Gifts from The Sirens

The streets on the little island were crowded as people moved all around it. The sky was clear and the water that matched it stretched for miles. From the streets you could hear a woman singing on the outside of a decorated shop. People stopped to listen to her and admire her singing. As the day grew on the bigger the crowd became. At sunset, with few breaks in her day, the woman performed her last song and with the applause ducked into the shop. 

“Calypso. My musical angel,” the sly shop owner sighed as she approached the counter, “How much did you make me?”

Calypso dumped the pile of coins and bills onto the counter from her small metal bucket. 

“Magnificent, this is closer to paying off your mother's debt to me,” he snarled at her as if it was her fault for the inconvenience. 

Calypso turned to leave for the night when the shop owner grabbed her wrist. 

“You know there are other ways of payment,” he gave her a disgusting smile. 

“I’d rather rot,” Calypso said through gritted teeth. He let her go and she quickly disappeared into the night, before he could come after her. 

The cool air whipped strands of her black hair around her face as she made her way down to the water side. It was peaceful there. No one seemed to ask you why you were there, they seemed to understand the peace you felt too. There were many people who came to sit on the warm sand to watch the colors chase each other in the sunset. 

Calypso wished she had the ability to zap the shop owner out of existence. He has always tried to make passes at her. Her brother offered to beat him up, but Calypso wouldn’t have it. Violence was never something that after it was done you can walk away from. Violence haunts.

Calypso sat legs stretched out so that the water would run up to tickle her toes. The water was cool and she sang a light song to the water. She had always believed that the water was listening to her and sometimes she felt it was singing back. 

Loud voices made their way over where she was sitting. She turned to see a group of people her age carrying a boat to the water’s edge. Among them she saw her brother, Carlos. 

“Calypso!” he greeted her with enthusiasm, “We are going out on the water for a little bit. Want to join?” He knelt beside her.

“Carlos, it’s getting dark. I don’t think it’s very safe, plus there is static in the air,” Calypso said. 

Their mother had taught them many years ago how to read the air in case of storms. It was an old family secret that was passed down from generation to generation. 

“Calypso, you still believe that old thing? Our family is crazy. Come on now. You always read about adventures, why not live one,” Carlos asked.

“Okay,” Calypso finally said and Carlos helped her up.

They made their way over to the group. Carlos introduced her to everyone and before Calypso knew it she was in the boat and they were sailing off into the deep. Although the uneasy feeling never left her, Calypso felt herself ease as the others told stories and sang songs. 

The night grew darker and darker. Calypso felt a tingling sensation in her finger tips. There was a rumble in the distance. She looked over at Carlos who seemed to have felt it too.

“Looks like a storm closing in. We should head back,” Carlos said the driver of the boat. A tall man with sandy blonde hair. 

“Relax Carlos,” he said, “ The storm is farther away than you think. We have plenty of time. Just sit back and relax.”

But he was very wrong. So very wrong. 

The winds picked up quickly and violently. Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder cracked, shaking the earth. Rain came bolting down as if the sky was crying. Then she heard it. There was singing coming through the winds. It seemed as if everyone else heard it too. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Their eyes had gone glassy and they were all struggling to get off the boat. Even Carlos had seemed to lose who he was. Calypso tried to stop people from flinging themselves overboard, but her efforts were in vain. A huge wave towered over them like a skyscraper. As it crashed down it completely capsized the boat. 

Calypso was thrown down into the deep. It was cold and dark and she had no idea what was around her. The only thing that was on her mind was to get to the surface. She pulled and kicked her way up to the surface. Her breath was heavy in her lungs. Her lungs burned and ached. 

As she broke the surface she coughed. Rain was pelting her from every direction.Treading water, she looked around unable to really see or breathe, she tried to find the others from the boat. Suddenly she felt something hard hit her head and she began to lose consciousness. The last thing she heard was what sounded like flapping wings. 

***

Calypso slowly opened her eyes. Her head was aching and throbbing. She tried to sit up, but the action made her dizzy and caused pain to shoot through her more. 

“Easy now. You’ve had quite a journey,” said a voice. 

Calypso looked around to see an old woman with long gray hair. Her hair was made in a braid with seashells woven through. She was sitting in a rocking chair looking through what looked like pieces of sea glass. 

“Where am I? Where is my brother,” Calypso asked slowly propping herself up ignoring the pain. Her voice was hoarse. She looked around to find she was in a small cabin. 

“Child, you are special. You have been given a great gift,” she smiled looking up at Calypso from her sea glass. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Calypso said her brows furrowed. 

“Gone, child,” the old women said.

“Gone?” Calypso questioned.

“Yes, gone,” she said bluntly. The old woman got up to move to the window. Behind her trailed two large wings. They were dark brown and long. 

Calypso’s eyes went wide. Were those actual wings? 

“Didn’t mamma ever teach you that staring is rude. Especially when you have a pair of your own,” the old woman said, giving her a side eye. Calypso startled and turned away. 

Calypso looked to her side and saw light gray feathers laying next to her. Her eyes widened again. She reached out a hand and touched them. She felt her fingers glide along them. 

“Now let's stand up to give us a better look at what we are working with here,” the old woman said. 

The old woman helped her to her feet. A little less dizzy than before, Calypso stood and kept turning to get a better look at them.

“My, my. They are beautiful,” the old women hummed. 

“What is going on,” Calypso asked, fear gripping her. Tears threatening her eyes. 

“Oh my child. You have been given the gift of a siren. They must have really liked you. They don’t give the gift often. There are only a handful of us, but it seems the consul wanted you,” the old women said.

“What,” Calypso questioned. Her head spinning trying to wrap her head around this. “Do you mean the ones from the myths, like the mermaids?”

The old women laughed hard.

“Oh! Don’t let them hear you say that. There has been a feud with the mermaids for years. We are nothing like those fish. We come from old magic. We have been here a long, long time. Before those fish bewitched men's hearts and took all the credit. Their voices aren’t even that good,” the old woman rolled her eyes. She looked over at Calypso and saw the bewilderment on her face. 

“I see this is going to take some getting used to. Here sit down and I will try to explain everything to you.”

They sat down and the old women took a long breath.

“There are three gifts that the sirens have given you. There are two gifts that everyone gets; the song and flight. It’s going to take some time in figuring out your third and special power. You are going to be very different than you were before. Your journey is going to be something new and exciting, but also scary and unpredictable. And we will have to kill people, but that is nothing,” the old woman explained.

Calypso felt the fear drop cold in her stomach. She didn’t want this. Any of it. 

“I don’t want this. I don’t want any of this. I can’t kill people. I’m going home,” Calypso said, making her way to the open door. She found herself outside on a misty rock out in the middle of the sea. 

“You can’t! You can’t go back,” the old woman exclaimed.

Calypso stretched out her wings. They stretched out wide. They really were huge. 

Time for my first flying lesson Calypso thought.