Torn by the Sea

by **Silver** Mon Jan 14, 2013 8:19 pm

Off the port and past the coast
The sun shone down on one town the most.
And in the town, the town by the sea
Once was there, a small family.
A man fit for work on the water,
Young wife, so kind, and their beautiful daughter.
Happiness fluttered in their humble abode,
Though trouble could be seen, just down the road.

The sun did not shine on that faithful day,
And the water bound man chose not to stay.
"So long, my darling, I'll be back soon."
That's what he said when he left that noon.
Little did that poor woman know,
Her husband would never again show.
She sat through the night to see his return,
Her brow permanently furrowed with concern.

A visitor came the very next morn,
The message he brought caused the wife to mourn.
Lost was her love in the forsaken water,
Alone was she now, to take care of their daughter.
But live on without him she could not,
Nor take care of her daughter, she was distraught.
Depression sunk in and thoughts filled her head,
And so she left home, destination unsaid.

The daughter went after the grieving other,
Only to watch as the waters took her mother.
A stone bound by rope, tied to the woman,
Brought her down under, never to be seen again.
From that moment on the girl stood alone,
Left to fight and fend for her very own.
And this tale was spread those that knew she,
The girl whose parents were torn by the sea.

- - - - -

"Mama?"

My mother's face was ashen–the color of the sea foam on stormy day had more color. I had not seen the contents of the letter held in her shaking hands, but even if I had I would have been clueless; I couldn't read the spindly font yet. But I didn't need to, not to understand that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Her warm brown eyes had lost their luster in an endless pool of bleakness; she looked like a twisted porcelain doll–one that had been dropped. I repeated my murmured question, but she didn't hear me. She didn't seem like she could hear much of anything, just sitting there with the unknown man's letter in hand. She wasn't even looking at it anymore–it just kept quivering, almost entirely crumpled in her fist. I would have found some entertainment in the elegant curves painted on the paper if my mother's expression wasn't so... desolate.

"Mama?" I hesitantly reached out to her, lightly placing my small hand on her shaking frame. Her gaze turned from the void she had been fixated upon, landing on me with an unfamiliar emptiness. It was frightening. "Mama?" I repeated again, my voice faltering and coming out in a breathy wisp. She seemed utterly unmoved by my quiet pleading, her eyes drifting back to the nothingness it had been focused on previously. A wetness trickled down her cheek and landed against my tiny palm. I frown. Mama..." I urged, making myself as tall as possible to reach her damp face with my tiny hands. I barely grazed the side of her cheek, the slightest touch almost electrifying. Her gaze returned to me and she filled with recognition–her trembling stopped as she looked upon me.

"It will..." she began, her voice almost entirely inaudible, "be alright..." It was my turn to shake. Her chocolate colored eyes hardened as they looked upon my tiny figure, her forlorn visage now fixed into a fierce determination. She ran her fingers through her long black hair with a sort of harshness, and she moved me aside without a word. "Everything will be just fine." her tone was unlike anything I had ever heard before–there was a brutality to it that had never before been used in my presence, a horrible cruelty that left me frozen in place as she frantically moved about our small home. She grabbed things of little or no discernable value, tossing them every which way with no concern to the damage she caused. At last she picked up the letter, which had been dropped in her tirade, and tucked it in the crook of her bosom. "Yes..." she exhaled with an almost crazed smile. She looked down at me and it grew even madder. "Yes!" she exclaimed hysterically, grabbing tight to my being and shaking me slightly before dashing out the door. I stared amazed before quickly following in her footsteps, ignoring the door that had been left wide open.

I shadowed my mother in her frenzied pace as she coursed wildly through the streets of our town. As she ran she threw off her shoes and ripped her long silken skirt from her dress until the shredded remains ended just barely at the knee. I halted as the fabric hit the earth in front of me; the soft silk was the only thing of value she owned–she had always made sure to take extra care for it. To see it now, defaced and wretched in the street was baffling. I looked up for only a moment to see my mother continuing her mad scurry without a care in the world; I picked up the fabric and chased after her, the tattered cloth flowing behind me as I gave chase once more. Keeping pace with her proved easy when we reached the shore; she stood at the end of the pier, shaking once more in little more than her undergarments. I could see the letter sticking out between her breasts, and I froze. What did it hold? Why was she acting like this?

"Mama!" I called, unwilling to move towards her for fear of what she might do. She ignored my shouting, working with a maniacal pace at some rope and large rock used to weigh down the ships that came into town via the port. I called out to her again, but she did not heed me–she continued to frantically work at whatever task her lost mind had assigned her. I took several steps onto the pier, unable to keep myself in place any longer, but as I did she stopped with the rock and began tying the rope to her pale waist. "Mama?" She picked up the rock, her body quaking under the weight as she barely held it at thigh level. "Mama?!" I shouted again, trying to reach her once again. She turned her head to look at me–in that moment everything I knew to be my mother was lost. This was no longer my sweet mother. She turned her gaze away from me and tossed the stone-bound rope into the open water. She screamed, but it was cut off instantly as the rope dragged her under harshly, leaving no trace.

"MAMA!?!"

I dropped my mother's silk and dashed over to the edge of the pier, looking into the dark sea desperately. I don't know how long I sat there staring at the bleak water, but I do know that at some point that paper floated to the surface. Destroyed almost entirely, I could make out four letters which had been printed: D-E-A-D.

Tears welled in my eyes.

Unforgettable Sorrow