Hearing Sirens

A Family

You are... home. Gray you are home!

The man screamed inside his head. It seemed odd to live in a cabin near a beach. It seemed great as well. Nothing felt more right then walking towards the cabin door with bare feet tredding through the sand. The sun was hot and his upper body melted in his own sweat; but it felt so good, so real. He could feel the sunburn creeping up on him, reminding him the aloe gel was in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. He didn't have to worry about retrieving it though; she would do that.

Before reaching the door of his home, it flew open. A beautiful, fit, tanned woman bolted out of the cabin towards him. As she strode to him, sand flicked up behind her. Once she reached him her arms flew around his neck; all of her weight relying on his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her and smelt the sweet coconut shampoo she used in her hair. He missed that smell so much. Her lips met his cheek as she released her grip around him.

"Oh Gray! You're home! Oh how I missed you," she exclaimed.

He remembered the three day boat ride to get to the city and back. It was too long of a trip away from his wife. Too long to just get the necessities they needed. But they did what they had to do to live life their way. He knew it's what they wanted for now; to be alone near the ocean.

"It was too long. Next time you come with me," he told her, pulling her into a real kiss.

When she pulled away she gazed at his shoulders. The shimmer in her eyes turned to concern. "You're burning!" She said while holding his hand. "Let's get you inside and make sure it doesn't get worse."

She pulled him inside and sat him down on the comfortable brown velvet couch in front of a television. It hurt him to sit down but he tried to ignore the stinging of his skin and laid back. The remote was laid conveniently on the couch armrest beside him. He retrieved it and almost turned the TV on before his beautiful wife returned with a couple pills and some gel.

"Darcy," the man said. The name slipped off his tongue like melted caramel. "You are the best."

"No my sweet man. You are the best. All that you do for us. All of the sacrifices you make to keep us living this dream together makes you the best," she replied while handing him the pills and sitting down beside him. She proceeded to rub the gel on his shoulders causing him serious pain and relief at the same time.

Being with her was the most delightful feeling in the world. He loved being with her. She knew just how to take care of him. He tried to think of the days they were young and falling in love. It took a lot of energy; but he definitely remembered finding their home. He remembered making it home, meeting the village, how hard it was to get power. It all was worth it. There was just one thing missing; and as he thought about it, she seemed to read his mind.

"Gray?" she asked him intensely.

"Yes love?" he answered. Almost sensing what she was about to say.

"I know it's been a couple months and all. I know hasn't been brought up in a long time. However, I know you promised me this conversation," she brought up maturely. "I want to start a family."

He couldn't remember having the conversation at all; but it was the perfect time to bring it up. He felt the same way as her. It was time for a change in their home. It's time for more noise, more responsibility, more reason to not leave.

"I couldn't agree with you more!" he expressed excitedly. "I can build a fence in the back yard and a play set! We can change our spare bedroom in to a nursery and lock up the bottom cabinets."

Darcy giggled "I knew you wouldn't say no to me."

As they sat there something seemed so perfect that it almost felt unreal; but he shook it away. Sometimes things were meant to go as planned. Every once in a while a person deserved some smooth sailing. Waves didn't always have to be huge and sometimes the waters were calm. Not too calm though, just calm. Then he wondered,

"Where even is the stuff I brought back?" he questioned.

"Oh don't worry about it Gray, they'll bring it to us." she told him.

"That's not fair. It's not like we are special by any means." he answered confused.

"The captains crew will bring it to us don't worry about it."

"No Darcy I should,"

"They will bring it,"

Instead of fighting with her, Gray got up off the couch and started walking towards the door. He felt worried that their stuff may get stolen. He tried to remember what he even got and could not. It was like he had some sort of memory loss from the heat waved or something. He laughed to himself. The more he felt feeling other than peace though, the more real life felt. The pain intensified on his skin; but it began to feel a bit more then skin deep.

"You're ungrateful!" Darcy screeched while grabbing his arm.

Her voice sounded much lower than usual causing him to panic. But, before he could even turn around, his head started spinning. He blinked quickly; and regretted it even quicker. His quick glance at perfection was gone and he was in a place that felt cold and uncomfortable; far from perfect. It was some sort of cave.

Was I dreaming? But it felt so real.

He thought to himself.

His chest felt heavy as he looked around the area he was in. In front of him was a body of water the size of a large outdoor pool. It appeared to be lit up somehow; like a florescent blue and green light was being beamed from just below the surface. Around the water was a giant rock formation. It was a huge cave. Everywhere around the walls however, unlike your average cave, were fisherman nets and pieces of wrecked boat. The whole scene made him feel greatly distressed. When he went to move, he realized he was tied down by rope.

"Help!" He yelled as loud as possible while shifting his body in different directions in an attempt to loosen the binding materials.

Within moments he heard a noise causing him to sit completely still. It was a splash of some sort echoing off the walls. He looked around and saw nothing. He wondered how he got there and what had happened. He couldn't even collect his thoughts together to remember anything before or after being on the island with his wife; if he even had a wife.

While trying to process things he felt something touch his leg. He looked down and horror struck him like a lightning bolt. It was a woman and a fish, it was a mermaid. Yet, from all of the movies and books he had read, nothing had prepared him for her.

Her hair was long and straggly from the water. Her eyes were fishy in a way, bold yet not like any human being mostly black with a bit of green. She had gills on both sides of her face making her even more difficult to look at without feeling fear. The hand grasping his leg was webbed.

He tried to move but quickly came to the realization that his mind was numb. His brain wouldn't connect to any of his limbs causing him to be in a temporary paralysis; he hoped temporary. He went to speak but could not talk. The woman from the ocean slid back into the water and when she did she flashed a sharp toothed grin then vanished. She was gone and his body was back.

"Help!" He began screaming again. In all hopes someone would hear him.

At that point he was scared beyond control. He tried to convince himself it was a dream. But everything he felt was all too real. He tried once again to figure out in his head how he got there; what was happening. All he knew however, was his own name.

"Oh please," he cried as he tried to get as close to the wall of the cave as he possibly could. The water got no farther than a foot away. "Please I need help."

"Shhhhh" replied a voice

In seconds he began to hear music. A sweet tune that sounded so familiar to him. He listened closely as it put his mind at ease. His heart rate slowed down. He perceived a change of pace. There was no more panic. He laid back with his head against the wall as he listened. Everything was going to be OK. He could sleep now.