Beneath The Velvet Sea

The Melody Returns

As the ROV moved deeper into the reef, it picked up something unexpected: a faint glow emanating from a crevice in the rocks.

“What’s that?” Alex asked, leaning closer to the monitor.

“Could be bioluminescence,” Iris said, though her voice lacked conviction.

The camera maneuvered closer, revealing an object lodged in the crevice. It was faintly luminescent, its surface smooth and glassy, like polished stone. The sight of it sent a shiver down Iris’s spine.

“It’s beautiful,” Rory murmured.

“It’s strange,” Iris corrected. “And it doesn’t belong here.”

Marge’s voice crackled over the intercom. “Don’t get too close. There’s no telling what you’re messing with.”

But Iris couldn’t look away. The object seemed to pulse faintly, in rhythm with the coral’s glow. It was almost as if the two were connected.

“Can we retrieve it?” Rory asked eagerly.

“No,” Marge cut in firmly. “We’re not bringing anything unknown aboard the ship.”

Iris hesitated, her scientific curiosity warring with the captain’s caution. “Mark its location,” she said finally. “We’ll analyze the footage later.”

That evening, Iris reviewed the footage alone in the lab. The glowing object filled the screen, its faint pulsing rhythm almost hypnotic. Iris found herself humming the song again, the melody rising unbidden to her lips.

“Stop it,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head as if to dislodge the tune.

But the song wouldn’t leave her. It clung to her thoughts like a fog, growing louder the longer she stared at the screen. The glowing object seemed to pulse in time with the melody, as if it were singing to her.

“Iris?”

She jumped, nearly spilling her coffee as Alex appeared in the doorway.

“You okay?” he asked, frowning.

“Yeah,” she said quickly, shutting off the monitor. “Just tired.”

Alex gave her a skeptical look but didn’t press. “Well, Marge wants us to meet on the deck. Something about a strange weather pattern moving in. Come on.”

On the deck, the crew stood in uneasy silence, staring at the horizon. Dark clouds were rolling in, faster than seemed natural. The air was heavy, charged with electricity.

“It’s too soon for a storm,” Marge muttered, her brow furrowed.

But Iris wasn’t looking at the sky. Her eyes were fixed on the water, where the glow of the coral had grown brighter, spreading in eerie patterns across the waves. And beneath the surface, something moved a shadow, sleek and quick, darting just out of sight.

The melody rose again, faint and haunting, carried on the wind.

“Did you hear that?” Iris whispered.

Alex frowned. “Hear what?”

But Iris didn’t answer. Her gaze remained locked on the water, a feeling of dread curling in her stomach.

The sea takes more than it gives.

Her mother’s words echoed in her mind as the shadow vanished into the depths.