Lorelei

Posted on May 11, 2020 by

34 Comments

She lives alone in a lighthouse by the sea. Since she moved here 7 years ago, she’s had the same nightmare each night. A tall man, wearing a hooded shroud whispers her name over and over; ‘Lorelei, Lorelei’. She never sees his face, but yet feels threatened.

Lately in the dream he is talking more, but she has a hard time remembering his words. Only ‘Get ready, I’m coming for you, Lorelei.

One stormy night, Lorelei hears a voice calling her name from outside. She rushes into the darkness, concerned someone may be in trouble. As she makes her way down to the rocks where the waves are crashing the shore, she sees a lone figure. It’s the man in her dream. His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream and his hood falls away, revealing his face.

It is hers and she is screaming.

©2020 Linda Lee Lyberg

dVerse Poets Pub: Prosery Maya Angelou

Author’s Note: Bjorn has challenged us to write a story of 144 words or less using the line from Maya Angelou’s poem Caged Bird: “His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream”. My story is 144 words and is a twist on a legend.

Origin of the name Lorelei:

Derived from Lurlei, the name of the rock “ambush cliff,” which is derived from the Middle High German luren (to watch) and lei (a cliff, a rock). The name was altered to Lorelei by Clemens Brentano, a German poet. In Germanic legend, Lorelei was a beautiful siren who sat upon a rock in the Rhine River and lured sailors to shipwreck and death.

From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman

Category: Flash Fiction, PoetryTags: , ,

34 Comments on “Lorelei”

  1. I’ve been past that rock on the Rhine many times and know the story well, Linda. There is an American actress who works for BBC Radio 4 a lot in their plays and appears on TV, and her name is Lorelei King. She’s from Pittsburgh originally but has been based over here since 1981, reading for audio books too I imagined her reading your story and it worked so brilliantly with her voice! It’s so creepy and dark.

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. Wow, I’m encountering solid And scary fare out on the trail tonight. Your prose and story are rock solid, macabre and moving.

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. Holy wow! That ending is CREEPY!

    “Get ready, I’m coming for you, Lorelei.”

    So eerie. Excellent job.

    Liked by 1 person

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  16. This is excellent. I would like to re-blog your piece for my next Writer’s Lift Wednesday segment.

    Liked by 1 person

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