Dating : Siren Sings the Blues

By Kristie Gadson

The cool winter air tickled Philippa’s nose as she stood on the edge of the cliff. She let the smell of salt water fill her nose and allowed the sound of rushing waves to flood her ears. Before her was a pink-gold sky that shimmered through purple-lined clouds, the fat red sun lazily descending into the horizon. Philippa tried to take in as much of the view as she could before she had to return home. She would have stalled for longer if she could, but getting home at night wasn’t the safest option.

Philippa pulled off her tennis shoes and sweatshirt, stuffing them both into her backpack, then stretched. The red-tipped feathers that lined her arms enlarged as they were freed from their stuffy cotton prison. They had ruffled and puffed up due to the friction from the sweatshirt, so Philippa smoothed them out with her fingers. It was uncomfortable for her to wear something so constricting, but she would do anything for the chance to sing, even if it meant putting on an itchy disguise.

Sirens look normal from the neck up, but otherwise it was plumage on the arms and scales on the legs. Philippa was no different. Her shoulder length red hair framed her soft, freckle-filled face and her eyes shone a bright and curious blue. Red-tipped feathers lined her long, thin arms and her legs were dotted with bright blue scales that shimmered in the afternoon sun. A simple long-sleeved sweater and a pair of jeans did well to hide these features to make her appear human, which worked considering that nobody in the audience had guessed that she was a Siren.

Tightening her backpack around her, Philippa looked down at the current. The water swelled and swirled below like it usually did, a few tall rocks peeking out here and there. Spreading her arms out wide, Philippa jumped off the cliff. She glided down and made a sharp turn past the rocks that scaled the sides of the precipice. Sirens couldn’t fly for long, but they could glide forever — and that was exactly what Philippa wanted to do right now. Glide forever and not have to tell her mother or grandmother that she sang in public.

Everyone knew the story with Sirens. They sing, you like their singing, and then your soul gets taken. Of course this only applied to humans and not other magical creatures, but that didn’t stop humans and monsters from making the strict rule that Sirens were not allowed to sing in public. Ever since Odysseus’ voyage, Sirens have always been seen as a threat to humans. Humans believed that all Sirens wanted their souls when, really, the Sirens just wanted an audience. Sirens couldn’t help that their songs were deadly, and after centuries and centuries of trying they were never able to stop their singing from snatching souls.

Philippa let her hand cut a line in the water. How was she going to break the news to her mother and grandmother? How do you tell your family, who were forbidden to sing for centuries, that you won the local radio show talent contest and were chosen to sing alongside any band of your choosing at a live venue? In hindsight Philippa should’ve thought this whole thing through a little further, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Plus the audience was made up of monsters and beasts, so the soul-stealing magic of her song didn’t work on them.

Mustering enough courage, Philippa shot straight up as far as she could, startling a few gulls as she jetted past. Then she relaxed her arms and glided over to her home that was carved into the cliff’s edge. Her heart raced as she made her way onto the rock ledge that served as her porch (and perch). She landed softly and tiptoed her way into the den, hoping to sneak into her room unnoticed.

“That was some fancy flying there, Pippa,” a smooth voice cut into Philippa’s ears. “With moves like that you could have joined the school’s aerial team.”

Philippa’s mother chuckled as she moved in to hug her daughter. Philippa straightened her back and stood rigid within her mother’s downy embrace, nervous and ultimately embarrassed.

“Okay, okay, I’ll back off,” her mother smiled. “But I still think you should consider the aerial team.”

“Mo — m,” Philippa groaned, “You already know what I want to do…”

“And I already told you my answer,” her mother strode into the kitchen and resumed cutting up a large tuna for dinner.

“But the chorus is all creatures, mom!” Philippa pleaded. “There aren’t any humans in the class or the club. There are barely any humans in the school at all!”

“It doesn’t matter how many humans there are in the school, Philippa,” her mother’s knife maintained a steady yet agitated rhythm. “You’re not singing in the chorus, and that’s final.”

Philippa wasn’t one to argue, so she sat at the kitchen table and rested her head in her hands. She listened to her mother’s methodical chopping for a while, leaving the kitchen silent otherwise. Eventually caving into her daughter’s silence, Philippa’s mother addressed her daughter again.

“Pippa, you have other talents! Why not join the art club or the chess club or try a bit of dancing?”

“I can only draw stick people, the game is too complicated, and I trip on my own feet even when I walk, let alone dance.” Philippa mumbled.

“Well your grandma is good at nagging and I am good at cooking, so there’s bound to be something you’re good at, Pippa.”

“Excuse me?“ A shrill voice pierced through the room. “Who’s a nag?”

“Why hello, mother.” Philippa’s mother rolled her eyes as her grandmother stormed in from her room in the back. It looks like Philippa’s plan to sneak in would never have worked in the first place.

“Looky here Miss I-Think-I-Can-Cook,” Philippa’s grandmother pointed a crooked finger at her daughter, “I can knit circles around those pathetic shrivels of laced yarn you call scarves.”

Philippa couldn’t help but smile. She had to admit that her mother was a great cook, but she also had to admit that she preferred that her scarves didn’t unravel the second she put them on.

“So what’s this I hear about singing?” Philippa’s grandmother tied her wild silver hair into a bun.

“Pippa wants to sing in her school chorus knowing full well she can’t.”

“Psh! Why sing with a bunch of amateurs? Save your voice, dear, they’re not worth it.”

“But grandma I’m tired of just singing to myself,” Philippa pouted. Since singing in public isn’t allowed, Philippa could only sing in the safety of her home. Sometimes her mother or grandmother would hum along, but they never actively sang with her. The way they saw it, the more Philippa got to express herself at home the less likely she was to let singing get her into trouble elsewhere.

“You can get tired all you want, girl, but that’s the only chance you get to sing and I suggest you take advantage of it.” Philippa’s grandmother ruffled her feathers and glared at her granddaughter. “We don’t need any more problems than we have already caused, Pippa.”

“But what if, I dunno, we find a way to keep humans safe when we sing? To not have our songs take their souls?”

“Philippa Judith Kingfisher,” Philippa’s mother bellowed, her knife slamming hard into the cutting board. “We will not entertain such nonsense in this house. Sirens have not and cannot find a way to tame our songs. A human’s soul is subject to be taken once we sing. That is the way it has been and the way it will be.”

“How could you know if you haven’t bothered trying?!” Philippa cried, then she immediately covered her mouth.

Her grandmother stood there silently, amazed at the outburst she didn’t know her granddaughter was capable of. Without looking back, Philippa’s mother spoke slowly.

“Philippa, go to your room. Do not come out until I tell you to.”

“Mom I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to — “

“NOW!” Her mother’s words pierced the air. Scared and upset, Philippa grabbed her backpack and shuffled into her room.

Philippa was the only kid she knew that still listened to the radio. Despite having her own portable music player and headphones, she still preferred the music that poured out of the small silver box she kept on the side of her bed. She had it turned to her favorite Jazz and Blues station where the nightly host Breeze McKenzie’s deep, rich voice instantly cheered her up.

“Ahhh welcome back to Smooth 106.2, home to the best Jazz and Blues this side of the Eastern Isles. As per request we are going to play ‘Low Light Luster’ by the legendary Miss Minnie Pearl. So just sit back, relax, and let the music mend your spirit, y’all.”

Philippa’s feathers perked as Minnie’s music filled the room. The slow strumming of the bass combined with the crispness of the trombone and the fluidity of the saxophone. When Minnie started singing it was as if she glided atop the instrumentals as Philippa did the waves.

Low lights shinin’

Low lights shinin’

On my way to an empty home

Cuz ever since you let me go

I can’t seem to find my way on my own…

Philippa’s scales seemed to vibrate along with the tones of Minnie’s voice. There was just something about Minnie Pearl, and Jazz and Blues in general, that made Philippa’s heart melt. Any song that can reach out to you in your saddest moments as if to say “you’re not alone” was magical to her, even more magical than the stuff she had to do for homework every night. All this wonderful music that came from humans that she could never be a part of…It pained Philippa to think about it.

But when I was up on that stage singing Minnie Pearl, I felt so amazing! Philippa thought to herself.

“What you just heard was South Caroline’s own Minnie Pearl.” Breeze McKenzie’s deep voice brought Philippa out of her thoughts.

“I hope y’all are listening out there, because I have some pretty great news to share. A little birdie told me that Miss Pearl is coming to Goldenrod this coming April for a one night only performance at the Silverspade Jazz Club. Tickets will be sold starting next week, and that gives our little mystery singer a new option to consider for their debut at their venue of choice.”

Philippa’s heart nearly stopped. Minnie Pearl? In Goldenrod? In two months?! She nearly squealed in delight. Jumping up into the air and flapping rapidly, she hovered in joy.

But wait…Philippa landed softly on her bed. There will likely be humans in that crowd, including Minnie Pearl. I don’t want their souls snatched away!

Worried, she lay on her bed and stared at her ceiling, which was riddled with small crystals that had grown within the rock. She wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to sing with Minnie Pearl, but she didn’t want to put human lives in danger, either. Philippa knew deep in her heart that sirens weren’t dangerous, that there had to have been a way for them to sing without taking a human soul — they just haven’t figured it out yet. And maybe this event was Philippa’s chance to prove it.

Philippa’s cell phone trilled in the midst of all her worrying, leaving her scrambling to answer it. The trill turned out to be a text from her friend Des.

From Des: Hey. Whats up?

Checking to see if her mother heard her phone, Philippa quickly responded:

Just got grounded 🙁

The next text arrived almost immediately after her last text was sent.

From Des: Oh no! Im sorry! Will talk some other time!

Philippa was about to put her phone away when she was struck with an idea. Des was a Reaper, and reapers work with souls. All the time. If a Reaper can guide a soul out of a body, what’s to say they can’t guide a soul back into the body, too?

A huge smile crept across her face as she picked up her phone and quickly began texting her crazy idea to Des.

Philippa’s heart raced as she shuffled anxiously down the hallway, making sure the coast was clear. On Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch there wasn’t a class using the chorus room, so Philippa would eat her lunch as quickly as she could just so she could sneak in and read music. More often than not the door was left unlocked, and today was no exception. Smiling, Philippa quietly let herself in.

The room was large with a floor that rose onto levels that separated the members of the chorus into rows. Desks were crowded along the rows and spare school supplies littered the floor — evidence that the previous class was all too eager to leave for lunch. Scattered about were sheets of music of all kinds, different songs spanning all vocal sections. By now Philippa knew the lineup of songs that the students practiced every day. She had snuck into the chorus room long enough to know each song by heart. This time Philippa searched for sheet music she had never read before, and after a quick scan of the song library she found the soprano part of a song called The Goblin’s Chant.

A warm, fluttering feeling welled up inside of her chest as she traced the sheet music softly with her hands. She could hear the tonal shifts, the key changes, the major thirds, crescendos and decrescendos. Music was something a Siren lived for, coming as easy to them as fire to a dragon. As the music enveloped Philippa she could feel all the warm air bubble from her chest to her lungs, finally tickling the back of her throat.

Since the walls were soundproofed with grey spongy material, Philippa felt it safe enough to sing. The song cascaded from her mouth like a warm wind, enveloping her in her own bubble of calm. She tapped into the lower chambers of her lungs to sing the highest notes and relaxed the center of her chest as she hit the octaves she was comfortable with. The notes felt crisp and sweet on her tongue. While she sang her feathers fluttered and the scales along her legs tingled and clinked. A Siren’s body was her instrument, and when she sang her body sang with her.

When the last of the notes trickled from her throat Philippa hugged the sheet music to her chest. She didn’t like having to sing in secret, but any chance was a good chance. Sheet music was hard to come across when you’re banned from chorus and anything else music related. At first Philippa felt guilty for sneaking around and doing things she wasn’t supposed to — mischief wasn’t exactly her cup of tea. But when the chorus room was unlocked and there was no one there to hear you, are you really in danger of being caught?

Philippa was about to return the sheet music when she heard five slow claps coming from behind her. All the blood froze in her veins, her back stiffening.

“That was great!” Said the person clapping behind her. “I’ve never heard anyone sing like that!”

Philippa slowly turned around and met the eyes of a fellow student. His eyes were a deep hazel that shone brightly against his warm almond skin. His cheeks were red from shyness, but otherwise Philippa noticed nothing else that was extraordinary — or beast-like — about him. No fur, no scales, no claws, no wings, no hooves, not even a tail.

He was human.

“Um…my name’s Casey,” He tried to smile confidently, but the edges of his mouth kept shaking. “I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

Philippa stared at his outstretched hand, not sure what to do. Slowly she inched away from Casey, her eyes wide with fear. Casey frowned, trying to understand why the feathered girl was backing away from him.

“Are you ok?”

Dropping the sheet music, Philippa ran out of the room. Her heart beat so loudly that she could hear it in her ears. She couldn’t believe that she had been discovered, and by a human no less! She should have locked the door, she should have sung more quietly, maybe she should never have snuck into the chorus room in the first place. Her thoughts raced as the squeaking of her sneakers echoed down the hallway. When did he get in? Was she really singing that loud?

Though Philippa was never good at math, she found herself trying to calculate the chances of someone hearing her. But she had to be honest with herself. The door was unlocked and anyone could have come in if they wanted to — she was just lucky enough that nobody cared to until today. And even though there were only five human students in the entire school, one of them was bound to be in the chorus room for one reason or another.

Of all the realizations she came to, the most important one didn’t hit her until she reached the cafeteria. If a human heard her sing, then their soul would have left their body in an instant, meaning that that same human should not be standing long enough to compliment her on her singing.

Which all added up to the fact that this was the first time that a human had heard a siren’s song and lived.

“You ready?” asked Phillipa as she peered out from behind the curtain and stared into the crowd. “It looks pretty packed out there.”

“Uh…y-yeah…” Des murmured, her pale white fingers tracing the studded metal bracelet on her left wrist.

Tonight would be the night that Philippa’s theory was put to the test, so she needed Des more than ever. This made Des shiver a bit as she and Phillipa were jostled to and fro by the event coordinators backstage.

“So we know the plan?” Philippa asked, adjusting her sweatshirt to cover a few tufts of feathers that gathered around her wrists. She knew that a sweatshirt wasn’t the best outfit for a venue like this — a small space packed with people generated a lot of body heat; but it was the only disguise that could cover her feathers completely. She was thankful that her jeans didn’t make her scales itch.

“If you make a mistake I tend to as many souls as I can.” Des tried to manage a smile.

“Miss, you’re on in five!” whispered an event coordinator with a clipboard in hand.

“Th-thank you,” Philippa smiled nervously.

Des gave Philippa a hug, then made her way from backstage and into the audience. It was hard to see in the low lighting, and the tables were situated so close together that she couldn’t help but bump into people along the way. Apologizing profusely, she finally made it to the back of the audience.

Though crowds made her nervous, it felt nice to be around people every once in a while. Once someone caught wind that she was a Reaper it all would go downhill from there. Normally people would run away as fast as they could, as if she were death itself. Which she wasn’t — Reapers never killed, they only gathered the wayward souls that were there to begin with. But here nobody knew who she was. To them she was just a tall, pale, and lanky teenager in dark purple clothing who came to enjoy the music.

In time the lights dimmed and everyone’s murmuring grew quiet. The musicians in the far left corner of the stage began playing, the slow beat of the drums merging with the pizzicato of the upright bass. A tall, statuesque woman strode out from behind the curtains, her ink black hair done up in a high bun.

“Good evening, everyone!” the woman’s voice was strong and carried across the room with no effort at all. “I welcome you to the special, one-night-only blues event here at the Silverspade Jazz Club. My name is Minerva Masters, and I will be your hostess tonight. We have a special treat for you all — the winner of the Smooth 106.2’s singing contest: Miss Pippa Judith!”

Applause echoed about the room as Philippa emerged shyly from behind the curtain. As she looked at the crowd Des could sense that Philippa was beginning to regret her decision. Philippa looked down and shuffled her feet, something she normally did when she was nervous. Minerva Masters picked up on this, too, and put a reassuring hand on Philippa’s shoulder.

“So, Miss Judith, what song will you be singing for us tonight?”

Philippa glanced at the audience then looked up at Minerva.

“I-uh…I’ll be singing ‘Birdcage’.”

“Hear that, folks?” Minerva smiled a large, sharp-toothed grin. “This new talent is going to grace us with a classic!”

The audience clapped again and Minerva whispered something in Philippa’s ear that made her smile a bit. Des was glad that Minerva Masters wasn’t as mean as she looked, she could sense that Philippa’s nerves calmed down. Remember the warm winds, Pippa, Des smiled. Warm winds.

The music picked up its pace as the musicians began to really play. Des could see Philippa close her eyes and take a deep breath. The words seemed to tumble out of her mouth. She was still scared.

They done caught my soul

Hid it with a lock and key…

They done caught my soul

Somebody come and set it free…

And if you ain’t gonna help me

Then I beg you

Please let me be!

Philippa’s voice quivered as she struggled to sing. Her notes weren’t nearly as crisp and even fell flat a couple of times. Des could feel that Philippa’s confidence was waning, which wasn’t a good sign. Philippa shivered in fear as the musicians took over for the instrumental solos.

A chill coursed through Des’ body as she felt the life force beginning to slip away from the humans in the audience. Bits of silver mist wafted around a few of the people — which was Des’ cue to get started. She welcomed the chill as it snaked through her veins, just like her parents had taught her to do. She could feel herself being consumed by the Reaper instinct, her eyes glowing a bright blue and her teeth curling into a nasty grin. Des was about to make a mad dash through the audience in a fit of soul gathering until a booming voice shook her out of her trance.

They done caught my soul

Hid it with a lock and key!

A tall, large woman with thick gold curls and cocoa brown skin glided across the stage toward Philippa, her black dress trailing behind her. She commanded the attention of everyone in the room from her presence alone — she had a fire within her that shone brighter than a blue flame. Smiling warmly, she made a gesture for Philippa to continue. Philippa struggled to contain her joy as the one and only Minnie Pearl joined her onstage. Des could feel that Philippa was overcome with the urge to prove herself, and in an instant the warm winds poured from her lungs and swept over the stage.

They done caught my soul

Somebody come and set it free!

“Yes, girl!” Minnie Pearl cheered as her body swayed to the music.

Des could feel the familiar chill leaving her body and her reaper’s urge dwindling. The silver wisps crept back into the bodies of their respective humans as Philippa began to have fun on stage with Minnie Pearl. Des smiled as she saw her best friend grooving together with her idol.

And if you ain’t gonna help me

Then I beg you…

Please let me be!