Sea Talk

Lost in thoughts, she passed by her favorite shop. Smell of newly picked greens invaded her nostrils. Her empty gaze browsed over stuff here and there till it landed on bundles of red carnation which petals burst in delight while in full bloom. Languidly she picked a bundle, then absent-mindedly said, “nah, not enough” while pictures of cascading waters invaded her restless thoughts. Two more bundles of flower set her to move.

Cold invasive clear water touching her sole brought her back to present time, thirty minutes later. She had unlaced her black suede walking shoes upon reaching her favorite spot. Cool breeze of early spring conspired with the tantalizing sprays coming from the sea in welcoming her. “Ah, here I am again”, she mumbled. Gently cupping her flowers in two, she walked down each familiar zone as her naked soles tickled by caressing each received from mounds of rugged outer layers of lazy shells spread all around.

“Spirits of the sea, hear me, thank you for all your gracious blessings” and she tossed two carnations on each zone, repeating the same lines while the cold air rumpled her hair, bringing lines on her face magnified to heightened crimson. Wearily she sat on inviting boulders, thoughts raced to resurface in her mind.

“ I am torn on this undertaking, part of me says go ahead, it’s gonna be alright, while the other one begs to disagree”. “For all its complications, I perceive, I could give it a try, if only you could give some re-assurance”. “Spirit of the sea, let me know if you hear”.

Suddenly her gaze was fixed to the flowers she tossed awhile ago. “Spirit of the sea, if you hear me, let two of those flowers connect by three-thirty”, and she settled herself for thirty minutes of eternity. Two conniving carnations, 2.5 meters apart appeared on her peripherals. One pacing forward to the south while the other one static at 180 degrees angle to her right.

“Spirits of the sea, clear my thoughts, let me know which way I would be at my best”. The interlude encouraged patience at which she delivered not that much. Tick tack….tick tack, 60 seconds….180…360, slowly…slowly, each tide pushed one closer to the other, farther to where she sat; then it happened so she thought while 10 minutes had elapsed. Fleeting smile appeared on her lips yet to her dismay, she caught the connection in split of seconds, alluding to her misconception. Moving upward to the higher boulder to give it one more glance, her heart sank, to where her future is at stake, on tangent course is what she needed, those flowers were nowhere in sight. “I heard what you said”.

Dragging her feet, she moved to the most loved section of the sea.. At 5 minutes interval, she tossed each of two remaining carnations on her hand with phrases of gratitude streaming out of her lips. One dropped near the shore where boulders and rocks converge while the other one fell to where the open water starts. Mild rambling waves gathered their force and adroitly reached their momentum to peak at their highest then gently burst apart cascading down her feet. Gathering bubbles, she let them slipped back to where coldness bring hope to her dampened spirit.

“Oh, there you are!”. She caught sight of the first carnation she let go off on this site. “Let me help you, swim your heart out to the sea, you could not be held hostage by those impertinent rocks”. Picking up the piece, she was startled “Spirits of the sea, do you talk to me?, Okey here’s the deal, if this last one could connect to the other one by four-thirty, I know you are responding loud and clear”. Then she watched as the last of her carnations cushioned between waves gently found its way to the open sea. “How much it needs to cover? Two meters then, thirty minutes time frame should do justice, where spirits speak, I guess”, she whispered. In her nearsightedness, she could only afford 5 meters distance to get it understood. This time, patience was on her side. She was given a second chance to finish her ordeal, not too much to ask to realize the task.

Gliding slowly, treading giddily, one minute passed, 5 minutes gone and VOILA, there, right on the middle of the sparkling waters, 4 yards from where she settled, two beautiful red carnations intertwined. 600 seconds of uncertainty gripped her soul with a re-assuring success! Her first impression was not a hoax. Right there in the middle of glistening water, bluish as the clouds hovering above, her two carnations lulled in unison, intensifying the brightness of their red color while adding magnificence to the oddity of the situation.

She laughed heartily, hands clapping unsteadily as tears of joy swell then raced down her cheeks. “I humbly bow my head to give thee, thanks. Where I am lost, guidance is imparted”.

Savoring the intensity of strengthened spirit, her soul rested, knowing that the spirits of the sea lend her grace to steady her phase when she takes those crucial steps to seal her fate.