John made his way down to the sea,
moon overhead. The way from the small cottage he shared with
his mother was a path he traveled every day. Different this
time was the object he carried in his hand, a large black
pearl encased in ornate gold framework. It weighed heavy as
other things did in his mind.
Johny,
I'll be gone soon.
His eyes were wet. His
heart felt dry, chapped. It must crack a little with each
step down to the beach, John thought.
Your
father's family and mine have a long history of those who
go about things different. I knew, my lovely son, since
you were a wee thing that the ways of most men would not be
for you.
The breeze from the sea was
missing. It did not whip his blond locks as it usually did
nor did it try to dry his eyes. It made no attempt to
sting as his heart felt. A few clouds dotted the sky
much as the thoughts in his head plagued him. The waves
crashed and grew louder as he neared the beach.
My sister
was such. She gave me this while I was full with you.
John tightened his grip on
the pearl.
She made
me promise to give this charm, she called it, to the child I
carried when old enough should he or she be like her.
He reached the shore. The
waves were not high as he imagined. They appeared
indifferent, morose. Perhaps the mother of the sea died
today.
Her only
instruction was to hold the charm close to your heart before
casting it into the sea.
He unbuttoned several loops
of his once white linen shirt. He pressed the cold pearl
against his chest. Closed his eyes. Tears slid down his
face. He gathered courage, opened his eyes, and looked out
at the dark sea. Before him was murky, a sameness of
nothing. Melancholy bled out from his heart. "I don't know
what this will do." He said to the apathetic waves. "I will
trust my aunt's gift," and through the charm to the sea.
For a long while nothing
happened. John tried to keep his eyes open. He fought not to
succumb to the darkness of sleep even though he wished
everything would go away. He was beyond drained. The day had
been hard. Moments ago after two days in and out of lucidity
she passed. He was unsettled by what she had said.
A cloud passed the moon
obscuring what was before him. A figure rose from the sea
joined by a smaller figure walking in front of it. More
figures on both sides of the pair emerged. It stopped the
others did as well standing in the waves. The smaller one
continued forward as the moon poked out from behind the
cloud. The figures were unlike any people he had ever seen.
They wore strange clothes that concealed nothing. The male
creatures were larger than most of the females in the group.
However, all carried white spears.
John stepped back. The
creature stopped ten paces away from him. It held out its
sharp clawed hand. It had the charm.
John looked up at the
creature's face. Its wide mouth curved up into a smile. He
could not make out its eyes in the low light.
"My clan has known your
clan for many tidal changes." It said with a mouth full of
sharp teeth. Its smile faded. "Your call says you are the
last. This is sad news." It bowed its head.
The large male placed a
hand on the smaller creature's shoulder. "My son was first
to receive your call. Your heart spoke to his." The male waved
his spear at the creatures surrounding them. "We are here to
welcome you and free your mother to swim above the great
waters."
The thing said his family
is known to the creatures. John willed himself to not lose
consciousness. If they were his friends, then he wasn't
alone even if they lived in the sea. "Why did I not know
about you until now?"
The male's son replied. "In
darkness our alliance is kept to protect yours and ours." It
smiled again and stepped forward. It offered its hand to
John. "Alliance?"
John accepted the offered
hand, claws and all. "Alliance." There was no shake, just
hands held and a toothy smile. John lowered his eyes.
"Go to your mother?" It
said. A look of concern on its face.
"What will you do with
her?" He looked at the talon hand he had just held.
"We free her in fire as
your people did in the past."
Its father direct the other
creatures to gather beach wood. John nodded his head. He
looked back to be sure it understood him. It nodded its head
in return.
The son waved two females
over and looked back at him. "Shall we?"
-<|>-
John's life changed more
than he could have believed after meeting his friends, or at
least one particular friend from the sea. He learned the
smaller creature, which was his height, had a name, Esh-Na
Son of Grosh et Wroga. John shorten it to Esh.
Esh set the ward stones
around them on the beach. It will appear no one was there
once he's finished even with the strong afternoon sun
bearing down. They have been doing this for a
while, holding one another, talking. Both somehow knew
the other was not ready to do anything more intimate.
Over the weeks he
understood his new friend was not a thing nor a creature but
a young man much like himself, who was caring and who joined
him now on his quilt on the beach. Esh laid on his side
facing John. When one smiled the other smiled in return. No
one spoke. Each enjoyed the simple company of the other.
John gazed for a while at the swirling patterns of creme and golden sands that formed the unusual clothe Esh wore. The sand felt connected like the trick his school teacher showed the class last year with magnets. When he pressed down on them they gave a little but never broke apart.
Esh studied John's bright
blue eyes following the sand patterns he wore.
"You still haven't told me
how you do this." John said while pulling an edge of the
moving sand up.
"Do you wish to wear this
or maybe no covering?" Esh smiled.
John frowned, cheeks turned
red. "My body is not as well formed as yours."
Esh growled. "No. You are
very attractive." He then made several small hisses. John
learned that was a laugh. The hissing made him smile. "You
attracting several of the clan is not a position either
of us is ready for."
John pushed Esh's arm. They
laughed.
Esh passed a hand over his
moving sand, it collected into a ball he sat to the side of
the quilt. His body though not human was the form of a
healthy man. From his muscular chest to his lower stomach
his skin was pure white that darkened to marbleized grays on
his arms, back, and legs. John was still uncomfortable about
the area of Esh's groining. He tried not to pay much
attention to it. Esh's skin was smooth, and thicker than a
person's. If his skin got too dry, he would magic a light
mist from the sea.
Esh caught John's eye
darting away. He hissed a little. "We share a place on the
sands for many sun sets and hold the other, still a part of
me makes you shy." He held out his arm. "Lay with me."
John shrugged, took off his
shirt. He laid his head on his friend's chest. Esh draped an
arm over him. John inhaled Esh's scent of salt and sand.
Esh began to sing. A reed
like sound produced by a pouch that expands under his chin.
John recalled hearing a base and alto recorder once at
the village tavern. The sound was much the same but lighter.
His songs were much like the swirls that made up Esh's
moving sands or the intricate veining grays on his arms. One
low melody was soon joined by one higher pitched, each
weaved around the other.
The song stopped. A hand
moved to John's lower back. "I want to show you something.
We will need to stand for this."
"Oh, ok." John replied. Hi
voice was grumpy.
Esh hissed. "This will not
take long. You'll be back asleep on me soon."
"Ok." Still grumpy.
Esh helped John up. Stood
him an arm's length away. "It has always been with our
people and yours is for each to become accustomed to the
other as we are."
One moment Esh was as he
always appeared the next he had light blue shoulder length
hair, brilliant green eyes, and human.
"We will walk the land
together, and when we reach the point to share love through
our bodies, we will swim the deep together."
Esh held out his hand. John
embraced him. They settled back to how they were,
John on Esh.
A melody soon began and as
promised John returned adrift in sleep.
-<|>-
"John." Esh's human hand grazed
John's cheek.
"Hm." His voice low from sleep.
"We will have a visitor soon." Esh
said.
"Who?" Less sleep in his voice.
"My father." Esh's hand now rested on
John's shoulder.
John tensed.
"Don't worry. There is no need to
move. I wanted to prepare you. Father favors a way to the
land that might startle you."
"What..." Just as John was about to ask
a man shot from the sea, bone spear in hand. He landed on
his feet. The ground vibrated from the impact.
Esh motioned his father, Grosh, it
was ok to approach.
Grosh was taller than a full grown
man, thicker too. The moving sand about his midsection
allowed an impressive endowment free reign to sway
with his thick legs. Will Esh when he reaches his full
adult height will he be much like Grosh? John's mouth went
dry.
"Son and his mate, greetings." Grosh
said. He smiled at his son and John.
"Welcome, father. Do you wish to join
my song or rest in the sun?"
Grosh showed teeth with his smile. "I
travel across the open waters to meet our cousins. Does your
mate bare a bonding sleeve?"
"We are doing well farther. Perhaps
we can join you on your next long journey." Esh smiled at
his father.
"Son, it would please me much to have
you and yours beside me. I am proud both of you are not
swimming before you are ready."
Embarrassed, John hid his face on
Esh's shoulder. Esh hissed.
"We will take as much time as needed
before entering the waves as lovers."
"That is good." Grosh said and
returned to the sea.
Time passed, and the sun sat.
"Esh, did you know this whole time
we might fall in love?" John whispered in Esh's ear.
"Your call that first night spoke to
my heart, and I knew my mate waited for me by the deep". Esh
kissed John on the top of his head.
John smiled. Tears threatened to fall, caused by a full heart.