Prologue: The Moment Before Silence

The millisecond of calm before the storm.

Once again we are sailing to who knows where. I smile at the girl beside me, she’s blonde, not yellow blonde, more like a caramel blonde. It’s soft, yet her eyes are sharp. She smiles back.

“Where do you think we’re going this time?” I ask, she just shrugs, she’s never really cared where they take us. Kaira has always just loved being able to sing, and the keepers don’t mind so long as she manages to make a bit of money from it.

In truth, Kaira’s singing has gotten us through quite a lot. She tends to sing in the language of her homeland, I think she called it Taganrog. Though nobody else seems to be able to understand it. 

Right now she’s singing a song I call Tili-Tili-Bom, because of the repeated syllables of it.
“Тили-тили-бом” She explained to me once the meaning of the song. “�-акрой глаза скорее” It’s sung in a minor key, and it quite creepy, but she says it’s supposed to be a lullaby of some sort. “Кто-то ходит за окном, И стучится �™ д�™ери”

She continues on like this as a fog rolls in. It’s weird, just a few minutes ago they said we were going to go through a strait, now they’re asking if somebody else hears that. Kaira keeps singing.

“Тили-тили-бом Кричит ночная птица” Suddenly it sounds like another voice is joining her, it’s weird, because it sounds almost exactly like her too. “Он уже пробрался �™ дом. К тем, кому не спится” Kaira doesn’t even react she just sings more. Her eyes look a bit strange, like there’s nothing behind them but the song.

“Он идет… Он уже �'лизко…” Her head turns towards the looming cliffs we’re oh so close to, something’s wrong, I can feel it. “Тили-тили-бом Ты слышишь, кто-то рядом? Притаился за углом И пронзает �™зглядом” As the song goes on, creepier things start to happen, the entire boat is silent, save for the creaking of the boards that make up the ship and a few splashes of water.

“Тили-тили-бом �'с�' скроет ночь немая �-а тобой крадется он И �™от-�™от поймает” The second to last bit. The fog shifts.

“Он ид�'т…” The fog shifts again, I catch a glimpse of somebody sitting on the rocks. “Он уже” The fog shifts once more, and I get the privilege of looking such a breathtaking woman in the eyes. 

Her hair is a perfect pink, not too vibrant, but just enough that you can tell there’s something special about her. 

Her eyes seem to hold the rainbow, yet there’s something behind them other than hunger for just a moment. “�'лизко…” The final line of the song finishes, and the boat tilts much farther than it ever should…

Author's Note

Translated lyrics:
Translated lyrics:
Tili-tili-bom
Close your eyes soon
Someone walks outside the window
And (is) knocking on (the) door

Tili-tili-bom
Screaming night bird
He's already made his way into the house.
To visit those who can't sleep.

He's coming
He's already
Closer

Tili-tili-bom
You hear someone, Side by Side?
Lurking around the corner
And pierces with a glance

Tili-tili-bom
It's going to be a dumb night
He's sneaking behind you
And it's about to catch (you)

He's coming
He's already
Closer

Reviews

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

i can actually read Cyrillic, i'm learning russian and this was good practice :)
it is a very haunting piece. Kaira plays the role of Cassandra, an orcale knowing that tragedy is about to befall them, but also knowing nobody will listen to her in time. "он идет..."
i don't if there is a way to include translations within the text itself, that might heighten the suspense for the monolingual reader. but this might be a question you can ask yourself as you edit.
but this is a strong story. you set the scene well, and slowly build up to the action. they are in a vulnerable situation (a boat out at sea), and a beautiful woman is trying to warn them but is unable to communicate. this is a tense drama told well.

[Aetheria Gale]

Thank you. I like to hear different interpretations from readers on what the story might mean to them, it allows me to see the different sides of it.

Full disclosure though, it's not a lullaby, and the song is called Tili-Tili-Bom. Pretty sure it's from a Russian slasher movie, I just don't know very many Russian songs because I'm also pretty monolingual. The translation is in the author's note.

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

i am going to check that movie out. russian cinema is a cultural marvel, especially the soviet-era films. you should check out Ёжик в тума́не and Сказка сказок if you haven't yet :)

[Aetheria Gale]

I might, thank you.