
“I agree. It certainly isn’t a good feeling,” Lucas said, his eyes seeming to see more in the light from the twinkle lights strung between the trees. “However, Nalachi didn’t have to know that feeling for long. In just a matter of weeks, she was back once more for another fabulous night.”
“Let me guess – on the full moon?”
“Correct,” Lucas said, draining the last of the wine bottle into their glasses. “And after a few months of this, our Nalachi figured it out as well. During her absences, he suffered terribly – so lovesick with missing Irmine that he began to lose weight. He began taking his boat out for hours at a time, and though he provided plenty of fish for his village due to the hours he spent on the water, his mother worried for him. She told him, one night, that he must bring the girl home. Make her stay at all costs. You see, his mother couldn’t bear to lose her son. The next time Nalachi was with Irmine, his mother’s words stayed in his head, and he bound her to him after their lovemaking. Despite her protests and her begging, he kept her. And as the light of day began to dawn, he received the biggest shock of his young life.”
“She was a mermaid?”
“That she was. On land, as the sun began to rise, Irmine began to gasp for breath, begging to be put in the water. When Nalachi realized that he was killing her, he ran to the water, carrying her, and dove in. As he unwound the cords that bound them, she turned in front of him.”
“From woman to mermaid?”
“She did, finally showing her secret to him. She tried to get away, but he held her, floating in the water, as the shock and awe of it washed over him. ‘You can’t know of me – of us,’ Irmine told Nalachi. He promised to tell not a soul. Told her he loved her for just what she was. Begged to go with her. ‘I must go now or I will die,’ Irmine insisted. And so he let her go, for even our dreamer Nalachi understood that love will never tie you down – it will only set you free.”
“Oh, this is so sad. Did he ever see her again?”
“He did, but only once more. As trade picked up between the villages, Nalachi was summoned to work with one of the most important trade vessels on the island, and soon he was traveling between islands frequently and was away for every full moon for the next six months. It’s said Irmine visited their spot on the beach, and her heart was broken – Nalachi did not love her as he had said; she knew he must be disgusted by her mermaid form.”
“Oh!” Samantha let out a little gasp of sadness.
“Indeed. Irmine also carried another secret – one she had wanted to share with great joy with Nalachi, but she couldn’t find him to tell him.”
“She was pregnant,” Samantha guessed, and Lucas tapped his glass to hers in a cheers.
“She was. Pregnant with twins. Now, in the mermaid world, it’s said, babies are always a blessing and celebrated with great joy and reverence. But Irmine’s father, having discovered she was pregnant by a human, was furious and forbade her to return to the island’s shores. He feared humans, as he’d seen how much destruction they were capable of. He kept Irmine away from the island, hoping to protect her during her delicate time so that she could have healthy babies. However, in forbidding her to go, he inadvertently brought this tragic love story to an end,” Lucas said, sighing a little.
“I don’t know if I can hear this. I so want them to have a happy ending!” Samantha cried.
“I know, it’s a bit heartbreaking – sort of a star-crossed lovers kind of thing. You see, Irmine never came to look for Nalachi when it wasn’t a full moon, so she didn’t see him walking the shoreline looking for her when he did return to the island. Finally, after many months, he returned home from a voyage on the night of a full moon. Barely stopping to hug his mother and present her with all the goods from his travels, Nalachi returned to the shore and his favorite little fishing boat. Ignoring the clouds on the horizon, which any sailor would know meant heavy storms were coming, Nalachi rowed himself out, his eyes searching the water, praying that he would find the one woman whose song he still carried in his heart.”
“Oh, no,” Samantha said.
“He was so focused on studying the waves that he didn’t pay attention to the tell-tale signs of a reef. His hull scraped against it, cracking in two, and soon he was taking on water. Desperately, Nalachi looked back for land, trying to judge whether he could swim the distance. At the same time, the storm hit in all its ferocity. Nalachi clung to a bit of his boat with all his strength – and in his last moments, he began to sing the song she’d given to him,” Lucas said.
&nbs
p; Samantha was surprised to find tears pricking her eyes. “Did she come? Please tell me she came,” Samantha whispered.
“She did, with her two daughters at her side. She found him as the life left him. He was too far gone for her magick to save him, you see? But he knew she was there, and he smiled at her as she cradled him in her arms, his head on her breast, his daughter’s faces peering over his arm. And when his soul left his body, she kept it – forged into the shape of a pearl which she strung on a necklace. It’s said she still sings each night to warn the sailors away from the treacherous reefs, and for those who do perish there, she turns their souls into pearls of the sea – singing even louder so that their lovers across the water will know she’s caring for them in the afterlife.”
“Oh… that’s beautiful and horribly tragic at the same time,” Samantha said, wiping a tear from her eye.
“But at last Irmine knew that she really was loved. And now, as mother of the sea, she sings her songs of love and protection from the shore of the cliffs.”
“And so they named this island after her,” Samantha said. “I… I really appreciate the whimsy and beauty of that. So many places just get named for the first man to plant his stick in the ground and say ‘This is my land.’ The fact that the name has held through all these years…well, even if it is just a myth, I think it’s wonderful.”
“Who says it’s just a myth?” Lucas asked, a wry smile on his face.
“Do you believe in mermaids?” Samantha turned to look at him, tilting her head so that the flower crown slipped a bit and she had to push it back up.
“Of course,” Lucas said easily.
“You do? I’m shocked,” Samantha laughed. “Why?”
“It’s so much more boring not to believe, don’t you think? I always like to believe that there’s something magickal just waiting for us over the horizon.”
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