Ondine
Allison Porter was a plain and unassuming young woman. She had shoulder length mousy brown hair that she’d pulled back into a ponytail and it looked like it hadn’t been washed in a while. Stringy strands of hair that loosely resembled bangs fell upon the tops of her eyebrows. The silver framed spectacles that she wore made her look like a prudish schoolmarm; they frame her freckled face perfectly. Though Allison was well into her late twenties, she didn’t appear to be more than seventeen. The fact that she was rail thin with a boyish shape and the voice of a little girl did little to alter the illusion.
As a child, Allison was shy and introverted. She didn’t have many friends then and she doesn’t have that many now. She did however have a best friend in her doting grandmother Athena, with whom she spent weekends and summer vacation. The two of them would wile away the days baking cookies and pies from scratch. When one baking tin went into the oven another was placed in the windowsill to cool. They’d drink lemonade and take in the sights from the front porch swing. The scrumptious aroma wafting through the window and hearing the birds chirping and the tales her grandmother told made for a nice day. Athena would take great pride in passing on the oral lore from her homeland; Greece.
Of all the stories and lore Athena passed on to Allison, the legend of Ondine is her favorite. Ondine was the goddess of love and beauty, she was the most enchanting woman in the universe. She was the daughter of Zeus and Dione, goddess of the oak tree. Ondine was so breathtakingly beautiful that no god or mortal man would be able to resist her. They literally worshiped the ground beneath her feet.
Just being in her presence was enough enthrall them. Beside her great beauty Ondine would become a virgin whenever she bathed in the Aegean Sea. That powerful attribute made her even more taken with her. What man could resist a virgin, especially one with her amount of experience in the art of lovemaking?
Online’s behavior incensed the goddesses on Mount Olympus they despised her for it. Her beauty was both a blessing and a curse. She made love to any and every god or mortal she desired never mind the fact that these men had wives of their own. It was this lack of respect that would be her downfall. Ondine bedded a very powerful god. When his wife found out about it, she placed a curse on Ondine by turning her into a miniature statue then tossing her into the Aegean Sea. The sea opened up and swallowed her, burying her beneath its floor.
Ondine was now encased in stone and buried deep within the bowels of the sea. Her piteous soul would cry out from her prison cell within the sea and lure passing ships to their watery grave. According to the lore, any mortal who found the statue and freed Ondine’s spirit would acquire her beauty.
Ondine’s lore became an obsession for Allison. She combed libraries and new age bookstores searching for any information she could get her hands on about Ondine. Her obsession became her life’s work. Allison became a professor of ancient myths and religions; she was also a practicing witch. As of lately she’s become a proficient scuba diver. This is preparation for her trip back to Greece. It’s become a ritual of hers; she’s been going there every year since her grandmother first took her as a little girl.
Her grandmother had a summer home right on the sea; Allison inherited four years ago when her grandmother died. Allison was scheduled to fly out the next morning she was looking forward to seeing Theo, Andres and their grandfather Ari once she got there. They ran a tourist fishing service and they were more than happy to take her out while she dove. This will be seventh dive at finding Ondine.
She boarded the plane, popped a couple Xanax, had a glass of wine and was out through the long flight. The combination of pills and wine produced vivid and bizarre dreams. In them she could see Ondine calling out to her. Ondine’s voice was high-pitch like that of a dolphin, the closer she got to Greece the louder and more intense the dreams became. By the time her plane touched down Allison was anxious to get into her wetsuit and scuba gear and hit the water. She was convinced that her dreams would let her to where Ondine was buried. It seems as though the weather had other ideas. There was a gray overcast and spitting raindrops; if the wind picked up she wasn’t getting in the water today.
Andres picked her up at the airport. He was a handsome man with caramel skin, large dark brown eyes and a smile to die for not to mention he’s harbored a deep crush on Allison since they were kids. But she never gives in because she can’t bring her self to believe that someone who looks that good could want her. She just fob’s it off as his flirtatious nature. He had a million things that he wanted to talk to her about but all Allison was concern with was getting into the water before conditions got worse. She knew she had to pay her respects to Ari, which won’t be a problem as long as he goes out on the boat with them.
Ari was like a grandfather figure for Allison and she loved all of them dearly in her own way. Allison could very myopic when there’s something she wants to accomplish. The drive from the airport to her summer home took little more than an hour. The winds had picked up quite a bit since she landed but the rain was still holding off. She kissed Andres on the cheek then dashed inside to change. As usual, he waited for her. He knew he might have to talk Allison out of taking the boat out on to the water but if passes experiences dictate he might as well be talking to a brick wall.
Allison was alive with a source of energy that she’d never felt before. The dolphin- like voice, had become more of a human voice; a relentless calling that was getting more insistent in her pleas. Nothing, absolutely nothing was going to keep her out of that water. The Andropolis men loved Ally like one of their own. Ari always wanted a daughter but his wife wasn’t able to have any more children after almost dying giving birth to Theo. Ally became his surrogate daughter the very first summer she spent here with her grandmother. She’s the apple of his eye and he’s not very good at denying her anything.
There was enough of a break in the weather for them to take the boat out but they made her promise to come in should the weather shift again. Their reunion was short but sweet. She really loved these guys and didn’t want to cause any problems but this was something she was compelled to do. They were completely onto the fact that she was searching for Ondine and knew that trying to talk her out of it would be useless. Allison’s demeanor was changing quickly, Ondine’s hold on her was becoming tighter, and her voice inside of Allison’s head was becoming more insistent and precise in her location.
Ari gave Allison the once over checking her diving equipment. There was enough air in her tank for one hour but she couldn’t go deeper than sixty feet without having to decompress and that would eat up the time and air she needed. Allison reassured Ari that she would be fine and not to worry. He kissed on the hand and smiled even though he was concerned about her. Allison had a different look in her eyes; he wanted either Theo or Andres to dive with her but that suggestion would have caused more trouble than it is worth.
As soon as Allison got in the water the waves began to pick up. She plumed the waters depth honing in on Ondine’s voice like a beacon. The closer she got to finding her the more the weather above the water and below changed drastically. Dark clouds moved in and lightning split the sky, an under water volcano erupted twenty feet below Allison. The earth cracked open and spewed forth the statue of Ondine. Without realizing it Allison was a hundred feet under the waters surface. She was completely fixated on what was happening below the only thing on her mind was getting close enough to grab the statue. The pressure from the water had caused a hair- line crack in her face- mask, she needed to surface but she couldn’t without decompressing first.
The bell on her air tank started dinging alerting her that she only had five minutes of breathable air left in her tank but it would take at least ten minutes for her to stabilize at fifty feet or run the serious risk of the bends, ruptured ear drums or worse. Allison’s only concern was getting the statue once she had it; everything else would sort it self out, or so she thought. The Andropolis men were having a hell of a time just keeping their vessel afloat. Violent waves were crashing against the boats wooden structure. Bolts of lightning pierced the water around the fishing boat. Ari and Theo struggled to secure the air tanks so that they would not rupture. Andres threw on a mask and tank then dove into the water looking for Allison but he wasn’t able to reach her.
Allison was carried to the surface by an escaping pocket of air from the eruption. When she broke the surface Allison was unconscious with the statue of Ondine firmly gripped in her hand. Andres grabbed her and was swimming back to the boat when a bolt of lightning struck the boat’s engine, splintering the boat into a million pieces. Andres looked on helpless to do anything as his family died violently before him. He pulled Allison up onto the dock; he made sure she was breathing before leaving her to go search for his father and brother. A few minutes later Allison arose as if lifted by invisible strings and headed back to her cottage.
Allison was still clad in her wetsuit; her hair damp and slicked back and her skin all wrinkly and puffed up from her ordeal. She took a chisel and hammer from the top drawer next to the stove then sat down at the kitchen table and got to work. Allison meticulously cleaned away centuries of debris from the statue. Carefully, ever so carefully, she pried the spiny coral away. Her adrenaline soared. Her heartbeat pounded loudly in her head. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead and on the palms of her hands as she feverishly worked to free Ondine from her stone crypt.
Several hours had passed since she first began and with each passing minute Allison grew more and more tired. Exhaustion and fatigue had finally gained the upper hand. She fell asleep sitting at the kitchen table. In her left hand was the statue of an almost freed Ondine. In a fit of restlessness perhaps, she gripped the statue tightly jabbing a jagged piece of coral into her palm causing a deep wound but it did not wake her. The blood flowed from it as if it were a faucet. The dark blood bathed the statue from crown to toe. A puddle of blood formed on the floor beneath her dangling hand. The blood-soaked statue slipped out of her hand and fell into the puddle below.
A bright light surrounded the statue as it rolled around in the blood. A loud crackling sound had pierced the silence as Ondine shed the outer layer of her tomb. The light faded when the last piece of stone fell away though she had been trapped for eons within the miniature tomb she emerged life-size. The massive shell that had been placed in her hands by the goddess who cursed her to keep her from touching men that didn’t belong to her filled with water. Ondine poured some of it onto Allison’s face to rouse her. The cold water jolted her awake. Groggy and dazed, Allison wiped the water from her face leaving the taste of blood in her mouth. She stared at the gaping wound in her hand, then at Ondine and started screaming.
Ondine placed her hand over the wound. Her hand was warm and soft like the petals of a rose, not cold and clammy as one might expect. The wound started tingling and healed before Allison’s eyes. Allison shook uncontrollably. Ondine quelled her fear.
“Shh!” She said in a hypnotic tone. “You don’t need to be afraid of me. I am Ondine and I am forever grateful to you, my dearest Allison.”
Allison tried to speak. Her lips moved but no sound came from them.
“There is no need to speak Allison. I can hear your thoughts. I know what is in your heart and I am here to grant you, your hearts desire.”
Allison knelt before her as Ondine poured the remaining water from the shell onto Allison’s head to baptize her. In an instant Allison had been reborn. Gone was the stringy brown hair. Her hair was now full and a radiant red. Gone was her plain ordinary face. Her skin was now rich and creamy olive color. Her breasts had grown, her waist was elongated, and her boyish hips were now curvaceous and firm. Her paper-thin lips were now full and supple.
She had grown from five feet three to a statuesque five ten with the metamorphosis complete, Allison had become what she always wanted: beautiful. Ondine took her by the hand and led her into the bedroom and closed the door behind them. On the back of the door hung a full- length mirror. Allison stood in front of it and was awestruck by what she saw. Tears of joy poured from her eyes she turned towards Ondine and embraced her.
“I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you!” She sobbed. Ondine lovingly caressed her face and looked deeply into Allison’s eyes. “You can help me, Allison. Right now, you’re the only one who can hear, touch or see me. I long to be with a man again. I can only stay as I am around you. I’m not completely free yet; I need blood and the life that it carries. Until I have it I must return to the statue!”
Ondine placed her mouth firmly against Allison’s mouth and inhaled deeply, stealing pieces of her soul and replacing it with her spirit. A loud pounding at the front door interrupted them. BANG¼BANG¼BANG! Whoever was on the other side wanted Allison and no door was going to keep them out. Amid the ruckus, Ondine turned into a vaporized mist. The crumbled pieces of stone that lay strewn across the puddle of blood became animated and started moving about by themselves. In the blink of an eye the statue had returned to its former state drawing the puddle of blood into it.
Allison quickly grabbed a nightgown from the closet. Amazingly the gown that had been several sizes too large now clung to her like a second skin only reaffirmed Ondine’s gift.
“I’m coming¼I’m coming, you don’t have to break the door down!” She yelled.
The front door vibrated with the constant pounding and looked like it was about to be beaten from its hinges. Allison opened the door only to find an irate Andres standing there. The side of his head was bleeding
from flying debris. Allison froze with fear. She had no memory of what happened earlier and was shaken by his appearance. Andres lunged at her, slamming her hard against the wall. He grabbed her by the throat and started choking her. Allison tried to pry away his hands but he was too strong. He stared at her, looking like a mad man, his face red with rage. Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted at her. “It’s all your fault! My father and brother are dead because of you!”
Andres was so blinded by anger, that he couldn’t see her transformation. He choked her to the point of unconsciousness. Thinking that he had killed her, he released his grip, letting her listless body slump to the floor. She called out to him as he walked away. Andres turned and was stunned by what he saw. Allison rose from the floor and glided over to him. Her feet didn’t touch the floor until she’d reached him. Allison had become a vessel for Ondine’s spirit. For the first time Andres saw her beauty and his anger subsided. He immediately fell victim to her feminine charms. She seduced him and they made love from the living room to the kitchen, atop the kitchen counter tops and table. She had satisfied his every need and quenched his secret desires. He lay on the floor curled up like a baby. Exhausted and completely drain, he drifted off to sleep.
Allison stood beside him and savored her first sexual conquest. Ondine called out to her from inside the statue. “Do it, Allison. Free me, so I may be flesh and blood again but most of all so that I can be the best friend you’ve always wanted. I promise!”
Ondine’s hypnotic voice lulled Allison into a trance. She walked over to the dish rack on the counter and removed a cast iron skillet. She then walked back over to where Andres was sleeping and knelt down beside him where she stared at him for what felt like an eternity. Allison raised the heavy skillet above her head. With one vicious strike, she rendered a devastating blow; a nauseating cracking sound, it was over. Andres lay dead before her.
The same blood that splattered across her face coursed from his crushed skull. The blood formed a pool on the floor. The statue fell to the floor and rolled around in it, absorbing every drop of blood. The room became an unnatural cold. The statue once again split in half when it did an even brighter light than before spilled from the crack. Ondine emerged from the light¼she was free! Allison began feeling strange. She felt sick and scared. She knew something was wrong—terribly wrong!
“I don’t feel very well. What’s happening to me?!”
Ondine stared at her with her eyes filled with contempt. “I have waited several life times for this moment. To be vindicated, and to be free again. To have my revenge!”
“I don’t understand!” Allison wept.
“You’re dying Allison. What you’re feeling is your soul leaving your body. Take a good long look at that statue, because it will be your final resting-place. You’ll be trapped in it just like I was.”
“Why?”
“Because, you are a direct descendant of the Goddess who cursed me. You must pay for her transgression against me!”
Allison fell to the floor, writhing in pain as her soul left her body and enters the statue. Ondine walked over to Allison’s body and lay on top of it. Allison’s body absorbed her spirit. Ondine picked up the statue and returned it to the sea from whence it came. Her final words to Allison before tossing her into the black waters were¼
“Myths and legends should never be disturbed for if you try to change history, you’ll become a part of it instead!” With that she tossed the statue containing Allison’s soul into the surf. She laughed wickedly as Allison descended to her watery tomb. Today, beneath the Aegean waters, covered by the sands of a hundred years, Allison waits. And as you read these words, there’s a person asleep on a jetliner crossing the Atlantic, and dreaming of finding a bottle in the sea.
