The Wave's Secrets

Cobweb cove. That is the name of where our tale is set. The large, towering rocks built the walls of this fortress, while the foaming waves built the tomb. Sedimentary rocks piled high on each corner, with deformed, warped and confused layers which twisted and turned in unusual curves and bumps. Salty sea waves stroked the edges of the cove with its fingers and jumped to lick the tips of the stone, as if tasting the natural lollipop. Unlike most shores, this cove grew every year, in reverse erosion, as it was constantly being built upwards.

Cobweb cove was named after the unusual phenomenon that was seen floating on the surface or sometimes washing up on the nearby shores. Beautifully, silky cobwebs that were as fine as hair and as strong as wire, lay lamely bobbing on the surface of the sea, as if discarded by nature. When the sun set over the horizon, the cobwebs would cause a stunning patch-work pattern on the surface, like a quilt covering the ocean floor. Couples would travel from far and wide to propose, elope, and create life by the stunning natural bedsheet. But what they did not know was that the most beautiful things are misunderstood, and the most misunderstood things are dangerous.

Under the still surface of the waves was a different world, a world of beautiful creatures. Pale aquamarine skin that was completely bathed in diamond shaped scales, eyes of black that curled around like sea snail shells, and kelp hair that lay like rubber down their backs. Their tails stretched down from their hourglass torso and blended with the ocean; the fins began as a shimmery purple and merged with the deep blue of the undertow so that they were one with the water. Gills stretched down the side of their entire 3 metre body which vibrated to produce sounds of echolocation to the others in their pack. Sea urchins clipped their hair into plaits and fishtails, but their most distinguishing feature was their mouths. Long ago, these creatures roamed all over the 7 seas, luring sailors to their death through their beautiful song; but here is where the story of legend has been changed. Most people believe that the lure of a beautiful female song was what coaxed the men to their death but truthfully it was the ability of the sirens to read the minds of the vulnerable and use it against them. Sailors jumped into the water to save their children, sailors jumped into the ocean to retrieve a chest full of gold and sailors jumped into the sea to escape their fate. Their treacherous ways had led to a mass slaughter, creating the red sea, and the remaining few were forced into exile in the cobweb cove. But before they were trapped in their prison, their beautiful lips were sewed shut with fine thread that glistened like spiderweb and due to the force of the waves they constantly bled, and the wounds never healed. When the sirens died, their string was returned to the ocean, discarded by nature.

Another day started and another man came to the cove to propose to his partner. This day was like any other. From below the waves came an enchanting sound, the sound of a harp. Over the many years of isolation, the sirens had learnt a new song. Using the very thing that bound them, they had created instruments that they could play to get the attention of the men; plucking the fine thread, they recreated the sounds of the ocean and the beauty of nature. The harps created a new melody for every individual, in this case the harp produced a laugh, the laugh of a young woman. The man got up from his picnic, told his partner he would be back in just one moment and walked over to the edge of the cliff. Looking over at the dense ocean, he popped open the ring box he had in his hands and stared at the dazzling diamond.

“Johnathan,” chimed the harp, “Johnathan, can you hear me?”

The look of horror stretched across his face, and he began frantically looking around himself to find the girl who had spoken his name. He knew the voice well; it was the woman whom he had slept with while his girlfriend was away on a business weekend just a few weeks ago.

“I’m going to tell her Johnathan, “The harp chimed again, “I am going to tell her how you kissed me that night and how you begged me to stay over to keep you company.”

It was all too easy, the more the harp spoke the more the man thought about what he had done, fuelling the harp to chime again.

“Do you think she will forgive you for using your last condom on me,” it rang again, “You will have to kill me to keep the secret.”

The heart strings were struck, and the motive was established.

“Come and get me,” it echoed.

With that the man dived into the murky depths of the water and flailed around in the foam. Suddenly he was pulled under by a great force, the hands of the siren were wrapped around his ankles and his face was in her grip in less than a second. His eyes were wide with horror as he made eye contact with the gorgeously terrifying eyes of the creature holding the harp. Then like plasticine she started to mould his body, cracking his bones, shifting his skin and crumpling his features like tissue until he was deformed, warped, confused and turned in unusual curves and bumps. With that she lay the undistinguishable body across ocean rocks and pressed him flat against the stone until all the blood has been squeezed out and organs flattened. The siren lay beside the man and stroked his distorted face with her scally hands and whispered the only few words she had been able to muster over the past centuries.

“My lips are sealed.”

She knew the truths of so many humans and the truth echoed in the waves of the ocean. What is so appealing about the sounds of nature? What is so comforting about the ocean waves? The sound it makes is so soothing and familiar to humans because it is our secrets whispered back to us by the magical harps of the sea, made of cobwebs. But it is so faint, as the sirens only live in the cobweb cove, so it is not strong enough to lure us in but when you get to close…

Your secrets will kill you.