A pod of her sisters raced towards Elder Pesinoe, disturbing her daily vocal exercises.
“Elder, we have news!” said a young siren, her skin flushed a deep green. “Men have left the island in a boat. Lots of them!”
The Elder had been ready to admonish the others, but this was worthy of interruption. “Show me!”
The sirens darted towards a tiny island, called Tristan da Cunha by the land dwellers.
After losing the war with the spiteful mermaids, a small settlement on the remote island was the only place humans lived in the meager territory the sirens still claimed. Deprived of an adequate supply of men, their population had dwindled drastically.
But, by the Gods, the youngling had spoken true!
Men had left the safety of land. Fifteen were braving the seas in a narrow boat. All looked to be strong and healthy.
With so many fathers, the sirens could rebuild! In time, they’ll be able to challenge those smug mermaids again.
This would be their salvation!
Elder Pesinoe cleared her throat. “Sisters, it’s time to sing!”
Kimberly Ann Smiley was born and raised in California but now lives in Mississippi after an unexpected plot twist. She has several pieces of paper that claim she is a mechanical engineer and none that mention writing, but has decided not to let the practical decisions made in her youth define the rest of her life. Her stories have appeared both here on Stupefying Stories and in Daily Science Fiction and Sci-Fi Shorts.
Learn more at https://kasmiley.wordpress.com/
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