Down By The Water, The Spirits Lie

Down by the water,

The spirits wait.

Hoping to catch you

Pondering your fate.

Deidre hummed as she gathered laundry from the clothesline. Tossing a rather large sheet into the basket, she let out a shriek as her baby brother toddled towards the river.

           “Eamon, get back here!” She sprinted towards the baby as he drew closer and closer to the edge, seemingly hypnotized by something in the water.  Scooping him up just in the nick of time, Deidre let out a huge sigh as her brother began to cry. His sobs almost rivaled the loudness of the river beside him. Deidre tried to shush him, but soon his cries summoned her mother.

           “What are you doing to your brother?” Deidre’s mother harrumphed, thundering towards her.

           “Nothing, mama! He was trying to get in the river!” At this, her mother’s eyes widened. Grabbing Eamon from Deidre’s arms, her mother just shook her head and walked back inside.

Down by the water,

The spirits smile.

Hoping to catch you

Staying a while.

Deidre glanced at the river. Its depth was hidden by the foam stirred up from the roaring currents. With a shudder, she thought about how close Eamon had been to falling in. The river was surrounded by legends about sirens that lived at the bottom. Beautiful creatures that could make even the strongest of men leap to their doom. These tall tales were passed along as songs for as long as anyone could remember. No one truly believed them, but everyone was always uneasy near the river after another drowning or disappearance happened. Deidre had always loved the songs though. It was the only thing that she still had to remember her father by, the rest being sold to help them survive. He had disappeared in the middle of the night and washed up later on a rock near the town, half of his body maimed.

Down by the water,

The spirits swim,

Hoping to catch you

For their din.

           Deidre’s head shot up from folding the laundry to gaze at the lake. Something had moved. She was sure of it. Tapping her fingers on the basket, she continued to stare. Every glint of light on the water drew her attention. After a couple minutes, Deidre nervously went back to folding. The sun was beating down overhead and she needed to get inside before she got burnt. Loud cries continued to come from the cottage and Deidre listened to her brother’s loud voice.

           “I wanna say hi to da fishie in da lake, mam!” He cried, voice carrying. Deidre rolled her eyes. He knew there weren’t any fish in the river. The fish lived upstream where the water’s source was. The currents were calmer and it was secluded enough that they could hide their eggs, to the distress of those who sold the expensive eggs at the market a village over. Finishing her folding, Deidre took the basket indoors and collapsed on her bed.

           “Deidre! I just got your brother down for a nap! Don’t be loud!” Her mother hissed, glaring at her.

           “Yes, mama.” Deidre whispered, pulling out a book. Opening it, she suddenly felt beyond sleepy. It wasn’t long before she dozed off, a light breeze coming through her window.

Down by the water,

The spirits leap.

Hoping to catch you

Falling asleep.

The first thing Deidre noticed when she woke up was a murky smell, much like the river. This didn’t surprise her too much, considering she lived right next to it, but it seemed stronger, more potent. The second thing she noticed was a small woven bracelet with small puddles around it on her windowsill. She stared at it, confused. The moonlight made it shine like silver in her poorly lit room. Making her way to the window, she picked it up and looked around bewildered. Not a single soul could be seen. A splash jolted her out of her thoughts and drew her gaze once again to the river. Its roar masked any other sounds afterwards which worried Deidre immensely. After a little while, she decided to clasp the bracelet over her wrist and ask someone later about who it might belong to. She wrote a quick note to her mother telling her that she had gone out to town in case she woke up and, throwing a coat over her nightdress, dashed towards the road to the city. Small stones cut into her feet at she passed the river. A branch from a nearby tree scratched her face as she continued towards the road. Everything seemed to be trying to get her to stay. All of a sudden, she felt an overpowering need to look back.

Looking over her shoulder, she stopped suddenly as she saw a head peeking from the river. The girl was somehow withstanding the river’s current and staring right at Deidre. Deidre willed herself forward, but the girl’s sea-green eyes kept her frozen in place as though she was paralyzed. The girl’s pale hair was completely dry as she stepped out of the river along with her baby blue robes that fluttered lightly in the breeze. This observation bewildered Deidre as she began to wonder what kind of trickery this might be. A dream, Deidre thought, but her ragged breaths and the pain from not being able to move was too real. She began to panic slightly, wondering what in the world was happening, and began to struggle towards the road. Each step brought excruciating pain and soon tears dripped down Deidre’s face. Looking back, Deidre was happy to see the girl hadn’t moved any closer until the girl opened her mouth. A sweet song drifted out and Deidre’s will completely evaporated. Stumbling towards the mysterious girl, a single thought crossed Deidre’s mind, Siren, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Down by the water,

The spirits lie.

Hoping to catch you

Walking by.

Down by the water,

The spirits pray.

Hoping to catch you

And whisk you away.