Why the Waves Still Collide With the Shore

Long ago, when the four elements of the Earth were first coming into existence, the land and the sea fell in love.

During this time, the land, whose name was Liram, was the strongest and most important element of all. With great, majestic mountains and tall, viridescent trees, Liram was home to all the Earth’s fauna. He was vast and uncharted, extending all the way across the planet as the giant supercontinent known today as Pangea.

Proud of his empire and the life that thrived in it, the young, handsome Liram often boasted to his rival, Faraj, the fire.

“Behold the infinite span of my landscape, Faraj. So great is it that even I, myself, have not walked its entirety. Have you ever seen a kingdom so brimming with space and life?” His voice was a piercing howl, akin to the wolves that roamed freely among his untouchable peaks.

Faraj, who was envious of Liram, hissed and sizzled beneath Liram’s feet. Faraj was a prisoner during this era, for fire existed only at the innermost core of the planet, far below the Earth’s crust.

“One day you will see just how strong I am, Liram, and it won’t matter how great, vast, or uncharted you are. Animal life will come to depend on me just as much as it does on you.”

Liram only shrugged off the fire’s jealousy.

“I don’t believe that to be true, my friend. Once I travel to the edge of my empire, I will extend my gift of life to the sea, and the ocean itself will become home to a great part of my animal kingdom. Then, I will be truly invincible. The animals shall depend on you for nothing. You shall see."

Faraj let out an acute, searing laugh from beneath him.

“Tell me, Liram, do you truly believe that you, Prince of the Land, can create life in the sea?”

A twinge of embarrassment harpooned through Liram's chest, for the fire had caught him in his bluff. However, a warrior of faith, Liram maintained his composure before his foe.

“Of course, I do, Faraj. As I said, you shall see.”

Faraj only continued to snicker and jeer.

“Naive you are, Prince Liram. Everyone hath knowledge that the sea is a still, barren place - without movement, warmth, or capability of supporting life. You may be powerful, Liram, yes, but you are not nearly powerful enough. The sea will remain vacant forever.”

***

That night, as the stars cast their pale, ethereal glow upon the Earth’s surface, Liram tossed and turned in his sleep. Deep within him, his subconscious wrestled with itself. Was he truly as great as he believed himself to be?

Liram was mighty and dignified, yes, but he was also a kind, loving, and considerate father to his animal children. The home he provided for them was as rich with flora for nourishment as it was ample in diverse terrain. Liram took pride in the fact that all his children were thriving in the home he made available to them - that he had created for them from the very dust that he was. Was it absurd for him to believe he could also create children who lived in the sea? That he could provide a home for them in the place where salt mixed with water?

As Liram continued to fade in and out of a labored sleep, his heart and mind became nuanced with vivid, enigmatic dreams. Drowsy, his eyes caught sight of the shadows of nearby flowers and leaves as they drifted, serpentinely, in the ruffles of moonlight.

Of course, Liram lived during a time when fish did not yet exist. Even waves were a notion seen only in dreams, for as Faraj had said, the sea was a place of stillness and void. But, as Liram lay in the darkness, he saw life in that stillness - he saw a deep, cerulean void that yearned to be full.

And, as the ruffles of moonlight swayed his soul back into a hopeful slumber, he felt peace in his belief that the sea was meant to stir and rock with aliveness.

***

By morning, it had become clear to Liram what he needed to do: he needed to travel the great, uncharted expanse of his land with the goal of meeting the sea. There, perhaps he could discover the true boundaries and possibilities of his eminence.

It was to be a long and tiring journey, and also a dangerous one. Liram was almost certain to come into contact with many of his own wild, predatory animal children who would not recognize him. Being that Pangea was so wide and untravelled, he still had not had the privilege of introducing himself to many of them. The probability of attack was great, and, in order to prevent his children from becoming frightened and defensive in his passing, Liram adorned his head with a casque made from the horns of a bison. It seemed to be the most perfect, divine camouflage. For Liram, somewhere deep within his heart, felt that he embodied the spirit of this robust, impressive land creature.

“Where are you going, fierce one?” Asked Winsor, the wind.

“To the sea, my friend.”

“And why is this so?”

“I must attempt to extend my gift of life unto the salt-laden water, for only then will I know the possibilities and boundaries of my greatness.”

“Very well,” said the wind. He soared high and low along Liram’s side, assisting the strong and handsome Liram - who inevitably grew weak from his journey - in pushing back the branches and leaves of the foliage.

Finally, after many days, Liram caught sight of the sea. He was so overcome by its tranquil, blue beauty and vastness - vastness that seemed to rival his own - that he fell to his knees before it. He had never seen or imagined such peacefulness before, and, for a moment, he wondered if it would be a shame to try to change it.

“Who are you?” Asked a soft, whispery voice.

Liram shaded his brow from the sun and discovered the most beautiful young woman he’d ever taken sight of, with long, gilded tendrils that concealed her bare chest and cascaded down to her waist. Her eyes were the essence of sapphire as they reflected the light of the sun, and her voice echoed on and on through the shell of his ears like some serene, hidden secret. She sat, hip-deep in the tranquil, blue water, close enough to be beheld but far enough away to appear as if a mirage.

“Who are you?” She repeated. Her manner was patient and kind.

But Liram, still mesmerized by the view that she was, could only remain on his knees and gaze at her. It was as if the salt of the cool air about her had reached into his chest and pulled out his breath in one swift, effortless motion.

The sea smiled, seeing how tired and weak the young, handsome traveler was.

“I am Sirena, the sea” she cooed, “come, some time spent by my side will ease your limbs and rekindle your soul.”

The last thing that Liram remembered before he fell into a deep, restful sleep was the soft lap of the water kissing the sand and Sirena's two, lustrous blue eyes, which danced around him in an aquamarine dream.

***

When Liram finally awoke, three days had passed. Though he did not recall much from his journey, he remembered the beautiful, sapphire eyes that had lulled him to sleep.

“Hello, Sirena,” he said to the sea as he approached her. She was waist-deep in the water with her back to him, and he made sure his footsteps were soft so as not to alarm her.

Sirena’s head turned slightly to the side to acknowledge him.

“Did you sleep all right?” Her long, sea-swept gold hair cascaded down to her hips, swaying gently in the sparkling ripples around her.

“I did,” answered Liram, “thank you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m shore - I mean, sure,” Liram corrected himself, blushing profusely at his slip of the tongue.

Sirena spun around and gave him a warm, captivating smile.

“So maybe that’s what we should call that part of you there,” she said, pointing to the sandy bank between the land and the sea, “I’ve been trying to think of a word for it for months.”

Liram bent down to pick up some of the wet sand by his feet, then let it fall between his fingers. “This?” He asked her, confused.

“No, silly, not just the sand. I mean the part of you that is also part of me - the place where the land and the sea come together, as one.”

Liram raised his eyebrows.

“But this here where I stand is land. Why do you say it is also part of the sea?”

Sirena let out a small giggle, then dove into the water.

Liram’s heart skipped a beat as he watched her disappear. He then inhaled with awe as her seraph-like face emerged right before him. Her silvery legs were spun and woven together, much like the serpentine shadows he’d seen in the moonlight. He bent down, meeting the beautiful siren where the soft laps of sea met the taper of sand.

There, at eye level, she smiled at him, reaching her small hand out to touch his cheeks, then his chin, and then up toward the ivory horns adorning his head.

“Come with me, I’ll show you,” she whispered. And before Liram could reply, she pulled him into the water.

Liram gasped for air as the taste of salt swept into his throat. He thrashed around violently, then felt the gentle touch of Sirena as she steadied him on the sandy sea floor.

“You can stand here,” she assured him, “see?”

Liram looked down toward his feet, but only saw water. Bewildered, he then noted the soft sensation against his skin as the sand swallowed the tips of his toes. He gasped.

“How can this be?” He asked, still catching his breath.

“It is as I told you,” said Sirena, “this place is of both of us.” She slid one hand up to his bicep, then pointed the other in the direction of the land. “We’ll call this place the ‘shore’. It will be our place, from now until the end of time.”

The two stood there for some time in the water, each admiring the marvel that was the other.

***

In the months that followed, Sirena and Liram fell deeply in love. From their intense blossom of romance, the sea - which had been vacant of animal life - began to fill with beautiful and curious creatures of every shape and kind. By the cusp of the spring and summer solstice, the salt waters surrounding Liram’s great empire were awake and animated with fish, coral, and sea lions. There were kind and playful creatures that resembled the beauty of Sirena, such as dolphins with sleek, silvery tails. There were also fierce ones that took after Liram, such as walruses with hard, ivory horns: bison of the sea.

“Faraj will certainly be impressed by what we’ve created here,” Liram said to Sirena, gazing fondly into the two spheres of life that were her blue eyes.

Sirena laid her head into the crevice of Liram’s strong chest.

“And who is this Faraj, my love?”

Liram smiled. “Someone I’m certain you wouldn’t much tolerate, given your nature.”

Sirena let out a small sigh of contentment, and the salt of her breath called a flock of seagulls back to the glow of the water. There, a school of plankton waited to offer themselves to them.

The two held each other as they admired their creation.

***

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Liram and Sirena, Faraj had grown considerably more powerful. Full of rage and desperation to prove his strength to Liram, his fury now seethed beneath the Earth’s surface.

So violent had his determination grown that small cracks and fissures began to feather all throughout Liram’s empire, releasing brilliant plumes of hot molten magma. The earthquakes caused by the eruptions were so great that the magnificent Pangea began to break into pieces.

“Take my hand!” Liram called out anxiously to Sirena, for their two bodies drifted further and further away from each other under the force of Faraj’s tremors and upheavals.

“Don’t worry, I’ll come back to you!” Sirena yelled back. And, with her magnificent, watery weight, she surged forward again - crashing back into Liram’s arms in the form of the first wave.

But, the two were unable to embrace for long. As Faraj’s power grew, his hot, molten magma welled up through the ever-growing weak points in Liram’s crust, creating more and more volcanos. Each time they erupted, a rush of unstoppable energy rocked both the land and the sea floor, causing Liram and Sirena to be pulled apart over and over again.

In the end, Faraj achieved what he wanted. Fire became so powerful that he broke free from the core of the Earth and ascended into the sky, claiming the sun as his kingdom - the warm source of energy that all life knows and depends on. But that was not all. So violent was the thrust of his escape that it cast eternal repercussions on the Earth, and Liram - the great Pangea - remained forever broken into pieces, forming the continents we know today.

As for Sirena, her love for Liram was so immense that she had no choice but to console him. She tried her best to absorb his sadness and shock as he was ripped apart. However, the force from both Faraj and Liram was so great that she became stuck in a state of forever motion and wave.

“I will always come back to you,” Sirena whispered as she was whisked away, once again.

“And I will always wait for you here,” promised Liram.

To this day, Liram and Sirena embrace each other for one small, sweet moment as the waves collide with the shore.