Like Petals Under a Tree

Aquatic Temptation

TW: Death

The azure sky overhead,

Pewter clouds accumulating in the distance,

The turquoise sea being at ease,

The waves softly hitting the edge of a beach.

You could feel the dandelion coloured sand below your fingertips,

Bringing a sense of comfort, despite it being rough and coarse,

The atmosphere of the beach was tranquil,

As the only sounds to be heard were the waves themselves,

and the faint chattering of a few people there.

Looking at the clouds, you hoped it wouldn't rain,

And as the sun was setting and people were leaving,

You noticed a figure, sitting on the graphite coloured rocks by the pier.

As soon as you laid eyes on them,

It was like you were in a trance, unable to look away.

You noticed their longing gaze out to the sea,

and from where you were,

You could tell they weren't entirely human.

As you got closer, your suspicions were confirmed.

They weren't entirely human.

They had semi-long, raven black hair,

That flowed freely behind them in the summer breeze,

They had a sapphire blue tail, instead of human legs,

That had scales that glittered under the rays of the sun,

Resembling that of a prized jewel,

Instead of human ears,

they had similar coloured gills on the side of their head.

They were softly singing a tune you couldn't recognise,

But even so, you were captivated by their voice,

It was something you could listen to for hours and hours,

Without ever getting bored

They noticed your presence, 

shifting their gaze from the sea to you,

revealing a stunning pair of cobalt blue eyes,

That had slits down the middle, similar to that of a cat

You both locked gazes,

And even if you wanted to look away,

You didn't think you could,

Their mysterious aura, as well as their appearance,

Was incredibly alluring

You were the first to speak, asking them what they were,

They reply they were a siren,

You blink and ask, "a siren?",

To check you had heard right,

and they reply the same as they did before,

You ask another question, who were they,

And they reply they were once a royal,

For an underwater civilization,

But had to flee because of something happening

You ask their name,

But instead of replying to the question,

They ask if you weren't afraid,

You deny it, they hadn't given you a reason to be after all,

They ask if you weren't afraid they would kill you,

You reply that if they wanted to, they would have already.

You returned to the same beach for weeks, months,

Talking with the siren, getting to know them,

and you realised, you didn't want to leave their side,

and they didn't want to leave yours.

One day, they invite you to join them in the water,

You agree, the cold water feeling strange at first,

but when you had gotten used to it,

You swam over to them.

They proposed an idea,

One that would mean you both could stay together,

Forever.

The idea of reincarnation.

If a human dies underwater, they are reborn as a siren,

If a siren dies on land, they are reincarnated as a human,

The siren asks if you agree,

and you say yes without hesitation.

They bring you underwater,

the cold sea rushing in your lungs,

As they wrap their hands around your neck,

squeezing the life out, with a gentle smile.

As the world fades to black, 

you hear them saying something,

something that made you realise you had made a mistake,

"Feeble humans, as gullible and as trusting as ever."

The gentle smile turns into a sadistic one,

As they release your neck from their hands,

but instead inch their face close to it,

then, you felt them bite.

The scarlet liquid of your blood,

spilled into the endless aquatic abyss,

then...

There was nothing.

You had fallen for the siren's trap.