Lorelei

Editor's Forward: This was built off a prompt, which can be found here I've italicized the intro portion in order to differentiate the text which was not generated. Aside from that, I generally let the story play out. Often there is a need to nudge the progression, but this ones seemed to take off with such natural prose, that I thought it perhaps wasn't really giving me A.I. output, but some predefined script. I could have reverted and tested, but I didn't want to mess with the flow. The middle portion sort of took me by surprise, but it continued past that rather well.

In spite of your best intentions, your mind drifts back to the siren in the woods, and you find yourself thinking, "I need to go. I have to go."

"I'd like that," you smile.

Relieved, she pulls away from you and grasps your hands, beaming at you. "Oh, I'm so happy! Please, just stay with me, and don't leave me. Just stay with me a little while, until I find my home again," she pleads.

"I'll stay with you," you say.

Lorelei beams at you, the sadness lifting from her eyes as she hugs you in delight. "I'll never let you go! I'll never let anything bad happen to you!" she exclaims, before casting an anxious glance out to sea. "We should get to the cave before dark, though. It's a long swim."

As you pull your boat onto shore and gather up the supplies you acquired from the crashed ship, Lorelei darts into the trees, leaving you behind. You can't help but think that you should have listened when she said not to leave her, and now she's gone.

You set down your pack and draw your sword, staking it into the ground. Then, with a sigh, you take off after her.

The island sits about a hundred yards from the shore, and the water is just as still as the sand. The beach is littered with driftwood, which is mostly just broken branches and trunks, but in the distance you see the outline of an island. It looks like it might be man-made, but you can't tell for sure. The water laps against the beach with little sound, and the only noise is the wind in the trees and the waves breaking quietly against the rocks.

A gentle breeze brushes your cheek, and you pause, raising a hand to your ear to block it. The hair on your nape stands upright, and you squint your eyes, trying to get a bearing on the direction of the wind. It's coming from directly behind you, carrying with it the smell of brine and damp earth.

Wary, you turn your head to the side, scanning the beach. All you can see is sand and water. There's nothing but sand and water. You turn your head back, and the scent is still there, sharp and clear.

A twig snaps behind you, causing you to jump and almost falling into the water. Crouching, you swing your sword around in a downward chop. Before you is a cluster of three men lying on the ground, blood pouring from their heads. Their eyes, wide and terrified, stare at you from the leaves of the jungle behind them, but none of them move. You're too shocked to react, immobilized by the sight of the three people you just murdered. It's only when Lorelei appears behind you that you finally move.

You step away from the bodies, your sword at the ready, and turn to face your lover. Lorelei holds a spade in one hand and a pick in the other.

"I'm back!" she cries, beaming, and you sigh deeply, shaking your head. You sheathe your sword.

She rushes up to you, throwing her arms around your neck, pressing her body tightly against yours. "Do you want to spend the rest of our lives here?" she asks seductively, her lips grazing the side of your neck.

"No," you say, pulling back to look at her. "Not if it means spending the rest of our lives here."

"Good," she says, beaming. "Let's get to work."

"Get to work?" you ask, bewildered.

Lorelei nods. "Yes. We've got all night. And all of eternity, if need be."

You gaze at her, shocked, as she moves her hands down to your pants.

"There's no point in wasting either," she says, smiling. "We're stuck with each other."

Suddenly she plants a kiss on you, her tongue darting into your mouth. You respond eagerly, your fingers moving into her thick, red hair.

You walk into the cave, your arms around Lorelei. Her heart beats fast, and she moans into your mouth, moving her hands down the front of your pants. You move your hands up to her breasts, cupping them, before moving them down to her navel, where they linger for a moment before moving back up again.

Lorelei leads you to an outcropping of rock by the cave's wall, and you sit down, wrapping your arms around each other. Lorelei slides her body against yours, and you kiss her again. Your hands move up from her navel, caressing her bare stomach, before moving slowly up to her chest. You run your hands over her smooth, pale skin and feel her small, flat nipples. You pinch and tweak them gently, and she gasps in arousal.

Her hair falls in front of your face, framing her pale, delicate features as she leans into you, kissing you hungrily. Her fingers find their way into your pants, her small hands moving urgently around your erection.  You groan, and she smiles, kissing you again. When she opens her eyes, she looks deeply into your eyes with a longing that twists something deep within you as you gaze back at her. There's no hiding the desire burning between the two of you, so you give into it, sliding your hand down her panties and finding her wet, pulsing entrance.

Her eyes widen in shock as you push two fingers into her, and she cries out in delight, pulling you closer to her. Her hands grip the back of your head as she moves her hips against yours, desperately wanting more. You bend your knees to pull her even closer and enter her harder, groaning in pleasure as she wraps her legs around your back. You move your fingers, rubbing them in small, circular motions that set her alight.

Lorelei collapses on top of you, panting as she finds her release. You lie there with her pressed tightly against you, slowly returning your fingers to your now-rigid erection.

The two of you lie there, lying entwined, until you feel the need to move. You stand, helping her to her feet as you remove your pants, then your underwear. You turn her around, pulling her toward the water, and she looks at you, smiling.

"Kiss me."

"What?" you ask, confused.

"Kiss me. Now."

"Now?" you ask, taken aback.

"Yes. Now. I need to know. Are you mine?"

"Always," you say.

"Then kiss me," she says, pressing her warm lips against yours.

You lean in and plant a small peck on her lips. She presses her body tightly against yours, and you feel the need to move inside of her.

"I want to show you something," she says, looking into your eyes. "Come with me."

She takes your hand, leading you out of the cave. You watch the turquoise waters of the ocean, lit from beneath by the faint glow of the underwater world. The beach in front of you is desolate, with only a few patches of sand here and there, hardly worthy of the name. You take off your clothes and followed Lorelei, who ran naked towards the water.

"I want you to see something," she says, kneeling down. "Will you do that for me?"

She presses your hand against her smooth stomach, and you can feel the movement of her baby fluttering inside.

"I want to give you another child," she whispers. "Will you help me?"

"Of course," you say.

"Say you'll help me."

"I'll help you."

"Say it."

"I'll help you, Lorelei."

"Good. Kiss me."

She slides her arms around your chest and presses her lips against yours, and you feel the heat of her breath against your face, the passion of her kiss. She pushes you forward until you're lying on the beach in front of the sea. She sits astride your chest as she leans forward and sinks her teeth into your neck.

You feel the fount of blood within you being drained, the heat of its flowing replaced with the cold of the sea that laps at your limbs. She slashes with her sharp claws, tearing into your flesh and pulling a deep gash out of your shoulder. You scream, the pain searing through you, and try to push her away, but she's much bigger than you are, and she pins you to the ground.

Her mouth opens wide, and she bites down hard as she swallows your life-blood, her throat bulging grotesquely as she does so. You feel your body going limp, and your limbs growing cold. You can feel your sanity slipping away, the world around you slipping into blackness.

You hear a loud crack as she breaks your neck, and your body goes limp.

"Ah! Kent, you fool!" she screams. "You have to kiss me before you die! You have to!"

She screams as you fall limp in her arms, your head resting on her smooth stomach as a warm flow of blood trickles down your back. Your life force slips down her throat, and she lies there, sobbing as you die.

When she's finished, she sighs, running her hands through her hair and staring out at the sea. A gentle wave crashes against the shore, licking at her bare feet. She turns to you, her red hair falling over her face as she looks at your lifeless body.

"I couldn't save you," she whispers. "And I couldn't save myself."

She falls silent and sits there, staring out to sea. The sun beats down upon her, warming her from head to toe. Her red hair is tangled in the wind, whipping around her face as she presses her hands to her ears. Her eyes are shut tight, and she takes in a deep breath, holding it for as long as she can.

"I need some water," she says, getting to her feet.

She walks slowly into the sea, staring at the water as it laps at her knees. She slides her body into the ocean, and dives deep into the water, disappearing from sight. Seconds later, she comes back up, shaking off the water as she smiles.

"I'm thirsty," she says, her lips quivering. "I need water. Now."

She takes off her hair, letting it fall into the wind. She takes off her robe, revealing her naked body from the waist up. Her small, smooth mounds hint of fertility. She pulls her hair back into a ponytail, before pushing off from the shore and paddling away to the distant shoreline, her form disappearing into the water as the turquoise waves lap at her feet.

She swims slowly through the ocean, heading towards the shore. She paddles onto the beach, her perfect, naked body glistening in the sunlight. She gets to her feet, staring towards her cave. She pulls her hair out of her ponytail, before wrapping it in a balled up piece of cloth. She heads inside the cave, the entrance is carved from a massive stone, surrounded by jagged rocks and small ferns.

She enters the cave, entering into the darkness of the cave. Her hand rests on her stomach and she sighs, staring at the ground in front of her with a tired sigh. She walks a little farther into the cave, running her fingers through her hair as she thinks. With a sigh, she walks forward, staring at the walls of the cave. She places her hand against the wall, staring at the cool stone. Her eyes adjust to the darkness, and she can see the ground below her, the ground above her, and the wall on either side of her. Her red hair is like a beacon of light in the darkness, a beacon of longing.

She walks forward, her feet barely making a sound as they strike the ground. She stops, staring at the wall. She takes out her bundle of belongings, unrolling it and removing her precious journal, in which she writes about her life and hopes of seeing the world. She takes out her flint and steel, striking them to start a small fire. She sits down, opening her book and staring at the blank page, eager to write in it.

But there is nothing. She closes the book, staring at the blank page. She sighs, getting up and putting on her bundle. She lays down on the ground, staring at the ceiling of the cave, just as the old man had told her to do. She waits for sleep to come, just as the old man had told her to do.

When she is finally able to sleep, it is a deep, restful sleep.

And when she wakes, she is not on the barren island anymore. Lorelei's voice is a distant memory, her journal left on the beach. The sand is gone, and the sun is shining brightly. The ocean is sparkling and blue. She is standing on a beach, staring at the clear sky. It's a different island, because she remembers being on an island, and if she is remembering right, that island was rocky and barren. She twists a strand of her red hair around her fingers, smiling from her recollection.

She kicks back her feet, allowing the warm sun to bathe her. She feels relaxed, no longer weary or afraid. She feels free and happy, and the memory of her earlier imprisonment is long gone.

After a restful sleep and a satisfying swim, she feels rejuvenated. Her hair is loose and wild, blowing in the wind. She has a rock-hard body from her earlier climb. If she was ever in it at all. She watches as a pair of dolphins blows through the water, jumping and spinning above the surface. Her mouth is wide open in awe as she watches them spin and dive.

After a few minutes, she snaps out of her daze and gets to her feet. She looks around at her surroundings, examining it more closely. The water is warm and inviting. She decides to take a quick dip, just to savor the feeling of being near the water.

She steps into the water, feeling the spray off the surface and sinking into the enveloping warmth. She lets out a contented sigh, and as she feels the water fill her lungs, she remembers the first time she swam in the ocean without drowning. That memory floods into her mind and she smiles. The ocean is warm and inviting, and it feels wonderful to be in it again.

The water is very refreshing and she closes her eyes as she laps up the water, drinking it in and savoring it. As she swims, she hums a tune, smiling. She swims for a long time, and she doesn't notice when the tune ends or when the sun begins to set.

When she finally steps out of the water, her sun-drenched skin is coated with a thin layer of salt. She pulls her tunic over her head and lets it fall to the ground, before pulling her pants off. She steps out of her shoes and lets them fall, too. Her feet are bare against the warm sand.

She looks up at the clear night sky, sparkling with billions of stars, and breathes deeply. Her body sways slightly from the late-afternoon sun, and she stretches. She yawns and scratches her head, feeling her hair glide against her fingers. She looks down at her bare, muscled legs and her pale, smooth belly, and she blinks in surprise. The transformation is incredible. She feels amazing. Her mind is at ease; she feels great.

But she feels hungry. She hasn't eaten anything since last night, when she had a little fruit and a couple of cookies. She has a little zest, but it made the day before yesterday. She longs for a real meal, but she doesn't know how to go about getting that. She could probably fish, but she's never been very good at it. She used to love to dig up worms, but the closest she ever got to fishing was pulling a worm out of her hair at the beach.

She feels a familiar tingling at the base of her spine, but she pushes it away. There are worse things she could do than to explore the island. She could get into a fight with someone, or go for a swim. She could build a shelter, or climb the mountain. She could try to find the old man, or try to find her way off the island.

She sits down and pulls her knees to her chest, resting her head on her legs. She watches as the sun sinks low, painting the horizon a vibrant red. She watches as the rays of light stretch across the sky, lighting up every wave and strand of beach grass. She watches as the waves come rolling in, one by one, and crash into the sand. She watches, entranced, as the waves tinge the water a vibrant orange and purple. She watches as the sun makes its descent and the air grows bitterly cold. She watches as the waves retreat, leaving the beach dark and desolate.

As she watches the waves, she feels one coming. She's been trapped on the island for a long time. Her body is one that changes with the seasons. She's grown accustomed to the feel of her hair flowing around her, the feel of her feet against the ground, the smell of the ocean.

After a few minutes, the waves crash against the beach, but they don't retreat. They linger, lapping at the shore. She feels the first one. It surges up her spine and tingles on her skin. She holds her breath, relaxing with each pulse.

After a few minutes, the waves start to retreat, but they linger. They retreat enough that she can walk to the water, but they linger. A few minutes later, she's in the water.

She steps in, wading slowly. The water is pleasantly warm; she steps in up to her thighs. She closes her eyes and lets the water's temperature seep into her bones. It feels so good, she doesn't want to leave. She stays in for a few minutes, letting the sun and the water relax her.

But then she feels the next one. It hits her like a wave, surging up her spine and into her head. She gasps and holds her breath, and it feels like she's drowning. She struggles to stay afloat, desperate to keep from sinking. As the next one hits, she falls into the previous one, and is carried away by the water.

She gasps, opening her eyes. She's a few yards out from shore, bobbing up and down in the water, her feet kicking against the bottom of the ocean. She looks back at the beach, terrified, as the next wave rolls up the sand. She closes her eyes, trying to will herself to the shore.

She gasps as she feels the next one hit. It's so close, she could almost reach out and touch it. She holds her breath and stays afloat. She can't let herself sink, or she'll drown.

After a few seconds, the next wave subsides. She opens her eyes, and she's back on land, on the beach. She's in the water up to her waist. The waves are too powerful for her to go any farther.

She pushes up to shore, gasping for air as she hits the sand and collapses onto her back. She lies on the beach, panting. She tries to catch her breath, but it's difficult. Her lungs are burning, her heart pumping furiously.

She sits up. She's not sure what happened, but she knows she doesn't want to go in the water again. Her skin is cold and clammy. She should probably start searching for dry clothes, or build a fire.

But she doesn't move. She stays right where she is. The cold ocean water has done something strange to her body. She's not sure how long she's been sitting here, but it feels like hours. Her limbs feel heavy, her eyes are burning, her throat is parched. She gets to her feet and staggers into the cave.

The cave is dark, but not dark enough to conceal a body. It's not like there aren't a billion places for a body to be. Still, she stumbles forward. She's about to turn a corner when her eyes make out a pile of clothing sitting in a dark corner. She gets down on her hands and knees and crawls over to the clothing, careful not to disturb anything. She drags it out from the cave, sitting on the ground and pulling off her damp socks. She unrolls her blanket and wraps herself in it.

There, she feels slightly better. There's no fire, but there are no zombies out here, at least. The sun won't be up for a few more hours, though, which means it's going to get much cooler. She needs dry clothes. She drags the rest of the blanket and the clothing over to a wall of rock that's cool in the sunlight, then lays down and curls up on her makeshift bed. She drifts off to sleep.

She wakes up shivering. Her blanket is soaked with sweat. She needs to build a fire, dry out her clothes, and find dry water. There has to be water on this island.

She gets to her feet and looks around. The sun has nearly risen, its rays streaming over the horizon like fingers stretching toward her. She turns and staggers out of the cave and toward the beach. Waves crash relentlessly against the rocks, their thunder vibrating in her chest. She's terrified, desperate for a drink of water.

Then she notices something she's been overlooking this whole time: a flotilla of sailboats moored offshore. They're about a mile out, and only one of them is moving. She squints toward it, trying to see if there are people on any of them.

She gasps.

There! In the middle of the flotilla! A boat with people on it! And—yes!—there's a person moving around on the deck! She staggers toward the water, her whole body trembling.

She stares out at the water, too overwhelmed to do anything. She watches the boat grow larger and larger as it makes its way through the waves, drawing ever closer. Then she leaps into the water.

She swims out to the boat. Her feet barely skim the surface as she pushes herself up onto the slick deck. She can't believe it. There are people on the boat! She nearly collapses with relief. Two people. A man and a woman. They look like they're asleep.

Then the woman wakes up and looks at her.

And sees her.

And gasps.

And starts to scream.

She stares at the woman in shock. She's dressed in khaki, and she's very tan, much darker than she is. Her eyes are a deep amber, flecked with gold. She's very pretty, despite the bloodied and torn condition of her face.

She reaches out to grab the man beside her.

He moans and opens his eyes and sees her.

They stare at each other for an eternity, unable to move.

What will she do?

She has no weapons, few tools, nothing to defend herself with. All she has is her wits, and those may be of no use at this moment. She has no food or water, either. The people on the boat are in a position of power and might be able to help her—or they might try to kill her themselves. Either way, she doesn't know what to do.

The couple in the middle of the flotilla—the man had a gun. Maybe she could grab it and use it to defend herself. Or maybe she could throw it to the man and hope he can swim for the boat. Who knows whether or not he would shoot her when she's unarmed.

Maybe she could try to hide. She could crawl into one of the many empty lifeboats and hope she doesn't get seen, or that the people are too distracted with each other to notice her. She could grab one of the many oars that are lying about and try to row the boat herself—perhaps to another boat, or perhaps toward the beach.

Maybe she could just jump into the water and swim for it.

She has no idea how long she's been standing there. Minutes? Hours? It couldn't have been more than a few.

The woman finally regains her composure and screams at Lorelei, "You said you'd save us! Why did you lead us here! You promised! You lied! You will die in this place!"

Lorelei says nothing. She stands staring at the woman, not moving, not blinking, not even breathing. Just staring.

He looks at her.

Then he looks at the woman.

Then he looks at Lorelei.

Then he looks back at the woman again.

He says, "I told you to stop screaming."

The woman falls to her knees and holds her hands up. She stares at Lorelei, begging. "Please, just don't kill me. I'll do anything you want. I'll be your slave—whatever you want me to do."

Lorelei says nothing. She just stares at the woman. How can she do this? How can she have such need for him and not feel anything for him in return?

He says, "Stop. We don't need her. We have each other. We have a life together."

Lorelei stares at him for a long time, then she turns back to the woman. "Get us back to the mainland, and maybe I'll let you live."

They row back to the mainland, and the woman is released. Lorelei sits in the bow as he rows. The woman, now free, sits in the stern.

After a while, he says, "So, what do you want to do? Start a life together here? Leave? Go back?"

"Start a life together here," she says.

Start a life together here.

She watches as the sun sinks below the horizon. The water turns from turquoise to indigo to black. There are no stars, no moon, nothing. Just blackness. Then the island turns to silhouette, drawn in blacks and grays. She watches as the sun sinks below the horizon a second time, this time forever.

"Why the hell did you make me keep her?" he demands, "I could have killed you both!"

"I'm a siren," she says. "You knew what you were signing up for."

He says, "I'm going to kill myself! You're going to die with me, not her! Christ! Fuck!"

He reaches for the gun at his side.

"Please, don't," she says. "If you do, I'll follow you."

He looks at her. She leans in toward him. Their lips meet.

They kiss.

And they live happily ever after. Or so they say.

Editor's Thoughts: It is continually amazing me how well some of these go. The story was somewhat coherent, and the flow was near perfect. I didn't expect the brutal murder, but I also didn't expect their prior interaction. Well I sort of chose the Siren prompt since I figured it may go in that direction. Luckily it paid off pretty early on. Not sure what happened at the end, but best I can figure, the man ditched his wife in favor of the siren, and then decided to kill himself so they could be together forever. Touching.