Reality, it always came back to me no matter where I went. The bad job, the unfaithful lover, and all in all a lousy life. I sought refuge on a beautiful island, secluded from American ways, but reality still reverberated like the waves on the shore before me as something that always returned.
But I dared to close my eyes and try to forget my old life and focus on my vacation. I would only spend two short weeks here away from the mundane world, but I felt that was not enough time. I wanted to become one with the sea before me as I heard her rushing waves flow over the white sands of the beach. I longed to be as mysterious and beautiful as she.
Eventually the waves lulled me into a sound, yet dreamless slumber. I don’t remember feeling or hearing anything until I was wakened by waves rushing over my body. My eyes quickly opened to see a sky of darkness and all around me was water, cold and dark as the night. I shivered not only wet, but looking up realized a huge wave was heading my way. The tide was coming in and I had to try to get away as soon as possible.
Luckily I wasn’t too far from higher ground and could swim well while the water grew deeper. Running on the sand beneath me, I managed to gain a firm foothold on land. When I reached the newfound shore I didn’t look back to see if another wave was going to engulf the ground I stood on, but ran ahead into the dark, tropical forest in front of me.
It didn’t take me long to realize I was lost in the forest. I found this unusual because I hardly ever got lost, but as I walked on I discovered something even stranger. In the distance I could hear sounds, unusual sounds, almost like chanting or singing. I wasn’t sure what it was about, but when I saw flames flickering from behind a grove of trees, curiosity beckoned me to follow.
I walked on and what I finally saw was amazing. People were dancing and chanting in a rhythmic circle, among the still dark branches. All of them were wearing either woven skirts or loin cloths and jewelry, either of seashells or ivory, but the sounds they made entranced me more than what my eyes saw. They moved their bodies in perfect rhythm to the beats of various drums around the circle, and around the drummers people held torches, dancing as well, throwing and catching sticks of fire to and fro without fear. I, however, stood back in the grove of trees, trying to stay out of sight as I watched their dance and heard their song, voices high almost seeming as if they were trying to cry out for something. I only wish I knew their language so I could understand what they said, yet the intensity of their song seemed to stress something of importance.
As I continued to watch the natives, I had no idea I was not alone in the trees, suddenly I heard my own language being spoken from a dark figure, “Dey sey why da tide come in. Dey sey de forces are at war.”
I looked closer at the figure as I saw it approach. It was one of the natives dressed in a woven skirt and dark skinned like the rest of them. No emotion showed on her face as she spoke, almost as if she was in a trance from the music around us. I promptly asked her, “Do you understand English?”
She looked away from me and back at the crowd avoiding my question, obviously more involved with the dance of the natives. “Dey do dis because dey tink it keep evil one at bay. Dey so dis to remembah what waz lost. Dey to dis to find mur strength because strength maybe weak for da good one. He very weak, aftah losing love, da beautiful one. Da evil one hurt da beautiful one. Da white one.” she then looked at me again, “Do du not hear dem? Hear dey song? Dey cry, cry-cry-cry-, but no one else remembah. Yet when de tide comes in we remembah.”
I was getting more confused with every word this woman said. I began to turn around and walk away but I felt her tugging on my arm. I then looked at her again and saw she held something in her hand. It looked to be a tiny necklace made of string, at the center was a fairly large pearl, but not just a normal pearl, this one was fashioned in the shape of a dolphin. She gave me the necklace, then said, “When de light hit da earth du are not safe. He know white one, he know. Da evil one know and he will want du.”
I looked at her even more puzzled than before. The natives seemed strange and although their dance interested me, this woman only made me feel wary. I had no idea what she was talking about but I got the distinct feeling that she was trying to warn me of something. I sighed as I walked away, caught up in complete confusion.
When I finally reached my hotel room things didn’t seem any clearer. The events of the night were way out of my realm of comprehension and for once I was happy reality called me back to my small room and told me to think logically. I was a typical woman, nothing really beautiful about me, but for once I found security in thinking about the boring life I led, for at least I understood all of it. With that thought I decided to go back into a dreamless sleep, no visions, no images, just darkness as a night sky without any stars.
I awoke the next day fairly early. It was time for breakfast downstairs. The thought of sweet juices and warm bread motivated me to dress quickly as I listened to my empty stomach roar. Wearing jeans and a casual blue shirt I ran downstairs to savor the feast before me.
Juices and other foods were laid out on a large table. I saw the other guests take advantage of the meal, noticing I wasn’t the only one who woke up hungry this morning. In no time at all I grabbed two pieces of bread, some pineapple and orange juice and sat down at a large but rather crowded table. The others didn’t seem to mind me sitting there as I ate my food quietly. Even though my mind was mostly on my food, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on their conversation.
“So you take people out for diving lessons?” a lady asked the man who sat next to me, “Even if they are inexperienced?”
The man nodded as he finished the last bite of an apple he held in his hand, “Yes, it isn’t as dangerous as others think either. I have the gear and three other certified instructors with me. We do go deep, but not far down, just far enough so the people can see the wonders of the water for a short time and come back up.”
“Just for a short time eh?” another man at the table said, “If it’s just a short time how do we know we get our money’s worth?”
“I’ll go.” I said drawing attention to myself, “I always wanted to see for my own eyes what lies beneath the surface of the water. Even if it is for a short time, at least I won’t run into any danger.”
The man who sat next to me smiled, “Good, you can meet me at the dock at noon.”
Until midday I couldn’t think of anything else. When it was time I ran out to the dock in my sandals, swimsuit and wearing the same pair of jeans I wore at breakfast. It didn’t take me long to find the small white boat that would take us out to sea.
Inside the boat were the other instructors as well as four people who wished to dive into the depths. I smiled and waved at everyone as I stepped into the boat. Then one of the men untied us from the dock while another checked the diving equipment. Everything looked to be in order as they nodded to each other. The motor in the boat roared and pushed us on our way in no time.
The sea was beautiful, it seemed to go on forever until it met the horizon. The others on the boat were not amazed at the scenery as I was. They talked on about their lives and how, like me, they longed to leave their troubles behind on their vacations. Their conversations did seem trivial until one remark in particular, grabbed my attention.
“Did you hear about the dance that is supposed to take place about a week from now? I believe the staff in the hotel has been planning it for over a year. It’s supposed to be like a masquerade or something like that.” A woman next to me said to her companion.
My curiosity got the best of me again as I promptly asked her, “A dance? A week from now? Is it for guests only?”
“I don’t know.” she replied. “I have heard it is supposed to be a big presentation though. My husband is excited about going as well. Do you have a date?”
I sighed as I thought about that for a moment and replied by shaking my head. Unlike lots of people here, I came with no one. Alone and full of bad memories of my past relationships, I looked out at the sea and wondered if she ever felt lonely herself.
The boat stopped and our instructor promptly stood up and said, “This place seems fine for a short dive. We’ll assist you with putting on your gear and give you instructions. Then we will begin our journey into the depths of the sea. Everyone ready?”
We all responded “yes” at the same time. Three men helped everyone put on their masks and made sure everybody’s air tanks were secure. I smiled listening to our instructions. We were only going to stay below no longer than fifteen minutes and descend no farther than our instructors. Instead of flipping off the boat like I thought we might do, someone would help us step into the water below by climbing down a ladder on the side of the boat. Everything seemed easy enough and in the time we were going to swim below, the consequences of encountering any danger seemed slim.
Three people descended below me and then I knew it was my turn. Slowly, but surely, I stepped down the ladder into the cold, blue water. Once submerged I found it strange breathing with a mouthpiece and not with the air around me, but I got used to the sensation as I felt my body float peacefully in the water. I began to move my legs, swimming to see more of what this world had to offer.
Sure enough the sea was even more beautiful inside than on her surface. I saw schools of fish swim by me, shimming in rays of light. I tried to touch them, but not to my surprise, they scattered as I moved near. Beyond that sight I swam down, wondering if they could talk. Thinking about this, I opened my ears ad suddenly heard a strange clicking sound.
I turned around and to my surprise I saw a beautiful gray dolphin which seemed to smile at me. I didn’t know what to think at first but as I slowly swam closer I felt at peace with it. I reached out my hand and it let me touch it’s gray, smooth skin. Yet while I looked into its eyes, I experienced shock as those eyes looked very human to me.
Those eyes watched me intently and seemed to admire me. I felt as though this creature was talking to me, telling me of how beautiful I was, of how it suddenly felt like smiling even though it hadn’t been able to smile for years and most of all, how I could find sanctuary in the sea as it shined under the light of day. I smiled back at the dolphin as I touched it again not knowing how to react. Then I saw the dolphin blink and I looked up. My instructors, as well as the others, were many feet above me. Not knowing how I managed to swim so far below, I quickly swam upward to meet them.
We surfaced shortly and a man aboard the boat helped us up. I removed my mask as he helped me take off the air tank on my back. I then quickly walked to the side of the boat to see if I could see the dolphin. To my dismay, I saw nothing but the blue, empty water. The dolphin was all I thought about and how it seemed to speak to me through its eyes. With a sigh I sat down and wondered if this vision was only in my mind.
Soon everyone sat down as well and the boat began to return to the island. Their conversations of what they saw neither bothered me or interested me, so I just sat back and enjoyed the short ride. I could see the island in the distance so we were almost there.
We docked with no problems. Upon seeing the sandy white beach before me, I decided to walk along the shore for a while, after putting my jeans back on and drying myself off a bit. The beach was indeed peaceful and offered something that was often rare to find, solitude.
I walked for a while, the cool sand beneath my feet urging me to keep walking. Everything seemed so beautiful and calm here. The solitude definitely made me think more of the dolphin, as I heard the waves crash along the shore, wondering if that was the greatest mystery the sea possessed. Then my thoughts of the creature were erased as the silence was broken by an unfamiliar voice behind me.
“The sea, the sea, the sea, though never a mystery to me.” Said a man looking out at the water with a strange smile on his face. He stood tall and confident, smirking as he turned to look at me. His hair was long and black, while his skin was very fair and pale. I looked at him closer, wondering where he came from. The clothes he wore were black but adorned with pearls in strange designs I never saw before. I also wondered if he was one of the natives, but with how he spoke I sincerely doubted it.
“Where are you from?” I asked after I nodded hello.
“Nor from highland, nor from shore. You need not to know more.”
He smiled mischievously as he spoke in rhymes which seemed not to answer my question. I figured it wasn’t very important anyway, so I turned to look out at the sea again. I didn’t realize he had more to say.
“Isn’t it always grand, that we can stand on the middleland? Earthchild next to me in this light, looking around at this beautiful sight. Of waves whispering, wanting your soul and how you really long to go.....”
I turned to look at him as I felt he was reading my mind, of already knowing how I wanted to leave my life at home so much, of how I marveled at the sea and it’s beauty. At that moment I no longer admired the sea but wanted to go inside it. To merge and become one with the water, to find the dolphin and figure out what it was really trying to say but most of all, to escape reality, which even if it made sense, trapped me within a world I didn’t want to be a part of.
“You long for your dreams to be vivid and free, I can make that happen, just listen to me. On a night of dancing you’re all alone, just invite me on earth, to your home. Never again will you be restrained as I will take you from this world of pain. Just on that night invite me in, and then a new world will begin.”
The words he spoke captivated me as he seemed to offer a way out of reality. I had no idea why I found his rhythmic request so fascinating, but I couldn’t say no. I promptly replied, “I invite you to accompany me to the dance.”
He grinned wickedly as he took my right hand and gently kissed it. However evil his smile appeared to be, he was indeed charming. He softly let my hand down and replied, “I will be there as you asked me to, then both words will begin anew.”
With that he turned and walked away. His response left me in confusion but I got the feeling that he would actually be there, unlike a lot of men in my life.
The day went by fast as I thought about the strange man, and again about the dolphin. I continued to think about the creature until dusk fell. With the mysterious moonlight overlooking the sea once more, I decided to walk along the shore again to marvel at the water before another dreamless slumber would claim me.
It was there I saw another stranger sitting upon the sand. He looked unlike the one I saw before, wearing ordinary brown clothes and having tan colored skin instead of a pale complexion. Even though his skin was a bit darker, he did prove to be handsome. I slowly examined his strong body, but that didn’t impress me as much as his attractive face famed by locks of wavy, golden blonde hair. I tried to look at him in a way to not attract his attention, but I failed miserably when I saw his eyes, the eyes that for some strange reason seemed to remind me of the dolphin’s.
I gasped and jumped back a bit as I was reminded about the creature’s similar eyes. The man seemed a little distressed when he saw me surprised so easily, but instead of being upset he reached out a hand to me as he said in a comforting manner, “It’s OK, I won’t hurt you.”
His response gave me so much peace I quickly took his hand and sat beside him. “I’m sorry,” I apologized, “I didn’t mean to jump like that, it’s just that you looked so strangely familiar.”
He looked at me as a peaceful smile came over his lips, “Familiar, how so?”
I turned away form him as I looked out onto the sea, “It’s a strange story.”
“Yes, it may be a strange story, but the island is filled with them. It’s what keeps the world alive.”
I heeded his words well as I continued to look at the small waves along the shore. I then turned to him and pointed my finger out to the water, “You think strange stories keep that world alive?”
“I don’t think they’re stories, my dear, they’re legends.”
His response mystified me. I wanted to know more. “What about those legends? What about those stories? What are they? Are they real?”
"Real for all buy maybe not to be heard by all ears, Earthchild. Yet when you look out at the water, what do you see?"
"I see many things, a new world as my reality washes away beneath the waves. I see an escape, and sometimes I even see my dreams."
He looked at me quizzically, "You never dream?"
"I lost my dreams many years ago after college. I lost my lust for life, I lost my friends and I also lost my hope to find love."
He sighed a bit, "I lost my love, now loneliness is my constant companion, yet I haven't lost hope I will find it again. I don't think that you should either, beautiful one."
I was flattered as he said "beautiful one" to me. Never before had I been called that by anyone. We talked all through the night about life, the sea and of love. He never told me any "legends" but he did tell me about his lover, how nice and pure of heart she was. They must of been a perfect match because throughout our conversation I saw him as the kindest, gentlest man I ever met. But sure enough dawn began to rise and I figured it was time for us both to go. He stood up and smiled at me, gently taking my hand in his.
"I will be out again tomorrow night. If you wish to come, I would enjoy your company very much."
I quickly replied that I would be there, with no questions as to why we would meet at night or where exactly on the beach. Yet I knew I would find him here not having to look too long.
We met many night after that, talking about everything. I never felt so secure in sharing my thoughts with anyone before. He smiled and laughed as I told him about myself. I smiled back, feeling strangely at peace with him, as though I finally found someone who not only listened to me, but made me feel complete. I never felt alone during those incredible nights with him.
I found it more incredible that he began to feel the same. When he would talk about his lover he would look into my eyes and tell me of how I looked so much like her, of how he felt he finally found her again as he continued to stare at me. Our last night on the beach, we could no longer deny our feelings for each other. He took me in his arms and kissed me passionately. At that moment I knew his hope to find true love wouldn't deceive him as my hope that I might actually found it grew. For the first time in my life I met someone true, someone who wouldn't deceive me and most of all, someone who loved me.
But rays of light began to break though the horizon broke our kiss. Dawn was rising and as he pulled back I could tell his face showed immense sorrow, "I must go now. But I will return. It will be time for me to speak of the legends of the sea when I see you again. There are some things about me that you must know."
With that he turned away and ran down the beach as fast as he could. As I watched him leave I yelled, "Wait!" but not to my surprise I found calling after him was useless. With a sigh I returned to the hotel, wondering if I would be able to sleep once I got back.
I was not surprised to find that once I returned, sleep would not claim me. There were too many questions in my mind that left me restless. The thoughts of what legends he could possibly speak of, why he had to leave as soon as the sun came up, and why I was falling in love with him ran endlessly in my head.
These questions would probably not be answered until tonight when I would see him again. Then I gasped as I realized tonight was the night of the dance, which I already had someone to accompany me to. I hadn’t seen the black haired man since that day, but I still needed to go with him to the party tonight as planned. Fortunately that wasn’t until later, so I decided to go down to the dining room to see if breakfast was being served this early.
When I arrived downstairs the food was still being prepared. I sighed again as I figured I could wait a while, still too anxious to sleep with all these questions in my mind. I frowned feeling my curiosity could never answer anything. However I didn’t notice that my frowning attracted so much attention as I found a woman approaching me asking, “Are you all right?”
I nodded to her saying. “Yes.” She spoke English well yet she still had some sort of an accent to it, perhaps indicating she was part native herself. And looking at her dark skin made me think she must of lived here among the people for a long time. Finally I decided to ask her, “Do you know about any ‘legends’ or ‘stories’ among the people on this island?”
She smiled slightly as she looked at me again, “Most tourists, dey do not want to know, but I will tell you what I can if you wish.”
I nodded as my eyes lit up with excitement. She could tell I was anxious to know as she sat down beside me and began to tell a story, “The natives dey here believe in certain forces in the sea. The good one in the form of ah dolphin and the bad one in the form of ah shark. Many years ago there was Earth and his sister, the Mistress of the Middleland or the shore, she sometimes called by natives here as the beautiful one.”
Her accent was indeed deep yet I could understand the story clearly. I nodded for her to go on.
“Earth, he died and gave hiz power to all earth children yet dey do not know. But the mistress, oh how she creyed for many days. Her lover was the good one of the sea and he comforted her, but the evil one be jealous of not having the beautiful one’s affections or her power, for it was her who kept the world of water and the world of land separated and the evil one wanted to take over earth so bad that one day he finally kill the mistress.
“The good one was very very sad. Now her power fell to the sea and the evil one was allowed to roam the shore in day while the good one could roam the shore at night. But the evil one wanted badly to possess the power of earth so he could overtake the world of land and rule over ah land of water, but the good one stops the bad one from taking over the middleland. Their fighting is what the natives believe what happens when the tide comes in, that the bad one is trying to take over but the good one stops him.
“So to this day the good and bad forces of the sea fight and the two worlds still remain separate, but it is told that if an earthchild invites evil one on land, then he can take control over the earth.”
Her story greatly mystified me. The legend was very interesting and strange enough, even part of me wondered if it could be true. But the more I thought about it, the more tired I felt. Sleep was beginning to come for me and I stood up and started to walk to my room.
“Wait.” the woman called after me before I left, “What is that you have around your neck?”
I looked down and saw I was wearing the same necklace that the native gave me a week ago. It still hung loosely as the dolphin shaped peal shimmered on my chest, I promptly answered her, “A necklace, a pearl in the shape of a dolphin.”
She looked at it then looked up at me, “Necklace has ah legend to it too.”
If I wasn’t so tired I would have certainly asked her to tell me the story, but it was time to sleep, so I could awaken once more to go to the dance, and then leave to find my love. I could hardly wait for him to tell me what stories he knew and see if they coincided with anything the woman told.
I was wakened by loud thunder and bright lightening that cracked a darkened sky. It was so loud that I couldn’t possibly go back to sleep. But I soon heard something even louder. There were people screaming down the hall, “Flood, the first floor is flooding. Call off the dance and gather everyone in the ballroom immediately!!!”
I quickly put on a pair of blue jeans and a loose shirt and ran out the door, trying to figure out what the commotion was all about. It was raining outside, but of what I heard from the frantic people, the rain was flooding the building. Everyone was running, trying to get the ballroom as soon as possible, hoping to find some refuge. I quickly followed them.
When I arrived at the ballroom I found that it, like the floors beneath it, was beginning to flood. People ran as they scurried out, knowing that their only hope was to climb to higher floors hoping to remain safe there until the water would recede. But as I continued to look around I realized what was the cause of the flood, the man that was supposed to meet me stood with an evil smile on his face and it was then I knew the legend to be true. He was the evil one of the sea and by inviting him to the land he was now taking over the earth so he could rule a world filled with water. I knew there was no way to run as I heard the rain outside and felt the water rise above my ankles. In hardly any time the island would be flooded.
He approached me quickly as I stepped back but he was quicker and grabbed me firmly by my neck, “See Earthchild, see what’s of your land, covered with waves of water over sand.”
I yelled, “NO!” but that only caused his grip to grow tighter. He held me with intense force, making sure I wouldn’t get away. “You’ve got you’re wish, now let me go!” I yelled.
He snickered as he fixed his eyes on me intently, it was clear he had other plans, “It’s not that easy beautiful one, your home is gone, there’s no place to run. But, you see, I have another plan, as I take over your pitiful land. Your power is great and although you don’t know, you possess a heart and a similar soul, of one I longed for, wished I had, but her love for another made me mad. That will not happen again for I claim you, as I claim this new world for me to rule.”
At that moment I was struck by fear as I realized what he wanted, me. He was going to take me with him, to claim for himself as he would claim the earth. I looked at him and muttered, “no, please” but that did no good at all. He pulled me close to him and kissed me forcefully while he held my neck. Then as the water rose I felt something strange. Where he held me the skin began to pull apart and move. He continued to hold me in the kiss as I struggled to break free and when he finally released me I realized I couldn’t breathe.
I began to gasp for air with my mouth as I tried to stand above the water. Then I turned to one of the mirrors in the ballroom and saw something that shocked me. On my neck were gills resembling those that a fish would have. I screamed and quickly dived into the water which by now reached up to my waist. Once under I was able to breathe.
I wanted to be able to surface, to be free of the water’s cold embrace but that wasn’t possible. Then, sure enough, the man dived into the water and swam towards me, reaching out for me again. I tried to swim away but I wasn’t fast enough as he grabbed me. Then I looked into his eyes as they seemed to say, “Do not be afraid, the entire transformation hasn’t taken place yet. Once I change you completely then you will feel at home you bet, in the darkness of my new world of water, where the sun and warm sand will seem like a bother.”
I continued to try and squirm away but found my efforts were to no avail. He knew that I was resisting him but he didn’t mind at all, almost as if any effort of resistance would never stand in his way of taking me with him. I tried to scream but I couldn’t even hear my own voice and with the water rising to the ceiling of the ballroom by now, I was certain no one would be able to hear me either.
I stopped resisting him as my hope of getting out of this situation seemed impossible. He smiled again as he quickly took my hands and said with his eyes, “It’s time to go, my love you know.”
But we weren’t alone. As he began to pull me with him I noticed a gray dolphin quickly swimming towards us. Fortunately he didn’t see the creature from behind and the dolphin rammed into him, knocking him over and releasing me from his grasp. I swam away trying to get a good distance from my kidnapper and almost swam out the door until I noticed the same dolphin that saved me was the dolphin I met in the sea.
The man glared at the creature. Then I saw something that terrified me. The man’s eyes began to glow red as his body began to twist and turn in an unnatural way. As he twisted, his arms and legs began to merge together and suddenly before me there was a black, hammerhead shark. In fear I swam farther away from him, wondering if I was actually having a nightmare.
The shark charged at the dolphin with no warning but the dolphin was fast enough to dodge out of its way. I sighed in relief as the creature was all right, but as it dodged the shark’s assault, I noticed that this only made the shark madder. The situation didn’t look good as the black creature opening its jaw wide, ready to strike again.
But the dolphin was smart and I sensed it had a plan. On the ceiling of the ballroom was a huge chandelier which the dolphin swam over. He clicked and chattered to the shark, tempting it to follow him and sure enough the hammerhead was in such a frenzy that it charged, not aware that his head would end up caught in the chandelier.
The hammerhead struggled, as he shook his whole body, trying to get free. But the dolphin quickly took an antique sword from a wall in his mouth and began to swim in the direction of the shark, blade pointed straight at it.
In no time the blade struck the hammerhead, creating a wound I knew was mortal. The shark didn’t give up squirming and shaking about but it was too late for him. The dolphin slowly swam back to me and looked into my eyes, “A sad way things have to end but he was never satisfied, I couldn’t let him take over the land or even you, come with me now,” I heard in a familiar voice.
I nodded and grabbed hold of its dorsal fin tightly and felt myself being pulled through the water. We swam out of the window of the hotel and deeper until we were back where the sea originally stood before the flood. There it stopped and I let go watching it move directly in front of me.
The water seemed to grow cloudy around the creature and waved over its body making the form of the dolphin a bit hazy. Then I heard it say, “Perhaps I should have told you the legends sooner, that I am the good one of the sea.” Then the water cleared and I saw my love, blond hair waving the waves of the water with a smile on his face. I swam closer to him to embrace him tightly, tears of joy absorbed by the cold water around us.
He looked at me and spoke with his eyes, “The evil of the sea has been defeated and now both worlds are safe. I am happy now, so very happy to find my love again, in my arms once more. You are her, you have her soul and even wear round your neck the pearl I gave her many years ago. I love you greatly Calisto, and ask you to stay with me in the sea for eternity.”
I looked deeply into his eyes and thought about a life here. The water was peaceful and serene, yet I looked up at the surface and could tell I wanted more. I came here to escape reality, but for once I wondered if that was what I was really escaping from. The answer seemed unclear yet one thing was certain now, my true, real life was on land, the only life I could ever feel complete living.
“I, I don’t know what to say....I” I told him by looking into his eyes.
He looked at me seriously and said, “You don’t have to say anything, I can see your thoughts for we are one. I could never have you here if this wasn’t your true home. If you truly don’t belong here and belong to the land, then that is the way it must be.”
He held his hands gently around my neck and kissed me deeply. There I felt the slits beginning to close as we began to swim upward to the shore. The water in my body exited out my gills before they closed completely and my lungs filled with air that he breathed into me as the kiss grew deeper. We surfaced as he broke the kiss. With the air surrounding me I took a deep breath and found I could use my lungs once more. I turned to face him once again and realized that he was already swimming away. I called after him but he did not heed my words as the waves of the water engulfed him into the sea.
No one really understood what caused the island to flood, but I knew the truth as well as the natives. We were both thankful the evil one was finally defeated and never again would he try to take over earth. I returned shortly to the hotel and had a flight arranged so I could leave the island that afternoon. It was time for me to go back home and see what was waiting for me there.
I was tired when I got onto the plane. Sleep claimed me, as she did many times before. But as my eyelids closed I began to see something I hadn’t seen in years, visions. It was of me and my love, swimming together in the water under the rays of light among the multicolored plants and shimmering fish of the sea. We were smiling as we laughed and swam, stopping momentarily to hold each other in our arms so I could gaze into his eyes once more. It was then I heard him say, “You will never be alone. We will always belong to one another. If you ever need me just look to the sea or visit me in your dreams, there you will find me, waiting for you, waiting to hear your thoughts and see you again. I will always be there, to love and protect you, no matter how far you may be, we are always one.”
Since that day I have always been able to dream.