Fiction: Starlight Song

This first piece is something I wrote last year. It is not part of anything larger, just a scene that popped into my head and I decided to put it into words.

************

The siren stood wrapped in black furs while standing amid an ice field. She had that had left the southern seas to save a mortal and explore the world in a human guise. Her platinum hair tumbled loose down her back and shone as brilliant as the snow she stood upon, reflecting the starlight from the heavens. Lifting up her head she sang a Song of Calling. Asking those creatures that are wild at heart to come and join her in the night and the Song. Her Song spilled from her lips and upon touching the frigid night air became softly glowing silver points of light that floated off into the night. The small creatures answered first: arctic hares and foxes. Their winter pelts making them nearly invisible on the snow. Next trotted up the wolf packs, eyes gleaming in the night. Last lumbering across the ice came the polar bears, great beasts of deceptive agility. The caribou heard the call too but their long instinctive fear of the big predators kept them away from the Song despite the promise in it that all who headed it would remain unharmed. Their eyes gleamed just on the edge of sight.

One other being’s heart was pulled by the Song; he was her traveling companion and owed his life to her. He had been drowning, a storm came up and he was too far out on a swim. Then there she was: scales of shimmering purple-blue and silver eyes and hair. She had pulled him from the sea and once out of the last of the surf her powerful tail had become strong legs with soft soles. He had offered her anything in gratitude for his life and she had asked him to show her the wonders of the world. He was already on his own adventure and had happily brought her along. Her wonder and awe at everything she saw and experienced made him smile everyday.  His heart was that of a man but filled with a love and a longing for wild things and it answered her Song. The others that they were traveling with did not hear the Song. For thought they loved adventure they always dreamed of home. He was wary though to approach as close to the siren and the animals that had headed her call. He did not fear them but somehow, he knew that his presence next to her would disrupt the magic so he stayed behind a rise of the ground and watched. His heart longed to go but his head knew better.

She continued her Song of calling and the animals began to slowly join her: foxes yipped, wolves howled, bears roared. Somehow it didn’t sound like simple animal noise; their calls added a range of harmony to the Song and where her Song met theirs intertwined copper colored specks of light began to form. The copper light floated a few inches above the ground. Swirling like sand around the feet and legs of all taking part in the Song. The Song fell quiet for a heartbeat and in that moment he could feel the new vibration in the air. The vibrations grew to a thunder in the air and then he saw them: a Thunder of dragons. The great creatures sparkled in the starlight, scales glinting and glimmering. They landed outside the ring of mortal creatures.

Her Song changed, as the great dragons landed and folded their leathery wings, to a Song of Welcome. They sat still for a moment, vibrant eyes watching before they too added their voices to the Song. The dragons hummed deep in their chests. Where their notes met hers, there were blue motes of light, the younger the dragon the lighter the blue and the older dragons produced a deep blue: an indigo spark. All except one, an old matron, when she sang her notes were gold. The silver-blue sparks floated high in the air and the indigo sparks sank, settling in the air just above the copper motes of light from the mortal animals’ Song with a wide range of shades in between. The light motes swirled around the singers as if currents in an ocean rising and falling with the tempo and volume of the music. The gold notes appeared as if sunlight on azure waves. She began to dance then and the light motes turned violet for the moment she touched them before returning to their original colored after she had moved on. Her feet seemed barely to touch the snowy ground and as he watched some of the violet motes of light stayed with her and she was clothed all in purple radiance. The steps in her dance were a celebration of life and beauty, of wild places left untouched and a respect for all the creatures, both mortal and immortal that lived there. Her steps were Joy and her Song was Light and she was Life.

For a final time her Song changed, to one of Gratitude. The creatures had forgone their usual night activities of the hunt or of rest to answer her call and sing with her. They began to leave as they had come. The small first: arctic foxes and hares, scampering away into the night. Wolves left next, noses twitching towards home. Polar bears ambled away list, anxious for their dens. All left still singing in their own way and trailing silver and copper light in their wakes. They appeared as if shooting stars moving across the ice field. The dragons left last, the younger ones first trailing pale blue sparks and they winged their way high above the ice and snow. The last dragon to leave was the ancient matron who sang golden sparks, her scales were snow white. Before leaving she came forward and placed her great head against the siren for a moment, silver and gold motes swirling in a cocoon of light around them for several heartbeats then the dragon spread her wings and followed her kin farther north. Looking more as if a comet than a shooting star.

The Song finished after one final clear note. It hung in the air as the light motes fell to the earth, extinguishing once they touched the snow. Her gown of violet light winked out as well. He stood in awe on the little ridge he had hidden behind as the magic winked out and the night was left silent.  

************

I hope that you have enjoyed this first fiction piece. Thank you for reading and happy Sunday! Also, if you enjoy my blog please consider buying me a cup of coffee.