Word: Sirenic

sirenic

or si·ren·i·cal

[sahy-ren-ik or sahy-ren-i-kuh l]

adjective

of or characteristic of a siren; melodious, tempting, or alluring

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               “Hey, do you hear that?” Paul asked. 

               He clung to the rail of the boat, listening carefully to the sound that had just met his ears.  His friend, Ted, came to and listened.

               “Hey, yeah.  Sounds like someone singing.  Pretty well, too.”

               “Sounds like a bunch of girls.  We should check it out.”

               “Definitely.”

               They looked to the small raised platform that housed the boat’s steering and navigation equipment.  An older man stood there, hands on the wheel.  Paul waved the captain down.  With a grumble, the captain slowed the vessel and joined the two young men on the deck.

               “What is it?” He asked.  His voice was deep, but hoarse.  It matched his appearance perfectly. 

               “We hear some ladies singing.  They sound pretty hot, so we want to check ‘em out.” Ted said.

               The captain stiffened.  “S-singing?  You hear singing?  Where is it coming from?”

               The two boat passengers showed him the rough direction of the sound.  The captain’s face turned white and he made his way quickly to the wheel.  He did not start the boat though.  Paul and Ted went up to join him and saw the old man checking an old fashioned paper chart.

               “Oh no.” He said.  “We went too far.  We shouldn’t be here.  We need to leave.  Now.”

               “Why?” Ted said.  “We’ve got plenty of daylight left.  We can go visit the ladies and head back to shore later.”

               “No, you fool.  We must never get closer to that singing.  It’ll spell our deaths.”

               The two young men looked at each other in confusion.  How could a bunch of singers lead to their deaths?  The captain saw their question in their faces before they asked.

               “Those aren’t women you’re hearing.  Well, not human ones anyway.  Those are sirens.  Nothing good will come of following that song.”

               “Sirens?  Seriously?” Paul asked.  “You do know those don’t exist, right?  It’s all myths and stories.”

               “Oh, trust me, those stories are more real than you know.  Sirens exist, and they’re dangerous.  And we got within spitting distance of a group of them.  Trust me, we if we go any further, all we’ll find is jagged rocks followed by sharp teeth.”

               “Wait, aren’t sirens like, mermaids or something?” Ted asked.

               “No.  They’re completely different.  Only thing similar between sirens and mermaids is that they live in the ocean and are deadly to the unwary.  Mermaids use their looks to get people to dive in, where they’ll be drowned.  They can get a dozen men before anyone knows what’s going on.  Sirens, on the other hand, use their voices to lure ships to treacherous waters.  They can take entire ships easy.  I wouldn’t want to run into either, but it’s the sirens that we have to worry about here.”

               “So, how do you know this is a siren’s song, and not just a really good human girl singing?”

               “Because I’ve heard them.  Heard sirens before.” The captain said.  “I’ve been on ships and boats before this one, boys.  And a few of them came this way, or other places like them.  I was lucky that I only signed on with experienced captains that were aware of the dangers.  It let me know what’s going on now, and helped me build up a resistance to their songs.”

               The two young men looked at their older captain with disbelief in their eyes.  All they heard was a few fine singers, and that was promising for them.

               “Remember this sound, boys.  Remember it well.  If you’re ever at sea and hear this sound, get out of there.  Turn your ship around and get away as quickly as you can, before someone becomes too entranced and guides the ship to them.  Only reason I haven’t gotten us out of here is because it’s just the three of us.  But we’ve lingered here enough.  In a way, we were lucky you two have good hearing.  If we had gotten closer, where the song would be louder, even my resistance might not be enough.”

               The captain started the boat and guided it away from the siren’s song.  Ted and Paul grumbled about it, but did nothing.  Neither of them knew how to steer the boat, and so could do nothing to take command of the vessel.  But both of them were already making plans to come back on a different boat, with a captain that was more adventurous. 

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Anyone remember this song?  I think it's appropriate here, don't you?  Okay, maybe I'm wrong, but still.