“Sirens? You mean, like in the ancient Greek myth?”

“It’s more than a myth,” Ligeia said. “It was our life. Just you and me and Leucosia, sharing a little island. The ships would sail past, and we three would sing, and the sailors would swim ashore and beg us to let them into our mouths. They’d get so sad when we were full. Then that Odysseus came through, and told people about us, and they changed all the shipping lanes.” She stared off into space for a moment. Then she looked at me. “You really don’t remember, do you?”

I shook my head. “Not a thing.”

“We’ll just have to see if we can bring some memories back.” And then before I knew it she was in my arms, kissing me passionately. I was too startled to push her away.

And then I noticed the oddest sensation. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to swallow her whole, or crawl down into her mouth. I wanted to do both, neither…

She was doing this to me. She wanted to devour me. And she would, unless I broke her concentration…

So I tickled her.