When the dust cleared, the shark king was gone, covered by the debris from the enclosure and then sucked into the earth as it split from the force of the crash. Nothing was left of the prison except a part of the large rock that the princess had often sat on, though it no longer penetrated the surface above and had mostly disappeared into the ground, with just the top part peeking out. There was no longer any trace of the dark king and his dark prison.
The princess dropped to the ground, out of breath, and returned her gaze to the perfect sphere of light in the night sky. She could see every crack, crevice, and marking on the enormous ball; it sparkled and glimmered like a diamond. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she took in the moment.
All the pain and suffering that had occurred had just ended with the shark king’s death. The ocean water was still moving, and the plant life glowed all around the princess. She stared up at the breathtaking sight, then closed her eyes as the wind touched her wet cheeks. Her friend in the sky was singing a beautiful melody that warmed her to the core.
Finally, she moved over to the gray-eyed general, whose body remained in the same place. She kneeled over him, staring at his lifeless body, which shone from the light above. Tears poured from her eyes, and she placed her head on his chest.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Suddenly, the light sphere’s melody stopped, and the world froze. The princess was instantly in a different place altogether—or at least it appeared to be. She could no longer see her own body, the general, the glowing plant life, or any of her previous surroundings. This place was vibrant and vivid with colors and energy vibrations that flashed around her. It was something she’d only read about as a little girl in her family’s vast library—the universe itself, with billions of stars and planets with many suns and many moons. She saw life playing out everywhere, creating so much energy. What was happening? Whatever it was, it was exquisite.
“My dear,” boomed her friend’s voice all around her. “You have succeeded—you have sparked the light in all life, and you have sparked the light in me! What you see all around you is what you created by opening your heart. In your darkest moment, you somehow reached deep inside yourself to find what is always there, withstanding the tests of time and evil: unconditional love. You loved this creature despite who he was and what he did to you and your people. To see the best in someone even when that person can’t, to believe in the light even when you are in the dark, to believe in unconditional love—this is the greatest weapon in the universe. Neither love nor light can be defeated, and love is light. Wars, famine, hate, envy, and anger—these things are temporary. They feed fear, and fear is the fuel for darkness. The moment you and the gray-eyed shark sang out to me in unconditional love, you banished fear from your hearts forever! You have reminded the world of a power that cannot be contained.”
As her friend spoke, images of many creatures celebrating in all parts of the world flashed into her mind’s eye, sent to her by the surrounding energy. She saw that all of the shark king’s crystals had been destroyed, and then she saw her mother, singing with the kingdom. The princess’s heart exploded with joy at the sight of her mother, and she wanted to celebrate, but she still grieved the death of the gray-eyed general.
“You and I are connected forever now, Princess,” continued the sphere’s voice. “You helped wake me to my higher purpose, and I thank you for that. I have found my voice, and I will sing for the rest of my days. You will know I am singing, because your calm waters will forever be moved by the energies of my melodies. As a token of my appreciation, I would like to give you something.”
The booming voice faded, and a blast of light flashed. When the light dimmed, there stood her father with the universe glowing behind him. The princess couldn’t believe her eyes—here he was, full bodied, looking more powerful and vibrant than she’d ever seen him.
“Father!” she cried and, once again able to feel her body, rushed into his arms and pressed her face against his chest. She’d watched him die, but now he was holding her in his powerful arms.
“My daughter.” His voice was electrifying. “I am so proud of you and what you have done here. I’m sorry I had to leave you the way I did, but I have been shown by the universe that it was necessary. I have been and will always be proud of you, my love. Your mother and I knew from the moment you were conceived that you were special and that you were meant for important deeds. The love in your heart is more powerful than either of us could have imagined. I need you to be strong and lead the kingdom. You are the rightful ruler, and you have the power to change everything around you.”
An image of the glowing plant life flashed before the princess’s eyes, and she felt immense energy behind every word her father spoke to her. She wanted desperately to ask him a million questions and never let go of him. She knew he was right. She’d felt all her life, even at a very young age, that she was different.
“Be the light, my child,” her father continued. As he spoke, she looked into his beautiful eyes and could see the whole universe looking back. “If you do this, you will be fine for the rest of your days. When you look up in the sky toward this beautiful ball of light, remember that I am with your friend and with all of the universe. When it sings and the water moves, know that I am in those waves crashing up and down and all around. Know that I am in the stars and the sun and the flowers on the ground. I am in every creature, and I am in you. There will be other attempts to block out the light, but you know the truth, and you know what to do. And know that when your time is up in this physical reality, I will be right there to greet you in the next one. I love you. Be happy, my child. Be love.”
He kissed her gently on the forehead, smiled at her, and faded away into the swirling energies all around her. She smiled with tears in her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said to the sphere.
“One more thing,” said the loud voice. “The universe thanks you too. Your father said it perfectly—be love, my dear, and be happy. You will have moments in your life when it may be difficult to remember this message, but it is the truth. Love is the truth. We will always be with you. Thank you for helping me find my voice. Thank you for helping me be love.”
Everything around the princess began to vibrate and glow more than ever. She closed her eyes against the brightness.
“Go sing,” said her friend’s voice as it faded away. When she opened her eyes, everything was back to the way it had been.
She lifted her head from the general’s chest and gasped—his beautiful gray eyes, now glinting with a hint of radiant blue, gazed at her.
“You’re—” she stammered. “But how?”
He smiled gently, slowly sitting up.
“The universe,” he said softly. “I saw everything—my family, your brightly lit friend, your father, the love. I’m not sure why the universe gave me another chance, but I do know I won’t waste it. I’ll use it wisely. And I know one thing for sure: I will love you with everything I have—if you will allow it.”
She stared into his eyes, instantly comforted by his words. Though she didn’t know how it was possible, this—a second chance with her sweetheart—was the greatest gift the universe could give her. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. He squeezed back, wrapping her tighter in his arms, and her heart smiled.
She leaned toward his ear and whispered, “Of course I will allow it. I will love you forever.”
Above them, the sphere of light looked on as their two energies danced in pure love to its melody in the atmosphere.
Chapter 22
Home
Word traveled quickly about the shark king’s defeat and the princess’s imminent return, and the queen was so happy to hear the news and anxious to see her daughter again. She resumed control of her palace, and it wasn’t long before the old way of life burst forth once more. Everyone was singing again. Many of the dark kingdom’s soldiers broke down at the sight of the full sphere and rejoined the light kingdom, while
others, such as the third-in-command, fled. The queen, feeling pity for them, had no desire to pursue them and hoped they found their way to another place and a better life.
One day, she watched from her balcony as the water danced above, along with all the creatures below. The tide and waves had created a new flow in the ocean, and everything, including the creatures, swayed in unison with it now. As she watched, suddenly a bright light flashed before her, and she was unexpectedly transported to the same beautifully vivid place the mermaid princess had witnessed—where she found her husband waiting for her. Startled and shocked, she froze for just a moment and then quickly embraced him, sobbing uncontrollably.
“My love,” she cried out as he held her in his powerful arms.
“Hello, my lovely queen,” he said. “I am so happy to see your face, and I’m sorry I don’t have much time. Our daughter has done it! She has not only defeated the darkness that tried to consume our kingdom but also released a whole new wave of light energy into the universe. We should be quite proud of her.”
“I am.” The queen paused. “I miss you, my love.”
“I know, and I am very sorry I had to leave, but it was in divine order. I am always with you, and we will be together again. Be strong, and advise our daughter as she rules the light kingdom. She is powerful but will always need her mother’s love. I have seen things you cannot even fathom—such impossible things. Our lives are connected, just as we believed, and this message must be spread. Teach creatures to love and be kind to themselves. Teach them that there will always be good and bad and that how they perceive these is what matters most. Teach them to look through eyes of love and to not judge or hate those who don’t know how to do so. Teach them to do for others as they would do for themselves. Show them what it means to be unconditional. And know that whenever you see a crashing wave or a light in the sky or shining stars, I am in all of those things. I am in all of life, and so are you. Live, my queen, and love fiercely. Though it feels long, time is fleeting and has no limits on the universe. Take care of yourself. Remember: darkness cannot exist without light, so if things go badly, do not fear—light is near.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “Thank you for loving me with all you had. I will love you for eternity. Until we meet again.”
He kissed her softly on the lips, and when she opened her eyes, he was gone and she was back on her balcony, staring out at the kingdom.
“I love you,” she whispered, touching her lips. “Until we meet again.”
* * *
When the princess arrived in the kingdom, she was greeted by thousands of creatures, and her mother stood at the front of the crowd. They embraced for quite some time as the crowd cheered all around them.
“Mom, I—” the princess began.
“No need to explain, baby,” the queen said. “Your father told me everything.”
The princess, not surprised to hear this, hugged her mother harder.
“You are our rightful leader, my dear daughter. You will lead us all to love, and I am so very proud of you. And so is your father, who will be with us in spirit every step of the way.” Her mother squeezed her tighter, and the crowd grew louder around them, cheering in celebration.
Suddenly, the princess remembered the gray-eyed shark was standing back, watching her exchange with her mother. She pulled out of her mother’s arms excitedly.
“Mom, I’d like you to meet someone,” she said as she grabbed the shark’s hand gently and pulled him to her.
The gray-eyed shark bowed his head and reached out to kiss the queen’s hand, but before he could, the queen put her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. “Welcome home, my son. We’ve heard how you battled the dark king along with my daughter. Thank you for all you did to help her return home to me. Thank you for loving her. Welcome home.”
The princess’s heart melted, and she joined the hug. The three of them embraced, and the entire crowd around them erupted in cheers. Everyone began to sing and dance, and a celebration of love’s triumph began.
Epilogue
The legend is that the evening the princess and her beau battled the darkness and sang with their friend in the sky was the longest night ever experienced in history. It was the night the world changed forever.
That night, as the full sphere of white light illuminated everything, the large land mass that had till then made up Earth split into different sections and the calm ocean water began to move in sync with the sphere’s song, which it now sings every day, creating tides and waves, as a reminder to the world of the unconditional love it found on that night and will continue to sing until the end of days.
The sphere watched as the princess ruled the newly rebuilt light kingdom and started a family. As years passed, the two friends continued to speak to each other, and the princess always hosted a major celebration when the sphere was fully lit. The princess and her beau told stories about the universe and how the ball of light, which they named “Moon,” helped save the world from darkness.
Occasionally, a hidden crystal was magnetically pulled out of the atmosphere by the sphere’s energy and looked like a star shooting across the sky. The princess had told her children that she’d wished on the final exploding crystal for the darkness to be defeated and that her wish had come true when the prison collapsed on the shark king. So from then on, whenever crystals or stars shot across the night sky, creatures wished upon them.
Over the centuries, the sphere traveled the sky, singing to the earth and occasionally changing its cycles when more hope was needed. It eventually determined the cycle it needed to maintain to feel recharged and refreshed century after century, and the creatures of Earth called the stages of this cycle “moon phases.”
The unlikely friendship of the mermaid and the moon changed the world for the better. In her darkest moment, the princess didn’t give up, and the love energy that she discovered dwells within all creatures saved the day. She simply needed to be reminded of this power.
From this experience, she learned the lessons that guided her rule for the rest of her life: We all have the power of love in our hearts, but we’re surrounded by the power of fear. We must be brave and release the fear. Once we do, we will see the light. We will be free to be entirely ourselves, to love every moment of our lives, and to use our time to create and spread love.
The universe is watching.
Copyright © 2019 by Angiah Harris
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, locations, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2019937650
ISBN: 978-1-948080-89-7
ISBN: 978-1-950906-82-6 (ebook)
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