dreamingwithfairies

"I will drown you." Said the ocean.

"I'm a good swimmer, I promise." Replied the injured sailor. "Let your storms crash against me; I was built to endure."

The ship rocked with increasing force as the shoreline faded. The wind and the waves induced sickness. In the shelter of his cabin, the sailor tended his recent wounds but everything he touched slipped from his grip and nothing seemed to help. He was dropping everything - it seemed nothing could go right and it irritated him.

"Give yourself to me." He heard the voice of the ocean battering against the window pane. "I will take away your pain forever."

A jolt of realisation pierced through the man's heart. In the flickering candlelight he searched for a compass and a map as the ship rocked even more violently. A bowl of seafood spilled over on the floor, reminiscent of guts, and the sailor instantly gagged - he's been eating the same damned thing for months; he'd rather starve than take any more. He suddenly yearned for solid land - for tall grasses swaying in the breeze, for the familiar taste of citrus on his tongue, for the sound of horse hooves clicking on the pavement. The ocean that had once pulled him away from the shore was now the very thing he wished to be saved from.

"Why won't you dive into me?" The ocean stormed louder. "Give me your heart and I will give you my treasures; you will be a rich man."

Every time the ocean spoke, it stung his wounds, made them throb. A pain he thought would have eased by now unfortunately showed little signs of improvement. Examining himself he started to worry about a possible infection, which he could not afford to suffer. It was obvious now what he had to do.

Eventually, he located his exact co-ordinates - he was not too far gone, thankfully. He sighed, bracing for the strength that will require him to steer the ship back towards the shore.

"I want to return to the land." He finally confessed. "I cannot endure this any longer. I'm sick of your food and I have no desire for your treasures."

The wind blew louder at first, but then the ocean listened, and sent its heavy reply in a flash of lightning:

"I see where you are." The thunder rumbled throughout the ship. "I will aid you. I will rein in my mountainous waves and silence my raging storm. I will blow a gentle breeze into your sails, and disperse the fog so you could reach the shore smoothly and see the lighthouse clearly. No harm shall ever come to you."

The sailor squinted as the second lightning flashed, one that was too bright to be merely electric, no sound followed it. As the rocking of the ship gradually eased, he could now grip onto his medical equipment properly, which helped ease his pain for the moment. He would have gone home one way or another, but as he finally sank into his chair and closed his eyes, all he could feel was relief and the promise of brighter days to come.

He heard the call of seagulls - was it all just a dream?