The terrible song rings in my ears
still, a sound which I cannot quell. It came softly, caressing the
senses in a warm embrace of soothing tones. My mind reeled, as the
sound transported me to places I could not imagine, and showed me
visions that cannot be committed to memory. Only a vague recollection
remains. The sea kept time as the song built in tempo, the melody
became discordant, and malice crept into the movement. The sky
darkened, as the waves churned and boiled around our small craft. The
cries of my crew lost in the turmoil, and still the music roared in my
ears. Deafening in its intensity, and merciless in its intent. Stripped
of my will, I stood at the helm in the raging storm. Then I saw them in
the waves, the faces of a thousand souls wailing the laments of loves
lost, and lives denied.
I watched as my crew were taken by the tempest which raged about us,
and still the music grew in volume. Desperately, I tried to cover my
ears to block out the sound to no avail. As my mind slipped away from
me, I surrendered myself to the abyss, and all went dark. I do not know
how long I was adrift on the scrap of wreckage, and I do not remember
being rescued. How I escaped the fate which befell my men eludes me,
but I do remember that terrible sound. The song of the sirens is the
last sound I ever heard. Silence now fills my world, I have been deaf
since that day. I told others in the beginning what had happened, and
was not believed. In the Caribbean, the sirens sing still. I know this
to be true, you see the terrible song echoes in my mind, and I shall
never escape it...
William VanDorin � 2001
