One day, I will reach you

I plopped my head out of the waves, staring into the nothingness that is the sea, I managed to get a glimpse of light shining out from a distance. Focusing on the light, I followed its twinkling shine towards a wooden bridge protruding out from the sand, supported by planks. As I emerged from the water, I saw the source of which the light had come from. A tall, big construction with lines of red and white, the light can be seen on the very top of it, spinning around non-stop. I looked towards the sea, illuminated by the moon in the night sky. The stagnant lights were draped across the dark canvas, like usual. Beautiful, I thought. 

They were the quiet company I had, in the thirty minutes or so I had to wait for my walkers to arrive. I had no idea how it works but every time I stepped on to this sand area and poured the liquid I stole from Nana’s cabinet, I retrieved walkers from an unknown invisible being, a force or something. The walkers came, today as well, stuck together. After pulling them apart, I stood up, shaking the sand out of them. As I turned to my side, a figure was sitting beside me. Oh, shark fins, I thought. Someone had seen me turning. Instantly, I grabbed my stabber and pointed at the figure, who seemed terrified. 

“Do not speak about this encounter, Sea Rider, or, I will have to pierce this through your heart”, I said, menacingly.

The figure gasped. Immediately, I took off, in search of the Paper Giver. After minutes of walking, I met the Paper Giver and grabbed the few pearls I collected from the clams. He took them in and brought me the green papers I needed to take stuff from this land. As I turned around to exit the roofed house, I noticed the figure, once again, looking into the house at me. Instinctively, I shoved the papers into my satchel and scrambled out of there. I didn’t look back for a second and ran forward, trying my best to shake it off my trail. It might be a Sea Creeper, the ones that’s souls were lost at sea, and were full of greed and hatred for the living. Nana told me of the stories of the Sea Creepers and how they swore revenge on the living beings that walked the lands with their pair of walkers since they had lost theirs. 

Then, I realized, the Sea Creeper might want the secret of my ability to make the walkers appear. Nana would kill me if she knew I gave away her secret, I thought. What if they torture it out of me? I don’t exactly know why I become like this, though. It was better for me if I were more careful now. I walked all around the area, filled with roofed houses, little land creatures moved about around me, smelling me and then hissing, with their backs arched. I smelled myself, it was salty but otherwise, a pleasing scent of the Sea People from where I come from. 

I crossed the black, hard soil with the white lines, when a Mover passed me, nearly running me over. Unable to keep my balance, I fell on the hard soil. My walkers were scraped, with blue liquid spilling out. There was too much of the liquid, that I started feeling light-headed. I grabbed my satchel and pulled out a vial of sea dew, made from the weeds and corals of my home. I stole some from my Nana’s room, before I headed out to land. I have been stealing a lot of substances from Nana, I just realized it. Spreading it on the wound, the liquid stopped flowing. I peeled a long land weed from the soft soil a few inches from where I was and wrapped it around the wound. Nana is the medicine-keeper back home. She makes and keeps the medicines in small vials to give to the Sea Lads and Gals who were injured, sick, poisoned or murdered. 

The oil spills from Sea Movers and the rubbish dumping into the water has accelerated our species’ death rate. Especially now with the rising temperatures, we would boil to death at this rate, the species of Sea People would go extinct. Nana, however, was so ahead of her time, with her being 398 years old, she was able to concoct a mixture of compounds that can prolong our existence even beyond death. She knew nothing good can come from the above lands where the man stands, but I know that we can use their own weapons against them. We needed to learn their mechanics and land technology to replicate them back home. That's why I’m here, to do the dirty work no Sea Person wants to do and also since, I have been to land secretly from time to time. So far, not much has been made in the progress of the ‘DESTRUCTION OF THE SEA RIDERS’ project. All we got are a bunch of spiky wooden things that look like really tiny stakes, glass bottles that we retrieve from the surface water and shimmering gold amulets and whatnot. 

I walked all the way to my favorite eatery or what the Sea Rider’s call it ‘the diner’. I have a friend there, who is really sweet and kind. She helped me out with the green papers when I first got here before I had this mission. She doesn’t know my real identity and I don’t plan on telling her as well. She doesn’t ask too many questions about myself and gives me free stuff every time. I like her. Also, she doesn’t swim or go near the sea, making her the only Sea Rider that will not be forced into endless torture when we take over this world. Strutting into the diner, I sat myself down and scanned the place for the blonde-haired girl.

“Hey, Sal. Over here”, I yelled, grabbing her attention as soon as I saw her.

Her face lit up and she walked over to me. “How’s it going girl? Haven’t seen you in a long time”, she said.

“Yeah, I had...things to...do. Anyway, do you have anything for me today?”, I asked, excited.

“Sorry dear, not today, the diner was really busy these few weeks but… you can have this”. Sal picked up a three-toothed little thing from the table and showed it to me.

“Oh, it’s perfect, thank you so much Sal”

“So, what are you going to call it?”, Sal enquired.

I thought hard on the name and said, “Three-tooth, that’s its name”.

“Yes, that is very original of you, Rena”, Sal said.

“Thanks, Sal. Now, for the food. The usual please”, I said, showing my best grin.

Sal nodded and went to wait at the other tables. My eyes wandered around the diner and then out the window beside me. Adjusting to the dark, my eyes managed to capture the image of a figure walking out from the shadows. An eerie feeling crept over me as I felt the ‘skin-scares’ all on me. The humans called it something else, goosey-something. 

I jumped out of my chair as Sal came over with my food.

“Rena, where are you going? I got your beignets right here”, Sal seemed worried.

“Puffles”, I yelped as I picked one out of the tray.

“Serena, what’s wrong?”, Sal yelled behind me.

I turned around before I went through the doors and said, “Sea Creepers”. And then, I ran out.

Sal looked dumbfounded and muttered under her breath, “God help her”.

Ï ran towards the sand land immediately, the three-tooth in my satchel along with the other gizmos I managed to scrape from the conveniently placed plastic bags in a container called ‘GARBAGE DUMP’. At the sand land, I doused my walkers with the liquid in the vial and sat down until my fins came back to me. As I waited, I began to inspect the ‘things’ I got from my mission. I have to hurry up and give as much as I can find to the engineers, I thought.

I may not be able to build things, but I am skillful in combat and sneaky, this is the only way I can contribute to the cause. Though, I do help Nana out sometimes. I know how to make a few potions but I want to do more for her. Big things that no other Sea Gals do. I can be the pioneer in the field of exploration and all Sea People will follow in my fins. As I was daydreaming of what might or might not be, I failed to realize the figure approaching me from my side. 

I noticed it when it grew closer and grabbed the stabber from my satchel. I pointed it towards the figure. I couldn’t dive nor could I stand up, the process wasn’t complete. 

“What do you want, Sea Creeper?”, I threatened, trying to make my voice as low and raspy as it can go.

At that moment, the figure put its hands up and knelt down in front of me. It gestured with its hands.

“You speak the language of waves”, I said, astonished.

It gestured again, in which I laid down the stabber and followed. From then on, the silent conversation with our hands continued : 

“How do you know this language?”, I asked.

“I have to use it for people to understand. I cannot speak so I learned to communicate this way. Did you say it was called the language of the waves?”, the figure said.

“Yes, my Nana used to communicate with the Sea Rider she befriended 300 years ago using this language. He...died. She taught it to me when I was 12. ”

“Sea Rider?”

“It is you. You and your people are what we call Sea Riders because you ride the sea on the moving things”

“Oh I see. That’s very clever. I am sorry for making you uncomfortable by following you everywhere. As you know, I couldn’t scream so I thought following you was the best choice”

“Not at all. I thought you were a Sea-...I thought you were something else”

“Are you a mermaid?”

“I do not know what that is but we do call ourselves Sea People, you see we live in the sea and we have fins”

“Well, that would be what we ‘Humans’ call mermaids”

I was amazed by this new word ‘Humans’, it was really strange but I bet me calling them Sea Riders would be strange for them as well.

“Can I know your name?”

The figure took a branch lying on the sand land and started poking and dragging the sand to form a word.

“You are Peter?”, I asked.

He nodded. I grabbed the stick and spelt the word Serena for him.

“What a beautiful name”

I could feel the warmth of the blood rushing to my cheeks. For a moment, the both of us stopped moving our hands and looked to the sparkling ocean before he continued.

“What are you doing here?”

“I have a task to do for my home. I have come to collect information here”

“Why?”

I hesitated before giving an answer.

“To annihilate your species. The ‘humans’ have terrorized our waters with poison. And...my people are dying. There is nothing else we can do except to force a war against the land people”

Peter looked straight at me. I couldn't make out his emotions. Was he angry? Upset? Indifferent, maybe?

“I understand. We have been polluting your waters for centuries. Maybe it is time for you to stand up to us”

“I didn't mean it in a bad way. I am sorry but I have a duty to my people”

“It’s alright. Us, humans are stubborn. We need a little warning now and then to put us back on the right track. Although, your method of waging war and violence is something I cannot condone. I have read about the wars in history books. I can’t bear to imagine how it would be if land and sea were to meet in battle”

“It’s not something that we want to do, it’s what we have to do”

“Is there any way Humans and Sea People can live together?’

“I do not think there is”

“We could learn from each other”

“What is there to learn? The curiosity of humans knows no limits. You have been trying to explore our waters for years and that’s still not enough for you. My Grandma had to create a barrier field to hide us from your Sea Divers. What more is there to learn of what humans can and will do? We have seen it all”

“Have you seen the stars?”

I followed Peter’s finger that was pointing upwards.

“The sky lamps, you mean? Yes, I see them everyday”

“Have you seen them up close? The sky lamps that you see now are just a portion of the limitless sky lamps out there”

“That’s impossible”

“And we have seen planets, we have learned so much through our exploration”

“And...you have seen the sky lamps?”

“Yes and many more”

I was amazed by what Peter had said. It was impossible for anyone to be able to reach the sky lamps up above. I have reached out my hand many times to snatch them from the sky but they were too far away.

“Your people have actually went that far out into the universe and here we are, still at the bottom”

“We can try to create a friendship between our people. We can teach your people everything we know”

“It does not excuse your people’s actions towards our home. Can you guarantee that all ‘humans’ will be accepting of our kind and not try to hurt us? My people will never forge a bond with Sea Riders. It’s not natural”

“What if we become friends? What if I teach you everything I know? And, one day, I can take you to the stars, if you want”

“I would like that very much”

My fins had already arrived during the conversation. I dove into the water and resurfaced. 

“You won’t tell anyone about me, will you?”

“I couldn't even if I wanted to”

We waved goodbye and parted ways.

I swam towards my home, protected by the Palace's Guards with long, pointy stabbers and shields. 

“Let me through, Your Princess commands you”

The guards made way for me as I swam towards the Queen’s chamber. 

“Mother, it is nice to meet you”, I bowed gracefully at my mother’s presence.

“My daughter, how was your mission? Did you find anything in the land of people?”

“No, my Queen”

“Very well, you did good coming home safely, my child. Go see your grandmother if you have any injuries”

I swam towards the adjacent room and peeked through the curtains.

“Thief, give me back my vials”, Nana said.

“I’m sorry, Nana. I was curious”

“I know, child, but curiosity did kill the crawfish. You know I don’t like it when you go up there. It’s dangerous”

“Nana, do you miss your friend...from the land of people? Is that why you have those vials to acquire walkers? To remember him by?”

Nana was stirring a batch of her potion and sighed.

“He was a dear friend. He taught me many things. If only I could’ve turned him into one of us sooner. I was still a beginner in potion-making. He made me realize that not all Sea Riders were horrible”

“You mean ‘humans’?”

Nana stopped stirring and turned around to look at me, tears in her eyes. She swam towards me and embraced me in a tight hug. 

“I see you have a friend, too. Cherish that friendship, my dear”

“Nana, is that why you do not want this war?”

“Well, I have been trying my best to sabotage it. We wouldn’t be able to re-create those ‘machinery’ that they have up there for another few centuries, so don’t worry for your friend. Those Sea Riders can show you magnificent things, but only a few of them you can trust”

I hugged my Nana and swam out of the castle, up to the surface. The sea was quiet and still, the fishes and mammals coming out to enjoy the calm. I fell back onto the surface waters and admired the sky lamps above.

“One day, I will reach you, my stars”.