"Siren's Song" -- Miriam E. Waters

by Miriam E. Waters

The solitude of a museum experienced during the late night appealed to a dreamer like Nate.  An art student by day, museum watchman by night, and artist during every waking moment of his lonely life, Nate had discovered his niche working in the museum.  Patrolling the spacious galleries allowed him ample time to study the work of accomplished painters and sculptors without the distraction of other patrons.

The silence in the museum thundered in Nate’s ears.  He broke the quiet of the cavernous reception area with the rasp of paper on paper as he studied the new exhibit’s chapbook, “James William Waterhouse – A Retrospective.”

The faint sounds of a stringed instrument reached Nate.  He cocked his head to listen.  The sweetest of melodies began to swell and beckoned intoxicatingly; impossible to resist.  Nate set the chapbook aside, grabbed his flashlight and went to investigate the source of the music.

The honeyed voice of a woman soon joined the instrument.  The music and singing were coming from the new exhibit.  Nate increased his pace, it was imperative for him to discover the fount of such beauty.  The thought that the sounds were foreign to the museum’s staid silence never occurred to him.

Nate entered the wing housing the Waterhouse Exhibit.  The singing and music faded into silence.  He wandered for a few moments examining the rich scenes portrayed in the artwork. He eventually found himself standing before a painting, “The Siren.”  The scene depicted a siren ensconced on a rock holding a lyre.  She was gazing out of the scene as if she were studying Nate.  

The siren strummed the strings on the lyre.  The heady music filled the exhibit hall once again.  Too many sleepless nights were taking their toll.  His mind was on fire.  “Beautiful one, how I wish I were with you,” Nate whispered in the empty hall.

There was no sign of Nate when the daytime guard arrived to begin his shift, odd. The guard walked the circuit of the exhibit halls.  When he reached the Waterhouse Exhibit he was drawn to “The Siren.”  He studied the image of a woman sitting on a rock and leaning forward to stare into the eyes of a man floundering in the water at her feet.  The man was a dead-ringer for Nate.  The guard shrugged his shoulders and turned to examine the next painting.

Picture Credit:  "The Siren" by John William Waterhouse (circa 1900)

August 23, 2015.  All Rights Reserved.