The God of Sea and Story

PWWSHHHHHHHTTTTT

The roiling, bubbly waves lapped against the tiny ship’s hull. It’s little motor, nothing more than a motorized fan, fighting as hard as it could manage against the churning tides. The waters of The Sea of Erin, hemmed in on all sides by a shoreline of unscalable cliffs, bounced each foamy wave back towards the ship, again and again. There was no escape. If a storm was to be part of the story, which it usually was, all one could do was hope that they had been properly fastened to the deck, by whoever was in charge of such things, and face their fate with courage.

The smooth marble-like walls imprisoning the sea, often referred to as ‘The Sides,’ rose into the sky for what felt like forever. It left one to wonder….. “How on Earth did this ship, or I even get here?” But those were impossible questions to answer. All that truly mattered was whatever the God of Sea and Story had planned.

Today, it seemed a rescue was in order.

“HEYYGGLLLPPPP!!!”

A gurgly cry came from the far end of the sea.

It wasn’t unreasonable that Warrior Queen Lyra could hear it from across the miniature ocean, for it had been decided long ago that one of her abilities would be superpowered hearing. As her ship bobbed up and down violently, a telescope appeared in her hand, giving her the means to locate the party in distress.

“THERE! FAR OFF IN THE DISTANCE!!!!” she shouted.

Or did she just simply think the words?

It seemed like she had heard a voice, her voice possibly, but being alone on this journey, she had no one else to confirm whether or not she had said it.

“Oh no, it’s Kabu! The friendliest elephant in the Land of Erin!”

That voice again. So familiar.

It must be hers, but she was almost positive that her mouth hadn’t moved as she heard it. Regardless, she peered through the telescope and spotted Kabu’s violet, polka-dotted head popping up and down amongst the waves. She was flailing her trunk back and forth, calling out for help with all of her might.

“I need to save Kabu! Here I go!”

Yes. She knew it now.

"That was definitely me….. even if it was kind of a weird thing to say out loud,” she thought.

Weird or not, it didn’t matter. The Warrior Queen had accepted that she was not always in control of her own words or actions. Often, they would even surprise her. It was as if they were being directed by some power outside of herself.

She couldn’t fight against the ethereal manipulation either, not that she ever wanted to. These were her most glorious moments. It was in these times that she was certain the God of Sea and Story had taken control of her, given her power and purpose. It was in these times that she truly felt like a ‘Chosen One,’ a Warrior Queen.

And now she could feel another moment rising from within her, around her.

Another story had begun.

PWWSHHHHHHHTTTTT !! — PWWSHHHHHHHTTTTT !!!! — PWWSHHHHHHHTTTTT !!!!!

“OH NO! THE WAVES ARE GETTING BAD!!!!!”

The waves struck the ship again and again, almost as if they were being aimed at the vessel. However, the clips fastening Queen Lyra’s blocky legs to the deck held true. She was pinned to the front of the ship, arms outstretched, stiffly reaching towards Kabu so far off in the distance. Lyra was not piloting the craft, so she had little understanding of how it continued on in the direction it needed to go, but again, she attributed this miracle to the God of Sea and Story. There was little else that could explain it.

“I’M COMING KABU!!!!” the voice exclaimed from the front of the ship.

“OH NO! A DOUBLE-WAVE!!!!!”

Lyra heard the voice moments before the double-wave smashed into the boat from both sides.

As she drew nearer to Kabu at the far end of the sea, the Warrior Queen realized how much danger the elephant was truly in. She could see the ‘Water Dragon’ hovering above Kabu. A mythical beast that was said to be responsible for filling the sea when it was pleased, and drowning beings with its tireless rains when it was not.

“HANG ON KABU!!!!”

PWWSHHHHHHHTTTTT — PWWSHHHHHHHTTTTT

More waves struck the ship, sending it toppling onto its side. The clips did their job, continuing to bind her to the ship as if she were glued to it.

Astonishingly, the boat was rolled back into position shortly after being capsized, continuing on its journey as Lyra gasped for air.

“The boat tipped! But I am still coming! Watch out for the Water Dragon, it’s angry!!!!”

Kabu looked up toward the gaping maw of the dragon. An enormous, silvery, square-shaped mouth, suddenly began to gush a fountain of cold water. The force was overwhelming and pushed Kabu under the surface.

The Warrior Queen knew there was little hope of changing the dragon’s mind. All she could do was launch herself towards it in the hopes of destroying its source of power.

“SWIM KABU!!! I AM COMING!!!!!!”

“Eriiiiiin. You don’t need more water!”

“Who was that?” The Queen asked herself. “The God speaking to the Dragon? Or to Me?”

She looked around her at the swirling bubbles, noting how high the seas had risen up the Sides.

“It’s true. If someone doesn’t stop the Dragon, the sea will flow over the Sides and into the land of Erin! What will become of the world then?”

Her eyes, which remained set in their permanent squint under her turquoise helm, darted back and forth between waterfall smashing down onto Kabu, and the Dragon’s mouth, protruding from somewhere above the North Side of the sea.

“It is not just Kabu I must save, the entire Land of Erin is in danger.”

As she approached the torrent of water pouring from the beast, Lyra was suddenly flung from the deck of her ship towards her foe. Had the waves created enough momentum to propel her into the air? Had she leapt from the ship herself? She couldn’t be certain as she sailed higher and higher, eventually clearing the majestic Sides of the Sea.

Her glimpse of what lay beyond the Sides was so fleeting, that she did not even have time to consider the strangeness of the land of Erin. Besides, the story that she found herself in meant that her goal lay in the annihilation of the destroyer in front of her, not the vast expanse beyond the Sides.

Another story, for another time…. perhaps.

She quickly returned her squinty gaze back to the vile beast she was determined to slay. Her stiff arms and curved, rigid hands, remained outstretched towards it. She could feel it was vulnerable to an attack. One extremity in particular called to her. A shimmering, spiked circle, with a blue dot right in the middle of it.

The Queen centered herself as her body continued rocketing towards her target, breathing deeply and summoning another one of her powers, the fierce—

“SUPER PUNCH!!!!!!” A voice screamed.

That wasn’t her scream was it? Had the God blessed her so, that it cheered her on from another realm!?!

She braced for impact. Striking the blue dot with all of her might, then flipping backwards off of it to fall back towards the sea.

She could see the spiked circle turn in its place. The water flowing from the Dragon ceased.

She fell, and fell, plummeting towards the waters below in what seemed like slow-motion.

Her ship appeared beneath her, as if by magic. She’d thought for sure it had sunk under the blast of the Dragon, but there it was.

She tucked into a somersault and landed back on the deck, planting her squared feet onto the clips that had held her tight through the storm.

“Alllllright Erin, it’s been almost 20 minutes. Time to get out and dry off.”

“NO! I’m almost done!!!!”

“Look at you, you’re all prune-y! Let’s go.”

“Who….? Where is that coming from?” The Queen wondered.

The voices were airy, and spoke what amounted to nonsense.

Before she could contemplate it any further, a whirlpool formed right under where the Dragon had been spewing its water into the sea! Now it seemed that the sea was draining into…. nowhere! She may have saved the Land of Erin, but Kabu was being pulled into an abyss right in front of her eyes.

There was no time to waste.

Lyra, the Warrior Queen, abandoned her ship, leaping over the side and into the cyclone. The swirling waters brought her and Kabu together, and the two clung to each other as they were pulled towards whatever monster was now swallowing the sea whole!

After spending what felt like an eternity trapped in the violent whirlpool, the two found themselves lying on the floor of the sea. They were alive, but the entire Sea of Erin had been drained.

Lyra, the Warrior Queen, and Kabu the elephant stared blankly at each other for a moment, then broke into a fit of laughter.

And the God of Sea and Story left them to rest as she stepped out of the tub.