Story of the Maiden Jiselle

Jiselle stood on the rocks by the ocean. The fog engulfed the land, and a harsh wind sent her hair and skirts whipping around her. The waves crashed loudly. She wrapped her arms around her body as she shivered from the cold. It didn’t take long for the ship to emerge from the fog, drifting toward her. As it neared, Jiselle frantically hurried toward the docks. Once the ship docked, Jiselle stood there, scanning the faces of the young men disembarking. She took a step back, her heart sinking as the last of the men got off the ship.

There was a tap on her shoulder, and Jiselle spun around. The old fisherman was standing behind her. “Give up on that brother of yours, lass. Three months it’s been already. I don’t think he’s coming back.”

Jiselle shook her head in denial. “Only three men came back that time. Two of them died shortly after, and the third still refuses to talk. Something must have happened.”

The fisherman lowered his voice. “Rumor has it that there’s sirens out there, luring young sailors to their deaths.”

Jiselle shook her head again. “This ship came back unscathed.”

The old fisherman turned to look at the ocean and the heavy fog blotting out the horizon. “You could sail out there yourself and take a look.”

“When does the next ship set sail?”

The old fisherman let out a laugh. “You think you could go dressed the way you are now?”

Jiselle looked down at her dress. “I’ll disguise myself.”

~

        The following day, Jiselle was boarding the fishing ship with the other young men. She was dressed in her brother’s clothes, and she had hidden her golden hair in a cap.

        Jiselle didn’t look back as they pulled out of the docks and sailed toward the fog. It wasn’t long before it started to rain. Jiselle wasn’t sure how long they were sailing, but then suddenly, there was a splash.

        The sailors exchanged a glance before hurrying onto the deck to investigate. As they leaned over the rail, looking around the dark waters, there was another splash from the opposite side of the deck. Everyone whirled.

        And then Jiselle heard it. The pounding of the rain seemed to fade as the voice rang out. Ethereal and haunting, it was a woman’s voice, and she was singing.

        Jiselle looked on in horror as a number of the sailors' bodies went limp. Their faces turned expressionless. As if in a trance, they slowly walked toward the railing before climbing over and falling into the stormy waters.

        “Sirens!” someone yelled. “Quick, cover your ears!”

        Jiselle clapped her hands over her ears, at the same time hurrying forward to try and stop her shipmates from jumping.

        But even though the sailors had their hands over their ears, soon they too were going listless and slowly walking toward the edge of the ship.

        Jiselle pulled her hands from her ears and flung her arms around the nearest sailor in an attempt to stop him from jumping. He just continued to walk forward, dragging Jiselle along with him. Just as he reached the rail, another set of arms grabbed him.

        Jiselle looked over in surprise to find that another young sailor had come to her aid. “It doesn’t affect you either?” Jiselle asked over the rain.

        The young man shook his head. “We need to knock them unconscious.”

        Jiselle nodded before grabbing the closest fishing rod. This she slammed into the head of the bewitched sailor, and he fell to the floor. Jiselle and the other young man went around, knocking out as many of their comrades as possible. Then together, they dragged them out of the rain and back under deck.

        Completely soaked, Jiselle took off her hat and tossed it to the floor.

        The young man blinked at her. “You’re a woman?”

        Jiselle blinked. “That must be why the siren song didn’t work on me.” Then she took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself defensively.

        The young man just took a seat near the fire. “Don’t worry. I’m not into women. That’s why their song didn’t work on me either.”

        Jiselle sat down a short distance away. The ship was still rocking, and the pattering of rain could be heard from the upper deck. And even further in the distance, the traces of ethereal singing echoed.

        “There didn’t use to be sirens here,” Jiselle said shakenly.

        “They only appeared a year ago,” the young man said grimly. “Until recently, we just thought the weather had gotten worse, hence why the sailors kept getting lost at sea. I had sworn not to go to sea again, but once people started disappearing, I needed to investigate. Let me guess, someone you know didn’t return home?”

        Jiselle nodded. “My brother.”

        The young man rose to his feet. “I need to steer the boat around and make sure we’re far from the sirens before the others wake.”

        Jiselle trailed after him onto the deck. She could hear the singing drift through the rain. It was beautiful and alluring. Sail to me, the voice whispered. Swim to me. Jiselle shivered. “Wait,” Jiselle said as she paused. “Can you help me lower a row boat into the water?”

        The young man turned to look at her in surprise. “By Thesnos, don’t tell me you want to sail to the sirens?”

        Jiselle exhaled heavily. “I want to find my brother. He’s the only family I have.”

        The young man hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Fine. I clearly won’t be able to convince you not to go.”

        Together, he and Jiselle brought out the small boat. The young man lowered Jiselle and the boat into the water before lowering the oars as well.

        “Take this too,” he called over the rain. Jiselle looked up from where she was now floating on the water to see him lower a basket of food down on a rope. “I wish you the best.”

        Jiselle saluted him after taking the food. “Thank you.” As Jiselle took the oar and began to row away from the fishing ship, she shivered again. “By Eana,” she whispered. “Mighty goddess above, please bless me and my brother. Please keep us safe.”

        Jiselle wasn’t sure how long she was rowing, but the rain had finally stopped. It was impossible to see through the fog. The fishing ship had vanished, and now only fog and dark water stretched out in all directions. Still soaked, Jiselle continued to row toward where she had heard the singing. It had faded with the rain, and now only silence remained. Jiselle could hear her breathing and feel the pounding of her heart.

        Her young brother was her only family. She had nothing to lose.

        After a while, Jiselle set down her oar to tear into a loaf of soggy bread. It was then that the singing started again. Jiselle froze as a shiver ran down her spine. The voice was eerie as it cut through the fog and otherwise silent world. It was more than one voice, Jiselle realized. There were many voices making up the haunting chorus.

Jiselle continued to row toward them until large shapes began to loom in the distance. Jiselle squinted through the fog, trying to make them out. She let out a startled gasp as her oar hit something solid. Jiselle whirled around to look at the dark waters. There was wood floating there. There was wood all around her.

As she continued onward, the shapes of sunken ships protruding out of the water emerged. Jiselle looked at them, unnerved as she floated by. And then the rocks of an island cut through the fog.

“By Eana,” Jiselle breathed. A wind picked up, and she wrapped her brother’s jacket tighter around her body. The singing had stopped again. Suddenly there was a soft bump. Jiselle shakily rose to her feet to see what her boat had hit. She nearly let out a scream. There was a dead body floating there.

As Jiselle stood there, clutching her oar with frozen fingers, she slowly came to realize that the dark water around her boat was full of bodies. Jiselle choked back her cry as she clapped a hand to her mouth in horror.

The world was gray as she continued forward, trying her best to navigate around the waterlogged corpses. Soon, the water became shallow as she pulled up on the rocky beach. Jiselle took a deep breath of the salty air before climbing out of the boat. She put what remained of the soggy bread in her pocket, and then still clutching her oar like a weapon, started forward onto the land.

The world gently swayed around her as Jiselle started toward the caves in the distance. This had to be where the sirens were. But as the silence continued to press down from all sides, Jiselle found herself more and more on edge. Where were they?

Just then, the sound of wings had Jiselle looking up. A number of half-bird, half-human women were diving at her. Jiselle screamed as she struck out at them with the oar. It came into contact with the first siren, and the siren shrieked, flapping back into the gray sky.

Jiselle whirled on the next siren, swinging with all her might. Jiselle’s heart nearly stopped as a crack sounded, followed by her oar snapping in half. Now weaponless, there wasn’t anything Jiselle could do but cry out as a pair of claws dug into her shoulders and lifted her into the air.

Jiselle thrashed as the sirens flew her away from the beach and into a dark cave. Giving up her struggle, Jiselle looked back at where the light from the outside world was growing smaller and smaller. And then she was falling as the siren released her. Jiselle hit the stone floor with a wince, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Her golden hair spilled over the ground as she heaved herself into a sitting position.

“It’s a girl,” voices whispered.

Gritting her teeth, Jiselle slowly turned around to find a number of sirens gathered in a torch-lit cavern. And they were all staring at her.

“She looks like us,” one of the sirens mused. “Except she has no wings and feathers, and what are those called again? Yes—she has feet!”

Jiselle dropped her gaze to the sirens’ feet only to find that none of them had feet—instead, they had the legs of birds from their knees down, ending in sharp taloned claws.

More winged women emerged from tunnels in the walls of the cavern, and Jiselle’s eyes widened as she spotted some with young men beside them. All the young men stood there with blank expressions and glassy eyes as if in a trance.

Jiselle spotted her brother among them. “Rorus!” she cried as she tried to crawl toward him, only to hiss in pain. Her shoulders were bleeding from where the siren’s claws had dug into them.

The sirens exchanged a glance. “What do you want, human girl? You’re the first human to find us on your own. We should reward her, what do you say, sisters?”

“Speak, human girl,” one of the sirens said. “What do you wish for?”

Jiselle lifted a shaky arm to point at her brother. “Him.”

The siren blinked. “You came here for him?”

“He’s my brother.”

“What can you give us in exchange?”

Jiselle’s breathing was uneven. “What do you want?”

“What do you have to give?” the siren asked simply.

Jiselle’s shoulders slumped. “I . . .”

“You can’t take him!” another voice rang out. “He’s mine.”

Jiselle turned to see a siren with long brown hair emerge from one of the tunnels. “He’s my brother,” Jiselle countered angrily. “Why can’t I take him?”

“He’s my lover,” the siren shot back as she wrapped an arm around Rorus’s shoulders.

Jiselle tried and failed to climb to her feet again. “Don’t touch him!”

The siren caressed the side of Rorus’s face with a delicate hand. “He already swore to be mine. He swam to me so he could embrace me in his arms and made love to me on the beach . . .”

Jiselle staggered to her feet, still swaying. “Let him go.”

The siren sighed dramatically. “But what can you do? I guess we are in need of more workers, and he’s already served his purpose.” She rested a hand on her belly. “I’ll be a mother thanks to him.”

“Let him go,” Jiselle repeated.

The siren turned back to her. “Fine, fine. You’re no fun. How about this, if he wants to leave, he can leave whenever he wants. You could stay here in his place. Deal?” Then the siren turned to Rorus. “Are you going to leave me, darling?”

Rorus looked at the siren almost in a frantic sort of way. “No, I’d rather drown myself than part with you!”

The siren gave Jiselle a look. “He isn’t even willing to leave. Why force him?”

“You said you’ll let him leave when he’s ready,” Jiselle said. “I hope you’ll keep your word.” She would stay here and help her brother regain his senses.

The siren looked surprised. “Of course I’ll keep my word.” She turned on her heel, and Rorus turned as well.

“Wait,” Jiselle called. All eyes were on her again as she pointed to the siren. “I’ll work for her.”

The siren just clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Hurry up, then.” With that, she strode into the dark passageway with Rorus following at her heels. Jiselle hurried forward, swaying on her feet as her injuries got the better of her. But she fought through the pain and followed the siren. Jiselle wasn’t sure how long they were walking until they finally stopped in a cavern with smooth stone walls.

There was a window high up on one of the walls, cut into the stone to show the gray sky. The siren turned around to face Jiselle. She held out a feather duster to her. “Get to work. We’ll have a dress made for you by tomorrow.”

Jiselle nodded silently as she took the duster. The siren strode out of the room, and Jiselle was left with her brother.

Once she made sure the siren was gone, Jiselle quickly set the duster down and hurried over to where her brother was still standing in a daze. Jiselle grabbed his shoulders. “Rorus, Rorus!”

Rorus stared blankly at her. “Who are you?”

Jiselle blinked back her tears. “Rorus, it’s me, Jiselle! Your older sister!”

Rorus just shook his head. “I’ll only love Mena.”

Jiselle shook Rorus’s shoulders. “Snap out of it! I know you can snap out of it.”

Rorus shook Jiselle’s hands off. His eyes seemed to widen, but he was looking over Jiselle’s shoulder. “Where’s Mena?” He frantically looked around the room. “Where is she? Does she not want me anymore?” Rorus clutched at his chest. “My heart is aching for her—” He staggered backward as Jiselle slapped him across the face.

Jiselle was breathing heavily. “Rorus, come to your senses!”

This time Rorus put a hand to his face in shock. His head snapped over to look at his sister. “Jiselle?”

Jiselle nearly fell to her knees in relief. “Rorus!”

Rorus’s entire demeanor changed as he turned on the spot, looking at the stone room in shock. “By Thesnos . . . Jiselle, where are we? And what happened to you?”

Jiselle just wrapped her arms around her brother and held him tightly. “I knew you were still alive. Don’t worry about me. I came to find you. What happened to you?”

Rorus frowned faintly as Jiselle pulled away to look at his face. “I—the last thing I remember was being on the fishing boat with the others.” Rorus looked at Jiselle. “I think I had a dream. A very long dream. But it wasn’t a bad dream either.”

“What kind of dream?”

Rorus shuffled his feet. “I-I’m not sure if we should talk about this.”

A voice sounded from the entryway. “I don’t think we should talk about this either.”

Jiselle whirled and took a protective step in front of her brother. The siren was back.

Rorus inhaled sharply from behind Jiselle. “Mena? You’re not a dream?”

“Rorus,” the siren sighed. “Rorus . . .” She sang his name, and Jiselle watched in dismay as Rorus’s expression went blank. He took a step toward Mena.

“Don’t listen to her!” Jiselle called. But the siren’s voice echoed off the stone walls. It was like  an angel singing . . . but there was something dark and haunting about it that said otherwise.

Rorus came to a stop next to the siren, and she caressed his face. “It would be such a shame to part with him. He’s beautiful.”

Jiselle stood her ground. “Why are you sirens luring so many men to their deaths? What do you need them here for?”

Mena ruffled her large feathered wings. “What you see here on this island is what’s left of us. We had to flee our home and were nearly hunted to extinction. Now we need to repopulate and regrow our numbers.”

“So that’s why you’re luring young men?”

“You may have noticed that all of us sirens are female,” Mena said lightly. “If we give birth to a daughter, she becomes a siren like us. But if we birth a son, he’s a mere human and will need to be disposed of. We don’t want just any men either . . . we want the most handsome, the most beautiful . . .”

Jiselle just shook her head, frowning.

Instead of continuing, Mena gestured to the discarded feather duster. “Get to work.”

This time when Mena left, she took Rorus with her.

Jiselle picked up the feather duster and looked around the stone room. There was a loom in the back, and she walked over to inspect it. The threads hanging from it appeared to be woven from seaweed, and the patterns were that of winged women and the sea.

When the siren returned, she ordered Jiselle to follow her. Jiselle glanced around the passageways in the cavern. They passed an opening to a room where a fire blazed. “The kitchen?” Jiselle asked.

Mena nodded. “Dear Rorus is working there now.”

Jiselle twisted her head to see into the kitchen, but her view was obscured by the rocks.

“This way,” Mena said.

Jiselle reluctantly followed her away from the kitchen. This time they passed through a different opening. There were lines of long tables.

“You’ll work here,” Mena told her as she turned around.

Jiselle frowned. “Me? All by myself?”

“Yes. You’ll set up the plates and then after everyone is finished, you’ll take them to the kitchens to clean. There’s an hour until mealtime. Try to be quick about it.”

Jiselle was still frowning as she followed Mena’s gaze to the stack of plates and spoons in the corner of the room. “Fine.”

Mena stood by the doorway, watching as Jiselle rolled up her sleeves, twisted up her hair, and then made her way over to set the tables. Jiselle could only hold so many plates at a time, and there had to be hundreds of them. How big is this island to house hundreds of sirens? Jiselle found herself wondering.

Once all the tables were set, Jiselle turned to find that she was alone. She quietly slipped out of the room and retraced her steps to where she remembered seeing the kitchen.

Jiselle entered the kitchen. A number of young men were working there, grilling fish and other sea creatures over a crackling fire. Jiselle scanned their faces for Rorus. All of them appeared to be around the same age as her brother—in their late teens and early twenties—and all of them were beautiful. Rorus had always had a following of giggling admirers back in their village, and all of the girls had cried for days when he hadn’t returned.

Jiselle continued through the kitchen. She passed the dishwashing station where a constant stream of water trickled in through the rocks before filtering through the cracks on the floor. As Jiselle looked at it, she accidentally collided with something solid.

“I’m sorry,” Jiselle said as she turned to find herself face-to-face with one of the young men.

His face was expressionless. Jiselle waved a hand in front of his face. He didn’t blink. Jiselle stepped out of his path, and he ignored her as he continued on his way. Jiselle watched him walk away. All of the young men were under the enchantment of the sirens.

After failing to find her brother in the kitchen, Jiselle took a seat by one of the fires. The young men ignored her as she stretched out her hands to warm them by the flames. It was chilly in the cavern, and the occasional gust of wind had her shivering.

Jiselle stayed in the kitchens until she was called upon to clean up the dining hall. She collected the plates alone, making multiple trips back and forth to the kitchen. Once the plates were in stacks on the floor, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work washing them.

Jiselle must have been washing plates for hours because when she finally finished, she was completely exhausted. The kitchen was empty now, and without the fires, a chill was beginning to creep in. Jiselle was sure it was night given how the temperatures had dropped so drastically. Her fingers were shriveled from the water, and Jiselle stuffed them in the pockets of her jacket.

The hearth was still glowing with dying embers, and Jiselle lay down on the stones in front of it. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. At least now she knew her brother was alive. But whether the two of them would be able to leave alive . . . Jiselle didn’t let herself continue that thought as her exhaustion carried her into an uneasy sleep.

Jiselle woke with a start to someone poking her in the arm, and she sat up to find herself face-to-face with Mena.

The siren stared at Jiselle before bursting into laughter. “Look at your face!”

Confused, Jiselle put a hand to her face. It came away smudged with soot.

Mena held out a brown dress. “This is yours. Change into it after you wash up. Then you’re going to help with breakfast.”

Jiselle silently accepted the dress. Once Mena left, she knelt by the stream of water in the rocks, washing the charcoal from her face. She changed into the brown dress, then found a place to hide her brother’s clothes. She would wash them later, and if she could find a needle and thread, make them into a blanket.

For the next few days, Jiselle spent all her time in the kitchen. She didn’t have much of a choice given that once she finished washing all the dishes, the young men were already preparing the next meal. When Jiselle finished with the dishes, she would make do with the leftovers she set aside. By the time she finished the dishes for the night, all the fires were extinguished, and the room would be empty.

Exhausted, Jiselle would curl up by the dying embers of the hearth. Her hands curled into fists as she lay there with her golden hair spilling over the stones. Was this her fate for the rest of her life? No, she would save her brother first, then she would think of a way to escape herself.

Jiselle woke the next morning to someone tapping her arm. She cracked open an eye. Then she shot up in surprise. “Rorus!”

Rorus knelt in front of her, holding a plate of grilled fish. “Eat.”

Jiselle carefully accepted the plate. “Rorus,” she asked slowly. “Do you know who I am?”

Rorus’s eyes were glazed. “You’re Jiselle. You’re the new servant here.”

“Did Mena send you?”

Rorus nodded. “She sent me to work in the kitchens and to keep an eye on you.”

Jiselle glanced around, and once she had made sure they were the only ones in the kitchen, Jiselle motioned for her brother to lean in closer. “I have something to tell you.”

Rorus leaned in. Once he was close enough, Jiselle mustered all her strength as she slapped him across the face.

Rorus staggered.

“Rorus?” Jiselle asked hopefully.

This time when Rorus looked at her, his eyes were clear. “Jiselle!”

Jiselle set the plate down and wrapped her arms around her brother. “Rorus, I’m going to get you out of here.”

Rorus looked around the kitchen with wide eyes. “Jiselle, I’m scared. I’ve seen this place in a dream before. My memories are all foggy. I can’t tell the difference between when I’m dreaming and when I’m awake.”

“Hide here,” Jiselle said softly. “We’ll pretend to work in the kitchen like normal. When Mena comes, tell her that you want to go home. She promised me that she’ll let you go.”

Rorus swallowed hard as he nodded.

After the first meal of the day was served, Jiselle was washing dishes. There were footsteps, and then Rorus was crouching beside her. “You have to wash this many dishes? All by yourself?”

Jiselle shook back her hair as she nodded. “I assume Mena and the other sirens are just trying to make my life miserable.” Then she paused. That was right—it took her so long to do the dishes. Wouldn’t it be much more efficient to have the enchanted men do them instead? Unless they weren’t supposed to do them . . .

“Jiselle?” Rorus asked at the look on his sister’s face.

Jiselle slowly rose to her feet, plate in hand as she turned to look at the young men in the kitchen shuffling around as they prepared the ingredients for the next meal.

Raising her hand in the air, Jiselle brought the dish down hard on the floor. Crash! The plate shattered on the stones.

All of the men jumped and turned toward the sound in surprise. A moment later, murmuring filled the kitchen as the young men looked around in shock at the room and the tools they were holding. Jiselle inhaled sharply. The enchantment was broken.

“Let’s get out of here!” one of the young men cried. A number of them hurried toward the exit.

Rorus turned to Jiselle, open-mouthed, but Jiselle whirled on him. “Cover your ears!”

Rorus quickly did as he was told, and Jiselle clapped her hands over her brother’s as the siren’s song started.

In a matter of seconds, the young men were filing back into the kitchen, and a number of sirens appeared in the doorway. Jiselle quickly spotted Mena among them. All of them were looking at Jiselle and Rorus.

Jiselle took a step in front of her brother. “I dropped the plate. Rorus told me he wants to leave this place.”

Rorus nodded as he took a step forward, his hands still hovering by his ears. “I want to go home.”

Jiselle folded her arms across her chest as she turned to Mena. “With so many witnesses, are you going to break your promise?”

“Fine,” Mena said. “You can go, then.”

Rorus slowly lowered his hands. He looked to Jiselle, and Jiselle nodded.

Rorus walked over to the door, and the sirens parted for him. He paused in the doorway to glance over his shoulder again.

Jiselle smiled as she motioned for him to go. Rorus looked conflicted before he finally turned and vanished from sight.

Jiselle let out a breath. Just then, two sirens stepped into the kitchen. Jiselle remained standing where she was, glaring at them silently as they took her by the arms. The sirens marched her out of the kitchens and through the dark tunnels. Soon they were outside, and then they were flying as the sirens lifted her into the air.

The wind whipped at Jiselle’s hair as the sirens flew her toward an opening high in the cliffs. The rocks themselves were sheer, and once they landed on a stone ledge, Jiselle knew with a sinking feeling that she couldn’t escape.

The sirens pushed her through an opening, and Jiselle braced herself as she hit the stone floor. The sirens turned to leave, but Jiselle called after them, “Wait! What is this place?”

“You’ll stay here until you learn not to cause any more trouble,” one of them answered.

And with that, both of them leaped off of the ledge and took to the sky.

Jiselle slowly climbed to her feet, looking around the stone room. It was a small room and was completely empty. Jiselle glanced over at the opening. It was the only window to the outside world, and she tentatively walked over to it. She was high up, and if she jumped, she knew she would splatter painfully on the sharp rocks below.

The ocean wind sent her hair flying, and Jiselle wrapped her arms around herself, shivering as she backed away from the window. Jiselle slumped down against the wall on the far side of the room. She was going to be fine, she reassured herself.

Jiselle wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there before she heard the sound of wing beats, and a moment later, Mena landed on the windowsill.

Jiselle jumped to her feet. “How’s Rorus?” she asked as she scanned the siren’s face.

Mena sighed as she folded her wings neatly behind her. “Don’t worry, he’s fine. He’s on a boat and is being escorted back to land as we speak.”

Jiselle let out a breath. “Good.”

Mena frowned as she folded her arms over her chest. “You took advantage of my good intentions. You caused trouble and then got yourself locked up here.”

Jiselle raised a brow. “Why are you here? Are you worrying about me?”

“Since you wanted to take Rorus’s place, you’re going to become my new servant at one point or another. Can you weave?”

“What?”

“I said do you know how to weave.”

Jiselle nodded.

Mena turned to go. “You can start your work now, then. I’ll go bring it to you.” Mena returned a short while later with a loom. “If you do a good job behaving yourself, maybe you’ll get let out quicker.”

Jiselle waited until Mena had taken to the sky again before walking over to the loom. Someone had already started a design of the sky. Jiselle took a seat on the wooden stool. And since she had nothing better to do, she began to weave.

When night fell, Jiselle huddled in the corner of the room, shivering as the night winds rushed in through the open window with a roar. Her teeth chattered away in her skull. She could hear the crashing of the waves and smell the salt in the cold air.

The next morning when a siren left food and water for her, Jiselle was so weak that she had to practically crawl across the stone floor to reach it.

By the third day, Jiselle had fallen ill. One minute she was freezing, the next she was on fire. Her head spun and the world blurred in and out of focus around her. She spent that night sobbing until she found she couldn’t cry anymore. The wind roared. No one could hear her cries.

When the sun finally rose, Jiselle gritted her teeth as she tightly wrapped her arms around herself. How long were the sirens planning to keep her here? In another few days, she would surely die if this went on.

Jiselle was lying in the corner, drifting in and out of consciousness when wing beats sounded.

“By Orela,” a voice exclaimed. It was Mena.

Jiselle was shaking too much as she tried and failed to raise her head. A moment later, Mena was holding her, and warmth enveloped her as feathers brushed her skin.

“I just left you for a couple of days and you’re already like this?”

Jiselle didn’t have the strength to respond.

Mena wrapped her arms and wings around Jiselle, doing her best to warm her up. “I’ll have a blanket made for you by tonight.”

Jiselle continued to lay on the stones after Mena left. She was still shivering, but she didn’t feel nearly as cold as before. Before the sun went down, Mena returned with a blanket. Jiselle’s eyes widened as Mena knelt to lay it over her.

“This blanket is made out of our shed feathers,” Mena explained when she caught Jiselle’s gaze lingering. “It will keep you warm.”

“Thank you,” Jiselle whispered as she drew the blanket around herself. “Why are you helping me?”

Mena looked at Jiselle sympathetically. “Being here alone is too pitiful. And look at the state you’re in.”

Jiselle coughed as she glanced over at the window. “What is this place?”

Mena took a seat on the stone floor. “We made this place to teach our young how to fly. Except we don’t have any yet. A few of my sisters are due in the next few weeks, though.”

“Did my brother get to land safely?” Jiselle decided to ask.

“The sister escorting him hasn’t returned yet. They’re probably still at sea.”

Over the next few days, thanks to Mena’s blanket, Jiselle found herself slowly recovering from her cold. During the first two days, she slept all day long, huddled under the warm feathers, only getting up to eat the meals delivered to her. By the third day, Jiselle would sit on the wooden stool, weaving with the blanket still wrapped around her body. When she grew tired of weaving, she would sit on the ground, throwing stones at a dark spot on the wall until her aim was impeccable.

After a siren brought her a meal, Jiselle sat on the windowsill, looking out over the ocean. She absently ran her fingers through her hair, combing out the windswept tangles.

Mena would come to visit her too once a day, and today while Jiselle sat in front of the loom, Mena sat on the windowsill. Her long brown hair waved in the wind as she watched Jiselle weave the threads together. “What’s this design of?”

“It’s a forest,” Jiselle explained, still focused on the project in front of her.

“Does your home have forests?” Mena asked quietly.

Jiselle paused for a moment. “Yes, there’s a forest near my village. I go there to collect firewood and pick berries.”

“Do you regret coming here to take your brother’s place?”

Jiselle smiled as she shook her head. “As long as my brother gets home safely, I’m content. You, on the other hand, were you really that willing to just let him leave? You didn’t seem to be so the first time we met.”

Mena rested a hand on her belly. “He already fulfilled his purpose. But in the end, he was just under the enchantment of our siren song. There were no real feelings of attachment between us.”

Jiselle stopped weaving to turn and face her. “You must have really loved him. Otherwise, you didn’t have to let him leave.” Mena blinked as Jiselle continued, “You could have let him end up like the other men floating around the island as corpses. But instead, you let him leave.”

Mena looked conflicted before she nodded. “I did like him. I really liked him. I saved him from the shipwreck and brought him to the island. I wanted him to be mine, but even though he was under the influence of the song and claimed the one he loved was me, our relationship was one-sided. It was my wishful thinking. Living in a trance like that, he couldn’t have been happy. Your arrival was my opportunity to let him go. Did . . . did he have a lover back at home?”

Jiselle shook her head. “When he came to his senses, Rorus told me that all of this felt like a dream. He said it wasn’t a bad dream either, though.”

Mena rested her chin on her palms. “I did my best to treat him well. I’ll treat our child well too.”

At the end of the week, Jiselle had finished her weaving. On that same day, a siren came to inform her that she could now return to the island. Back in the underground caves, instead of working in the kitchens, Jiselle would stay in Mena’s room, weaving. Mena had informed her that Rorus had made it to land safely, and the days after that passed quietly.

One rainy night, Jiselle awoke from where she was sleeping on the floor in the corner of the room to the sound of a commotion. Jiselle pulled the feather blanket off as she looked to where Mena was sitting up in bed as well.

Suddenly Mena jumped to her feet. “One of my sisters is giving birth! Everyone’s gone to witness the first birth.” She hurried out of the room, and Jiselle hurried after her. The two of them arrived on the beach to find a siren cradling a winged baby in her arms. The baby was crying as the remaining blood on her body was washed away by the rain.

Back in Mena’s room, Mena was grinning ear to ear. “It’s a girl!” she said, overjoyed. “There’s going to be a feast tomorrow to celebrate.”

“Will I have to work in the kitchens, then?”

Mena shook her head. “When we hold a feast, it’s a custom for us sirens to do all the work. All the servants can attend too.”

Over the next few weeks, there were more births. One morning, there was a commotion again, and Mena and Jiselle hurried out to the beach. This time when they arrived, the faces of the sirens were sad, some disappointed, and others grim. The baby in the mother’s arms was wingless.

She was sobbing as she clutched her crying child to her breast. “Don’t take my baby boy from me!”

One of the other sirens stepped forward. “We don’t raise male children. That’s been the rule set by our ancestors.”

“But—” the siren protested, refusing to let go of the infant.

Jiselle watched in horror as a number of the sirens descended on the new mother. She struggled, fighting tooth and nail, but it didn’t take long for the baby to be snatched from her arms. The mother struggled, wings flaring as the sirens held her back. One of the other sirens brought a small wooden boat. The sirens set the baby in the boat before setting it on the water.

The siren’s sobbing rang in the otherwise silent morning as the boat drifted out to sea. The fog was dense, and the baby’s cries could be heard even after it had been swallowed by the haze.

The sirens dispersed, and back in Mena’s room, Mena’s face was pale as she sat down on her bed. She had one hand on her belly.

“What will you do if your child is a boy?” Jiselle asked quietly.

Mena whirled on Jiselle with hopeless eyes. “If it is, I don’t want to send him to his death. I don’t want to be like that mother. This is the child of Rorus and me. You won’t let anything happen to it either, right? If it’s a boy, he’ll be your nephew after all.”

Jiselle paused. “You seemed worried. Do . . . do you already know what the child’s going to be?”

Mena closed her eyes for a brief moment. “It’s a boy.”

“How do you know? The other sirens don’t know, do they?”

“They don’t know.” Both of Mena’s hands were on her belly now as if she could protect the growing child within. “With girls, because of the wings, the mother will be able to feel the wings beating by the third month, even pain from the kicking of the claws. It’s been almost four months now, and I’ve felt nothing.”

Jiselle fell silent at that.

The following night, Jiselle was out on the beach with Mena. Mena kept watch as Jiselle tied long pieces of driftwood together with ropes of seaweed. Once her raft was completed, Jiselle climbed on, balancing carefully as she used her makeshift paddle to maneuver through the water.

Over the next few days, whenever there was no one on the beach, Jiselle would take her raft and paddle out to sea. Finally, she came across the remains of a ship. This one must have smashed into rocks because the entire side of it had been ripped open. Jiselle smiled as she took note of the ship’s location.

When she returned to the beach, Jiselle hurried over to Mena. “I found a place.”

The next few weeks were spent collecting wood from other shipwreckages. The waters were rocky today, and Jiselle was trying to do her best to move quickly to avoid the imminent rain. Jiselle knelt on her raft, reaching for a piece of floating wood, when all of a sudden, the raft jolted and flipped over, sending Jiselle tumbling into the icy water.

Surprised, Jiselle gasped for breath as the salt tore at her eyes. Jiselle tried to swim upward, but she was sinking too quickly. Her head felt light.

Just as the last of Jiselle’s energy was ripped away by the water, there was a rush of bubbles as something shot toward her. Jiselle was barely conscious as she felt someone’s lips on hers, giving her air. Jiselle’s eyes slowly cracked open. Everything was silent as Mena’s brown hair and feathered wings drifted lazily in the water.

A moment later, she was being pulled upward. Jiselle’s head broke through the surface of the water, and she gasped for breath. Mena helped her onto the raft, and Jiselle shivered violently as the wind bit into her.

“What happened?” Mena asked. Her eyes were concerned.

Jiselle shook her head, still in a state of shock. “I got ahead of myself and fell.”

Mena looked up at the sky. “The waters are rougher than usual today. A storm’s coming.”

Mena took the paddle and paddled the raft back to the wrecked ship. The two of them climbed inside, and Mena started a fire with some of the wood they had previously stored there.

Jiselle huddled on one side of the fire while Mena sat on the other. “I think we have enough wood to start.”

Jiselle nodded in agreement. Her golden hair was plastered to her face, and she brushed it away. “I better start getting used to being in the water if I’m going to have to make multiple diving trips.”

The following day, Jiselle waited in the wrecked ship while Mena pushed a small boat with a seaweed doll in it into the water from shore. After a while, the boat emerged from the fog. It floated in the distance, and Jiselle watched as it floated past the ship.

Mena emerged from the fog next, flying over to retrieve it before it could drift further.

Jiselle took the rope of seaweed she had been braiding together and climbed onto the raft. Mena flew nearby as Jiselle attached the seaweed to the ship. She paddled along the water, and when she was far enough, Mena handed her a long wooden pole. The two of them had attached rocks to the bottom of it, and when Jiselle let it drop, the pole sunk into the depths of the water until only the top was still visible above the waves.

Next, Jiselle tied the end of the seaweed rope tightly around the pole. Any small boat would get caught on it instead of drifting out to sea. Their work complete, Jiselle and Mena returned to the wrecked ship.

Over the next month, another siren gave birth to a boy. He was sent on a small boat out into the water, but when Jiselle and Mena paddled out to the wrecked ship, there was no sign of the baby or the boat. Jiselle inhaled sharply. There was no sign of her seaweed rope either.

“What happened?” Jiselle asked as she stared at the place the rope had been. “Are the sirens onto us?”

Mena shook her head in equal bewilderment. “That can’t be.” Then Mena’s eyes widened as she pointed to the water. “Look!”

Jiselle followed her gaze to where pieces of the seaweed rope bobbed up and down. Mena flew over to retrieve a piece from the water. Jiselle took it from her to carefully examine it. “It looks like something was trying to eat it.”

Mena’s expression was one of dismay. “What do we do now?”

“I know,” Jiselle said suddenly. “The outfit I wore when I first arrived at the island—I hid it in the kitchen! We can cut it into strips and use that as our rope instead.”

As they continued their preparations, Mena’s belly continued to grow. Now as Jiselle sat in Mena’s room, weaving at the loom, Mena placed a hand on her belly. “I can feel him kicking,” she said softly.

Jiselle looked over at her. “Do you know what you’re going to name him?”

Mena shook her head. “What kind of names does Rorus like?”

“That . . . I’m not too sure about.”

Mena sighed. “I’ll keep thinking, then.”

Before long, the one giving birth on the beach was Mena. Jiselle had taken the raft and paddled to camp out in the wrecked ship that cold morning. The new cloth rope held strong as Jiselle sat there, waiting and watching. Slowly, the boat emerged from the fog. It hit the rope, gently bobbing in place.

Jiselle paddled over on the raft. Once the little boat was safely on board, Jiselle returned to the ship. She held her breath as she lifted the baby boy out of the boat. He was asleep with his thumb in his mouth. His golden hair was the same as Rorus’s.

Jiselle wrapped her nephew up with a section she had cut from her blanket of feathers before holding him tightly. She would take care of him here on the boat until Mena arrived.

Once the sun went down, there was the sound of wings as Mena landed on the boat. Her expression was frantic as she scanned the ship. “Where’s my baby?”

Jiselle stood up from where she was huddled under her own blanket of feathers. “He’s sleeping right now,” she said softly. “He’s alive and well.”

Mena’s face relaxed as she spotted the baby sleeping in the little boat.

“Now that you’re here, it’s time for the second part of our plan.”

Mena nodded as she gently took the baby in her arms. Then with a nod to Jiselle, the two of them took the raft further out to sea. Jiselle had spent months working on repairing one of the smaller ships after determining that it could be saved. After all those days of hammering nails into place, the boat now floated on top of the dark water.

Originally, Jiselle had asked why Mena couldn’t take the baby and fly away. Mena had replied that a siren could only fly for a couple of hours at most before having to rest her wings. And after just giving birth, she wouldn’t have the strength to even get that far. The island was days from land, and that form of escape was not an option.

Now Mena was below deck with her newborn while Jiselle steered the boat away from the island. Once the island had long disappeared into the fog, Jiselle joined Mena out of the chill of the night.

The baby was crying, and Mena rocked him gently in her arms.

Jiselle smiled as she took a seat next to the siren, looking down at the baby. When he finally stopped crying, Jiselle turned to Mena. “Have you thought of a name for him?”

Mena nodded as she smiled. “I’ve decided to call him Enro.”

“Enro,” Jiselle called his name. The baby giggled as he caught a strand of Jiselle’s wavy golden hair in his tiny fist. “Look,” Jiselle was smiling, “he smiled!”

Mena was smiling as well as she helped Jiselle free her hair from Enro’s grasp. “Thank you, Jiselle. I wouldn’t have been able to keep him without your help.”

“Where do we go now?” Jiselle finally asked. “I don’t think we could exactly go to my home.”

Mena sighed as her wings slumped. “I know. Once we get to land, I’ll take Enro to a place far away from others and raise him there.”

“I’ll go with you,” Jiselle said. “Raising a child won’t be easy.”

Mena looked down at the baby in her arms. “I’ll take care of him in his early years. Once he’s older, do you think I can entrust you to take him to his father? He’s a human, after all. He should live with other humans.”

Jiselle nodded. “When it gets closer to that time, we can talk about this again.”

Instead of steering the boat in the direction of her home, Jiselle let the boat drift past it and continue further along the cliffs. She knew of a place the three of them could go.

After Jiselle let the anchor drop near a beach, the three of them took the raft to shore. It was early afternoon, and the sun cut through the fog as they climbed up the cliffs and walked through the grass. They continued inland with nothing but the clothes on their backs until the ocean wind had faded. Now what remained was grassy fields full of wildflowers, lakes, rivers, and trees. Jiselle smiled as she turned to Mena. “We can live here.”

Mena looked around in awe. “What is this place?”

Jiselle nodded her head in the direction of two stones. The two of them drew closer to see the writing on them. “This is the place my parents are buried. Before Rorus was born, they would take me on trips here to play in the flowers. My mother wanted to live here, but both of my parents’ jobs were tied too closely to our village.”

Mena knelt in front of the stones, a sleeping Enro in her arms. “Your grandson is here to see you.”

During the rest of the daylight hours, Jiselle took care of Enro while Mena flew back and forth from the ship, unloading the supplies they had brought with them. Once everything was on land, she began to disassemble the ship as well. The nights here weren’t cold, and over the following days, Jiselle and Mena got to work building their new house.

When they ran out of wood from the ship, Jiselle created a makeshift axe to gather more wood from the surrounding trees. Fruit was plentiful, and the rivers were full of fish. It didn’t take long for their house to come together. Mena and Jiselle worked together, and finally, it was done.

Jiselle opened the door, and the two of them stepped inside their new home. It was plain with a rough floor and no windows, but it was a start. Mena sat inside by the loom, weaving a mat to cover the floor while Jiselle started on building furniture and figuring out how to make a window.

A few months later, everything was finished. There were three rooms total in the house: one for Jiselle, one for Mena and Enro, and a larger living room complete with a kitchen. Jiselle propped open the window in her room before changing into her dress for the day. Mena had made the fabric, and Jiselle had taken the petals of wildflowers to dye it blue. She made her bed, carefully setting the pillows in a neat order. The blanket covering it was the feathered one Mena had made for her all those months ago.

There was crying from the other room, followed by Mena’s soft shushing. Jiselle stepped outside to start her tasks for the day. First, she checked on the fruit she had set out to dry, then she went to collect water at the stream. It was a clear day, the wind was gentle, and the world was vibrant.

Now that they had settled in, it was time for her to make a trip to her village to tell Rorus about their situation.

Mena wished her safe travels before Jiselle set off on foot. She knew the paths to take. She had traveled this way with her parents before. Jiselle walked until she reached a village, traded a woven tapestry for a horse, and then continued on horseback to her own village. It took her a week to arrive, and now as she dismounted, her legs were stiff on the dirt path.

When she reached her old house, she held her breath as she knocked on the door. It opened a moment later, and she found herself face to face with her brother. “Jiselle!” Rorus exclaimed. “You’re safe!”

Jiselle nodded as her brother hugged her tightly. “I’m safe.”

Rorus motioned for Jiselle to join him inside and shut the door behind her. “How did you get away?”

Jiselle sighed. “It’s a long story. But I’m now helping Mena raise your child.”

Rorus just stared at her. “Child?”

Just then, a woman’s voice called out through the door. “Rorus? Were we expecting guests today?”

Jiselle raised a brow in silent question.

“That’s Ellalora,” Rorus explained quietly. “She’s the one I love. We met shortly after I returned from the island. Do you think you could do me a favor and not tell her that I have a child for now? I’ll think of a way to explain everything to her eventually.”

Jiselle nodded. “Okay.”

Rorus paused for a moment. “What did she name him?”

“Enro.”

“Enro . . . I like that name.”

Jiselle motioned for him to get the door, and Rorus walked over to open it. A young woman with auburn hair stood in the doorway, and her face broke into a smile when she saw Rorus. Rorus stepped aside to let her in. “I think some introductions are in order. Ellalora, this is my sister, Jiselle.”

Ellalora smiled at Jiselle. “You returned safe and sound. Rorus told me about how you got lost at sea. The two of us will be sisters soon.”

Jiselle looked at the two of them. “I’ll congratulate you in advance, then. I should be on my way.”

“Will you at least spend the night?” Rorus asked. “We should celebrate your return.”

Jiselle agreed. That night, she was in the kitchen with Ellalora preparing dinner. “Did you recently move here?” Jiselle asked. “I don’t remember seeing you before in the village.”

“Rorus met me at my old town,” Ellalora said with a faint smile. “I was going through a difficult time there, and he helped me. I only recently moved in with him after he proposed to me.”

“I’ll intrust you to take care of my brother for me.”

“Of course.”

~

The next day, Jiselle set off. When she arrived home, Mena welcomed her, and the two of them spent the day constructing an enclosure for the horse. Jiselle had started telling her about her visit, but Mena stopped her, saying that she didn’t want to know yet. “Does the horse have a name?” Mena asked instead.

Jiselle brushed her golden hair out of her face as she finally set down her wooden hammer to admire their work. Jiselle shook her head. “The people at the stable didn’t tell me. How about we have Enro give him a name when he’s old enough to talk?”

“I like the sound of that.”

As the weeks went by, Jiselle and Mena spent their time together taking care of Enro and doing tasks around the house. Jiselle had bought seeds at the marketplace on her way back, and now their new project was starting a sizable garden of fruits and vegetables.

One night, the two of them sat in Jiselle’s room. Enro had finally fallen asleep, and they talked in quiet voices so as to not wake him.

Mena rested her head on Jiselle’s lap as Jiselle picked bits of grass from her feathered wings. “What did Rorus tell you when you saw him?” Mena finally asked.

“You want me to tell you about our meeting now?”

Mena nodded. “I’m ready to hear it.”

Jiselle sighed. “He’s doing well. He’s going to have a wife very soon. I met her while I was with Rorus. Rorus asked me to not tell her about Enro yet. He said he’ll think of a way to explain everything later.”

It was Mena’s turn to sigh. “I’m happy for him.”

Jiselle blinked. “You over him?”

Mena smiled up at Jiselle. “I have you now.”

~

Five years later

        “Aunt Jiselle,” Enro said as Jiselle led him around the grass on horseback, “it looks like it’s going to rain later.”

        Jiselle followed his gaze to the sky where gray clouds were slowly closing in on the clear blue. Jiselle smiled as Enro lifted his arms, and she helped carry him off the horse. “We should head inside, then. You can go in first—I’ll take Mr. Green Tree back to his enclosure.”

        Enro nodded before turning to run through the grass to where Mena was waiting by the door. After Jiselle made sure the horse was safely inside the covered portion of the enclosure, she returned to the house as well.

        Mena sat on the couch. Enro sat on her lap as she gently wiped dirt from his face with a damp cloth. The rain pattered softly on the roof as Jiselle tended to the fire.

        “What are we going to have for dinner?” Enro asked once Mena set him down. He hurried over to Jiselle to look up at her with large eyes.

        Jiselle ruffled his golden hair. “What do you want for dinner?”

        Enro smiled excitedly. “I want to have pie again!”

        Jiselle lightly pinched his cheek. “We had pie yesterday and the day before. And you want it again today?”

        Enro nodded eagerly. “We worked so hard today. Pie is good.”

        “What does your mother think about this?”

        Mena smiled from where she was still sitting on the couch, now with a needle and thread in hand. “You can have pie, but you have to help out.”

        “I know,” Enro said as he rocked on the balls of his feet. “The pies Aunt Jiselle makes are the best!”

        Jiselle stepped over to the kitchen area with Enro trailing at her heels. “You can start preparing the dough while I cut the fruit.”

        Jiselle smiled as she watched Enro carefully measure the ingredients before mixing them all in the wooden bowl. Soon, the smell of warm spices wafted through the air. Enro sat on the carpeted floor, playing with wooden figurines as they waited.

        When the pie was ready, the three of them took a seat around the table. Jiselle and Mena listened to Enro talk happily about how he had gotten the hang of riding on horseback by himself. The rain was falling heavily outside now, and the house inside was warm.

        When it was time for bed, Jiselle and Mena tucked Enro into bed before retiring to the other bedroom. There was something sad about Mena’s expression as she took a seat at the foot of the bed.

        “Is everything alright?” Jiselle asked softly as she took a seat next to her.

        Mena shook her head. “Enro is everything to me. I love him, and as a mother, I want the best for him. He’s growing quickly—he’s learning quickly. I want to keep him at my side forever, but he’s a human. He shouldn’t be isolated forever like this. He needs to learn about society.”

        Jiselle put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “He’s still young, but I think you can ask him what his opinion is. At the same time, it’s been a few years now since I’ve gone to visit my brother. If you want me to, I’ll see if he’s willing to accept his son into his home.”

        That week, Jiselle took the horse and made the trip to Rorus’s house. When she knocked on the door, Ellalora was the one who answered.

        Ellalora smiled. “Jiselle!” Then she turned to call over her shoulder, “Lucian, come greet your aunt.”

        Jiselle looked on as a young boy emerged. He was at least a year younger than Enro and had the same auburn hair as his mother.

        “Aunt Jiselle,” the boy said.

        “Hello, Lucian.” She turned to smile at Ellalora. “What a lovely child.” She knelt down to get a better look at the boy, but he turned and ran off. Jiselle straightened and glanced further into the house. “Is Rorus home?” she asked as she turned back to Ellalora.

        “He’s out chopping wood in the back.”

        “I’ll go greet him.”

        Jiselle walked around the house. From the other side of the fence, Jiselle waved at her brother. Rorus smiled when he saw her. “Jiselle! Did you meet Lucian already?”

        Jiselle nodded. “Ellalora just introduced me to him.”

        Rorus set his axe down and walked over to Jiselle. “How have you been recently?”

        “I’ve been doing well. I actually came here because there’s something I want to discuss with you.” Jiselle lowered her voice as she looked back at the house. “Have you told Ellalora about your other son?”

        Rorus paused before he shook his head. “I’ve been meaning to tell her. I just . . . I just don’t know how. How is Enro?”

        “He’s a happy, well behaved, and carefree child. Except, he’s been isolated for so long. He’s a human after all, and Mena thinks it’s for the best for him to live with other humans.”

        Rorus was silent for a moment. “You want him to live here with me?”

        “Would you be willing to raise him?”

        Rorus nodded. “He is my son. I don’t regret what happened between me and Mena either. I’ll take responsibility for him.”

        When Jiselle returned to Mena, the two of them decided it was time to have a discussion with Enro. The three of them sat in the living room.

        “Is everything alright?” Enro asked worriedly as he looked between the two of them.

        Mena sighed as she knelt in front of her son. “Your Aunt Jiselle and I think it’s time that you get to know your father. He lives in a village. There’s plenty to do there and many new friends to make.”

        Enro shook his head. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here with you and Aunt Jiselle.”

        “You have a little brother at the village,” Mena said softly as she cupped the side of Enro’s face with a gentle hand.

        Enro shook his head again. “I won’t go.”

        Jiselle exchanged a glance with Mena. “Maybe he’s not ready quite yet. Let’s see again in a year.”

        The following year when Mena brought up the topic again, Enro was just as adamant as before not to leave. Enro now knew how to do almost all of the household tasks along with tending to their crops, taking care of their horse, chopping wood and helping to make repairs to the house. Jiselle had also been teaching him how to read and write, and Enro had proven to be an eager learner.

        The following year when Enro was seven, the three of them sat down together to talk again about Enro’s prospective future.

        Mena took Enro’s hands in her own. “Enro, I think it’s in your best interest to go to the village and stay with your father and brother. You’ll go to school there.”

        Enro was silent. “Do you not want me anymore?”

        Mena shook her head as she wrapped her arms around him. “Enro, it’s not like that. Mother wants the best for you. And getting an education at school with the other children would help you more than what we can teach you here.” Mena took a step back to quickly brush away a silent tear.

        Enro looked alarmed. “Don’t cry! If I agree to go, will you not cry?”

        Mena nodded, smiling as she wiped away another tear.

        That night, Mena’s shoulders shook as she sat on the bed. Jiselle silently wrapped her arms around her.

        “There was one thing Enro wasn’t right about,” Jiselle said softly as Mena buried her face in her shoulder. “If he goes, then you’ll cry.”

        Mena’s voice was muffled. “After tonight, I won’t cry. I have to be strong for him.”

        Jiselle stroked Mena’s hair as she took a deep breath, blinking back the stinging in her eyes. “I know how you feel. I don’t want to see him leave either. But you’re right, we can’t isolate him forever.”

        There was a soft knock on the door. Jiselle slowly pulled away and stood up to open it. Enro stood in the doorway.

        “Can’t sleep?” Jiselle asked.

        Enro nodded. “Do you think Mother can sing me a lullaby?”

        Jiselle turned to Mena. She had wiped away the last of her tears and was now smiling as she rose to her feet. “Enro, let’s go to your room. I’ll sing.”

        Enro smiled. “You have the most beautiful voice.”

        Mena ruffled her son’s hair as she took him by the hand.

        Jiselle sat alone in the room as Mena’s ethereal voice floated through the otherwise still night.

~

        The next day, after walking to the pair of stones to say goodbye to the grandparents, Jiselle took Enro on horseback and set off toward the village. Enro looked back at where Mena stood by the house, waving goodbye. He continued to look back long after they were gone too.

        They arrived at the village a week later and soon were standing in front of the door to Rorus’s house.

        Jiselle ruffled Enro’s hair. “You’re going to meet your father soon. He’s a good person.”

        Enro was silent as the door to the house opened. Rorus stood there. His face broke into a smile. “We’ve been expecting you.” Then he knelt down so he was eye-level with Enro. “Hello, Enro.”

        “Hi,” Enro said quietly.

        Rorus sighed. “I know, the two of us just met today. It will take some time for us to get to know each other, but I’m so happy that you’re here.”

        “Do you mind if I leave the horse here with you?” Jiselle asked her brother. “Enro’s grown very attached to it.”

        Rorus nodded. “Of course, we can have it in the backyard.” Rorus turned back to Enro. “Enro, I have your room set up. I’ll give you a tour of our village and the school, then I’ll introduce you to your stepmother and brother.” Rorus held out his hand, and slowly, Enro placed his own hand in his father’s.

        Rorus smiled as he led Enro inside. Enro looked back over his shoulder at Jiselle. Jiselle smiled and waved. A moment later, Enro had turned and hurried back out to throw his arms around her in a hug. “Come back whenever you want to visit,” Jiselle whispered as she held him tightly. “Your mother and I will always welcome you.”

~

        Jiselle bought a new horse and returned to Mena. When she arrived at their house, she found Mena sitting on the couch, sewing new clothes for Enro.

        “Are you alright?” Jiselle asked softly.

        Mena’s expression was dazed as she nodded. “I already miss him. But I know he’s with his father now. Rorus will treat him well.”

        “What do we do now?” Jiselle said finally as a heavy silence hung in the air between them.

        “I know I would feel a little better with you at the village to look after Enro.”

        “I don’t want to leave you here by yourself either.”

        Mena sighed as she set down her fabrics. “I know. I can’t go back to the other sirens now. I broke the rules of our ancestors and ran away. I can’t live among humans either. Staying here isn’t bad.”

        As the following weeks went by, the two of them went through the motions of their usual routines, but something felt different without Enro around.

        A month later, it was raining, and the drops pattered away on the roof of the house when a knocking sounded on the door. Jiselle sat up in bed. Mena sat up as well and the two of them exchanged a glance before they both hurried to the front door.

        Jiselle threw it open to reveal Enro standing in the doorway. He was soaked head to toe, and the horse, Mr. Green Tree stood a few feet away from him.

        “Enro!” Mena exclaimed as she rushed outside.

        Enro just wrapped his arms around his mother.

        “What happened?” Jiselle asked weakly. “You’re back already.”

        Mena helped Enro inside the house and out of the rain. Jiselle went to fetch clean clothes for him. Once he was dry, the three of them sat down in the living room the way they use to.

        “Can you tell us why you’re back?” Mena asked softly. “Enro, did you come all this way by yourself?”

        Enro nodded. “I don’t want to go back. I want to stay here.”

        “What happened? Does your father not treat you well?” Jiselle asked in concern.

        Enro shook his head. “No, Father treats me very well. But that other women doesn’t.”

        Jiselle inhaled sharply. “Ellalora?”

        “She doesn’t like me,” Enro said darkly. “When my father’s not around, she’s mean to me. Look.” Enro rolled up his sleeves to show them his arms. “She hits me with a stick.”

        “Did you tell your father about this?” Jiselle asked, aghast.

        Enro nodded. “I did, but he doesn’t believe me. That woman calls me a liar. She says I did it to myself to get attention. Father always takes her side. My brother doesn’t like me either. He’ll throw my snacks on the floor and even fall down on his own and say that I pushed him. I would have left earlier, but he fed Mr. Green Tree moldy fruit and made him sick. I took care of him until he was better, and then the two of us left.”

        Mena hugged him tightly. “Don’t go back. Stay here with us.”

        Enro smiled and nodded.

        Mena helped to apply medicine to the bruises on Enro’s arms and then tucked him into bed. For the next few days, everything had gone back to normal. Enro would happily run through the fields and help out with household tasks.

        The three of them were tending to their crops when a horse appeared on the horizon. Jiselle squinted as she tried to make out the rider.

        Mena looked up as well. “It’s Rorus.”

        When Rorus got to the house, he dismounted. Jiselle, Mena, and Enro were waiting for him by the door.

        “Enro,” Rorus said as he knelt down to look at his son. “I was so worried about you when you just vanished.”

        “Father,” Enro looked up at him, “I don’t want to go back.”

        “Enro, what about your schooling?”

        Enro rolled up his sleeves to show his father the still healing bruises. “That woman did this to me.”

        Mena put a hand on Enro’s shoulder. “Enro told us that you didn’t believe him.”

        Rorus stared at the bruises. “I know Ellalora’s personality. She’s a gentle woman with a gentle personality. She wouldn’t do this.”

        Jiselle took a step forward. “Rorus, maybe she only shows you one side of her personality. I know Enro. He’s not a liar.”

        Rorus sighed. “Enro, come back with me. I know you’ve complained to me about her and your brother. I’ll tell both of them to treat you right.” Rorus offered Enro a hand. Enro stared at it for a long moment before reluctantly taking it.

        “Wait,” Jiselle said. Everyone turned to look at her. “I’ll come too. I’ll make sure he isn’t mistreated.”

        Mena helped Jiselle pack some of her belongings. “Thank you,” Mena said softly.

        Jiselle held her gaze. “I’ll stay until the situation with Ellalora is resolved. Then I’ll come back to you.”

        Mena nodded.

~

        Back in the village, Rorus helped set Jiselle up in a small house a few streets away. It was one room without any windows, but it would do. Jiselle would visit Enro at Rorus’s house every couple of days, and Enro would spend his afternoons after school with her as well.

        With Jiselle around, Enro informed her that his stepmother wasn’t hitting him anymore. Everything was going smoothly until a few months later when things started to take a turn for the worse.

        Jiselle had just arrived at Rorus’s house when she heard the soft sound of humming from within. It was Enro’s voice. Suddenly there was a loud thumping sound followed by the sound of Ellalora’s voice. “No singing! How many times do I have to tell you? No singing! It’s distracting Lucian from his work!”

        “I—” Enro stammered, “I’m just humming. Lucian is in his own room. He shouldn’t be able to even hear me.”

        “Talking back to me, are you now? You brat, your father isn’t home to help you this time.”

        Jiselle quickly pushed the door open. “Ellalora, what’s going on?” Jiselle saw Enro sitting on the bed in his own room, and when he saw her, he quickly jumped up, hurrying around his stepmother to hide behind Jiselle.

        Ellalora forced a smile. “Jiselle, whenever this child hums, he distracts my son.”

        Jiselle took Enro’s hand. “Enro’s just a child. If you don’t want him to hum, you can ask him. You don’t have to threaten him.”

        Ellalora was still forcing a smile as she shook her head. “There’s something strange about him. Whenever he hums, Lucian can’t seem to focus on anything.”

        “Maybe Lucian is just easily distracted,” Jiselle suggested.

        Ellalora didn’t look convinced.

        Jiselle turned to look at Enro. “Want to stay with me for tonight?”

        Enro nodded eagerly.

        Once they reached Jiselle’s house, Jiselle wrapped her arms around Enro in a hug. “This isn’t your fault. You’re special, you know. Your mother has a magical voice. I’m thinking that maybe you do too.”

        That night, Enro helped Jiselle make a pie. “That woman likes to make pies too, but she doesn’t give any to me. My brother doesn’t help her either. He doesn’t know how to do anything. He’s only one grade below me, but he can’t even read and doesn’t even try. I saw him hit a classmate with a stick to make him do his homework for him.”

        Jiselle sighed. “It seems like he takes after his mother. Does your father know about this?”

        Enro shuffled his feet. “My father has been busy recently. He always comes home tired now. I don’t want to give him another thing to worry about.”

        That night as Enro snuggled up under the covers, Jiselle sat by the hearth, carving wooden figurines for Enro. In the morning, she showed them to Enro. “Do you like them?”

        Enro nodded as he grinned. Then his smile faded. “I need to think of a safe place to store them. Lucian always likes to steal and break my things.”

        Jiselle paused. “I think Lucian might be jealous of you. How about you give one of the figures to him? That way he gets one too and won’t try to steal yours.”

        Enro wrinkled his nose before he nodded.

        The following week, it was raining when there was suddenly a frantic knocking on the door. Jiselle opened it to find Enro standing there. He was soaked.

        “Shouldn’t you be at school?” Jiselle asked, wide eyed. “What’s going on?”

        “I want to go home,” Enro said. “I want to go home to Mother. I want you to come back with me too. You’re more of a mother to me than that woman as well.”

        “Just what happened?” Jiselle asked weakly.

        “Lucian bullied me at school. He and his friends snuck up on me during our lunch time and threw a bucket of blood at me.”

        “Blood?”

        “He has a friend who’s father is a butcher. Their aim was bad, but it got on the shoes Mother made for me. There were still pig parts in it too. They were going to throw another bucket, but I finally had enough. I sang a song, and they all stopped. They did everything I told them to do.”

        “What did you tell them to do?”

        “I told them to pick up the pig parts and return them all to the butcher. That woman is going to be mad when she finds out.”

        Jiselle felt the blood drain from her face. “Go get Mr. Green Tree. I’ll go get my horse from the stable. Let’s go now.”

        Enro nodded as he quickly turned and hurried in the direction of Rorus’s house.

        Jiselle retrieved her horse from the stable and was waiting in front of her house for Enro to return, but she waited and waited and there was no sign of her nephew.

        Worried, Jiselle rode to Rorus’s house and dismounted. Mr. Green Tree was still in the backyard. Jiselle knocked on the door. There was no answer. After knocking again, Jiselle used her own key to unlock it and step inside. “Enro?” Jiselle called into the silence. The rain pattered on the ceiling.

        There was a quiet noise from one of the rooms. Jiselle hurried over to it and stepped inside.

        Jiselle let out a scream. Rorus was laying on the floor as his blood pooled around his head.

        “Rorus!” Jiselle dropped to her knees beside her brother. On closer look, Rorus’s ears had been cut from his head. With a shaky hand, Jiselle reached down to dip a finger in the pool of blood. It was warm.

        Jiselle quickly went to the backyard to grab a bucket of water from where they had been collecting the rainwater. After rummaging through the cabinets, Jiselle found medicine as well. Taking both with her to her brother, Jiselle washed and cleaned his wounds. She rummaged through the closet next. After finding a couple of Ellalora’s dresses, Jiselle tore them into strips to use as makeshift bandages.

        Rorus was drifting in and out of consciousness as Jiselle helped him onto the bed. “Rorus,” Jiselle whispered.

        “It was Ellalora.” Rorus’s voice was strained. “She found out my past relation was with a siren. She questioned me. I told her everything. She was furious.”

        Jiselle’s hands curled into fists. “She took Enro and Lucian with her.”

        Rorus winced. “What? Jiselle . . . I can barely hear you. I can barely hear myself.”

        “Rest. I’ll figure out what to do.”

        Jiselle turned and hurried back into the rain. Then mounting her horse, she turned and hurried down the dirt path. She had to find Enro.

~

        Mena’s cry was one of heartbreak and despair when Jiselle told her the news. “I looked everywhere and couldn’t find him. I could only come back here empty handed. Ellalora won’t get away with this,” Jiselle said darkly.

        “Where could she have taken him?” Mena whispered.

        “I’m not sure. I searched the entire village multiple times.” Then Jiselle paused. “I remember Rorus telling me that she moved into the village. We should check her old town. She has two children with her. I don’t think she’ll get far.”

        Mena nodded. “Let’s go.”

        Jiselle galloped on horseback back toward the village while Mena flew in the skies overhead. Jiselle searched the villages they passed on the way just in case, but no one had seen an auburn-haired woman with two children.

        Mena and Jiselle briefly stopped by at Rorus’s house to check on him. He was still in pain, but he was alive, and once they had asked him for directions to Ellalora’s old home, they didn’t linger long before returning to the road.

        When they arrived, Mena made sure to keep out of sight while Jiselle began her search. Her guess had been right, and it didn’t take her long to find Ellalora. Jiselle knocked on the door of her house before she finally opened it.

        “Where’s Enro?” Jiselle demanded as she tried to glance over Ellalora’s shoulder into the house beyond.

        Ellalora’s smile was an icy one. “You want him back? Ask that siren mother of his to meet me in the forest at midnight.”

        Jiselle drew a dagger and pointed it at Ellalora. “Step aside.”

        Ellalora just smiled. “Enro isn’t here, Jiselle.”

        Jiselle pushed her aside and hurried into the house. “Enro?” she called as she searched for her nephew. She flung all the doors open only to find Lucian playing with wooden figurines. Jiselle’s stomach clenched. Those were figurines she had carved for Enro.

        Jiselle stormed out of the house and met up with Mena on the outskirts of the town.

        “Ellalora told me to have you meet her in the forest at midnight,” Jiselle said quietly. “I don’t know what she’s planning.”

        “I’ll go,” Mena said as resolve flickered in her eyes.

        Jiselle put a hand on Mena’s arm. “I’ll be there with you.”

        As the two of them made their way toward the forest, Jiselle told Mena how when she had asked the townsfolk about Ellalora, none of them had good things to say about her. Apparently, she had married and had a child, but when she found out the child had been born with a disability, Ellalora had sold him without telling her husband. The two of them had fought constantly after that. Ellalora showed no remorse and refused to admit she was in the wrong, which ended up escalating into a violent break up.

        Mena shook her head. “Did she ever love Rorus?”

        Jiselle sighed. “For Rorus’s sake, I hope she did.”

        That night, the two of them made their way to the forest. They had gone and searched in the day without any luck, but in the night, lanterns glowed through the dark. They followed the lanterns until they reached a clearing.

        “You came.” It was Ellalora.

        Mena glared at her. “I’m here. Where’s my son?”

        Ellalora lifted a hand and pointed toward the trees. An unconscious Enro was tied to one of them, and Lucian stood nearby as if on guard.

        Ellalora let out a laugh as she looked at Mena. It was a broken sound. “So you’re the one Rorus loved before me. You’re not even human.”

        “Rorus might have loved me in the past, but the one he loves now is you,” Mena said quietly. “He loved you, and look at what you did to him.”

        Ellalora shook her head. “You enchanted him with your singing. He told me everything. But even though he was under your enchantment, he doesn’t regret it. He can only love me. I made him regret it. He was drawn to you by your singing. Now he can’t hear your song again.”

        “You’re crazy,” Jiselle said faintly as she stared at her. “Rorus helped you get away from your former husband, and yet this is how you repay his kindness?”

        Ellalora shook her head again, vigorously this time. “I loved him. He was perfect in every way. I wanted to start over with him. Then I learned he had a child with a woman before me. Then I learned that woman isn’t even human. What does he take me for? I bet Rorus still thinks about you. I bet he thinks about you whenever he looks at Enro. I hate it. I bet it was only a matter of time before you came to snatch him away from me. I love Rorus. And now you’re trying to take what I have away from me!”

        Mena looked as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I let go of Rorus years ago.”

        Ellalora’s smile was back as she drew a dagger.

        Jiselle and Mena stepped forward at the same time. “Don’t hurt Enro!”

        Ellalora just scoffed as she tossed the dagger at Mena’s feet. “Let’s make a deal, then. Let me have what you value. Give me your wings, and I’ll let the boy go.”

        Jiselle made to take a step toward Enro, but Lucian held a dagger to Enro’s throat. “Lucian,” Jiselle said hopelessly, “Enro’s your brother. Are you really going to hurt your own brother?”

        Jiselle whirled around to watch Mena slowly bend down to pick up the dagger.

        There was a crazed gleam in Ellalora’s eyes as she looked on.

        Then Mena was screaming as she severed her feathered wings from her body. Mena collapsed to the forest floor, and Jiselle rushed over in horror to drop down by her side. “Mena, Mena!”

        “That’s more like it,” Ellalora said. “I want you to regret ever enchanting Rorus.” Then Ellalora turned to her own son. “Lucian, kill him.”

        Jiselle opened her mouth as she whirled on Ellalora. “You promised that you would let him go!” Her own sense of despair was overwhelming. Mena was bleeding out in her arms, and Enro was too far away to get to in time . . .

        Lucian slowly lowered the knife before letting it fall to the forest floor. “Mother, I don’t want to kill Enro. He actually treats me well. He even shared his toys with me. Look, these wooden ones are the ones he gave me.”

        Ellalora opened her mouth in shock. “You—!”

        Jiselle’s fingers closed around the bloody dagger Mena had discarded. Her instincts kicked in, and she threw it with all her might. The dagger hit Ellalora in the arm, and the auburn-haired woman staggered.

        “Mother!” Lucian cried as he hurried over to her.

        Ellalora grabbed Lucian. “Come, Lucian. Run!” The two of them turned and disappeared into the trees.

        “Free Enro,” Mena whispered.

        Jiselle nodded and carefully sat Mena down before hurrying over to cut Enro free from the ropes binding him. She had just set him down when she turned to find Mena laying on the ground, and her eyes flickered shut. “Mena!”

~

        The ship rocked on the ocean waves. Jiselle sat on the deck in silence. An unconscious Mena lay next to her, with her wings on either side of her. There had to be a way to heal her. And if anyone knew of a way, it would have to be the sirens. Enro was back at the village, looking after Rorus, and the ship was empty except for the two of them.

        Even though it had been years now, Jiselle remembered the way. Before long, the song of the sirens cut through the fog, drifting out over the waves. Jiselle directed the ship toward it. When they were close enough, Jiselle helped Mena into a smaller boat and began to paddle to shore.

        The two of them were surrounded by sirens almost immediately.

        “Mena?” one of the sirens asked in shock from where she hovered in the air in front of the boat.

        Jiselle held Mena’s body tightly as she looked at them. “Please, I beg you, can you save her?”

        The sirens whispered among themselves before nodding. “We can heal her. We can stitch her wings back as well. It will be a long process, but she can recover.”

        Jiselle nearly went weak with relief. The sirens helped the boat onto the beach. They made to take Mena and her wings, but Jiselle was still hesitant to let her go.

        “She may have ran away from us,” one of the sirens said softly, “but she’s still our sister.”

        This time Jiselle slowly released her grip.

        The sirens exchanged a glance again before turning to Jiselle. “We do have one condition, though. You know too much. You found this place on your own not one, but two times. If we let you leave, who’s to say you won’t tell others about where to find us?”

        Jiselle frantically shook her head. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

        “The promise of a human is nothing but empty words. We’ll heal her in exchange for your memories.”

        “My memories?” Jiselle fell silent. She closed her eyes. And when she opened them, her determination sparked again. “Deal.”

~

        Jiselle stood on the beach, gazing out over the water. Her golden hair was swept up in the wind as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“What are you looking at?”

Jiselle turned to find a young man walking up behind her.

Jiselle just shook her head, perplexed as she continued to watch the quiet waves. “I don’t even know myself.”

Jiselle’s life was a simple one. It wasn’t a bad one, but she always had a lingering feeling that there was something missing. It was like trying to remember a dream. After some time, her neighbor’s family talked her into marrying their son. The two of them were around the same age and single. He had been the one who had found her floating in a small boat on the ocean. When he had asked where she came from, Jiselle didn’t have answers. Jiselle had been in the quiet village for a few years now, and even though neither of them had been particularly thrilled about the idea of marriage, they had agreed anyway for the benefits that would come along with it.

“Let’s go back inside,” the young man said. He offered Jiselle his arm. Jiselle took it and let him lead her away from the water. But as they walked, Jiselle continued to look back at the ocean.

        Now Jiselle sat on a stool in front of a mirror. She was in her wedding dress, and the white fabric rippled around her legs. Jiselle sighed as she painted her lips red and tied up her golden hair. When she was doing household tasks, occasionally memories would come to her in flashes. They were confusing, and Jiselle couldn’t make sense of any of them. She blinked as she looked in the mirror. There was a tear trickling down her cheek. Jiselle reached up to carefully brush it away. She felt sad, but she didn’t know why. She couldn’t remember.

        Jiselle took a breath to center herself. She went back to applying her makeup, but then she froze. There was the sound of singing wafting in through the open window. It was an ethereal yet haunting sound. Jiselle had never heard anything like it, and at the same time, there was something so very familiar about it. Jiselle slowly rose to her feet.

        Another tear slid down Jiselle’s face before landing on her skirts. Then Jiselle’s feet were moving on their own, and soon she was running down the dirt path. She hoisted her skirts as she ran faster, and her hair tumbled down her back to flow behind her on the wind. Jiselle let out a laugh as she blinked back her tears. She remembered everything now.

        And as her vision swam, there in the distance, the figure of a winged woman and a young boy came into view, waiting for her.

End