Love of the Sea
It was a quiet but cold breezy night. In the vast land covered with sand and surrounded by the stillness of a body of water, a barely lit campfire was surrounded by four big tents. One of the tents slowly opened as a young woman in her early thirties carefully climbed out.
Wearing her flip-flops, a thick hoodie and pajama pants, she took a flashlight and started walking around the beach, not too far from where the tents were at. It was almost midnight but Riese couldn’t fall asleep, unlike her friends, who were already deep in slumber, some even snoring really loudly.
Despite the calmness of the night, Riese couldn’t help but feel like there’s someone calling out to her.
Riese reached near the shoreline and sat a few feet away from the calm sea. She wrapped her arms around her knees and gazed as far as her eyes can see, admiring the beauty the sea presented her.
“I’ve always loved being near you when I was a little kid” Riese spoke, talking to the sea as if it was human, as if it was a long lost friend, “I’ve always felt happy whenever I’m near you, the sounds your waves make were a favorite of mine, and the cold sensation of your water touching my skin coupled with the warm beams of sunlight relaxed me” she sighed deeply, “I wish I could go back to feeling like that, I wish being near you made me that happy and calm again.”
Just as Riese finished talking, a low tide suddenly happened. Water receded but instead of pulling back, the water began to flow towards her, pooling just in front. She ignored it at first but when it didn’t stop and it slowly became bigger, she reacted by quickly backing off.
And as if the water realized she was pulling away, it quickly flowed to her. Reaching out to Riese as if it’s trying to hold her. The water continued to flow around her, circling.
“What the hell is happening?”
As Riese quickly stood, the stream of water held onto her hand as the water started to form a woman-shaped figure.
“Oh how I missed you!” an echo of a voice filled the air, gently speaking into the night.
Riese let out a panicked reply, “Who-what are you?!”
“Please do not be afraid, I will not harm you.” the echoed voice simply replied
The echo turned into a full-bodied voice as the water slowly revealed a magnificent woman wearing a teal colored flow-y mermaid dress. She has sun-kissed brown skin and long, wavy hair as blue as the daytime sky. Her silver eyes, sparkling like the reflection of the moon on water, gazed lovingly at Riese while she gently held her hand in hers.
Riese’s eyes grew wide as she stared at the woman in front of her. She should be afraid but what caught her first was not fear but admiration. What a gorgeous breath-taking sight! A wonder that will surely take anyone’s breath away.
The mysterious woman smiled at Riese with love-filled eyes. “I am Aqua, my dear Riese” she spoke gently, with a voice similar to a melody, “one of the daughters of the sea”
Riese remained speechless as her gaze shifted to their now intertwined hands. Despite the tightness of her hold on Riese’s hand, the ethereal woman didn’t feel warm at all but instead, she felt cool but in a calming way.
Aqua moved closer to her, removing her hold on Riese’s hand and moving it to her cheek, cupping it gently.
“You look as beautiful as I imagined you would be” Aqua moved closer until her face was only inches away from Riese but before their lips touched, Riese snapped out of her trance and quickly pulled away as fear finally hit her.
Riese hastily backed away, falling on her feet and back onto the sand, “What do you want from me?!”
“I do not want anything but to see you smile at the sea again, at me again” answered Aqua, “I have always watched over you from the moment you stepped into my world, always wearing a smile that would make the sun jealous”
Riese looked up at her, her panic replaced with wonder, “from the moment I stepped into your world? You mean when I was 10 years old?”
Aqua let out a charming giggle, “so you remember” she said, “Yes. At first I only saw you as a playful child filled with wonder and delight. You possessed a child-like innocence I enjoyed seeing and because of that, I look forward to your visits which was quite often back then"
“Oh yeah, I always go to the beach every summer with my family when I was growing up” Riese smiled as she recalled past memories, "and even in my teens and early twenties I would often go on beach trips with friends too. I just love being by the sea"
Aqua admired how happy Riese got when she recalled her youth.
“And with each visit, your appearance changed as well. Your child-like innocence was slowly replaced with a blossoming charm of a young adult” Aqua spoke, a bit of a blush forming in her cheeks, "A charm that eventually got me smitten. So when the seasons changed from spring to summer, I longingly awaited for your return.”
Riese quieted for a minute then looked Aqua with a calm expression, “All this time, you were still waiting for me?”
Aqua smiled softly and nodded.
"Why?"
“Because you are special to me. Your presence made its way into my heart, capturing it and embracing me in a unique kind of warmth I never thought I could feel.”
Riese only stared at Aqua, who was now fully blushing with a shade of baby blue.
Now calm and relaxed around her new companion, Riese sat upright with legs crossed in a comfy position as she motioned Aqua to sit next to her.
Aqua, albeit surprised at the gesture, easily obliged. She moved closer and gently sat next to Riese. Her eyes still fixated on the woman she had long been waiting for.
Everything was quiet for a few moments, with Riese wearing a serious expression. As for Aqua, being near Riese was bliss all on its own.
The silence was broken when Riese suddenly spoke, “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course” replied Aqua
“When I was 23, I almost drowned on one of our trips here. When I lost consciousness, I remember dreaming about a mermaid swimming around me under water and pulling me up towards the surface” Riese turned to her, “Was that just a dream? Or was that you?”
“I couldn’t let the sea take your life, especially since it isn’t your time yet” Aqua confessed,“When I saw you sinking lower, I asked the tides to pull you close to me. I held onto you all the way to the shore and left you there, where I knew you will be safe”
Aqua then turned to Riese, “I held you close in my arms and found myself admiring your features, looking so calm and so very beautiful and that's when I realized that I have fallen in lo-”
Aqua abruptly stopped with she noticed how Riese looked at her, saddened eyes filled with pain. It broke her heart at that moment that she no longer dared to pour out her true feelings for her.
Riese had an inkling earlier in their conversation that this ethereal being of the sea have somehow fallen in love with her.
But despite the bright hopeful expression Aqua showed while she opened her heart to her, Riese couldn't reciprocate with the same positivity,
Because what Aqua confirmed to Riese had made her brother’s death even more painful.
“Thank you Aqua, for saving me but honestly, I wished you let the sea have me that day” Riese got up on her feet but before she could leave, Aqua reached out and held her hand tightly.
“Is what I did that despicable for you to hate the sea and not return in years?” Aqua looked up at Riese, eyes filled with concern and hurt.
Riese stood silent until she had the courage to voice out her feelings, “That day you saved me, my twin brother died instead because he tried to save me. I lived the following years of my life feeling like an incomplete puzzle. Feeling like it was my fault that he died, and constantly wishing that we both died instead so I wouldn’t be left to feel this pain, this guilt!”
Riese knelt in front of Aqua, arms trembling as she grabbed onto her shoulders, “You love me right? You should’ve taken me with you instead! You should have let my brother live!”
Riese bowed her head as the pain she’s been holding on for years finally overflowed within her. Tears stained her cheeks as she slowly collapsed into Aqua’s embrace.
“I am truly sorry, my dear Riese, for the pain the sea have made you feel” Aqua spoke as she gently held Riese, who was now sobbing uncontrollably, “Your brother was a good man. He lived his life to the fullest, filling it with love and kindness as much as he can. His death was not an accident, his life journey was completed and his soul was needed elsewhere”
What Aqua said somehow calmed Riese down. She looked up at Aqua who was gazing at her with gentle eyes.
“Your brother’s death was not and never will be your fault. So please my love, forgive yourself and live a life filled with bliss. I know that is what your brother wanted for you”
And Riese believed her, not only because Aqua looked at her with so much raw sincerity in her eyes but also because Riese knew so well that her brother had always wanted the best for her and that he always wanted to see her happy.
Still wrapped in Aqua’s embrace, Riese’s breathing finally calmed down as she felt the heaviness in her heart slowly disappear.
Aqua showed a bright and calming smile, “Whether or not you decide to come back to me, know that I will always be here, waiting for your return”Aqua cupped Riese’s cheek and pulled her close, capturing her lips into a gentle, loving kiss.
“I will love you forever my Riese….”
Aqua’s voice echoed with the cold breeze as she slowly dissipated and rejoined the waves in the sea while Riese just sat quietly. With teary eyes, she saw the sea water flowing calmly and the sky slowly changing its hue from dark to light.
Riese stood and wiped away her tears then placed her fingers on her lips where the sensation Aqua’s kiss still lingered. She turned to sea which was now slowly being covered with a blanket of bright sunlight.
Riese smiled brightly and walked back to her tent, with a lighter heart and new perception of life.
THE END
