Ocean and her seven children

 Once, long, long, ago, when the world had just sprung into being, and the cold, frosty fingers of dark morning had just grasped the earth and pulled it securely into its palm, a mother sat. She gazed longingly at the silky black night every day, wishing upon each firey pin prick of light for children. And one day, children she was granted. With motherly affection unmatched by any other, she raised seven beautiful children, her pride and joy, the motivation behind her every action. When night came, the proud mother, Ocean, would whisper and tell her children tales of the brave, bold sky, driving the sun away, of the sparkling fires in the sky that were the gods winking down on you, and that the conversation between the sea and the moon was the force that keeps the world not entirely silent.

After many of these nights passed, there came a time when Ocean and her children began to drift apart. Antarctica, the lovely daughter with the endurance of a polar bear, was the first to withdraw from the family. It was not her choice, and Antarctica’s last words to her mother were, “Mother, this is not my choice, but the gods command this and I depart from you, begging for your understanding with my last words to you. “

Ocean said nothing, for fear of the tears in her throat constricting her. Antarctica saw the tears in her mother’s eyes and sadly said “Mother,I know nothing of this force that is pulling me from you, only that it grows stronger by the day. And that is all I need to know. If someone greater than me commands me to go, then I must go. I can only express my gratitude for your love, and assure you that I would not be who I am today without you. I know that you will grieve, but I must ask that you do not cry because it’s over, but you smile because it happened. You have been the most inspirational, caring person in my life and I love you an inordinate amount, but now I must leave. Goodbye, my mother.” And those truly were antarctica’s last and final words to her mother.

Ocean loved her daughter very much indeed and even though with her last words to her mother Antarctica had asked her not to grieve, Ocean sobbed day and night for many moons. However, when her mighty son Africa, with the heart of a lion, began to depart from the family, ocean was desperate to prevent him from leaving. But, as Africa left his mother forever, he asked one thing of her, which was, ” Mother, it bothers me to see you so sad, and I ask that you avenge me, and in your vengeance become happy again, even if it means living a life without me. Thank you for everything you have done for me and your care, and I will miss you deeply, but you must learn to be happy without me, and I to you. Even though we both refuse to believe this bitter truth, we must accept it, for it is the way things must be now. And we must learn to beleive this, for it is the will of a greater being then me or you, whom we can not compete with.”

  Ocean and Africa both knew that Ocean would never be able to lead a happy life without any one of her children, but Africa knew his mother would try, for she would not want his last words to be in vain. As she did with Antarctica, Ocean wept day and night for many moons. She tried with all her might to be happy, but without her boldest son, Ocean felt a part of her soul was missing. Then, North America and South America began to leave. Ocean was devastated beyond belief. She wept and wept, and when Europe, Asia, and Australia began to depart from their mother, Ocean bitterly cried tears of pure sorrow and resolved never to love again. For love it seemed, was a pointless weakness not worth having. But, then, calling Africa’s last words to her into her mind, Ocean set off to find the force that had pulled her children away from her, as they took her joy.

And so the adventure began. Ocean searched everywhere, high and low, and every corner of the now black world until, deep in a cave smelling of algae, salt, and fish Ocean found the despicable creature who forced eternal loneliness and despair upon her. Furious and heartbroken Ocean called out in the cave, and as her voice reverberated around her, a creature scuttled into the cave’s mouth. He was the most hideous creature in all the land, and his name was tectonica Laminuram. He had the shell of a hermit crab, a squid’s gelantunus body, and a lobster’s pincers. He jumped at the sight of Ocean then grinned, a malicious grin to chill every fiber of being in one’s body. His pincers scratched at the stone floor of the cave, the sound causing Ocean to shudder as if a cold breath had been breathed down her back. Then, as if he had seen a comedy unfold before him, he laughed. It was a laugh so infuriating, taunting, and maddening, so evil, terrible,and belittling, Ocean, for the first time in her life, was sacred. She was scared that she could not do what Africa had asked. Never, in her life, had ocean ever failed to do what one of her children had asked of her. Ocean hesitated, then, drawing a deep breath, Ocean hurled herself at Tectonica Laminuram. Ocean’s blood roared in her ears as she was over come by rage. And as a feirce mother bear would, she struck him over and over again until all that remained was a shell.

And, that is why, to this day, when we put a shell to our ear, we hear ocean, avenging her children. And, every day, ocean gives up a little part of herself to watch over her children from above. She resides in the very place she asked for children, and every night her sons and daughters gaze up at her starry visage, but she is always forced to always come back down, and this cycle of water goes on, a mother’s effort to watch over her children once more.