Coastal Siren 1

 

The truck that Anon drove was, by his own admission, a rust bucket. A hand-me-down of a hand-me-down that he had somehow managed to get from a family member when he had first started driving. It was older than him by at least a decade, made very strange and disconcerting noises once he was going over forty, and would no doubt continue to somehow work long after he had pawned it off on another unfortunate soul.

 

The radio didn’t work, so the young man had to hum tunes to himself right up until he drove into a parking lot and put his vehicle into park. He didn’t bother locking it as he hopped out, still humming his tunes.

 

He put down the back hatch, jumping into the truck bed. An old, rusted red Radio Flyer--also a hand-me-down-- was placed onto the cracked, sand-covered parking lot. It was filled to bursting with what he needed to spend the rest of his day relaxing. There were two big buckets, a tackle box, some bundles of fishing line, a pair of dirty rubber boots, a folding chair, and a cooler. Hanging on the side of the wagon by some rope was an old radio as well.

 

Anon gave the wagon a kick, nodding his head in satisfaction when nothing flew out of it. He then turned back toward the truck bed and pulled out the most important piece of equipment for this whole venture: a fishing pole. It was his prized possession; a thousand dollar pole that he had managed to get for fifty bucks from a woman who had no idea what she had at a yard sale.

 

He picked up the fishing pole carefully. Giving it a few test casts, he placed it against his shoulder and grabbed his wagon’s handle. Quickly checking one last time to see if he had everything, he started off.

 

For any nonresident, this place was a fun getaway. The county made sure to keep it clean, and even in the off season there would be nightly events, from fireworks to surfing competitions. Anon, having lived near the ocean all of his life, didn’t bother with any of that. Sure, sometimes he’d go with some friends during the summer to see if they could pick up city chicks, but today he wasn’t even going to bother with the beach.

 

If one traveled along the shoreline long enough, the sand would turn into sandstone. If they walked a bit further, they’d come upon a series of coves, big and small. Not a lot of people bothered going to these coves as they were sort of tricky to get to, and the waters surrounding them had massive stones jutting out of the sea, so surfing and even boating was out of the question.

 

What these coves [i]were[/i] good for was fishing. Smaller fish found shelter near the rocks, and clams and oysters liked to nestle in the sandstone. Anon was no pro fisherman by any stretch of the imagination, but on a good day he’d be able to fill up his buckets with seafood.

 

There were three coves worth going to. Today, he was going to the closest one, both because he had been fishing the other two coves more than he would have liked lately, and this cove was the easiest and quickest to get to. The beach was completely empty this time of day, leaving him with nothing but his thoughts as he trekked down the familiar path to his destination.

 

Ten minutes passed before he saw the cove. It’s sight caused him to pick up the pace, eager to begin his day of relaxation.

 

This cove was by far the largest. The water was deep here, waves gently pounding against rock. As he walked near the edge, he could see fish darting around. The sounds of the sea were amplified here, bouncing off the stone and making a very calming, if somewhat eerie, sound.

 

Anon found himself smiling as he brought his wagon to a halt and began unpacking. A pair of rubber door stoppers were placed between one of the wheels of the wagon. The folding chair was pulled out and placed near the water, as well as the cooler. The buckets and tackle box were placed to his left, and the radio was placed into the wagon as well as the fishing rod.

 

Bait was pulled from the cooler, as well as a beer and a koozie. The line for the fishing pole was checked, and a hook and bobber were tied and fastened. Making sure that he wasn’t going to lose anything as soon as he cast his line, Anon picked his rod back up. With one perfect, smooth motion, he sent his bait--a piece of rotten chicken--sailing through the air. It hit the water with a plop, scattering some fish.

 

The young man sat down with a groan. He kicked off his shoes, placing his pole in a sheath attached to his chair. Leaning forward, he grabbed his radio, flipping it on. As Led Zeppelin began playing, he leaned back, closing his eyes. After a long, awful week of work, this was [i]exactly[/i] what he needed.

 

“Whatta we got here girls?”

 

“It looks like a cute little stud to me!”

 

One of Anon’s eyes snapped open. He looked around, eyes settling on one of the rocks jutting up from the water dozens of feet away. One top of it, he could see figures, at least a dozen. They were lying on top of the rock, looking for all the world like they were just some normal women that wanted to sunbathe. Anon knew better though. They were the resident mythical creatures that had shown up one day; Sirens.

 

Sirens weren’t supposed to be real; just an old wives tale that not even the crazy fishermen told anymore. They didn’t exist, just like dragons and unicorns didn’t exist. That was until a continent just up and appeared in the North Atlantic sea one day. The place was called Equestria, and apparently it was a magical land filled with flying people, monsters, and four goddesses.

 

That news had freaked out everyone for a little while. Thankfully the Equestrians seemed just as confused about their sudden appearance as everyone else. They also weren’t hellbent on taking over the world or killing everybody, which most people appreciated.

 

These Sirens apparently weren’t [i]technically[/i] citizens of Equestria, nor did they follow any of the princesses. They simply lived in bodies of water around the continent and had been taken along for the ride. The moment they found Earth was mostly made out of water--which wasn’t the case on their planet--they had made the world’s oceans their own.

 

They weren’t welcome everywhere; the Chinese and Japanese in particular hated them for constantly disrupting their fishing, but folks were somewhat getting used to their presence on beaches around the world.

 

The pack of Sirens around these waters seemed beneficial to the ecosystem. The water seemed cleaner, the fish seemed bigger and healthier, even the waves seemed calmer. It was mostly due to these benefits that no one called the coast guard on them.

 

They really didn’t interact with anyone from town. The mayor had come down here and spoke with them, as well as some scientists from the local college. Every once in a while they would also come onto the beach, but never when there were large crowds. They kept to themselves mostly. They would have been the perfect addition to this beach, if not for the constant and overwhelming sexual harassment.

 

“Why don’t you come on in, cutie. The water’s fine.”

 

“Let’s see that doggy paddle.”

 

“You can doggy something else after you’re done.”

 

“Whatcha holding there? A fishing pole?”

 

“I’d hold his pole, girls.”

 

“Why don’t you come over here and give us a nibble?”

 

Anon sunk into his chair, brow furrowing. The women were always aggressive around men, even though they refused to get close to anyone if they could help it. It felt weird to be on the other end of flirting and cat-calling, but most people were used to it. He just gave them a wave, returning to his fishing.

 

“Aw, don’t be like that.”

 

“Yeah, come on. Why don’t you sing for us?”

 

“Give me ten minutes and you’ll be doing more than singing.”

 

“I like a guy that plays hard to get. Makes it more of a challenge.”

 

“You look like a clam guy. I got a nice, juicy one right here if you want a little snack.”

 

“Take off your pants. I wanna see your dick!”

 

Eventually the Sirens lost interest in him. Some rolled off their rock, diving into the waters. Fish scattered as they tore through the sea at unnatural speeds. A few disappeared out deeper into the sea, others making their way closer to him.

 

Anon took a sip of his beer just as another Led Zeppelin song came on. Perking up, he set his beer down on his cooler and turned up his radio, humming the lyrics to himself.

 

“Been dazed and confused for so long it's not true… wanted a woman, never bargained for you…”

 

There was a tug on his line. He slowly reeled the line in, hoping something would follow. Unfortunately, it seemed like the Sirens had scared away the fish for the moment. Not that he really minded; today was more about relaxing than catching anything.

 

An hour passed. Song after song played on his little radio. Somewhere between enjoying the sight of the sea and drinking his beer, Anon’s humming became singing. It was a voice that only a mother could love, he knew, but that didn’t stop him from belting out song after song, his words echoing off the sandstone.

 

A few fish were caught. Nothing to write home about, but big enough that they were worth keeping and stuffing in his freezer back home. He checked each one to see if they were legal length before tossing them into his buckets and grabbing more bait, all the while butchering every song that played. As he was tightening up the knot for his bobber, he heard singing.

 

At first it was low, barely noticeable over the sound of the waves crashing against the rocky shore. Slowly, the sound grew in strength, going from one single voice to another, then another. Each one complimented each other perfectly, creating something that made Anon stop his own singing for a moment.

 

The Sirens were singing along with his radio. How they knew any of these songs he couldn’t possibly guess, but he had to admit that they were incredible. Casting his line, Anon leaned back into his chair, sipping on his beer as the singing continued.

 

 

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

 

“Why do you think these humans use this? Can’t they just catch the fish themselves?”

 

“They’re very poor swimmers, you know that. Sonata, put that down.”

 

“Look at this, Dagy!”

 

“I see it, now put it do--Aria, don’t you start too!”

 

“What? I just want a sip. I’m sure he won’t care. He’s got like fifty of them in his ice box.”

 

“Look at all of the shiny little do-dads! Look how cute this one is!”

 

The sound of voices roused Anon from his sleep. With a snort, he jerked forward in his chair, forcing him to grab the sides of it to keep from spilling onto the ground.

 

“Whatza…”

 

Eyes snapping open, he stared at a woman standing in front of him. She was on the shorter side, with a hairdo that would have fit right in in the eighties. Her hair was an orangish color and voluminous to the nth degree. Bits of seaweed and shells seemed to be weaved in it as well. Speaking of shells, the women had two covering her modest breasts. She had on a bikini bottom to cover herself, though it seemed a size too small for her generous thighs and bottom.

 

She was glaring at something to his left. Looking over, he saw another woman sitting on his cooler. She was bigger than the other girl by at least a foot, wearing a bikini top and bottom to cover herself as well as show off her fit, toned body.

 

She had his half-finished beer in her hand. Taking a sip of it, she made a face. “This stuff is awful. How in the seas do they drink this?”

 

Her lavender eyes flicked up toward him as she took another sip.

 

“Adagio, the human’s awake,” she said.

 

Anon stared at her, then looked at the woman standing, who was now looking at him. “...Hello?” he said.

 

“Hello!” A voice to his right chirped, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin.

 

His head snapped over. There was a pair of very large, very round breasts not a foot from his face. Attached to them was a woman with bright blue hair. Just like the woman drinking his beer, she was wearing a bikini top, though this girl was very close to spilling out of them. She had his tackle box at her feet, and one of his lures in her hand.

 

“Will you two stop scaring the poor boy?” the one with the poofy hair said with a huff. “Sonata, put that down. Aria, get off that--”

 

“No,” Aria said, taking another sip of beer.

 

“[i]Get. Over. Here. [b]Now.[/b][/i]”

 

Rolling her eyes, Aria rose to get feet and made her way toward her at a lazy pace. Sonata, putting his lure down, skipped over toward the woman. Giving both women a glare, the woman took a deep breath, then smiled at him.

 

“Hello there, human. I’m sorry we disturbed your sleep,” she said, placing a hand against her chest.

 

“You were really cute while you slept, though. Like a baby seal,” Sonata said, getting an elbow to the ribs for her trouble.

 

“You snore too,” Aria said, also earning her an elbow.

 

“Forgive my sisters. They had some eels this morning and they have more energy than they know what to do with. My name is Adagio. My sisters here are Aria and Sonata.”

 

“Hiya!”

 

“Hello.”

 

“And you are…?”

 

“...I’m Anon,” Anon replied, confused as to what was going on.

 

“Anon? That sounds… exotic.”

 

“Not really, my parents are just a bunch of hippy weirdos.”

 

The sirens blinked.

 

“Hippy?”

 

Anon waved their question away with a hand, using the other to discreetly see if his knife was still attached to his belt. The Sirens had never hurt anyone that he knew of, but it never hurt to be too careful.

 

“So, it’s really nice to meet you guys, but can I ask why you were rooting around in my stuff?”

 

“We saw that fat ass of yours and--omph!”

 

Adagio let out a very inhuman growl, teeth bared as she stared at Aria, who was clutching her stomach with a pained grimace. It might have been a trick of the light, but Anon swore he could see a red glow coming from the base of Adagio’s throat. Her eyes seemed different as well. Sharper, more predatory. He began pulling his knife from its holster, body tensing.

 

Aria dryly swallowed, looking down at the ground, head bowed. Seeing that Aria was suitably shut up, Adagio took a step toward him, extending a webbed hand.

 

“We have seen you come to these coves before, so we thought we’d be neighborly and say hello. You humans shake hands to greet each other, yes?”

 

While still weary, Anon stood up. He let go of his knife, though his hand still hovered near it. Taking a step toward the Siren’s he took her hand. Adagio’s skin was remarkably soft and smooth.

 

“It’s nice to meet you too, ladies. Since you’re here, thanks for helping take care of this beach. Everything has gotten a lot better since you guys showed up,” he said, trying to be as polite as possible.

 

“You’re very welcome, and on behalf of my kind I want to thank you and the people of your town for letting our pack stay here,” Adagio replied, giving him a pearly white smile. Anon couldn’t help but notice that she had two sets of canines. Very sharp canines.

 

“Yeah, this is waaaaaaay better than the river we were staying in!” Sonata said, sticking out her tongue. “The only thing we could eat was frogs and carp. It was the worst!”

 

Aria, who was still rubbing her stomach, gave the young man a once over. “So, does your girlfriend just let you wander off places all the time, or does she know you always come out here?”

 

“Neither? I don’t have a girlfriend,” Anon said, waiting for Adagio to let go of his hand. The woman didn’t seem in a hurry to do so, still shaking away. “I just like coming here to relax.”

 

“Hmm… Do you usually sing like that too?”

 

“Sometimes. Sorry you had to hear that by the way.”

 

“Sorry? There’s nothing to be sorry about. You were great,” Sonata said with a little bounce.

 

“Aw, thanks,” Anon said with a smile.

 

He opened the hand Adagio was shaking. Thankfully, the Siren seemed to take the hint, letting go of it and taking a step away.

 

“The girls and I had another reason for our visit, other than meeting a fine, upstanding--”

 

“Single,” Aria cut in.

 

“--[i]Shutyourmouthrightnow[/i]. Excuse me. As I was saying, this land is far different from Equestria, and there are some in our pack, myself included, that would like to know more about your people. We’ve spoken to that mayor of yours, along with some others, but I’d like to learn from someone more… down to earth. If you wouldn’t mind, my sisters and I would like to speak with you for a bit whenever you come here.”

 

Anon scratched his chin as the girls looked at him. Sonata wasn’t able to stay still, shifting from one leg to another while she opened and closed her hands. Aria was doing her best to look disinterested, staring at him from the corner of her eye. Adagio just had her arms spread out, waiting for his answer.

 

After a few seconds of thought, the young man found himself shrugging. He really didn’t see the harm in the request. He might even learn something. At the very least it might stop the cat-calls every time he came here. Hopefully.

 

“I mean, if you really need help I won’t say no…”

 

Sonata and Aria attempted to speak. Taking a step back, Adagio placed her hands over her sisters’ mouths.

 

“Thank you very much, Anon,” she said, bowing her head. “The three of us should be heading off. We appreciate your time, and hope to see you again very soon.”

 

She pushed her sisters toward the water.

 

“We also know we ruined your hunting by getting too close, so we took the liberty of catching you a few things. We hope you enjoy them.”

 

Aria stepped away from her sister. Adagio pointed at the water, stamping her foot. With a click of her tongue, she made her way over and hopped into the water. Sonata was next, giving Anon a wave before cannonballing into the sea. Adagio, placing her hands on her hips, huffed. She turned back, giving him a smile and a wave before leaping into the water in a perfect dive, not making so much as a splash as she disappeared.

 

Anon just stood there, staring out into the sea. Shoulders slumping, he let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

 

“That… I wasn’t expecting [i]that[/i] today,” he mumbled to himself.

 

He turned toward his wagon. His radio had been turned off; probably when the Siren’s had been rooting through his stuff. He could also see something moving in his buckets. On closer inspection, he saw two of the largest lobsters that he had ever seen. They must have been nearly two foot long, with thick bodies and massive claws. Each claw had been tied with what looked like the electrical tape he had in his tackle box.

 

Whistling, Anon pulled one of them from the bucket, lifting it up into the air. These would have probably cost a small fortune if he tried to get something like this at the local fish market. Just one of these monsters would have made a day of fishing worth it. With two of them, he was more than willing to overlook anything weird or strange the Sirens had done. If they kept giving him catches like this they could bother him all they wanted as far as he was concerned.

 

“I’m going to eat you,” he told the crustacean. “I don’t know where I’m getting a pot big enough to boil you, but I’m doing it.”