Sirens on a Cruise(Dill McLain) Marisa and Marina were well known in the village by the sea. They were the daughters of the owner of the only restaurant in the village, often helped in the evening serving the meals when the restaurant was full, and they were very attractive. Everyone in the village knew that they each really hoped to find a wealthy man who would pass by the village one day, and take them to live a wonderful life in one of the larger towns. They were persuaded that this was what they deserved, and always smiled knowingly. They made refusing gestures when someone suggested to also concentrate on local men, or perhaps the men from one of the surrounding villages. In the meantime, most men of the same age were definitely deterred by the two sisters, and made a wide berth when passing them in the street, to avoid contact. When alone among themselves, they commented rather derisively, that these two snobby girls would one day but surely find their masters. Or then, they would remain without men and end up as lonesome, fire spitting spinsters.

Their father and mother had all hands full of work with the restaurant, and trying to struggle through the financial crisis, because the flow of tourists was rather low, and the local people rarely went out to eat, maybe for some drinks and snacks. The paternal grandmother maintained in the house she inherited, a bed & breakfast pension a bit higher up on the hill. There were five double rooms with a tiny bathroom each, installed by grandfather when times still were blossoming, and one apartment with a small terrace. Grandfather had died three years ago, and for the grandmother there was a lot of work to do, therefore Marisa and Marina often helped out in the morning as room-maids. They performed the task well, but with headphones on, bored faces and the attitude ‘I am only doing this temporarily, I was born for a better life!’ But of course, they loved the money they earned with this job, and they both really liked their grandmother.

Marina and Marisa had a clear idea of what they were looking for, and they had their eyes always wide open when guests were around - in the bed & breakfast guesthouse, or in the restaurant, or on the beach. They had discussed among themselves several strategies of how to proceed if suitable men would appear. They agreed upon the fact that they wanted to find two men at the same time, so that both would be satisfied. This made the whole project rather difficult. However, it was what they had decided and what they wanted to achieve, under all circumstances.

There had been already several times opportunities with possible potential ‘candidates’, but it did not work out - either they were married, or ugly or they did not seem to be rich. Or not interested in the girls.

But on the second Saturday in July, a wonderful and hot summer day, two male guests came sailing by catamaran along the coast from the nearest bigger town. The two very good-looking young men booked for two nights in the bed & breakfast pension of the grandmother, where they put down their exclusive travel bags, and reserved for dinner at the restaurant in the village, before going on a longer stroll on the beach. Not knowing that two pairs of eyes carefully followed them from a rock a bit further up the hill.

Marisa and Marina were excited and could hardly believe what they saw. They worked on their strategy of how to attract their attention at dinner time when serving the guests, and then they went to get prepared for action. They tried on all dresses they had in their wardrobes, gave each other advice, combed their wonderful black hair in a way, so that no man could miss it, and put a glamorous make up on their faces, that would have honored many divas in Hollywood. When they arrived in the restaurant, the father yelled ‘god help us!’ and the mother looked up at the ceiling merely pleading, whispering something that sounded like a prayer. The kitchen help, a fisherman’s son who studied art and helped out at weekends, announced loudly into the kitchen: ‘The village sirens are now attacking the catamaran!’ and laughed his heart out. The girl’s mother and father looked at him with fear in their eyes.

The guests arrived rather late, but all more or less together, and Marisa and Marina had to concentrate on their task, and coordinate the different orders, so that no table had to wait too long. Whenever they passed or had to approach the table of the two catamaran men, they improved their smile and moved their bodies extra elegantly, simply using their natural female weapons. The guests were all very pleased about what was served, how it was served and who served it. And several male guests almost constantly followed the two young women with their eyes. Only the two catamaran men were in deep conversation and did not take special notice, so that Marisa and Marina had to increase their abilities to attract attention. They appeared together at the table of the catamaran men, placed themselves elegantly next to them, put on their sexiest smile combined with a mixture of pride, throwing skillfully their flood of hair back over their shoulders, and asking in unison: ‘We hope you enjoy our specialities?’ looking from above at the two catamaran men, who – there was no doubt – started to show a certain interest, by smiling back at the two sirens nodding, and expressing: ‘Yes, everything is perfect!’ This was the sign to hold on to, and Marina asked without hesitation, and putting on her rehearsed absolutely cute expression of adoring the person she was talking to: ‘Allow me to ask, are you on a long sailing tour along the coast with the catamaran?’ And she opened her wonderful dark eyes widely, and blinked, then looked from one man to the other. ‘Yes my dear, we are on an extensive sailing trip along the coast, to prepare for tours which we plan to offer to interested guests!’ one of the men informed her politely, and looked at her slightly amused. Marisa and Marina knew, that now or never they had to go for it, and Marisa stated sighing heart-meltingly: ‘Oh how wonderful, sailing with a catamaran must be like sitting on clouds gently passing by!’

The two men looked at the two sirens, and one of them then said the magic words: ‘Would you like to join us tomorrow, we make a small sunset cruise?’ The two young women were about to accept the invitation with smart and female words, and ask for the details, but exactly in that moment, the kitchen help shouted from the buffet: ‘Five times dessert for table 8 ready to be served!’ and Marisa could just say, while Marina rushed to the buffet: ‘What a wonderful idea, thank you so much. Please tell us before you leave, when we should be ready and where to wait tomorrow!’ And she rushed to the buffet too, to help her sister serving the dessert. After this, the two went to the kitchen and jumped in the air several times, then embraced each other while dancing back and forth, triumphantly singing: ‘We have made it!’ Father and mother looked at each other, and the kitchen aid proclaimed theatrically: ‘The village sirens are now ready to sail into a new destiny!’

On the next day, Marisa and Marina prepared about three hours for their big encounter. The restaurant would not be so busy on a Sunday evening, and the kitchen help could agree to take the serving. The two young women took a long bath, creamed their bodies, lacquered their toe and fingernails, brushed their hair and put on stunningly glamorous make-up. They both left the house just wearing a tiny bikini, a thin blouse and a mini skirt over it, sandals and sunglasses, and with a small bag hanging from their shoulder. They had been instructed, not to take more things, and to wait at a particular place in the small bay after the peninsula to the left of the village, where they would be picked up at 18.00 h. Of course, the two were much too early at the meeting place, and sat there full of great expectation and joy, that their long-cherished wish would become reality, but combined with a dose of fear of the unknown. Marisa had to go to the toilet again, and therefore walked along a little towards the end of the peninsula, where she could hide between the many bushes. While doing her business, she observed two men a bit further on carrying boxes, and she wondered, why they would do this in the midst of the bushes and at such an unusual place. She stood up and went a bit closer to find out what the men were doing. They were obviously loading boxes on to a small boat on the beach in the next bay. And at a certain distance to the beach there was a larger motor yacht waiting. She shrugged, turned and walked back slowly.

Marisa was just about to sit down again beside her sister, and tell her about what she just had observed over there, when she was brutally pulled backwards with force. Then she felt a hand pressed to her mouth, and a male voice said: ‘You two curious sirens, you’d be better off staying at home rather than to spy around in the bay, now we are forced to take you with us!’ And she was ruthlessly pushed from behind and dragged along the beach. She tried to turn her head, and saw that a second man was acting in the same way with her sister. The unusual group moved along the short beach, crossed the scrubby bushes and headed towards the small boat. Marisa and Marina both were stumbling along, scared and confused. They could not scream because their mouths were covered, and in addition the two men threatened them, not to make a sound, otherwise they would be shackled and blindfolded.

It all happened very quickly, the two young women were pushed into the small boat, and before they could realize what was going on, they were on the motor yacht and pushed down the stair, and instructed to wait under deck and not give a sound. The motor started and the yacht moved on slowly, then stopped again, the two men seemed to have a dispute.

Marisa and Marina sat shivering on piles of boxes and in fear of death they looked at each other in total despair. They heard one of the men swearing loudly and asking the other: ‘Why on earth did you have to bring those girls onto the boat, this is disturbing our plan and schedule. We must deliver the stuff on time, you know it, the boss is not accepting any excuse or delay, and I do not want to enter any risk and finally not getting paid, you idiot!’ The other one gave him back immediately: ‘Hey hey, do not forget who invited you for this job, you would never earn such a big pot without my help, and do not call me an idiot again!’ There was silence for a while, then one of the two suggested: ‘We could combine our hard task at least with a bit of pleasure, it is their own fault that they were spying around and watching us unloading the stuff! Now come on, enjoy yourself, the two look like fresh flesh, and then we give them the life jackets and throw them into the water, so that they can swim ashore!’ The first one did not seem to be too enthusiastic and threw in: ‘Right now I’m not very keen to bother around with young inexperienced flesh, what I really want is big money, and then go off to some paradise for a few years, and enjoy life. What we have here under our feet – apart from these idiotic girls – is worth many fortunes, and I would prefer to run away with it, instead of delivering it to the boss, he has anyway already enough. We could sail on to the other side of the peninsula, hide the stuff, there are enough empty houses and ruins along the coast!’ His colleague cursed, and countered: ‘The two girls look fabulous and give a nice dessert at a hard day. No, I do not want to cheat the boss, he would find out in no time and we would be the losers, if not dead. Let us now make it and enjoy the girls, then we throw them overboard, and get on with the task!’

While the two transporters were debating about how to proceed, Marisa and Marina collected themselves. Their instinct and their inherited inner forces did not want to just let it all happen without trying to do something. First, they examined what was in the boxes, and when they discovered that they were all full of packets with white powder, they both immediately realised that they had fallen into the hands of members of a drug gang, and that the situation was extremely serious. They did not waste time, exchanged some brief comments, and then immediately jumped to action.

Marina climbed up the stairs and stepped onto the deck, provocatively swinging in her right hand the bikini top, and moving her hips, showing her breathtaking curves, and then jumping to the front of the boat, always smiling at the men and beckoning with the bikini top. One of the men followed her immediately and already began to fumble with his belt, while the other one had to remain at the control panel, because the boat was now moving out of the bay. And then suddenly Marisa appeared - also topless and carrying her bikini top in hand - right behind the man who was about to get out of his trousers staring in lustful anticipation at Marina who was leaning over the railing. Marisa slung her bikini top around the man’s neck, pulling him backwards on his throat in a sharp and unexpected action with all strength she could collect. The strangulated man screamed loudly, stumbled first backwards and then sideways, finally falling backwards onto the railing, being caught in his trousers still hanging around his legs. He was then pushed over the railing by the two sirens in a cold-blooded action within seconds, so he plunged screaming furiously into the water.

The second man was shocked and at the same time surprised by the sudden rough action of the two girls. He left his place at the control console and rushed to the railing, then looked for a lifebelt and threw one down in the direction of his colleague in the water. Before he could turn around, Marina hit him with the fire extinguisher on the head as hard as she could, so that he stumbled and tried to move along to the bow of the boat, where the railing was very low. Marina followed him spraying extinguishing foam into his face and threatening to hit him again. he also fell backwards over the railing, and finally also disappeared down into the water. Marisa threw a life jacket that was lying next to her down to him in the water, and rushed back to her sister - who had now taken the position at the control panel, holding herself with both hands totally clenched on the console, unable to do something more. Finally, both sirens stood there with shaking legs and trembling hands, almost naked, only wearing the tiny bikini slips, while tears were incessantly running down their cheeks. They could not believe what they had gone through, and felt totally scared and shocked. Marina could not relax her clenched hands to switch off the engine. The two just stood there petrified and wept heartbreakingly. And the yacht drove slowly on.

‘So, now we switch off this engine, and then you two adventurers can put on your bikini tops again!’ said a wonderful soothing male voice. Both sirens winced and stared aghast at the tall sporty man appearing from the back of the boat, and wearing the uniform of the Guardia Civil. He reached over Marisa’s shoulder, switched off the engine, and then moved her to the seat. A second man in uniform appeared, picked up the bikini tops lying on the ground, and handed them to the two sirens, who continued crying. Voices were heard, and now a large boat of the Guardia Civil appeared alongside. The two Guardia men on the yacht exchanged a few words with some other men on the Guardia boat. Apparently, they already had managed to rescue the two drug transporters from the water and arrest them.

Marina said with squeaky voice: ‘Please, please believe us, we have nothing to do with all these drugs, we are on the wrong boat, we wanted ... !’ The first Guardia man patted her shoulder and answered: ‘Yes, we know all that, do not worry, we have been observing things almost from the beginning. We were up on the coastal road and then had to immediately organize a boat. We could not keep track of what happened on this yacht as we came from the other side of the bay. But it seems to us that you two performed good police work by temporarily eliminating two drug dealers, we saw them falling down into the water. We will make a detailed protocol later in the office!’

A third man came up the stairs and reported on what was found under deck. He also brought the handbags and clothes of the two sirens, who gratefully put on the blouses and skirts, and then sat down again, still shaking and staring with big eyes at what was going on.

A bit later Marisa and Marina sat in the back of the car behind the two Guardia men who had come first onto the boat. The two men were constantly on their phones, and in between they talked to each other and made serious faces. But they seemed satisfied, and the job just done was obviously a big success.

At the office of the Guardia the two sirens could first use the ladies room, and were then taken to a special room, where the interrogation took place. The two sirens were sitting on one side of a large table, and the two Guardia men on the other. Near the door was a third man, who was most of the time on his phone. The two Guardia men introduced themselves as Antonio and Juan. They were cousins. In the course of the questioning, and repeated repeating of what had happened, the two sirens began finally to realize what they really had been involved in, and how dangerous it had been - more than they had imagined at the moment itself. At a certain point, it all was too much, and the two began again to weep terribly, repeating again and again, that they had been frightened to death. They realized that they had become very resourceful, without thinking about the possible outcome. Looking at things now, they were aware of how lucky they had been.

In the meantime, it was late night, and Antonio and Juan let the sirens sign the documents and the protocol, and then announced that they would escort them home. On the way out, they saw in the next room the two elegant catamaran men, both waved and one of them said: ‘Sorry, about what happened, we are here as witnesses to confirm our planned sunset cruise. Hope you are okay!’

And then the two sirens sat on the rear seat of the Guardia car again, in front Antonio and Juan, who explained to them, that they had been delegated by the next bigger town to help out in several major drug cases which became more and more frequent in the area, because the sea was offering an ideal transport option. But also because the ongoing national financial crisis was inviting people without work, or people who wanted to make quick money, to join such drug organizing groups and thus became part of criminal actions. The Guardia was apparently watching various larger groups since quite some time, and was waiting to catch them in flagrante delicto. In this particular case today, the Guardia was already watching the small camion bringing the stuff to the bay. However, they meant that the stuff would be unloaded to smaller cars, as it was the case many times before, and not on a motor yacht, as this would make a further transhipment necessary. Therefore, the Guardia had to improvise. And then the kidnapping of the two girls had occurred, and the Guardia had been forced to improvise again.

The car stopped in front of the restaurant. It was almost midnight, and father and mother rushed out of the door, relieved and happily embracing their girls, and the artist helping in the kitchen commented laconically from the doorway, with a grin on his face: ‘Finally, the sirens are back from their cruise adventure!’

Father and mother thanked Antonio and Juan, and offered them a drink, but the two refused and said that they would come back on another day when not in duty. Before they turned around to walk to the car, the two sirens fell around their neck, thanking them from the bottom of their heart, and kissing them on their cheeks. The two Guardia men left rather embarrassed, but also full of pride and with furtive glances at the two beauties.

Marisa and Marina from this day on were cured of any unplanned adventure and dreams about rich men. They took over the B&B from the grandmother, developed some good ideas about how to regularly attract guests and boost business in general, and in the evenings they helped in the restaurant. Antonio and Juan came regularly to eat whenever they were not on duty, but stopped even when in uniform.

And then after a bit more than half a year of drop-in visits, the two Guardia men appeared one evening both in trendy outfit and hairstyle according to the latest fashion, and carrying large flower bouquets. They then, one after another, and observed by the girls from the door, offered to the mother the flower bouquets – the mother could not believe it and was so pleased about this nice gesture. And then Antonio and Juan proclaimed that they would like to invite Marisa and Marina to the fiesta taking place in the next town. The father nodded approvingly, the mother merely looked with shiny eyes, and the kitchen help sang: ‘The two sirens have finally landed!’

About eight months later, the village celebrated a wonderful double wedding: Marina with Juan and Marisa with Antonio.

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