The Sea Serpent and the Village

You had a bad day at the café, and right now, all you wanted to do is read at your favorite library a few walks away from your house. As soon as you walk past the library’s towering doors, the smell of bibliosmia greets you and the books on the shelves seemed to give a warm welcome. You take random books one by one from their shelves, and in your impatience to rid yourself of the day’s stress you fail to notice the miniature tower that began to form. Soon, the weight of the books became too much for you to carry, and you drop them all on the nearest reading desk with a loud thud. You sigh in frustration as the books scatter from the fall. As you clean the book pile, your eyes rest on a rather peculiar looking book, and printed on its glossy aquamarine cover is the title “The Sea Serpent and the Village.” You run your fingers across the title’s curling words and then, you find yourself leafing through the pages. From what you read, the book tells the unknown legend of a mighty sea serpent from an ancient ocean kingdom that is curious about the surface world. For years the sea serpent watched with pity at the travails of the mortal humans, wishing to aid them in her godly powers. She begged her case to her father, the King of the Seas, to let her visit the surface world that she may alleviate the sufferings that plagued the mortal beings. Despite his initial objection at his daughter’s interest in the humans, the Sea King eventually allows her to travel to the surface in a human body, and the first great place she visits is a seaside town. Eager to learn more about the inquisitive sea serpent, you turn to the next page only to discover that the legend is unfinished. Disappointed, you stare out the window beside you. Thin whiffs of clouds brush over the pale baby blue sky, as if a giant paint brush stroked them there on purpose. The bright afternoon sun shone brightly through the clouds, giving you an impression of a colorful painting through the window. It reminds you of the sea and the legend of the sea dragon. “I wonder what the story must have been like in her shoes?” you wonder as you gaze at the endless blue before you. The soothing serenity of the sky, coupled with the hushed silence of the library seemed to tempt you to sleep, and slowly you began to fall under the hypnotic influence of slumber. Before you completely close your heavy eyes, you manage to catch an aquamarine glow emitting from the book.

Startled by the sudden flash of light, you wake up and find yourself sitting on a small hill. You look around in confusion. “Where am I?” you ask yourself.  As soon as you cup your hands in the water, your eyes gaze upon your reflection. Suddenly, you gasp. Instead of being greeted by your usual lanky self in barista attire, you are faced with the beautiful reflection of a girl. She wears a long flowing robe of the deepest ocean blue, and her cerulean loosely braided hair is decked with small, fragrant flowers. You immediately recognize her as the legendary sea serpent in the book illustration.

“Have I become her?” you ask as you gently rub your hand on your face. Your reveries are suddenly interrupted by the sound of festive music below the hill. You look down and you discover the quaint seaside village of the book. To satisfy your growing curiosity and elation, you decide to check out the commotion. Today the village is crowded with a gathering of people. As you wander the dusty streets, you look around curiously with your long locks swaying up and down to your dashing jumps. You could hear the melodious air of a street orchestra, followed by the exuberant giggles and chatter of loud children. You watch the townspeople casually dance in the town square in flamboyant multicolored fabrics, and watch the gauze ribbons and streamers sway in the gentle morning breeze. The aromatic smells and tastes of palatable dishes, tickle your nose, while the animated stomps and claps of dancers pound in your ears.

"They must be celebrating a festival." you think to yourself. Then, you amble towards the beach where you observe a large number of people gathered for a boating event. Sturdy oaken ships line up along the shoreline, and just beyond them are crashing waves under a dark grey sky. You could hear the distant rumble of thunder ahead.

“Woe has befallen us today! With a storm coming about, we cannot continue the games.” you hear a villager weep. You were about to leave the beach when, you remember that you possess the powers of the sea serpent. Summoning up your strength, you calm the turbulent waves and a minute later the sea returns to its former tranquility. The crowds, after witnessing the miraculous feat you perform, cheer in delight and praise you with joyous words. In their gratitude they invite you stay in the village, and in your joy you couldn’t refuse. Your first experience with a nonexistent city seems to be pleasant; however, you did not know the harmful consequences your actions would soon entail.

Over time, you notice that the townspeople gradually feel comfortable using your powers. They would ask you to use water for the most mundane uses, from filling wells to watering crops. Then they start asking you to summon water for more daring undertakings by ordering you to capsize the merchant ships passing through the sea in order to steal the glittering treasures and precious possessions. As the village grows richer, their thirst for power grows. Unfortunately, the incessant abuse of your power ends up diminishing your strength, and as you get weaker, the weather around you becomes more unstable. Rainstorms and hurricanes plague the village frequently, reflecting your waning strength and inner turmoil. Day by day the people begin to fear you, and in spite of your constant requests to stop they would not yield.  Eventually they perceive you as the cause of all their troubles and they decide to sacrifice you as a method to quell the storms. Your eyes scan the callous and greedy expressions of the townspeople who once greeted you as one of their own. "Please don't do this." you implore, hoping to ignite a small glimmer of compassion in their hearts. However, your pleas are in vain. The townspeople throw you brutally off the cliff without looking back or even feeling remorse. As your body hits the crashing waves, you call out to the heavens, wishing that you would come back to the real world. “I don't want to stay in this realm anymore!” you wail, and at the sound of your complaints, the king of the seas appears before you. His deep voice echoes in the tumultuous waters.

“These people don't deserve you my child. Let me restore you to your true form so that they may tremble under your feet.” You nod your head, and with a touch of the Sea King, you transform into a divine form. You don't care if the townspeople are suffering from your anger. In your heart, you knew that they should pay for the immeasurable pain they caused you. Your cries echo in the stormy skies. Your tears turn into crashing waves that sweep over the city, drowning out the frightened cries and moans of the panicked locals. When you calmed down, there was nothing left of the village. In your horror at the destruction you have unleashed, you let out an ear piercing scream.

Suddenly, everything turns white and you wake up back in the library with a jolt. Rubbing your drowsy eyes, you groggily check the time on the nearby clock, and to your surprise, the time is already nearing six. The sky outside is beginning to dim, and the orange glow of a sunset is streaking through the horizon. A thousand thoughts flooded through your head as you ponder whether all that had happened was a dream or not. “It must surely be a dream,” you whisper to yourself, “yet it all seemed so real, as if I was experiencing that ordeal all over again.” After a moment’s thought, you shake your head. You eventually decide that the whole experience is a dream caused by too much reading. As you leave the library, you steal one last look at the mysterious book you have been reading. The glossy cover of the book shimmered under the warm glow of the sunset, its reflection resembling the gently cresting waves of the ocean. The book seemed to beckon you back into its pages again, but instead of heeding its alluring call you turn away and walk towards the exit. Surely, next time you would be more careful with the books you read in the library.