The Sea Nymph's Search

The Sea Nymph's Search

Where is She?

The Nymph yawned and stretched as she opened her eyes. Her watery home was lit by the bright sun from above, the fish swam around her, and all appeared just as it should have been.

The Nymph, named Shilom, allowed her goddess-like body to float up towards the sun. She laughed as she broke the sea’s surface. She looked to the island nearby. Goodness, quite a storm must have raged while she had been napping. Many of the trees on the island were uprooted, and what appeared to be a ship was somehow twisted amongst them.

It was no surprise to find the island different, of course. Shilom often slept for years at a time. She couldn’t help it—it was her nature. She tossed her long and currently wet brown hair and smiled as she began swimming toward the island. She had not seen her friend, the Siren who lived on the island, in ages.

Shilom was the only one able to travel on and off the island freely. Her friend’s curse forced her to remain there and devour all the souls that arrived on her shores. But Shilom was different. Shilom had been living near the island many ages before the Merman had brought her friend Leila to that island, and she had no such curse upon her.

Shilom stepped onto the beach, her flowing blue gown sopping wet, yet still light, for it was not made by man. She wrung some water from her hair and tossed her head again. “Leila!” she called.

Walking among the trees of the island, she saw how truly horrible the storm must have been. “What a mess…I hope Leila’s all right….Leila?”

The Nymph suddenly felt a strange sensation shoot through her body. She looked down and was shocked to see a blade protruding from her chest. Shilom spun around, the cutlass still inside her, to see her attacker.

A young woman with blonde hair was gaping at Shilom in shock and horror. “Who are you?” the woman demanded, staring at the sword she had run through the Nymph.

“Shilom.” Shilom reached around and managed to take the sword out of her body. The blade was completely clean—not a single drop of blood. Shilom quickly checked the front of her dress. There was a cut where the blade had pierced, but no stain of blood. “Who are you?” Shilom suddenly felt a wave of fear as she looked at the cutlass in her hand. Could this woman have done something to Leila?

“Elizabeth,” the woman said quietly. “I…um…I’m sorry about that.” Shilom handed her the cutlass, and the woman named Elizabeth took it delicately, looking at it in confusion. “I thought you were someone else…”

Shilom’s brow furrowed as she remembered the Sea Siren. Leila looked much like the Nymph. “Leila,” she said quietly as she thought. Given the look that the woman gave her when she said this name, Shilom was sure Elizabeth knew who Leila was. “What did you do?” she asked harshly. Elizabeth flinched and put a hand to her cheek. Completely confused by this motion, Shilom asked, “Where is she?”

“She your friend?” Elizabeth asked, hated etched in her fine features.

Shilom took a menacing step forward. “Where is she?” she repeated.

Elizabeth took a few steps back in fear. “I don’t know. If you think I hurt her, I didn’t—but I’d kill her if I could.” The woman took another precautionary step backward as she said this.

Shilom stared the woman. She wanted to kill Leila? Besides her curse forcing her to devour every soul that came to the island, Leila was very nice woman. Then again, Shilom had actually never witnessed her taking a life before…actually, Shilom had never witnessed Leila interact with anyone else besides the Nymph herself.

“Where is she?” Shilom hissed through clenched teeth.

“Your friend is a sadistic witch,” Elizabeth said as she spat on the ground. Shilom’s eyes narrowed dangerously at this comment. “She put my friend under some sort of trance and left with him, leaving me here with her bloody curse.”

“She’s gone?” Shilom gasped. It had never occurred to her that one day she would wake up from her nap and not find Leila on the island. “Where did she go?”

“Port Royal, probably. Why does it matter?” Elizabeth slumped onto the ground. “Did you even hear what I said? You shouldn’t be so concerned about her. She’s just evil.” Elizabeth rubbed her cheek again. She then opened her mouth and a seductive sung came forth from it.