“So, there was a girl–”
“No once upon a time?” He interrupted.
“Seriously?”
“Fine. Continue.”
“There was a girl molded from the clay of a cursed river. A powerful god sculpted her to perfection and used all of his power and might to bring her to life. She was said to be the most pure and beautiful woman in existence. The god coveted her beauty and crafted an elixir to tie their lives together so that she would live an immortal life span, just as he did. Their souls were bound and if he fell, so did she.”
“Fell? Like died?”
“Obviously, Brooks.”
He hummed, and she continued.
“She knew nothing of the world she was born into and clung to the god, putting all of her trust into him for her safety on the riverside. She never expected that he would be the danger she needed to hide from, for the god was cruel and his agenda… monstrous.”
“Of course.”
“The god was full of madness and feared he couldn’t contain it any longer. He needed a vessel to carry that weakness for him. His burden became hers, and it drove her mad.”
“Mad? Mad as in she was pissy about being bossed around? Or mad as in the next patient in line at the med station in the asylum?”
“Her body couldn’t contain the taint he filled her with year after year and, eventually, she went insane. She rode through the lands spreading disease and decimating anyone unfortunate enough to cross her path. She stole babies from their beds and fed them to her rabid hounds. A great crown of fangs dripping with venom sat upon her head and was deadly to anyone but her and the god who made her.”
“Fucks sake!”
“Oh, calm down. It’s just a scary story told to children to make them listen.”
“So she’s like the boogeyman?”
“No,”she swallowed, her tone somber as she continued.“She is nothing like the boogeyman. I’ve come face-to-face with him, and his demons stray further from divinity than hers do.”
“I’m sorry, Siren. I didn’t… I didn’t mean to–”
“I know. It’s okay.”
The silence fell heavily and sat uncomfortably on his chest.
“So what happened to her?” He blurted.
“I’m sorry?”
“The crazy girl. What happened to her?”
“Well, it depends on who you believe. Some say that she lives with rabid animals and roams the land torturing anyone and everyone she can. Others say she’s caged in the underworld because even the gods couldn’t control her rage. But, they all say that she is the only thing standing between life as we know it and the destruction of our world. Legend says that she has a box tucked away somewhere that contains all of the sins of the world and, if ever she were to die, the box would be opened and all would be lost.”
“That’s pretty goddamn serious,” he breathed.
“It would be. If it were real of course.”
“Thank fuck it’s not.”
“You’re not kidding,”she laughed.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “For the story, I mean.”
“Of course, Brooks.”
