The Ocean
A flash fiction lover's tale
Hi reader, I was busy and had a meeting at a beach restaurant, so I wrote this. I hope you like it.
Kind wishes, Kate.
As I rose from a deep, contented sleep, the gentle, sloshing sound of a calm ocean soothed my mind. Water reached close enough to my toes that I smelled every vibrant, salty wave as it lapped across golden sands, drawing ever closer with each surge.
I stared at wispy, transparent clouds streaking across a red morning sky full of hope and promise. As I remembered my maiden’s night, I grinned and giggled, clutching my stomach where his seed swam freely.
My heart felt light, and my mood bubbled happily like a summer’s creek singing joyously across a stony, sandy bottom.
I felt happy; no, it was more than that - joy surged through me like the laughter of a hundred children playing innocently on a summer’s day in a woodland park.
I felt ecstatic.
I was about to be free.
I raised onto my elbows and enjoyed the sun dancing on my toes, trying but failing to warm me. The vast ocean grounded me, and I felt that this morning signaled the day my new, forever life would begin.
I lay back down, giggled, and reached a hand sideways to my lover, raking the sand with my fingertips to find him - but he wasn’t close by.
My heart skipped a few beats, and fear sliced its awful, jagged blade through my gut as I considered the worst possible fate. I closed my eyes tightly, and sand ground into my skin when I rolled sideways to see him.
My heart sank further when I opened my eyes because he wasn’t there.
“Damn.”
Stephen had left me.
And we made such fine love before I fell asleep in his arms on the beach.
I cried like a child, alone, lost, praying for my salvation. I glanced hopefully in every direction and saw early morning dog walkers throwing balls, a man setting up faded green and red striped sun loungers, and an old lady throwing bread scraps above her head for the gulls who laughed at me.
My one true love had spurned and abandoned me on the beach.
I stood and dressed quickly, pulling on a faded pink T-shirt, wriggling into my white denim skirt, noting my panties were soaked and sticky. That was Stephen; his seed was all I had left of him.
I cried again, a hearty sob, my bottom lip curled downwards, my shoulders jerking, tears rolling down my cheeks.
But I was no loser, despite losing true love, so I wiped away my tears and composed myself.
With my palms planted squarely on my hips, I stared defiantly at the ocean, sad that something so immense to me did nothing to help. It was time for me to return. I had only two hours before my form would change, and my father, Neptune, would bathe me in his life-giving salty tincture for another day.
But I was cross with him. My father assured me this man and lover would be mine this time.
“What have you to say for yourself, father?”
Neptune was silent.
After we made love and Stephen’s warm seed was decanted inside me, it would have taken one kiss from my true love at sunrise to complete my transformation.
Yesterday was supposed to be my last living in the deep, singing siren songs with my sisters while bathing on nearby rocks. True love would make a new home for me on dry land, but alas, Stephen had vanished, as I must soon, returning to the dark, deep, lonely place where I was born.
I whispered, knowing my father would hear my words, carried on a light breeze, echoing through the bubbling surf to catch his ear.
“I lost, father… a lover has forsaken me. My heart is in tatters. When will it end? When will I find love?”
“Are you okay, Ariel?”
I spun around, daring to believe, my heart soaring, a smile breaking from ear to ear. My knees buckled, and I clasped a hand over my mouth, stifling my emotions.
“Stephen. You came back for me.”
“Of course - I was only gone five minutes. Enough time to fetch you coffee.”
My lover looked deeply confused.
He raised a steaming cup, beaming, his expression effervescent with love, bringing joy to my heart, expunging all darkness and despair. I stepped forward and linked my arm with his, drawing my lover closer to the water and pointing at the stunning sunrise.
“Isn’t it a beautiful morning, Stephen?”
“Yes, but that is nothing compared with you, Ariel. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He stared into my eyes, and I knew Stephen was the one. I knew it last night when I gave a gift to my first man, praying he would be my last.
“May I kiss you, please, Ariel?”
“Of course, darling.”
Stephen’s lips seared against mine, and I tingled from head to toe, transforming, the sun warming me properly for the first time. The ocean calmed utterly, like a mill pond, and my father released me into the arms of a good, kind man.
When Stephen’s lips detached from mine, I stared out into the ocean, smiling.
Thank you, Father.
Very nice - and I can think of far worse places to have a meeting!
What a delightful tale. It was a good morning story to wake up with and HEA ending. Thanks Kate, you never disappoint!