Sea Me Go Bye

The ocean has always been my tranquility. The way she could be calm with gentle waves brushing against the shore, her salty air in the wind as a gentle reminder of the life she carried within her. Every morning, I went to admire, to paint her gentle waves, the white sea foam that floated on the top of waves,the way she would crash against the cliff I was on-like playful banter. However sometimes her waves were rough-like she was angry. The clouds were gray and the wind fierce, the waves were huge and sept through anything and everything. But no matter her mood I was always there. I had always brought my easel and my paint, there was no doubt that she was beautiful-she was my muse. She knew, sometimes I would see whales on her calmer days. As they breached I captured their grace in photographs to later be painted. The calfs waved at me from under their mothers. Often I would see seals nearby, on the sand soaking up the sun's rays.

I was always at the cliffs near my home; before school and after school. I couldn’t go home-I wouldn’t go home. Often I stayed at the cliffs still after sunset until I could see the stars. I could name each constellation; Orion, Big Dipper, Eridanus, Monoceros to name a few. I remember a time when my brother and I would sit on the edge of the cliffs and watch the stars and listen to the sounds of the ocean, it was a bittersweet memory. 

It is Saturday evening, I was at the cliffs trying to catch the colors of the sunset and the flow of the waves hitting the shore. But eventually the sky grew dark and the air grew cold causing me to return home. Home was a place your heart was a place where one felt safe. This wasn’t my home, this was a danger zone, my brother knew that before he tried to leave. He didn’t make it very far though. As I made it through the back door I was hit with the smell of alcohol, and cigarettes. I slowly made my way into the house and I saw my father passed out on the couch and I quietly made it to the stairs until I stepped on a creaky step. I silently cursed.

“Violetta, you home girl?” I hated that name and he knew that. 

“Yeah-h” I replied shakily.

“Go grab me a beer doll,” He had no right to drink away all my money, I was barely making it with the money I had to make by selling my beautiful paintings of the sea.

“I think that you have had enough dad,”

“You can’t tell me what to do bitch, you are as useless as your mother,” That made me angry.

“Don’t talk about my mother that way!” My head snapped to the right, my face burned. I looked at the man in front of me.

“Baby, I’m so sorry you know how I get when you make me angry. I’m so sorry I won’t ever do it again. I just miss your mother so much.” Lies, this was the third time already. He wasn’t going to stop and I knew that, I knew how violent he was because of what he did to my brother. I had to stay with him though because I had nowhere to go. I held my head down.

“Just go to sleep dad,” Then I turned to leave.

“Where are you going baby,” He sounded worried but I knew that it was an act. 

“Out, don’t worry dad.” I flashed him a fake smile on my way out the door.

My tears ran down my face, my thoughts running wild-off the cliff I stood at everyday. I stood at the edge, I could finally be with my brother,I put my foot in front of me, closed my eyes and leaned forward.

My thoughts were jumbled I couldn’t think straight, I couldn’t breathe. Suddenly air filled my lungs, I opened my eyes, I was underwater, surrounded by warmth. “Oh no,” I heard music ringing through my ears. “We cannot destroy something that has loved us so beautifully.”

The waves cradled me in their arms, wrapping around me like a swaddled child in a blanket. They wiped away my tears and washed my face with cold refreshing foam. “But you don’t understand,” I cried to the waves. “I didn’t fall, I jumped.” The waves began to crash on the shore more violently. 

“Why,” I could hear the pain in their voice, it broke me. “How could you do that to yourself?”

“I may have loved you, but who has loved me?” I cried out. “I couldn’t bear to stay on such a horrible land, such cruelty to you especially. They way they pollute your oceans and steal your fish to provide for greedy humans.” The ocean listened to me but I could tell that she was troubled. 

“You don’t wish to stay on land?” I shook my head, “I shall name you protector of my seas-of the wildlife, plants and water. My savior.” I suddenly felt warm, my back started to burn, I felt something sprout out-wings. Beautiful wings, I fluttered them around and the huge white feathers moved with every flap. “My child,” I smiled. “My protector, I have given you the gift of a new life, the ability to be who you want to be. You will be the first of many, You have a new identity and with a new identity comes a new name. What do you want to be called my love”

My heart was warmed at her kindness-something that was rarely shown to me, I smiled at her. “Siren, My name is Siren”

Amanda closed the book and rose from her rocking chair as a young boy stared at her with wide eyes. “And then what happened Mama,” The woman chuckled.

“I’ll only tell you if you go to bed right now,” the boy's eyes widened even further and he raced upstairs to bed causing Amanda to laugh as she followed her son up the stairs to his room. As she tucked him in she continued, “The girl became the first siren, one of many, eventually they split off turning into Neriads, mermaids, and other more dangerous sea creatures. But the sirens lured men to their deaths if they harmed the ocean, but if their hearts were true and they caused harm to the ocean then they were free to pass through,” Her son was curious, he nodded at her words.

“Is my heart pure mama?”

“Yes baby, right now it is but as you grow up if could change, as long as you always care for the ocean she will do the same for you,” She then kissed her son goodnight leaving her son to listen to the lull of the ocean and to dream of its wide and deep caverns that he had promised to protect it for the rest of his life.

As the boy grew older he had kept his promise to the sea. Every day he climbed down the cliffed near his home to pick up trash that had littered her crystal waters. One day he boarded a ship with this crew of salvage divers. Most of them were looking for treasure but his only mission was to get rid of the things that could potentially hurt the marine life. There was a horrible storm, thunder crashed and lightning struck the mast. the ship was struck down: along with its crew. But the boy felt a warm comforting sensation that his mother had read to him as a toddler.

The voice was the only sense of comfort he had within the chaos surrounding him "Do you think your heart is pure little one?"