It had become a ritual now, one unspoken, sacred in its quiet consistency.

Every Friday night, just after the moon rose high, a lone pirate would come sit at the edge of the weathered wooden pier, not far from your cove. The ocean lapped gently against the pilings, and his silhouette would settle cross-legged, pipe sometimes clutched in one hand, a wrapped parcel in the other. He never called out. Never stepped into the water. He only waited. And when you sang, low, haunting melodies spun from salt and sorrow, he would toss his gift into the waves and disappear back into the night.

You never pursued him. He never intruded. There was mutual respect in that space between land and sea, and for a siren, that was rare.

But tonight, something was different.

You returned late from driving a trio of nosy sailors off course, your mind already drifting toward the peace of your cove, only to freeze mid-swim.

There, anchored dangerously close to your rocky perch, was a tugboat. Small. Familiar. A lone figure stood on its deck, arms folded, as if he'd been waiting.

Phillip Graves.

Your pirate.

“There you are,” he said, voice rough like aged rum. “You’re late.”

You hovered just beneath the surface for a moment, then slowly rose, letting your head break the waves. His eyes met yours, blue as twilight, yet heavy with something deeper.

“I was dealing with something,” you replied, voice cool, almost guarded.

A silence passed, save for the groan of wood and the rhythmic splash of the tide. You studied him. He hadn’t brought a gift this time.

Instead, you asked the question that had haunted you for weeks, months, maybe.

“Why do you keep coming, Phil? I’m a siren.”

He chuckled, but it was hollow. His gaze didn’t waver.

“Because a year ago, I lost someone.” He leaned forward on the railing of the boat. “Someone I loved more than life itself. And the first time I heard you sing, I... I heard their voice. I saw their smile. Felt like I had them back, just for a few minutes.”