Cage the Soul—Dylan Nicole Hansen

Vaileen had been staring at her souls for hours.

She was lying with her back to the wall, letting the silence crush her. It felt like she was slipping into the fabric of the world. So, she stared at her souls in their little yellow shells, their faint glow thrumming inside like a heartbeat.

Vaileen put her hand to her chest and massaged the prickled skin. Indeed, there was a flutter underneath her flesh and bone, but it felt disconnected. It had been ever since her love was lost.

She looked around her house, tucked in the cavity of a coral reef. There was a table that had once been set for two. Shriveled-up anemones lay in a glass vase in the center. Her love insisted on putting sea flowers all over so the house felt alive. Now the only life sat inside six shells.

Vaileen opened her mouth to sing to her souls, but her throat felt dry. The last time she had spoken was three weeks ago when a diver plunged off a boat and began stabbing the fish in the reef above.

Vaileen had felt the vibrations in the water and swam out to take a look. Her strong red tale shimmered in the waves, her brown hair billowing out around her.

As soon as the diver’s head breached the surface, Vaileen began to sing the song of the Merrow, and the diver answered her call. Her voice was muffled under the water, but it was rough and proud just like her love.

Could it be? She blinked twice, then jetted towards the diver.

The diver had gasped when she saw Vaileen. Her black hair was plastered across her pale face, her brown eyes chasms of fear. She must have forgotten who Vaileen was, for her love had never feared her.

Vaileen dove over the diver, swimming down where the light did not touch the sea. Her song caressed the waves, making the diver close her eyes. When she was asleep, Vaileen planted her lips over hers.

The diver tasted like mint and was warm against Vaileen. As her song continued, a lilac purple light began to move its way up the diver’s throat.

Vaileen shrieked and grabbed a shell from the pouch at her waist. Her lover's soul was gold, not lilac. She clasped the shell around the soul and let the diver's body descend to the deep. It looked sad, almost, like a lost dream slipping away from memory.

Vaileen let the waves take her down, down, down. She closed her eyes and breathed. The sea smelled like forgotten dreams and darkness. She felt hollow as she brushed the cold shell to her cheek.

When she was home, her souls whispered all manner of things. But now it was quiet. Too quiet. She clutched her necklace. It was warm and comforting and began to bring life back to her frozen fingertips.

“I will scour the sea until I find you,” she whispered. A warm tear sprang free from her eyes and floated into the abyss.

“I will wait for you,” said a voice. Vaileen shot awake, turning in all directions until the sea became a dark blur. She knew that voice.

“Where are you, my love?” she called.

“With you always,” her love said back. But she was not there. All Vaileen could see was a black sea stretching for miles.

Now, in her home, lying against the floor and letting the smooth grains soothe her aching body, Vaileen felt lost.

“Swim,” whispered a soul. Its faint green hue jingled like a bell in its cage. “Swim.”

“Come to me,” said a familiar whisper. “I am here my love.” Vaileen stretched a hand to the surface, its light shifting with the waves. She pushed herself up.

Suddenly a figure hovered over the reef. Their shape was dark and obscured like a memory you couldn't catch. “I am coming,” she said and shot into the sea.

Bright blue light and the stench of salt accosted her as she breached the surface. Vaileen looked around and saw nothing but a little silver boat tied to a block of coral.

Tears began to wet her cheeks. She patted at them as they made little paths across her skin.

“Are you okay?” asked a soft voice.

Vaileen spun around to find a young woman with rich brown skin and frizzy brown hair hovering over her. She must have come from the boat.

“Are you a Merrow?” asked the woman. Glee split up her face. “I've heard the stories but--how could it be? Are…” she paused, and a wrinkle appeared on her brow. “Are there more of you?”

Vaileen nodded but started to sink back under the waves. This woman did not sound like her love. It was time to return to her souls for company.

“Wait,” said the woman. She outstretched her hand but did not move closer.

“I must return home,” said Vaileen. Her voice sounded like bubbles underwater.

The woman tilted her head. She was as beautiful as the coral when the light struck it just so. “Where is home?”

“Below the reef,” said Vaileen. “My love is waiting for me. I must find her.”

“Where did she go?” asked the woman.

Vaileen felt a chill run up her tail. It pierced her skin and made her blood run cold. “Lost,” was all Vaileen could manage.

The woman moved closer, but Vaileen shuttered and sank further. Before her eyes were obscured by water she paused, curiosity keeping her afloat.

“Maybe I could help you find her,” said the woman. She smiled sweetly…too sweetly. Why would she help me?

Vaileen shook her head. “You cannot go beneath the waves, or you too will be lost,” she whispered.

“Do you not have anything in your bag?” the woman pointed at Vaileen’s waist under the water, its shimmering coral shells striking the light and making the water a golden orange.

“Why would you help me?” asked Vaileen.

The woman tilted her head as if it were the most absurd thing she had ever heard. “We have a legend in our village,” the woman began. “Merrows are things of luck and beauty. Those are things I could use right about now. If I help you, maybe you can help me too.”

Vaileen narrowed her eyes. Their village left out one crucial part. Merrows were things of darkness too. But this woman did not know that.

“I may have something,” said Vaileen. “But you must give it back.”

“Of course,” said the girl.

“It belongs to my love,” said Vaileen. “Be careful with it.”

The woman nodded, and so Vaileen reached into her bag and brought out a red cap. Her love told her that it had been bespelled by the fairies of the wood, and would allow her to grow a tail and sink below the waves to be with Vaileen.

Vaileen handed the red cap to the girl, who put it on and saddled over the reef intending to push herself into the water.

“Do not take the cap off,” Vailleen warned. “Like my love did. Or you will be claimed by the sea.”

The woman opened her mouth to say something, but Vaileen didn't wait to hear as she dove down. Looking back, the woman was swimming behind her, a coral pink tail propelling her forward.

Once they were both inside Vaileen’s home, Vaileen told the girl her name and asked for the girl’s. “Aofie,” said the girl. “What are those shells? Their glow is unique.”

“They are my soul cages,” said Vaileen. “I am trying to find my love. She would always answer my song. It was how I could find her when she was above. All of these souls answered my song, but they weren't my love.” Despair made the water darken around Vaileen. She felt as if there was a shadow stifling the motions of her heart.

Aofie's face was stricken, her golden cheeks pale. “These are souls?”

“They keep me company as I search for my love,” said Vaileen.

“What happened to the bodies they inhabited?” asked Aofie. Her calm face now had lines of terror running through it.

“They were claimed by the sea. I trapped their souls so they could stay with me.”

Aofie’s throat bobbled. Her oak eyes flickered in fear.

“Don’t be frightened,” said Vaileen. “They are quite friendly.”

As she said so, one of the souls began to flicker yellow, an eerie whisper cutting through the water. “Save,” it said.

“That's right,” Vaileen whispered back softly. “I saved them.”

“No,” said Aofie, her dark hair rippled around her. “No, they need to be saved. This was a mistake.” She began to back away.

Vaileen shook her head. This girl didn’t know what she was talking about. The souls would be lost without her.

“You have put them in cages,” Aoife continued. “And you wear one around your neck. The legends did not tell me of this.”

“Legends can be mistaken,” said Vaileen. “And so are you. These souls have been saved. You wanted luck and beauty, didn’t you? Beautiful as you may be, luck is still a fleeting thing. It does not like to stick and when it does, it can turn sour. There are such things as bad luck too.”

Vaileen’s face was pursed, anger running through her blood like geysers of boiling water.

“Vaileen, look at what you are doing!” said Aofie.

“What?” said Vaileen. “Whatever I have done. I…” but she could not finish. She clasped her necklace. It had been a gift from…the necklace beat against her skin. An ethereal song began to spill from the shell to the tune her love created. “I did it for her.”

She took a shaky breath. Now the lights of her souls became blinding. “No.” Vaileen sank to the floor. Her tail thudded against the wood and pain shot through her, but it too felt distant as her world came crashing down.

All this time Vaileen had been searching for her love, and her soul had been around her neck. What had happened? Did Vaileen sing her soul from her lover’s body?

“Save,” whispered the souls on her shelf. Their shells began to shake. The water around them murmured. It was too loud. Vaileen cupped her ears.

“Vaileen,” said Aofie. She knelt beside her, resting a warm palm on Vaileen’s shoulder. “You have to let the souls go. They are not at peace in those cages.”

“But my love,” whispered Vaileen.

“Is already with you,” said a voice by her chest. The heat flowing from the shell felt like summer kisses and early morning lovemaking.

“You saved me when my flesh was lost, and you put me in this shell so I could remain with you. But the others did not ask for this,” said the voice. “It is time to let us go, my love.”

“But I will be all alone,” said Vaileen. Her tears floated before her.

“You will never be alone,” said her love.

“Vaileen,” said Aofie. “My father told me the story of a Merrow who shepherded the souls of those who died at sea. The Merrow guided them to peace. This is not peace. Look, Vaileen. Look.”

A watery memory of a sworn duty tickled the back of Vaileen’s head. “Yes.” She remembered the sea king giving her a duty for eternity. Vaileen was the shepherd of lost souls. But then she met her love, and her soul entwined with Vaileen’s like fire grasping heat.

“Save,” the souls echoed from the soul cages. Bubbles began to filter out of the shells, and the water around them turned cloudy.

Vaileen shot up and swam towards the soul cages. With one fluid motion, she smashed them all. Each soul fluttered into the water. Vaileen began to sing her ethereal song. One by one they floated down, down, down, all the while whispering, “peace.”

When Vaileen was done singing, she clasped her necklace and her love who lay inside. “I cannot,” she whispered.

“I will always be with you,” said her love. “You needn't be afraid.”

Slowly, like closing her eyes to block out a storm, Vaileen crushed the shell in her palm. Her lover’s soul evaporated into the water, for she was already at peace.

Silence pressed in on her, yet there was Aofie, softly breathing through the quiet.

“Thank you,” said Vaileen to Aofie. “You gave me back my love.”

“I only wish she could have stayed.”

“It appears it was time for her to rest,” said Vaileen. “Come. I'll take you back to shore and give you something better than luck.”

Vaileen clasped Aofie’s hand and guided her back to her boat. When Aofie was back on the reef, she took off the red cap and extended it towards Vaileen.

“Keep it,” she said. “In case you ever want to explore the sea. I know what it is you want. But be careful. Like I said, luck is not always what it seems. It was luck that I became the shepherd, and luck I found my love. But it was also luck that made me lose her.”

“Thank you,” said Aofie. “I have a feeling this cap is worth more.” Vaileen smiled genuinely as she sank into the warm water.

Vaileen never saw Aofie again. Now and then she thought she saw a glimmer of a pink tail and a red cap, but Vaileen never ventured close enough to tell. She had a duty that she would never again forget. From then until the dawn set on her world, Vaileen shepherded those who died at sea. She never forgot what Aofie did for her, and never forgot her love. And if you looked closely on nights where the moon was highest you might just spot a flicker of a red tale, and the glimmer of souls falling down, down, down to peace.

 

Dylan Nicole Hansen (she/her) is a college student working for her degree in English. She loves books and tea and hiking and all things fantasy. You can find her stuffed near a rainy window, dreaming up monsters, magic, and mayhem.