The Siren

I met a lady of the ocean, she spoke in an unknown tongue but I acquired her name; Marina.
I couldn’t help but glance at her tail, however she did not have one for she was no mermaid. You may have heard legends of beautiful sea nymphs luring sailors to their death; capturing a seafarers heart with their enchanting songs.
Marina was a Siren, and she was unlike what I had envisioned. Her voice made me think of lullabies, soft chiming bells and woods bathed in moonlight. She was a shy and gentle creature, with tangled pale hair and intense blue eyes.
This is her ephemeral tale of how she became stranded on a stranger tide :


"I woke from a fitful sleep to find myself on the oceanfront, tangled in seaweed, coral and gull feathers. I stood up slowly to gather my bearings but the land was unfamiliar to me. I observed tall ships and fishermen with crab pots in the distance, huge rocks jutting out of the water and a tiny cove.
I decided to swim to the cove as I had no means of getting past the ships without being seen. I found the beach to be populated with mortals, so I hid behind a rock to await their departure.

Dusk descended and I felt it was safe to walk ashore, but I had a sudden recollection which made me stop in my tracks.
I remembered a vision of my sisters conspiring to strip me of my powers and voice, surely that was but a nightmare. I turned back to face the ocean, to dangle one foot in the welcoming water but I felt a force field repress my movements. The sky grew dark and no moon emerged to guide the way. I must be cursed to spend the rest of eternity on land.

*

For days I wandered like a lost soul; concealing myself in caves when the tide was low and balancing on a precipice to test the gift of flight.
I cradled my sea stars and shells, and longed for water. On one distinctly beautiful evening when the sun was close to setting, I tried to sing a simple melody.
I knew in my heart that my voice had waned the very day I was washed ashore.

I grew to love the creatures that visited me on my cliff top dwelling; black backed gulls, grass snakes, hawks and cormorants. The birds brought me small fish to eat, and I collected rain water in shells and rock crevices. Men at sea would often point in my direction while I bathed, but they never believed what they saw.
Sunrise was the highlight of my brief spell on mortal soil. Each morning I listened to the birds wake from their slumber, and begin their daily hunt for sustenance. The waves crashed freely against the rocks and passers-by took photographs of the heather decorating the cliffs and the picturesque scenery beyond. I was nonexistent to them, or perhaps that was another element of my curse; to be unknown.

I had been sat amongst the coarse grass peacefully meditating when I heard footsteps drawing near. I turned my head slightly to witness a girl and her loved one gazing at my still form. The girl smiled and took out a camera from the bag she carried.
I knew instantaneously that perhaps I had been exiled from water to befit a greater purpose; to exist as muse and reverie for a narrative that needed to blossom."

Sunset over Cow and Calf Rock

Blessings ~

Found eggshells; dove, sparrow and snake, three ivory swan feathers that shimmer iridescent, a tiny cove with treacherous waters, nomads wandering on the cliffs, snakes camouflaged in long wild grass, aubergine, ochre and burgundy coloured heather adorning the exposed rock face, collecting feathers from the edge of a lake, receiving handwritten letters, stones from a metaphysical shop; amethyst, moonstone, bloodstone and rose quartz, sea fog rolling inland, mist ridden shores {reminded me of a post apocalyptic landscape}, rooks awaiting a supper of discarded fish and chips, baby gulls testing shallow waters for the first time, limpets and sea anemones clinging to a cave wall, a carpet of edible mussels spread across the rocks and a murky pool of sea algae, crabs and tiny silver fish darting from one place to another.

*

Lady of the Forest

The ancient spirits of the forest presented the mortal woman with an elixir.

*

She was wandering alone as the sun dipped below the trees and the fog rolled in from the ocean. The forest awakened from the sound of rustling leaves, bird song and two dogs chasing a petrified fox.
Faerie remained on the periphery of her vision; she glimpsed the world in-between but had no means of reaching the celestial dwelling.
Three shadowy figures materialised in the distance, they appeared to be observing her but she was certain they posed no threat. As they drifted forward, the vast expanse of their wings shimmered behind them...

*