The petite woman radiated her talent across the sea of grey. Her flame, emanating from the centre of her passionate heart, shone as a mix of glistening blues, encapsulating oranges, blissful yellows, and powerful greens. She took her seat on the boat, ready to leave the town she cherished behind her. As she sat waiting, she thought back to her childhood. This journey had been planned since the first time she heard her father’s song fly from his voice, soar around the room, and make its way into her soft impressionable ears. She knew that one day she would have to cross the ocean to share her secret with the world.

It wasn’t a long journey, not in the grand scheme of things. It would take her years at most. A hop, skip, and a leap of faith into the unknown horizon. That time on the boat was exhilaratingly fresh. Gaining friends that should last a lifetime. Trying new things. Of course, growing as a person. It was dampened by three things: her friends, her hatred for a certain type of life, and her trust for others. With every splash from the paddles that hit the water she began to bend into herself. Those three aspects of her existence played over all other sounds of the sweetness that her home had offered. A spine that was once straight and tall now seemed to swerve and curve with only one direction – down. It yanked at her drive for life, forcing it to depths that she would not easily pull it back from.

That was when she came across them, only moments before her spine cracked under the pressures. The creatures that dwelled beneath the surface of grey passed by the whites of her eyes. She looked directly into the water, past the layer of mundane colouring and into the creature’s eyes. The creatures were not like creatures at all, in fact they were appealing enough to look at. Enticing. Fascinating. Adventure all wrapped up in a life size package.

They promised her things that would replace those that had dampened her travels. They got her to lean closer. A man yelled from behind, a yell that could easily be mistaken as a shriek. DON’T, PLEASE DON’T. She looked at the man and there was nothing but silence between them. Her head slowly fell back to the creatures in the deep blackness.

The man’s voice spoke again, DON’T.

She plunged, head-first, into the ice-cold water. This whole time it had only appeared as cold and unfeeling with no tangible freeze reaching the boat. That was different now. It wasn’t her that could feel the black coldness. It was the man now above her that began to feel it emanating from her presence. GET OUT OF THERE. FOR GOD SAKE GET OUT OF THE WATER, PLEASE.

Her vast, colourful flame that had once lit the night sky above, was now beginning to grey and dim. It was sinking slowly to the depths of the ocean. All while her body floated at the top.

The water soothed her. Everything the creatures had promised was true, she felt numb to all that had let her down, all that had stunted her vision for what life was meant to be. She didn’t struggle or fight, she let the flow of the tide take her where it demanded. Demanded. A strong word, depicting a strong current. The current wasn’t demanding, it was soft. It was the intention behind the water and its creatures, which had demanding intentions for the floating woman.

The water climbed as she was brought deeper by the creatures. The man above was quickly replaced by an insect as she looked back one last time to the boat. That man carried on. We can all hope he made it.

Deeper and deeper the woman did sink. As the pressure fell onto her stomach and pushed against her head, her father’s song quietly escaped from her ears. His mouth no longer sang her to her future, his hands no longer clasped hers as she got there. The creatures had done their duty. The water had her, and it had no intention of letting her go.

Her secret song would never be sung.