Zodiac Story

Into The Murky Sea Green Depths We Dive Part 1

They always told her to be wary of the ocean, of the two great seas that surrounded her homeland. For most of her childhood, she regarded the sea with an aura of mystery and reverence. She knew about the dangers of drowning beneath the waves, and of swimming too far out. The sea called out to her regardless of the warnings passed from parent to child, ancestor to descendant. It was a strange life, she knew, but she could not accept any other form of existence.

When she first entered the sea, it was out of boredom. Something about the mundanity of life, or was it the couscous she had that day? The moment she stepped into the sea, it was as if she had found a purpose in her life. She knew that most people found their purpose later in life, yet she wanted that purpose now. Thinking back on it, it must have been that childish instinct to have everything right then and there. That explained it well enough. That cerebral purpose entered her mind the moment her knees were submerged in the water. Its intent strengthened and moulded itself in her mind as she released herself from the soft wet sand. As her hair streamed around her, she found a watery world waiting beneath her. She wanted to explore longer, and so she returned time and time again. Soon, her mama found out and reluctantly explained everything, especially about Baba.

Now, her bare feet wriggled into the warm sand. She hated shoes. They were uncomfortable, and she felt a tingling sensation when she wore them that itched and numbed her. Here, she didn't have to wear shoes. The green waves reached as far inland as where her hair trailed off. The ocean was green, a rich green that she would observe in faraway pictures of similarly faraway places. She had no desire to travel the world, only to explore the sea's depths to her heart's desire. The sea, ever the fickle one, had become more fickle and capricious over the years. Calamities birthed from its depths had devastated the coastlines of many countries that bordered it. The ocean too had become treacherous, driving sailors and pilots alike to familiar haunts, away from the chaos of an open ocean. It was different in her dreams, the sky a darkly hued violet and as peaceful as the gentle waves underneath her, just as she made them.

She stood up, just as the waves rushed in and receded just as quickly. The footprints she left behind were small but sturdy, every step measured and controlled. Her feet picked up more and more, and soon she was swept into the rhythm of the sea, those pounding waves and the call of a long lost heart. A dancer's body, they told her, a dancer's body fit for the movement of the drums, a shikha's body with hips and feet to shuffle, a shikha for the rolling waves and the tumultuous tides.

One day, something else called. In a trance, she followed its desperate calls and into the depths she dove. Through the seaweed and the darting schools of fish, she found it. It fit into the palm of her hand and seemed to be lost. They were both lost, so she stayed there with it. Everyone wanted companionship, she thought, so she gave it her friendship and time. In return, it gave her abilities beyond her dreams.

When they pulled her out of the water, it had been five hours since she had been swept away into the sea's embrace.

She had been young when the Calamity hit the shores, sweeping away many, including the man who would have been her baba. If a Calamity hit again, a Calamity brutal enough to end the world in a swift and decisive stroke, would she embrace it like the sea embraced her all those years ago? She had always thought that her purpose was clear. Now, the amulet she held in her hand had given her more to think about.

Here was her home. Her home was torn apart by a Calamity bringing waves the size of which she could not fathom, dragging hapless animals and people into its hungry maw. There were bodies broken upon the sand. Whether she knew them, she refused to ascertain. The tainted knowledge would only have burdened her steps more. She walked slowly, looking for signs of life. Somewhere in her heart of hearts, she knew that there were none here, and none anywhere else no matter how far she walked or swam. Farther away, the great shadow of a cargo ship run aground created a foreboding atmosphere. Splinters of wood were scattered across the beach. The water seeped between her feet, reaching further than it should have been. In this desolate landscape, the wind tore at her face, wild and free. The choppy waves forbade passage to her, so she was stuck amidst the ruined coastline. Her amulet trilled in her hand. She carried all of the dashed hopes and unrealised dreams of this world, but she wished that she never did.