Ben wore a hat that had Bermuda written across it in fancy cursive. Warren was wearing a green and yellow beanie with fake dreadlocks dangling from it. He swung the fake hair back and forth, singing Bob Marley’s, ‘I Shot the Sheriff.’ Idiot.
We crossed the street—where bikes and scooters where being rented out. Renting two for ourselves, I rode with Ben and Warren rode with GG. We mapped out the nearest beach and set off.
Somerset Long Bay, is what the sign read as we slowed down. Families were gathered around picnic tables in the park area. The grass was green and the tall tree’s provided shade from the heat. While Ben and Warren locked up the scooters, I stood and gazed out, past the sand, the frolicking families and out at the ocean. In some ways I felt as if the water called me, inviting me in and in that way the water didn’t seem a threat. As a matter of fact, the sounds of the colliding waves were like a symphony of the sea and relative to life. As the waves aggressively crashed upon the shore, reaching the breaking point, the intensity of it slowly fizzled out and gently rolled out to sea. And that is how life is, things get tough and when the breaking point is reached, things slowly fizzle out. I archived that thought and continued to be taken by the ocean.
GG grabbed my hand and began walking forward, so I followed. Before we hit the sand a soft wind blew through the picnic area, rustling the trees, rolled through the grass, and whispered, “It is you…” I stopped and glanced behind me at my brother at Ben.
“Did you say something?” They both nodded. My body trembled, my hair stood on edge, and I shook my head and slipped off my flip flops.
The sand was white and stretched for miles. The warmth of the fine sand pushed through my toes. Though it was more hot than warm, my feet were like cracking ice on the sudden heat. I jumped on my tip toes trying in some way to abate the burning of my feet, but eventually I slipped my sandals back on.
Somerset seemed something out of a travel magazine, or off a postcard. With clear water, hunched over palm trees that shaded sporadic parts of the beach, the place was tranquil. Another breeze brushed past my face—I inhaled the salty scent. I couldn’t think of anything else that smelled so fresh and lovely.
We laid the blanket down and GG, Warren and Ben immediately began stripping off their clothes. I just sat and watched. I wasn’t getting in the water. I was close enough to it already.
“You’re not getting in?” Ben asked straight faced and dry. I wondered why he even bothered to speak to me at all. Be nice Eva…
“No. It’s really not my thing.” Adding a smile to make my answer appear sweet. I was done being a mean. I dug in my bag for an apple and a bottle of water.
“So you’re just gonna sit here and watch? By yourself?” The sun rested on his face, accenting the blue in his eyes. They were a light blue, soft and airy as the clouds; his face was relaxed as we stared at each other. He smiled and then looked away. “I hate you Eva, you’re such a jerk.”
“I told you.” Warren chimed in. “Don’t know what you want with her.” He grabbed GG’s hand and they ran down toward the shore.
“Sorry. But you were a jerk first.” I mocked his strained face the first time we met, pretending a barbell was crushing my throat. “I’m not really mean. It’s just the ship the water, my brother and GG.” I nodded my head, “it’s made me a little up tight,” pushing aside my pride, “I really am sorry.” I pulled my knees under my chin and hugged them, staring at the love birds having fun, splashing and wrestling with one another. Maybe that could be me…maybe I would be free of my fear and play fearlessly in the water.
“Did you wear a suit?”
I glanced up at Ben’s prominent chest and then his baby blues. “Yes I did, but I’m not going in the water. I’ll watch the stuff.”
“At least get your feet wet.” He held his hand out to me. I glanced down just catching a wave, then at his hand and nodded my head.
“No thank you.” I lay back with my hands behind my head.
“Well then, I’ll sit with you and keep you company.”
I closed my eyes and just listened for a while. To the laughter, the splashing, rustling leaves as the wind passed through the palm trees…I inhaled a big breath, “so why didn’t you go to NYU, I thought they had a really good law program?” I opened my eyes and Ben had rolled over onto his side, his weight on his left elbow, he was smiling down at me.
“I’ve lived in the city my whole life, I wanted to get out and experience the world, find my way I guess. I mean you only get one shot at life and I want to make the best of it. Well that is what my dad lectured me on when I was looking at schools. Plus California has the best weather and I was never a fan of the snow.” His eyes glowed like coals on a fire—except they glowed blue. “Besides, USC has an awesome sports program, football, basketball etc…it seems it is the best place to be if I want to be in that industry.” He glanced down at the water.
“Couldn’t you just turn yourself into a sports manager? I didn’t know you needed a degree for that.”
“Having a law degree in entertainment, may put me a step ahead of everyone else. Knowing the legality of the business is like a bonus. Not only could I manage, I can also be their legal advisor. Seems smart right?” He was still staring down at the water, “and your brother is gonna be my first client.” He smiled. Roman Nose had nice straight, white teeth, with a perfect smile.
“Were your parents mad that you wanted to move so far away?”
“Yeah, mostly my mom was. She’s kind of sensitive and weird.” He laughed, pensive in his gaze. “She thought I wanted to get away from them when I just wanted to try living on my own. My dad was fine of course.”
“My mom and dad are that way. My dad is more of the worry wart than my mom. He doesn’t want me moving out. My mom is just trying to play friend with me, so she pretends to understand. I’d just like to live on my own, like you.” Our eyes locked for a minute and I felt it, that sensation when your soul presents itself to another. A connection, I felt us connecting as his blue waves washed over me. Uncomfortable with my vulnerability I turned away. “What about your friends? Don’t you miss them?”
“I keep in touch. They all went off to school too, so I get to see them when I go home for break.”
“What about siblings?”
“I’m the only child. Guess that’s why my mom was so weepy.” He shrugged.
“What’s your nationality?” His left eyebrow shot up and he chuckled.
“Italian, Ben De Luca.”
“Oh yeah.”
“You’re asking a lot of questions.” His smile broadened. I thought a twinkle would have been perfect at the moment had this been a toothpaste commercial. The fluster in my stomach, forced a smile on my face. “Almost like you may be interested in me?” His eyes widened and his smile was still wide and glued to his face. I just ignored the question, sounded more rhetorical anyway.
“What is it about California that you like, besides the weather?”
“Pretty girls like you.” My smile dropped, his eyes dimmed and then I burst out into laughter.
“That was so lame.” I said.
“I know, I wanted to make you laugh.” He reached out to touch my face and I smacked his hand away, still laughing softly.
“I want to get my feet wet. But that’s it.”
Ben jumped up, his hands held out to me. I took both without hesitation. “You want to strip down to your suit?” He asked while his eyebrows danced up and down.
“Ben…” I gave him a warning glance and suppressed a chuckle.
We were almost to the water, when I wound my other arm around his left, pushing my face into his ribs. I had to focus on breathing to keep myself from hyperventilating.
“Okay. Just wait, please.”
“Eva, it’s okay, we won’t go any deeper than our knees. I’ll hold your hand, just relax.”
“Knees? No, just feet okay?” I closed my eyes, taking slow deep breaths and allowed him to lead.
“Okay.”<
br />
When the first brush of warm water swept over my feet, I almost jumped out of my skin.
“I can do this.” I whispered.
“You’re doing fine. Just take it easy. I’m gonna pull you down so that you can sit, okay?”
I nodded my head. “I trust you.”
Ben pulled me down to sit just like he said he would. Water rushed over my knees and lapped at my waist. So slowly, I unlocked my right arm from his left, and cautiously placed my hands on either side of myself, mashing them into the wet sand—anchoring them into the earth.
“Open your eyes.” My heart raced. I felt myself getting excited.
“Wait. I need to breathe.”
“Just open your eyes before you change your mind.” I did and took in the endless scene of blue. There were sail boats further out drifting on the water as if time did not exist. People were out on these large and long yellow banana type floats, and boogie boards. I glanced over to my right and saw a little girl in a pink bathing suit chasing a boy around—swinging her green shovel at the boy whenever she caught up. The boy finally did the evil thing and ran through her clumsily built sand castle. That was the end of the chase because the mother of the two began barking commands and the fight ended in tears from both children. Reminded me of Warren and I.
I returned my attention to Ben and said; Thank you.” Breathing out a gust of air. My back was rigid, and it took a couple more breaths for me to really relax.
“It’s not so bad is it?”
“No.”
“Do you know how to swim?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, my dad taught me before the trip. It was kind of a prerequisite for the cruise. My mom wouldn’t approve if I didn’t learn.”
“Well then just think of the ocean as an enormous pool.”
“A pool is a controlled body of water, whereas the ocean is uncontrolled and unpredictable with large, very large sea life…animals, predators and wild waves.”
“Okay.” Ben chuckled softly, “relax you’re right. But I won’t let anything happen to you.” He pulled my anchored hand from the sand and locked his fingers with mine. I looked down at our interlocked hands and pried mine free.
“This is so silly. I’m 19 and afraid of water, the beach, the most relaxing place on the planet.”
“We all fear something. It’s a part of life. It’s just some of us find away around it or meet it head on, or don’t address it at all. You’re meeting it head on.”
“What do you fear?”
“Promise not to laugh when I tell you this. Pinky swear?” Ben held out his pinky, and I rolled my eyes, laughing as I wrapped my pinky around his. “Santa Claus.”
“Santa Claus?”
“Santa Claus. Think about it, fat white man with a pink nose and cheeks and a long white beard in a red suit, and that laugh, ‘Ho! Ho! Ho!’ He comes in your house while you’re sleeping? He knows when you’re awake? That doesn’t sound a little suspicious to you? Signs of a stalker and maybe even a pedophile if you ask me. Every photo of me with Santa is of me squirming and crying on his lap.” His head dropped and his cheeks flushed.
“Ben…I don’t know if you know this but…there is no such thing as Santa Claus. You do know that?”
“Yeah I know. He always gave me the creeps.” He pursed his lips, then nodded. “See your fear makes more sense than mine. Why do you fear water?”
I told him the story without reliving it. I was six years old. It was our first trip to the beach for the summer. It was tradition. We spent as much time at the beach as we could during the summer. My mother and I were in the water, splashing and playing around, going under water and then popping back up to scare my father—he was at the shore with Warren. To tease my dad, my mom thought it would be fun to go a little deeper into the water, to make him sweat—the water was just above my mother’s knees, so we went further till it reached her waist. He was always so brave and relaxed and sure, in control of everything. To see his two favorite girls toying with danger drove him nuts.
Vivian took a few steps deeper. Only a few steps…we waved at Daddy, and laughed. Mom looked at me and said, ‘Look at Daddy, he is so upset. We don’t want to kill him Baby, let’s go play with your brother.’ Just then Robert began shouting and pointing, we didn’t understand it, at least I couldn’t. Mom shouted, ‘Robert! I can’t hear you! We’re coming back, relax!’ I glanced down at my mother’s waist and saw the water had pulled back, I still didn’t understand. And then that’s when it happened, a wave, a big wave came crashing down over us, ripping me from my mother’s hip.
I was so afraid, flailing my arms, yelling even though water filled my mouth. My eyes were open but all I could see was water, I didn’t know which way was up, I kicked my legs, trying to follow the light, I couldn’t breathe. Everything in my mind began to dim, and I began to choke. My legs wouldn’t move, no matter how bad I thought them to.
And then suddenly I was coughing up water and I remember seeing my dad’s face—serious, and militant, yelling at me to open my eyes.
“And that is it, that’s why I’m afraid.’
“That was intense…so your dad he was the one who pulled you out?”
“Yes…”
“Where were the Lifeguards?”
“My Dad’s an ex-Navy Seal. His training is a little more extensive than a lifeguard. But they were there.”
We sat silently after that and spent another hour and a half in the water and then headed back to the ship to dress for dinner.
Hanan
Chapter 6
Meanwhile far and deep below…
Hanan
This was my prayer before I consulted the stone. I needed a way, a miracle. And it happened. Adonai heard my prayer and answered me. He showed me a way to the throne. I would rule over Tahirah, my reign would fall soon, again.
My future showed through the stone, and I saw her, falling from grace, falling deep, falling to her…death. My finger trailed her vanishing body. And there I was going after her—glowing, the glory of Him all around me.
Desperate for life, she reappeared and reached for me...and then demons of the water, the nishant. “No!” My fist slammed into the stone.
“Aella!” My voice carried throughout the cave—bouncing off the walls repeating my call.
“Yes Lord?”
“Give me the Bones.” Coral bones helped me see further.
“What is it Lord?”
“There is something…I think this is The Prophecy of Adonai…”
“Three princes, one crowned king, one king banished, one deceiver crowned, Earth shall come, one fertile womb, the curse shall fall void.” I wish I could go into the room, and read the words of Adonai—they’re written on the walls, that was where my father would teach us—the only place where you could read His words.
“Yes. I didn’t know that I would be…look, there.” I pointed at one of the bodies on the stone.
“That demon…I know his face.” She pointed to one of the nishant. “My brother.” He, like all the rebels, wore a dark line down the middle of his face, dividing good and evil. The right side was completely blacked out, it was symbolic of the life they choose, evil, good was void. Aella threw the bones onto the stone and I spread the white pieces out onto the smooth black surface.
Before the stone began its work, I saw my reflection and cursed the sight of my brothers.
The stone lit up brilliant, as the truth spilled forth.
Aella’s black hair swept past my shoulder as she gazed into the future unraveling before us…
“Do you see?” I asked her. She could confirm the fear aching in my heart.
“The nishant, they attack the surface.”
“Yes, and her. She is…”
“Earth.” She gripped my shoulder, as she inhaled holding her breath for a moment. “Hanan, if this is to work, if this is the prophecy, how will we keep her alive? She is earth.”
“I don’t know Aella. But I’ve seen the future. You see it he
re in the stone of Adonai.” A way would be made.
“Should I prepare a sacrifice?” She was already walking away, already ahead of my own thoughts. I turned to see her just before she stepped into the shadow of the passageway. Her eyes were bright with joy.
“Yes, that may help. Do we have any great? I will need a great for this sacrifice.”
“We have one.” Her voice echoed in the shadow.
“Go out and get another, I will offer up two.” I must keep Adonai’s grace.
“Yes Lord.”
“Be quick, I must do this by nights end. The attack is in two moons.”
The nishant…a pack of thieves and heartless killers, demons. Often attacking the sea beasts, surface creatures live on. They are self-seeking and led by the predator, and the vile Kosey, sea sorcerer and leader of the Power of the Seven.
They have been known to surface, though the law forbids it. They risk the lives of my people for treasure—strangely going unpunished for their actions, but I’ve always suspected Aarif and Minkah—my brothers—were in some way in alliance with Kosey and his thieves. They care nothing for the law…if Chike were living he would divest my brothers of their royalty.
Chike left me the throne, my brothers were to aide me in my rule, but slowly, quietly, they turned against me—seeking to kill me. But they failed, because I fled before they could end my life. Adonai forsook their evil plot, warning me in my rest. I could have fought for my kingdom, but together my brothers would have brought me down and killed me. My death would mean the death of the Mer of Tahirah. And what good would I have been, the dead are powerless. So I banished myself, and have waited in silence for my chance to reign again.
I and Aella, my only friend and servant have lived in the Wasteland—today marks our hundredth year—they have never thought to look for me here, no sea king would ever live in such a place. The dead are cast in the Wasteland to rest—souls lost to time or evil are given over to the God Adonai. And since I am rumored to have died, this place, the Wasteland, was the best place for me to live out my death.
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