Shorts

Story: Siren's Song

Take a moment and hear the Siren's Song,

When they sings to you, your heart will know.

Take a moment and heed its calling,

When they sing to you, your heart will be lured.

Take a moment and listen to the Siren's Song,

For once you hear it, you will never be the same.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Every five hundred years, Merpeople are granted a chance to walk amongst Landwalker, that's us, for ten days to search for their Soul Bride and bring him or her back to the sea." 

"What happened when they don't find their bride?"  one curious little boy, from the crowd of elementary students, asked. 

"Jake stop asking silly questions.  There is no such thing as a mermaid," a little skeptical girl responded.

"They are real!" Jake pouted.  "Right, Ms. Raynes?"  The little boy looked up at his teacher willing to prove him right.  Charlotte Raynes mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, unsure as what to say.  Luckily, the tour guide had saved her from answering the question that she feared would not be satisfactory to little Jake.

"Well, Jake," The guide smiled warmly, "Any Merperson who failed to find their Soul Bride, shall have to wait another five hundred years for another chance to walk the land again."

Another little girl with pale blue eyes and a head full of curls started whimpering.

Charlotte squatted down so she can be eye level with her youngest student.  Concerned she asked, "Maddie, what's wrong honey?"

Maddie hiccuped through her answer, "I'm...I'm sad for the one who doesn't find their so-soul bride.  I'm only seven.  Five hundred years is a long time!"  

Charlotte frowned. She tried to soothe the girl the best way she knew how.  Her hand came up to caress Maddie's hair and said in a calming voice, "Sweetie, it's just a story.  None of this is real."

"B-but..." she hiccuped, trying to be a big girl and force her tears not to fall. "But, but, the lady said it was real."

Charlotte gently shhhed Maddie.  "Well, sometime we associate fairy tales with our every day lives and we forget what's real and what's fake. "  Charlotte got up and addressed all the students that stopped and listen.  In her cheeriest voice she said, "Class, do you know what's real though?"

The students jumped up and down.  Some were raising their hands, even little Maddie had forgotten all about being upset.  

"Jake, what do you think is real?"

"Ice cream!"

Charlotte laughed and exclaimed, "Yes!"

The class cheered.  She had promised the kids ice cream if they had behaved and up until the end of their tour of the museum, they did.  Ice cream was one of her guilty pleasure, mint chocolate chip to be exact.  Each of the kids started expressing the flavors they wanted.  A multiple of chocolate, some vanillas, and a couple of strawberries was heard through the crowd.

Charlotte clapped her hands twice.  A serious of echoed claps followed by little hands and all noise ceased. 

"Class, Class," she said calmly.

"Yes, yes." They responded.

"The wheels go?"

"Round, round!"

"The cows go?"

"Moo, moooooooooooooo!"

They all giggled which made her laughed.

Satisfied that all her little people are all ears, she turned to the older lady who was their tour guide and smiled sincerely.

"Ms. Savaine, I wanted to thank you so much for allowing us to explore and for giving us a tour of this amazing museum. Boys and girls please say thank you to Ms. Savaine," She said. 

The kids all chorus a "thank you Ms. Savaine" in unison. 

Ms. Savaine laughed at the overwhelming thanks. "I actually wanted to thank each and everyone of you in return.  We are glad all of you were able to make it to Mysteries and Tales of the World," then she bent half way and spoke low to the children, smiling mischievously, "Remember boys and girls, there are always a little bit of truth in every tale." 

A low melodic sound filled her ears as Ms. Savaine straightened to looked her in the eye. The older woman kept the same mischievous smile, giving Charlotte a quick wink.

Followed by a little whooshed of warmth hitting one ear which caused Charlotte's heart to miss a beat. She reacted by closing her eyes briefly, somehow needing for the music to fill the very deep of her.

Charlotte finally opened her eyes only to see the older lady's retreating figure down the opposite direction. The faint hum disappearing with her. Odd.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost forgotten about the children until Jake tugged at her pants leg.    Charlotte blinked a couple of times and looked down.

"Can we have ice cream now?"

Charlotte smiled and nodded.  "Of course."

--

After the kids all got their choice of ice cream, they made their way back to the school.  It was nice that the museum was only two blocks away from the elementary.  Because the museum was relatively new, only opened three months ago, she was able to get the museum to donate ten tickets in return for a review, leaving the children parent's to have to pay only two dollars for admission.  

By the time they got back to the school at around one thirty, the bell rang, signaling the end of the shorten day on that Friday. 

She didn't have any plans for the weekend, but she knows that she'll head to the beach and lay on the white sands until the sun meets the horizon.

Little Jake was the last of the kids to leave the classroom.  He stopped, turned around to face his teacher and said, " Ms. Raynes, do you believe in Soul Brides?"

Charlotte smiled and crouched low to Jake's level.  Before she can answer, Jake exclaimed, "It doesn't matter, I will believe for the both of us!"  His little face beamed.

She couldn't tell him what she wanted to. How it wasn't real, all of it rubbish. But the expression on the boy's face made her held her tongue. Instead she smiled tenderly and nodded.

"Okay," she whispered.

>^•^<
Photo credit: https://pin.it/2nk7r3cja7ha4u