"Of course I think so!"
"Well… he's like that just on the outside," I said, leaning back against the tree we were sitting under. "Actually, he's the one who takes care of everything in Father's absence… But, he is a very nice person. That's what Mother keeps telling us all the time. And I can't say I know him better than she does."
"Still it doesn't compensate for his behaviour towards his younger brother and sister."
"You wouldn't really bother if you were me. He is like that only… he has alway been like that."
"He's ten years older than you, isn't he?"
"Yeah," I answered. "He's twenty-six." That is something I've always wondered about, I thought, gazing up at the canopy of trees. For some reason, he seems much older than that… I've always felt like he's a million miles away from me and Maggie. My gaze dropped lower and settled on Pearl's thoughtful face.
"Hmm…" she muttered, "Are big brothers always so snobbish?"
"No!" I laughed at her question.
"Forget him," she said quickly. "Tell me about your Mother."
"My Mother, huh? She's the sweetest person on earth, I think."
"Even sweeter than Maggie?"
"Now, I don't know the answer to that… I can't choose between my mother and my sister! Every person thinks his mother is the best in the world. That's why I said that."
"Really?" Pearl's eyes were wide with curiosity again.
"Yeah…" I was a bit confused. Don't tell me…
"I wish I had a mother," she said, confirming my thoughts. "It must be nice having a family around."
She was gazing at me again. I found it difficult to look into those curious eyes. Must be so lonely without a family around, I thought a little sadly. But she was smiling. May be you can't miss something which never existed for you…
"What about your father?" she asked.
"What about him?"
"You have a father as well, don't you?"
"Uh-huh." I nodded. "But he's rarely at home, so I can't say much about him. He works somewhere far away and comes home only once a month. I wish he could stay with us more than that, but that's the way it is. But he's a very caring person." I finished with a watery smile.
"Hmm…" Pearl was again lost in her own thoughts.
"What are you thinking?" I asked her, but she kept quiet.
"Patrick," she asked after a while. "I'm not your family… then what do I mean to you?"
I stared at her. What does she mean to me? I looked at her face, full of curiosity and eagerness, her dark eyes without whites, her long seaweed-like hair, her scaly skin, her long hands and feet… What does she mean to me?
"Hmm?" she urged, waiting for my answer.
"I... uh…" I stammered. I had never thought about it before, and now I felt utterly perplexed. What does she mean to me?
The princess of the seven seas,
She came out of the deep.
She was alone, she had no one,
And all she could do was weep.
The ground was hard, the sun was harsh,
As she kept walking on.
She lived on fruits and river-water,
And slept from dusk to dawn.
These lines formed in my mind all of a sudden as I went on looking at Pearl and searched for an answer to her question.
"I don't know," I confessed.
"Huh?" She seemed disappointed.
"I'll think about it and tell you later, alright?" I assured her hurriedly.
The princess of the seven seas…
"All right…" she said, sounding unconvinced. I took her hand in mine.
"Promise," I said and she gave a small smile.
I got to my feet.
"It's getting late," I told her. "I should head back home. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," she said, getting up as well. As usual, she came closer to me and licked my left cheek. Now that I knew the reason, I didn't flinch. It was her way of saying good-bye, the left cheek. Hello was the right one, I figured. But for some reason, I put my arms around her and gave her a small hug.
"Pearl…"
"Yes?" she asked, as she stepped away from me.
Princess of the seven seas… What was I getting myself into? Stay away, the voice in my mind warned. You will never get out of this one…
"I'm glad I met you."
The princess of the seven seas,
She came out of the deep.
She was alone, she had no one,
And all she could do was weep.
The ground was hard, the sun was harsh,
As she kept walking on.
She lived on fruits and river-water,
And slept from dusk to dawn.
Then one day, she met someone---
A young village guy.
He found her in a forest, tired,
As he was passing by.
She slowly came to know him more,
And he knew her well.
They met each-other everyday,
As if bound by a spell.
The bond grew stronger, hidden from all,
While they came to know---
It was something more than that,
And the feeling did show.
It had to happen someday, sometime,
So, one fine summer dawn---
They let go of themselves in love,
And couldn't stop then on.
"They let go in what?" asked Pearl, confused.
I was sitting with her on the very edge of water and reciting the poem I had made up. She was always nagging me that she wanted to hear it, as I always used to say the first line "The princess of the seven seas" and stop.
"Is that a boat?" she asked, now utterly lost. "They let go of themselves in a---"
"No, it's not a boat," I said, shaking my head hopelessly. "They let go of themselves in love."
"Now, what does that mean?" she asked, making a face. "You never told me that word."
"It's a feeling," I explained, "An emotion which you feel for someone special. Like, I love my family a lot."
"That means caring about them and liking them a big deal," she said, thoughtful. "That is love… Pretty confusing!"
"Why is that?" How can it be confusing, I wondered.
"That doesn't exactly fit in the story, does it?"
"It's not a story!"
"Whatever… But it doesn't really fit. 'And they couldn't stop then on.' What was that about?"
"Never mind, you won't understand."
"Understand what?"
I was getting really impatient by that time. Why doesn't she get it?
"It's something you feel for someone special, someone really close to your heart. It's---"
"---just the way I feel for you."
I stared at her face in disbelief. What is she saying? What does she think she's saying?
"You're kidding me!" I said after a long silence. But she didn't seem bothered.
"And why is that?" she asked, sounding even more confused. "Is it something wrong?"
Yes, that's wrong, I thought insanely. That's the worst thing you could do. It's wrong for you to love me. It's wrong to feel anything like that because we are just too different. It's wrong for me to get involved with you. It's wrong for me to---
"It can't be something wrong, you know," she spoke up suddenly, "Because I think it's a wonderful feeling. You are my friend, my family, everything. And I've never met anyone as nice and honest as you. All the humans I've met, whether accidentally or out of curiosity, they just chase me away. They hate me… all of them. They scare me with their weapons, their burning sticks. That's the reason I attacked you when I first met you." She sounded very apologetic all of a sudden. "I'm sorry, I never meant to."
Her whole body was shaking slightly, I noticed. She seemed to be sobbing, though I couldn't see any tears. Do water creatures shed tears at all? I wondered.
"Pearl?"
She didn't look up, but continued to sob with her head down. I never realized how tough it was for her to be always alone, always hunted, always being labeled as a monster… Even though she didn't understand human speech, she felt the hatred wherever she went. I placed my hand on hers and squeezed her fingers slightly.
"It's okay," I told her, "You don't have to be sorry. And whatever you said about people hating you… well, they don't know you, do they? They are scared of you. They don't know how innocent and harmless you really are."
She looked up into my face, her eyes full of pleading and sadness.
"You---", she hiccoughed, "You told me I'm precious. You really think so? You don't hate me as well, do you?"
"Yes, you are very precious to me. That's what I truly feel," I answered her in an assuring voice. "And…"
I paused and looked at her sad face.
"I can never hate you."
She smiled, looking slightly happier and asked, "What about the rest of the story?"
"Story?" I said blankly. Then I remembered. "I told you it's a poem!"
"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving her hand casually. "Whatever… What about the rest of it? It's not finished, is it?"
"No," I said, lost in thought. "I haven't thought of anything after that… I'll let you know when I finish it."
The princess of the seven seas…
Knock-knock!
It was winter and I had dropped off to sleep pretty early. But today it was different than usual. Jason was not at home. He had gone to the next village to meet Father for some reason and was not supposed to be back before two days. It was blissful solitude as I lay on my bed, because I knew I wouldn't have to put up with maddeningly loud snores for two full nights. I am the king of my bed, I thought, as I snuggled under the blanket I didn't have to share that night. God! This is life…
Knock-knock!
I opened my eyes wearily; someone was knocking at the door.
Knock-knock!
That's weird, I thought. The sound's not coming from the door at all!
I sat up on my bed, listening intently. It came again and my eyes traveled all across the room, finally settling on the window.
Somebody's there at the window, I thought. Then I realized the strangeness of the whole situation. At the window? Good God!
Moonlight was streaming in through the glass. Silently, I crept up to it and opened it. It creaked and then everything was silent. I watched in utter astonishment as something dark entered the room quickly and rested on the floor.
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