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Chapter 6
Saturday, March 14, 2009 @ 8:15 PM
6. Changes“The key to change... is to let go of fear.”
I never believed in love at first sight, not till I met him.
My first time surfing was exhilarating. It was also the first time I set eyes on him. He had a well sculpted figure, lean and tanned. His hair was bleached, a blend of blonde and golden brown. His eyes were the colour of emeralds, unwavering and filled with purpose. The wave came then. Jaw set tightly, he soared up mightily. I had been astonished and astounded. How a human could be so coordinated and beautiful in water was beyond me. I was deeply mersmerized.
The attraction was like the north and south poles of a magnet. He, the fish. Me, the seagull. The pull was annoyingly irresistible. I knew then, that I had unknowingly, fell in love with a human.
***
We sat in the cafeteria, as still as statues. The world appeared to be far, far away. My eyes were focused on his, and his, on mine. There we sat, not moving, each admiring the other’s face. I could see the smooth planes of his cheekbone, the slight tilt where the lopsided grin I loved had been, the bottle green tint in his eyes. Our lunches laid on the table untouched as I marveled at him in awe.
“Trigo was tough, huh?” he interrupted my trance.
“Uh, yeah,” I replied absently, still looking at his face. I had not been paying any attention to the algebraic equations scribbled all over the board.
He shifted uncomfortably as my staring persisted.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered consciously, fully aware now that I was causing him discomfort.
I just can’t take my eyes of that stunning, gorgeous face of yours.
“Mind if I ask a question?”
I nodded vaguely, fingering the chain he had given me this morning. The pearl glistened mysteriously, dangling precariously on that one chain it was bounded to. It beckoned enticingly as I examined it in wonderment.
“Why is the chain so important to you?” he queried. There was curiosity on his face as well as a fusion of uncertainty. He was rapt with attention as I tittered somewhere in between the truth and the false.
“It’s not the chain, but the pearl.”
Seeing the confusion on his face, I responded quickly-“I have one of my own, and it’s the exact copy of this,”- I paused.
Hesitating, I conjured an image in my Styrofoam cup. Whatever was in it- a brown, creamy liquid - immediately displayed a reflection of the necklace I had left at home.
It was a seashell necklace, whereby a pearl was encrusted in the center. The intricate design lining the side was charming. One look, told me, without doubt, it was done with precise workmanship.
I pushed the cup forward and pointed at it, indicating him to take a glimpse. He leaned to the front, peering slightly into the cup. He tried to comprehend what he saw; the bafflement in his eyes told me he did not understand.
“My mother gave birth to four pairs of twins, including me. We were what they called unnatural births. Simply, we were the creations of a human and a mermaid.” I watched him closely as I resumed. His composed face gave away nothing.
“We all had individual gifts, the ability to do unimaginable things other mermaids could not.”
“Things?” he requested.
“I, myself, hold the power to creating illusions.” I said proudly, scrutinizing his face for any signs of skepticism.
He nodded abruptly, his way of insisting me to carry on.
“Our talents were vastly different. The only similarity between us was the fact that we could change forms voluntarily and at will. Other mermaids, could not.” I stressed.
“Even if they could, a drop of water would immediately reveal their true forms.”
“Furthermore, we each had this,”-I pointed to the pearl hanging from the chain-“also known as the ‘pearldrop’.”
“But there’re only seven of you.” He alleged.
“The whereabouts of my twin is unknown. I was relying on the fact that you could lead me to her,” I clued.
As I inspected his expression, a knot formed in between his furrowed brows. I noticed the beginnings of certainty sinking in.
“You’re suggesting?”
“That you know where she is as you have the pearldrop,” I concluded.
The frown deepened.
“The pearldrop gives us the potential to fulfill our abilities, but, if another mermaid learns how to harness its power, it might be used to wipe out the entire human race. It is important that we find the pearl, and its owner,” I accentuated.
“Whoa. Slow down. The entire human race, you say?” Ray murmured, deep in thought.
What I would have given for an insight to his mind, I cried desperately. Ahs, this was going to take a long time.
“Aquarealm, where I came from, is my homeland. Far left of the pacific, our kind had flourished safely for hundreds of years. Then, unexpectedly, our world crumpled. Before our very eyes, black concentrated solutions blanketed the surfaces of parts of our land, obscuring the remaining sunlight that filtered down to the seabed.”
Ray gave me the thumbs up, signaling me to go-ahead. I took it as an affirmation that he was paying attention.
“Things began to happen rampantly. Other creatures of the marine world began to die out. News of them being caught away by huge nylon webs sweeping across immense oceans frightened us. It was said that those who were captured never came back.”
The look of pure horror written on his face stopped me in my tracks. He gestured for me to continue when I halted briefly.
“Then, there was the problem of contaminated lands. The waters started to reek of sewage.”
“Fortunately for us, mermaids were the strongest species in the marine world. Aquarealm managed to evade the sudden intrusion. We were the least affected. However, news of metallic giants drilling all the way down to the seabed in neighbouring parts posed problems.”
Ray looked awful. I searched his eyes for any sign to stop. There was none.
“Needless to say, we started searching for alternatives. The Merpeople soon learnt of our capabilities and they wanted the same for themselves as they proposed to go aground.”
The dismay on his face worsened.
“A mob took place. This was expected when everyone wanted to migrate. Storm, my uncle, advised my siblings and me to leave. He wanted us to seek out my twin.” I highlighted, trying to play it down.
“When I departed in a tsunami, what shocked me were ruins and more ruins. The seabed was littered with translucent debris. A jellyfish pleaded desperately for help when
its tentacles had gotten caught in the synthetic material.”
The memories were vividly etched in my mind as I recalled.
“The fates of corals were not any better. Their rasped breathing hinted the amount of torture they had undergone and many of them had mutated limbs.”
There was a deep intake of breath. Not bothering to pause, I picked up where I left off.
“Some of the corals had even turned white, a sign that was equivalent to death.”
“The sea of white that prevailed intimidated me. Who had done this? I had the answer to my question as I progressed nearer to the coast. The humans were the ones. To possess such highly destructive power was alarmingly daunting. They were such cruel creatures.” I hissed.
Ray turned pale. He gazed downwards, as if unable to look me in the eye.
“Our kind abhorred your existence. They vouched for a massacre. However, Storm executed a decree. We were not allowed to harm the humans.”
Kindness was in our nature. I added wordlessly.
“You are right about us. We are selfish beings. Ever wondered what our diet was?” Ray pleaded.
I stared at the lunch before me. Fish and chips. Was it what I thought? As if to answer my doubt, he responded.
“Yes. We, humans, are carnivores. We feed on the marine life. We are guilty of all the offences you stated. Oil drilling, overfishing, water pollution, you name it. We did it.” He stated unfeelingly.
“But, you can’t hold all of us responsible. The government authorities are the heartless ones,” he said sympathetically, pitifully even.
In fact, truly selfish creatures they humans seemed to be, it was really a result of their ignorance. To them, it was the survival of the fittest. They were oblivious to the disastrous consequences of them exploiting oceans.
Still, I could see the passion they had. As malicious humans were, I saw humanity and compassion.
They were a young species with hope.Labels: Read Pearldrop.
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