Child of the Sea

Water spray hit my face as the waves beat against the rocks below. I opened my eyes, and saw the sun on the horizon, setting in the west once again. In front of it, spanned the great ocean, with its mystery and its fantasy. The sun’s reflection in the water gleamed, shining into my eyes, but I couldn’t look away. In the distance, barely in my sight, a ship sailed, catching the northbound wind. I smiled, thinking back to a time without politics. To a time without expectations and the wind in my hair.

               I laughed, my giggle high pitched and childish. I stood as tall as I could, trying to see over the ship’s railing, “Momma look!”

               My mother wrapped an arm around my shoulders, keeping me steady, “What my love?”

               “The dolphin!”

               In the sea, a dolphin breached the waves.

               “Good eye little one,” the ship’s cook congratulated me as I smiled brightly at him.

               Happy moments do not always last.

               “Annie! Get away from there!”

               I clung to the railing as the ship tilted and was ravenged by the waves and rain pelted my face and arms.

               “Momma!”

               All I felt was cold.

               I shivered as I sat against a tree, my small frame light and thin. I curled into a ball as my stomach growled loudly and filled me with pain.

               “What are you doing here kid?”

               I spun around, flinging sand into the air as I braced for anything. To my surprise, I saw a man kneeling down, a dark brown coat covering his body and pooling on the ground.

               “I…My mom.. the ship… Storm… I couldn’t… hold on.”

               My throat began to hurt, rendering me unable to speak.

               “You fell overboard?”

               I nodded, swallowing heavily.

               “You must be hungry, and thirsty.”

               I shook my head, unsure about this man’s intentions. My stomach betrayed me, growling loudly at the idea of food.

               “Seems like you are kid,” he chuckled and smiled at me, “Let’s get you something to eat. My ship is anchored nearby.”

               After giving me something to eat, he spoke up, “So, what’s your name kid? I’m kinda sick of callin ya kid.”

               “Annebelle.”

               “Annebelle what?”

               I remember being unable to think of it, “I don’t know.”

               “I guess you’ll have to go by Annabelle until you decide or remember. Its not too bad of a name either.”

               “What about you?”

               I didn’t want to just call him guy or the captain.

               The man looked down at me, “My name is Captain William Johnson. World class explorer and fighter.”

“That’s a long name.”

He smiled, chuckling lightly, “I guess it is.”

               As the months went by, I grew to love living on the ship, its crew teaching me all they knew, always kind and caring.

               “Captain look!”

               In the distance, I saw the fins of sharks sticking out of the water. I got excited, naming off facts about sharks.

               “If they stop moving they die, because the water flows through their gills as they swim and it filters as long as they are moving. If they stop moving they suffocate.”

               The captain patted my head, “Good observation. Your pretty smart little Belle.”

               I beamed at the nickname and the compliment.

               A few years went by, and I approached the man who had begun to teach me about the seas and its creatures, the world and its people, and so much more.

               “What’s up Baby Belle?”

               I scowled at the nickname, “I’m not a baby anymore.”

               “My bad, Belle. What did ya need?”

               “Teach me to fight.”

               My captain looked away from his maps, “What?”

               “I want to be able to fight like you.”

               He thought for a moment and my hopes of learning fell as each second passed.

               “Alright, but you have to train hard.”

               I smiled and determination filled my eyes, “Yes sir!”

               I blocked a strike to my side, my carved wooden rapier parrying his strike.

               “Good. Good. Keep it up.”

               Everyday I had a few bruises, but even when I wanted to continue, he made sure I didn’t get too injured. Any bruise was checked over my our doctor and any wounds meant we stopped for a few days.

               Years went by in seconds it seemed. I stood with my head held high as the same man who saved me so long ago handed me my first rapier, its metal shining and the handle a pale red leather grip.

               “This is mine?” I looked him in the eyes, tears filling my own, “Really?”

               Captain chuckled, “Of course. If you want to stay with us still, then you need something proper to defend yourself with.”

               I quickly hooked the sword to my leather belt and jumped to hug him, “Thank you!”

               “Of course my little Belle.”

               I didn’t think that the life that I had once known would come for me. I was almost an adult now, and even if I hadn’t seen my biological family, I had one that chose me and raised me. I thought I had finally found my true place in this world, there among that explorer crew. However, the past does not stay silent forever.

               “Annie? Is that you Annebelle?”

               I looked around, searching the crowded docks for the voice that called my name.

               A man slightly older than me stopped in front of me, “It is you Annebelle!”

               I turned to face him directly, my brown coat shifting around me as my broken arm stayed bounded to my chest in a cast, “That is my name, but do I know you?”

               He seemed to get excited, “It’s me! It’s James.”

               I shook my head, “I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong person.”

               “Is this guy bothering you Belle?”

               My captain stood behind me, allowing me to relax, whatever was happening he would take care of.

               “Annie, your family wants you back. They thought you dead. They love you still.”

               My mind was immediately filled with blurry pictures of a woman wrapping her arm around me, singing songs to me.

               “My family is here.”

               I steeled my gaze at James.

               “This crew? Please, they couldn’t even protect you.”

               I glared at this James, “Don’t you dare speak against the people who saved me when no one else was there for me.”

               James scoffed and left quickly, heading towards a distant ship.

               “What was he talking about Belle?”

               Is everything alright?”

               Two other crew members approached me, still protective of me because of my injury.

               “I don’t know. He said he knew my family. Called me by name.”

               I turned to my captain, “He knew my family. What if they’ve been waiting for me this whole time?”

               He rested a hand on my shoulder, “Whatever you do now is up to you, always remember that you have a place here among us, but if you decide to rejoin your family then we will help you find them and help you reunite with them.”

               I smiled, “You will?”

               The crew members around me voiced their agreement with our capitain, “Of course, we would do anything for our little Annebelle.”

               He patted my head as he motioned for everyone to pack the ship up with new supplies.

               It didn’t take long to figure out where James had come from, and where he was returning to. So we followed him, careful not to be sighted.

               “Annebelle! Challenge!”

               My best friend yelled from behind me, his rapier unsheathed and raised in a salute as he smirked, “Since your heading back home, let’s settle this once and for all.”

               Fifty to fifty was the last score. One last tie breaker.

               “Your on Danny!”

               I jumped down the deck, pulling out my own rapier, the same pale red grip familiar in my hands.

               As we spared, our crewmates cheered, and I’m pretty sure I saw cash being handed around.

               “They are betting on us, aren’t they?”

               I nodded, avoiding a strike, “Hopefully they knew the right person to bet on.”

               Danny smirked, “Yeah. Me.”

               He tried to kick my feet out from underneath me, but I was faster, jumping over his leg and landing on a nearby barrel.

               “You sure about that?”

               I jumped, surprising him with a tackle. I held my rapier to his throat and held my foot on his chest.

               “That’s 51 to 50, guess I win.”

               “Bravo!”

               “Yeah!!”

               “I won, ha-ha.”

               I smiled as bets were passed around and people thanked and congratulated me before going back to work. I looked up to see my fath… my captain standing on the upper deck, arms crossed and smiling.

               As I climbed up the stepped he spoke up, “Good job Belle.”

               “Thanks. Captain.”

               We stood in silence, me standing to his right.

               “You are like a daughter to me; I hope you know that.”

               I looked up surprised, speechless, “Really?”

               “Yes. That day that I found you on that beach, I couldn’t bare to leave you. I figured I’d drop you off on a nearby inhabited island. But then the crew fell in love with you. As did I. Teaching you about the sea brought back my own love for it.”

               He paused to look at me, “I want you to know how much I love you. You will always be the daughter I was never able to have.”

               I smiled brightly, still unable to speak.

               He patted me on the head, “My little Belle. I hope you remember me for the rest of your life. If you forget, don’t worry. I will always remember you.”

               We made landfall a few days later.

               “Annie!” a familiar woman raced towards me, standing a few inches taller than me.

               “Mother?”

               “Oh, my baby.”

               I was pulled into a tight hug, causing me to tense as I tried to hug her in return.

               “I’m so sorry love. I am so sorry. I should have been more watchful that day. I should have let you stay with you father instead of taking you with me.”

               The man who I assumed to be my father joined our hug, “I am so happy to have you home sweetie.”

               It felt so right, but so unfamiliar. These people conceived and birthed me, but they didn’t raise me. Not for quite a few years.

               “It’s alright. I found a wonderful crew. They saved me and raised me.”

               My mother broke our hug to pull my captain into a hug, “Thank you so much for saving her.”

               My father and my captain shook hands as my mother began to lead me away. I caught his eye and mouthed I love you.

               It was good that I said that. Cause I haven’t seen them since.

               I haven’t seen any of them.

               Many days I sit here at this balcony, wondering why they left. According to my parents they left that night, eager to be on their next adventure. I just wish I would have been able to say goodbye.

               My mother often joined me, holding me as I stayed silent.

               “Are you alright dear?”

               I quickly whipped my face and turned to face my mother, “Yeah, just admiring the beautiful sunset.”

               My mom smiled, “It’s your 25^th birthday tomorrow, and me and your father have a present for you that we wanted to give you before tomorrow, that way you can enjoy it all day tomorrow and for however long you wish.”

               I sat confused at the wording but allowed my mother to take my hand and lead me to where my father sat with a box. The room was classically rich. The walls a white with blue details and accents. The room was neat and clean. My father sat on a red couch and motioned for me to sit next to him.

               As I gently opened the box, the ocean breeze blew through the window, sending familiar shivers up my spine. In the box was an outfit I hadn’t seen in many years. In the box was a black flowy blouse and sturdy leather pants with a belt. Next to it was an old coat, warn after years on the sea. My rapier sat on top of it, sharper than ever before and polished.

               “We have enjoyed being able to see you and spend time with you after so long of being apart. However, even though you are our daughter, we know you aren’t the same little baby girl that we lost back then. You are different. And that’s alright, we understand.”

               I was smiling at them, but I know they saw the confusion in my eyes.

               “This isn’t the only gift either my dear,” my father’s voice was calming and kind, but before I could ask what he was talking about, I heard a door open behind me.

               From the doorway I heard a voice that brought me to tears, “Hello, Little Belle.”

               My captain. He was here. Standing in front of me. Brown coat and all.

               “Captain?”

               He nodded, stepping towards me. I cried hard and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly as he spun me around.

               As soon as I was released from the hug, I ran to my parents, hugging them tightly.

               “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

               The crew was standing behind our captain, Danny standing directly at his left, everyone had smiles covering their faces.

               I was hesitant to say anything else. This was my dream. Every night I dreams of this exact moment. Where my life could go back to how it once was… but these are my parents. They gave me life. They taught me about the life I missed and the family that I lost so long ago. About where I came from.

“I…”

               I didn’t want to lose either of them. This decision, this one choice.

               “It’s not forever Annie. You can always return to land, but the sea is what you call home”