Poseidon's Gift

Elizabeth put her ear to the shell. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she sat in the empty dark room, kneeling humbly over her treasure. After a few moments with her eyes closed she had transported herself across miles of land to her old home, her childhood home. The sea was her lullaby each morning and each night. A creak from the old bones of the house snapped her out of it. She took her conch shell and buried in the back of her wardrobe in her sweater storage drawer. She closed the wardrobe door, stopping briefly to allow her feelings of eternal gratefulness to wash around in her. How she missed Poseidon.

Her knew home was land and fields. Endless rolling hills for crops and grazing, the rest was left wild and untamed as lands uncultivated and untouched by humans.

As she had listened to the ocean in the shell she could feel herself prancing down the worn path, making her way to the beach. The path deposited her in the center of the beach. From there, she'd run to the water, splashing her toes in the cool water, ultimately letting them sink in the sand as she awaited the next wave. Every morning and every evening she traveled the path. At the beach she'd search for mussels, clams, and sea grass. Occasionally, she'd find a beautiful shell she'd take for her collection. Life was hard, but full of joy. That was until her brother married and moved out. Then came the sickness that effected the animals first and then the rest of them. Pushing on each day was a laborious task, everyone was short on patience during these times. The smallest task took all her energy.
The ocean saved her from herself, the sickness, her days and her family struggles. Her Father did not see it the same way as she did. The Beach and area became a plague to him. He told her, "we were moving, leaving this god forsaken place".

As I cried this day, at my spot, my tears dripped down my cheeks falling into the ocean. She sat, telling her woes to the sea as it lapped at the beach she sat on. Poseidon appeared, having heard her ramblings and noticed the salt from her tears added to his ocean. Strong and commanding he stood before me. In my intimidated state I could only cry more.

"Save your salt, the sea is full of it already my little love, it needs no more."

"I'm sorry I can't", I respond.

"The ocean is not going anywhere, it will be here when you need it."

"It will be here and I will be there, with no way to reach it. We are moving. I won't even smell the salt air."

"My loyal beauty and lover of the sea, I now see why you are crying."

Poseidon felt anger at those taking his beached mermaid from him.

"Do you want to join the sea with me forever? I can make you a dolphin, a fish, a mermaid, whatever you like."

"I can't. My family needs me to help in the small ways that I can. They need me more than the sea does."

Poseidon had never been turned down, it bewildered and delighted him. Her tears now seemed rational. However, not wanting to allow another to own any part of his ocean he knew he needed to tade something for the salt she had given his sea.

"My little mermaid, I have just the thing for you. A gift for you to keep me and all the ocean with you forever."

Next thing she knew he was weilding a triton made of what looked like polished coral with a brilliant golden red hue. He lifted it mightily before touching it perfectly to the waters surface and then stabbing it into the ocean violently.

After the blinding glint was gone, so was Poseidon. At her feet was a beautiful shell, in the geometric form she had never seen. There was nothing like it in her entire collection. She brought it to the end of her nose, studying the pattern and colors. A natural art piece. Then she heard the voice of Poseidon.

"I'm always here for you, just listen."

She remembers how she had put her ear to the shell. To her bewilderment and delight, she had heard the ocean. Shocked at the kindness Poseidon had shown her, she cried one more single tear into the ocean.

This tear proved to Poseidon the girls grateful nature. He created, harvested and dispersed more of these shells. So, if anything were to ever happen to her shell she could find another and never be alone without the ocean and a piece of him ever again. A piece of him is in every conch shell. Forever there, always, for all his land mermaids or dwellers. He would check in on Elizabeth every once in a while, adding songs to her shell to let her know when he was there. Elizabeth is the reason we all can carry a piece of the ocean with us no matter where we live.





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