Seaside Lullaby

Prologue

The cold wind howled outside a house perched above a moonlit beach. Inside the house, everything was dark except one room. It was a dim light from a TV. It flicked from channel to channel, words melded together.

"Can he win it all?!"

Flick.

"Breaking news, another missing person in the area."

Flick.

"The majestic gazelle grazes, unaware that a lion is lurking nearby."

Flick.

A man sat across from it, spread out on a lounge chair with snacks at the ready. His eyelids are heavy with sleep. He yawned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Suddenly he heard something, far off from the chatter of the TV. It was the sound of music echoing from outside his house. It sounded soft and beautiful, like a birdsong. There were no words to this ethereal lullaby, but it seemed to be calling out as if there were. He heaved from up off the couch and walked to the living room window, almost tripping over clutter. He moved aside the velvety curtains and peeked out into the dark night. But he couldn't see anything, however the music continued. He grabbed a coat to put over his sleeping robe and walked outside onto his porch. He leaned over the railing to find the source of the melody. The beach was clear of bonfires or tents, there was just one thing, down by the beach something was sitting near the rocks. It was calling someone, no, it was calling him, only him. He started going down the winding path from his house to the beach. The closer he got the more he could see the figure, it was a breathtaking woman, singing alone on the rocks. She looked back up at him with big bright amber eyes and a smile danced across her face. The wind picked up her wet black hair, gently pulling it along as it went. The song had taken over his head, it was the only thing he thought about at that moment. Worries from the day and the feeling of the ice-cold night taking grip in his body had melted away and were replaced with the feeling of pure euphoria. The woman reached out a hand and he took it, she led him deeper, and deeper in the waves. Laughing as if she were talking to her best friend as she led him along. Suddenly it didn't matter that the freezing water seeped into his skin, or the harsh claws of the woman dug deeper into his arms. The only thing he felt was bliss as he drifted away from consciousness