LEGEND OF THE OTHERS

“The Others didn’t always exist, I mean they did, just not as we’re known now. We used to live as sea people, splitting our time half in the water, and half on the land. We turned to the water more, because it was easier to find our food, trade, and everything else. It was a simple life, as history tells it. We finished befriending the sea creatures ,with the dolphins, swam with the sharks, and oysters willingly gave us their pearls. Then everything changed.”

I paused, looking at the young ones all around me. Their eyes were wide, reflecting the glow of the Moon beans that danced by in the cool waters . The flow of rainbow magical lights reflected from our scales in the gentle current made us look like the royal coral reefs. It made me remember for a second how it was for me to be on the other side of these stories when I was a child.

“As legend tells it, our pack protected the secrets we learned from our love of life. In order to do so, our elders passed a law that no one should find love or marriage outside of our pack. It worked for a while there, but as our numbers grew, and the trade business grew, some of the younger ones among us began to fall in love with the people we made trades that came in. There were only a few at first, but the numbers grew fast.”

“The group, which called themselves the Fairië. They fought for their right to pursue love, but the elders fought back. They grew in numbers because the elders started acting like the humans of the distant wars we heard of, imprisoning, decapitating, and banning by low this , in a strict manner. Many sympathized with the Fairië, much to the displeasure of the elders, and eventually the imprisoned escaped, fleeing to the outside tribes for refuge with their lovers.”A few of the kids gasped.

“It took some time, but after a few days, all of the Fairië were rounded up, along with some of their loves. The elders band the fairië and their lovers into the sea, blocking their return to land.

“Their deaths were agonizingly slow. The outsiders drowned, not having our skills from birth. The rest succumbed to the sea one by one.”

I looked from each child to the next.

“As the last of the fairië began to drown, a dolphin swam by. It saw her and tried to save her. That's when the elders started to try and make the dolphin to go, and not help the fairië. But it would not relent, the dolphin ended up dead, long side the small sea of fairië and their loved ones floating away in the water. The water creatures came and started pleading with the pack to buried our dead, as they didn't even want to give them that.''

Children sobbed, and I had to take a break , to clear my tears away. Despite the years I heard the story over my lifetime, it always got to me.

“On the second night, a white wolf and a white dolphin appeared. Both turned in to the most majestic women that our kind have ever seen. Both spoke in unison.''

I tried to speak in a lower range.''For the sins you have committed here, you shall be band to the darkened depths of the sea. Your sins may be forgiven only when the sea has her revenge on you, for you have hurt her deeply.''

''An electric surge passed through all of of them, along with a deep sorrow, and shame feeling. Their lives had been dedicated to repaying for their sins. Their legs had been taken away until the sin will be paid for. For the two shifter witches had cursed us ever since to live only under water.''

“The sea is our home ever since, and we have settled here. This is the only way we can survive, and repay the sea.” The crowd started dispersing, as the children turned to their parents to ask all the things I didn't cover. Most of the fairië adhere to the rules and are content with our life in the water. I'm not like most of the fairië. My name is Aria, and I fear that my growing curiosity will one day drive me to a fate worse than that of our ancestors.

My curiosity for the life above has always been high, the older I've gotten, the higher the curiosity. Haven't figured out how I will manage to get my legs yet, but I'll do what ever it takes to get to see the life above.