Deep love - A Short story by Blythe Aimson
The howling wind whipped around her frail form. The seaweed caught on her long silk robes. The rocks cut and scratched her elegant feet. The sea spray wet her face and tangled her hair. She stared out to sea. She was waiting for him. And he wasn't there when he said he would be. Was he? She waited till the gulls screeched and the cold, harsh, sun rose. She waited till the moon came again and the wolves in the mountains howled. She waited till her despairing mother and sisters came and tried to give her breakfast and worriedly tried to force the morsels through her frozen blue lips. She waited till her clothes were tatters of black fabric, streaming in the cruel sea gales, till the sand came up past her ankles seaweed grew from her icy legs.
'' He's stolen her soul'', wept the girls terrified mother.
'' She's going to die, isn't she?'' said the youngest sister.
'' She's pining away '' sighed the romantic sister.
''Isn't there any thing we can do?'' asked the hopeful sister.
'' I think there might be'' stated the down-to-earth sister, emotionlessly, though she was devastated by her the 'loss' of her sister.
''Really!'' they all cried and even the down-to-earth sister looked hopeful. The sisters went outside and wrapped a blanket around the girl. They gently pulled their sister away from the sea.
''No, don't, he'll come…'' the girl whispered.
'' Come inside, sister, we'll get you food and water and your bed has clean, warm sheets. You'll be okay''
Back inside the girls mother looked through her mothers old books, which she had to hide from the ordinary people of the town, because no one could know they where witches. Not wicked witches, harmless herbalists, living a serene life off the land. But there was nothing. Nothing. Nothing at all. What could they do now? They had all been depending on the books for some sort of information. The sisters came back into the house with the girl.
''What have you found?'' Said the down-to-earth sister.
'' Nothing '' said the mother; so distraught she didn't care any more. They cried. They just sat and cried for hours and hours.
Thousands of miles under the sea's surface he was thinking about her. The cold water surrounded him and he wished she was with him. The darkness clouded his vision. Love clouded his judgment. He was confused. He didn't know why he didn't meet her. Something had pulled him back, but he didn't know what. He felt her heart; he could feel the pain and loneliness. He could tell she was cross and upset and … had almost given up on him …he had betrayed her…
He had to see her. He rose to the surface of the water. She should still have been waiting for him, but she wasn't. He pulled himself forward, dragging his tail across the sharp rocks, piercing his scales, tearing the delicate fin, he was breathing shakily because hadn't used his lungs for so long, but he didn't care as long as he could get to her. He had to apologize. He could tell she'd been here, but he couldn't quite tell where she was at the moment… Wait he could see it her now, lying on a rough wooden bed, with coarse woolen blankets, surrounded by weeping sisters, all of them resembled her, but weren't any where near as pretty as her.
And there it was, the house, just at the end of the pebble beach. He slowly dragged himself up to the door, and swung his tail underneath himself (and sat on what would have been his feet if he had legs) and knocked. At first nothing happen, so he knocked again, harder, and could hear someone coming. The door opened. Her mother was standing there. She looked horrified.
''Mother, what is it?'' asked the youngest sister. '' He's here'' whispered the mother.
''Oh.'' Said the youngest, dazed by the strange figure sitting on the doormat. She crept back in to her sisters room to tell the others, but just as she entered the room, she heard him say:
'' Where is she? Please, I need to she her.''
''But, but, b, b, b, but you, you're… '' She turned round to face her sisters. ''What is it?'' cautiously asked the down-to-earth sister.
''He's here!'' Whispered the youngest.
''Oh, how wonderful and romantic…''muttered the romantic sister, until she was interrupted by the down-to-earth sister.
''No it's not. He'll take her away and we'll never see her again!''
''But look on the bright side'' said the hopeful sister…
''What bright side?'' muttered the down-to-earth sister.
''Excuse me. Like I was saying, look at the bright side, at least one of us has already found true love so strong it can draw a merman from the depths of the ocean!''
''Like I said'' boasted the romantic sister, then felt terrible for nasty to her sisters.
''Sorry'' she muttered, embarrassed.
''It's okay'' chorused the sisters, including the girl in bed, who was now sitting and smiling at her sisters.
'' Why do you all look so worried?'' she said, puzzled, but still smiling at her sisters.
''You're awake '' whispered the youngest sister. ''MUM, SHE'S AWAKE!''
''Don't shout, I've got a headache'' She said, wincing at the pain.
''Sorry'' said the youngest sister meekly.
''You don't have to apologize to me about it, now can you help me out of bed, I want to see mother."
''Erm, you can't really see her right now, she's talking to some one.''
''Who?'' She asked, and then whispered ''it's not the Reverend, is it?''
''Him.'' Replied the down-to-earth sister' still cross and worried she might never see her sister again, though she wasn't about to let the others know that (after all she was supposed to be the down-to-earth sister).
''I've got to see him then,'' she got shakily out of bed, and almost collapsed, but her sisters caught her, she begged
''please, I need to see him, please help me.'' The sisters all looked at each other, and started to support their sister, who had already started to walk towards the door.
''Thank you.''
TO BE CONTINUED