Sea Shadows

November 3, 2021November 3, 2021 ~ Think ~ Leave a comment

The water was warm even though the storm was rough. The sky was trembling but from a far it looked like a beautiful light show. Lightning was illuminating the sky, like fireworks on the fourth of July. It was dark down under though. You could only see the fireworks when you looked up, but then you would see the big shadows; moving slowly looking for trouble. The currents were harsh and the only thing you could hear was the bass of the lightning every time it would hit the surface.

Everyone was hiding in their caves, waiting for the storm to pass. Waiting for the water to be calm and the monsters to be gone. I kept looking up to the surface. The light show was beautiful. I imagined that is how the stars should look from shore. Beautiful light patterns moving and dancing for humans to see. But instead, I was stuck. Stuck underwater imagining the stars above. Seeing the big shadows cover them up as they swam above. I actually enjoyed looking at the shadows. They looked so mysterious. Their shapes were beautiful. Sharp curves and delicate moves. Going from place to place like if they had an important mission to accomplish. Dedicated, harmless, empowering. Others would say they were lost creatures, I never believed that. They looked less lost than I was. They looked like they knew exactly what they were trying to do. The way they would move in the stormy nights was with purpose. With dedication and compassion. But that was me. The rest would say they were moving with rage and anger. Looking for lost souls to destroy. Looking for trouble wherever they would go.

The legends said that the shadows were monsters from above that used to fly free and dance in the skies for all to see. Creatures of love and creatures of trust that would protect the seas with their powerful wings. Blowing all trouble away so no one could come down here and destroy our seas. They glowed in multiple colors and sang to the moon and the sun for the currents to stay warm for us to breathe. But one day it all went to waste. The legend says they lost their hearts and since then they came down from the sky and hunted us down. Becoming the shadows of the stormy nights. They lost their glow and their ability to love. Now they hunt and are creatures of the dark.

I am staring up, holding tight from a rock so I don’t get drifted away by the strong currents. My friends keep telling me to come back into the cave, that the currents are getting stronger. But I don’t listen. I never listen. Then a big bang hits the ocean. The entire world trembles harder than ever. It all goes dark. A huge rock comes flying my way, and takes me out. I fly off the cave and start spinning out of control with the current. I can’t see anything! I am swirling in all directions going really fast to nowhere. Another big rock comes flying in and takes me out.

I start opening my eyes, the water is finally calm and I am laying in the ground near some coral. I get up, shake myself awake and look up. I see nothing. Turn around as fast as I can, and I see nothing. I call out to my friends but nothing. There was complete silence. I could barely hear myself. Where was I? What had happened? Then I start remembering the storm. The current that took me away, and the light show that took me away.

I was lost and couldn’t see anything. Great. Just what I needed. I start swimming near the coral next to me trying to find a place to hide or someone hiding that could help me. As I was moving down the coral, I felt a strong wave moving very near me. I look around and I see a big light shadow swimming around! I am not blind I think to myself! I can see light!

I keep holding myself to the coral but looking everywhere for that light. There it was again! It was swimming in circles around I don’t know what, couldn’t really see it. I started getting closer to it very slowly. As I do, it starts getting bigger and bigger. My eyes start to clear a bit and then I paralyze. Time froze. Everything spotted. I had seen this shape before. The curves, the moves, the glow…

I turned around and tried to swim as fast as I could to the coral, but when I turned I realized I couldn’t see anything! I started swimming anyway and then the big light was all over me. I closed my eyes and rolled into a ball, scared. A rush of energy went through my veins that I had never experienced before. The light creatures held me in its arms and I could feel something new. Something I hadn’t felt before. It wasn’t anger or rage like everyone used to say. It was different. It was calm. It was peaceful.

I opened my eyes and there she was. Staring at me with beautiful big brown eyes. Glowing like the light shows above. Stunning. I couldn’t get my eyes off her. She talked through them like songs in the sky. I could see. I could finally see. See the world around me with true colors and shadows. See the world around me with compassion and not anger. I fell in love just looking at this star. And as she moved, the whole world would stop and only her was visible to all.

In a blink of a second, I was laying in my cave. Safe from everything and surrounded by my friends. They all looked amazed and asked me if I was ok, but the only thing I could see was her eyes in the sky. So I decided to change the tale and tell my story all over again.

The story says this creatures are bad. Monsters out to get us so we should hide. But what they missed is that they just have love. And we are scared swimmers avoiding falling in love. So open your eyes and look into the sky, and you will see the shadows up there are colorful dragons taking care of the seas.

Chapter 2: Stranger

March 15, 2021August 2, 2021 ~ Think ~ Leave a comment

There was a girl that lived in a tree. The stories would say her voice was heard from a mile away and from all over the sea.

I found myself sitting next to the fountain. The sun was still shining and the town was still alive with vendors and people walking around. I was wrapped around with a brown blanket, but had no clue how it got there. I looked up and saw a street vendor selling blankets just like it. I got up and rushed to him. “Who gave me this?” I asked him. He looked at me and at the blanket; then he just pointed down the street to a tall blond woman that was walking down. I started running down the street trying to catch up with her, but the more I ran the farther she went. It was like every single opstacle possible wound get in my way! I bumped into two kids that were running around, then into an apple stand and made a mess! The lady in the stand started yelling at me for the mess I had done, but I kept running! I wanted to catch that woman! I almost had her when I heard my name being called. I froze like ice! I hadn’t heard my name since I left my old life. I turned around, scared for my life.

Paul was standing there waving at me with a huge smile. When I realized it was him I turned to see the lady, but it was too late, she was gone. I tuned back to Paul; said hi back and asked him if he had seen that blond woman before. He looked at me like if I was crazy. He then looked around and said he couldn’t see any blond women around. “There aren’t that many blonds here, so if you saw one, I am sure you will see her again. You probably were just dreaming, I saw you napping by the fountain earlier, and gave you that blanket. You looked cold.” He said.

I looked at him very confused. Then, I decided to smile and act cool about it. I didn’t want the only person that knew my name to think I was crazy. “Thanks you for the blanket, that was very kind of you! The sound of the fountain was very soothing and I can see myself falling asleep next to it. Can I buy you a drink as a thank you curtesy?” I asked him. I figured if someone knew about blonds in this town, it had to be him. Having a drink might give me a clue on who she is. I knew from my bones she was real, I had seen her, felt her energy run through every vain in my body. It was not a dream, I had such a vivid memory of her. I just wasn’t sure what the memory was about.

We walked to Pauls favorite bar, which for my surprise it was very cute. It had whiskey barrels cut in half all over the walls, and inside them there were bottles of wine, beer and some other weird blue liquor. Then the tables were very nice solid pieces of wood, all in different natural shapes. They looked like tree trunks but with a modern touch. The bar wasn’t to bright but it wasn’t too dark either. There was a jazz band in the back playing some really nice wind instruments making the room feel light and calm. He brought two whiskeys and two wines to the table and gave me one of each. I told him my intentions were friendly, and I didn’t know we were planning on getting drunk. He looked at me and laughed. “I am not trying to get you drunk. These are my two favorite drinks and I think you are going to love them. Also the show is about to start and I am sure we both wont want to miss it by getting up for drinks.” Then he signaled me to the singer of the band.

A tall blond lady. The tall blond lady. I was sure of it, it was her. I started walking straight to the front. Hypnotized. I couldn’t believe it. Was it the same woman that bumped me earlier? The closer I got the more confused I felt. I was walking into dense water. The closer I tried to get, the harder it was to move. No matter how hard I tried, I just wouldn’t move any faster. It started to feel impossible to move forward. A hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me out of the water. Paul signaled me a chair and we both sat in the 3rd row from the front. “It’s about to start.” He said.

The pianist started playing, then the drums joined in with a latin soft vibe. They set the mood for a relaxing but energetic show. The piano was soft and romantic but the drums where more folkloric and full of body. When the room was getting full of melodic rhythms, the microphone started singing. Waves of multiple colors converted the room into an ocean. A sea of colors that only I could see. Hypnotized once more, I couldn’t stop looking at her. The way her lips moved as the words would come out of her mouth made rhythms I hand never heard before. The way she would move around the stage made it seem like a we were all swimming in a pool of dreams. She was a mermaid in her own sea. A sea she was creating as her songs filled the space. Beat after beat more people joined the dance floor. And we were all hypnotized by her beauty and her songs. It felt like hours! Hours of looking at her straight at her eyes, hours of indulging on the beauty even though she wasn’t looking back!

The drummer went into a solo, and in his tunes, the ocean tides went back slowly clearing the room back to normal. Everyone started clapping and whistling at the band! So much energy, so much joy! She got the microphone once more and introduced the band. Then she thanks all of us for coming and announces they would be back next week with some new tunes. I got up and told Paul I was going too grab us beers. I knew I would need the liquid courage to talk to her. I got up went to the bar and grab three beers. One for me, one for Paul and one for her. I handed him one beer and then went straight to the blond as she was getting off stage. I looked straight at her eyes and handed her the beer. “Hello stranger, thank you for the journey you took us on.” I said. “I am no stranger M, you just don’t know it yet.” She said back to me.

Chapter 1: Naiad

March 2, 2021March 15, 2021 ~ Think ~ Leave a comment

I packed my bags and ran out of my apartment as fast as I could. I could see the clock tower at the distance mark 5:50pm. I only had 10 minutes to make the train to leave this twisted town. I was ready for a new beginning. I was ready to start fresh in a place no one knew me. I had to make that train! I ran as fast as I could, bouncing my bag off anything that was on my way. When I got to the train station, I shoved myself into the first train I saw. I didn’t care where it was going; I just knew anything was better than this place.

When the train started moving, and I was certain we were out of the city boundaries, I started looking for a place to sit. After walking down the aisle for a couple of minuted looking for an empty seat, I saw a young man siting alone in a cabin. I asked if I could join him. He looked up at me, smiled and moved his suitcase to let me sit. I walked in the cabin, placed my bag under the seat and threw myself in the chair. I felt exhausted! I didn’t know it until I sat down. All the rush of leaving, all the emotions just took over me and without reacting, my body fell asleep.

A light tap on my left shoulder and a gentle voice eventually woke me up. When I opened my eyes, I say the same young man staring at me with a weird face. “Lady, where are going? Are you ok?” I wasn’t sure what he was really saying. The tap on my shoulder started to get a little harder but I still wasn’t really responding. I felt like if I was still half as sleep. Then, I felt like if someone had just put me under a shower! I jump off my seat, to find this young man with an empty open water bottle. “Did you just throw that at me?” I asked. His face changed to relief and said he was glad I was alive. He asked me again where was I going. I replied what does it matter. He looked at me funny and laughed looking out the window. I wasn’t sure what he was laughing at. Then I realized the train wasn’t moving. I looked around and saw that the train was basically empty. I looked back at him and asked where were we. The young man, looked at me with calm eyes and said we were at the end of the trip. “Welcome to Naiad”.

I grabbed my bags and walked out of the cabin. The train was completely empty. It was only this man and me. I jumped off the train as fast as I could. Not scared, but didn’t want to go back. The man jumped off behind me and asked if I needed any assistance. He started talking about how he had grown up in this town and decided to come back after 10 years. His mom had passed away and that brought him back. I looked at him with surprised eyes. Confused about all the personal information he was giving me, a random stranger.

-“I am sorry to hear about your loss, but why are you telling me this, you don’t even know me.”

-“No real reason,; but you look as lost as I once was, like if you were running away from something.”

I didn’t reply, just looked at him. He was a tall handsome man with black hair and honey eyes. I smiled at him and apologized for my rudeness. I told him I was just traveling for a couple of months and wanted to explore this side of the country. That I had heard a lot about its beauty and mystery. He smiled back and gave me a card, told me if I needed anything to just stop by and he could give me a tour or something. Then he grabbed his bags and walked away.

As he was walking away, I realized the train behind me started moving. When I turned around back and the train was gone. No way of me going back now! I grabbed my bag and started running to the man yelling to wait. He turned around and waited for me. “Do you know of any hotel around here?” He smiled at me and told me to follow him. When we left the train station I realized how beautiful the town was. The houses were all painted in different bright colors, the roads were made of rock like the old days. People were in the street singing and dancing. Everyone looked so happy! Where was I?

“Whats your name?” I asked the man. “I thought you were never going to ask. My name is Paul, nice to meet you”, “Mine name is Mara, nice to meet you too. This town looks beautiful” I said. ” Yes it is, it’s even prettier than what I remember. But don’t be fooled, everyone knows it’s cursed. All this beauty comes with a price, so be careful with the mermaids.” Paul said. I looked at him funny when he said mermaids, but I figured it was probably just some town joke to keep tourism away. We walked past a park and then he showed me the hotel. “This is a great friendly place, just show my card and they will give you a discount. If you need anything don’t hesitate to find me. I love traveling alone and every time I find someone I like to help. Only advice I can give you about this place, is don’t go to the woods. There is where they live and you don’t want the curse! All locals know that.” Paul said; and with a very polite goodbye he walked away.

I walked into the hotel and got a room. I threw my stuff next to the bed and opened the window. The view was amazing! the sun was setting down over the mountains and the woods looked like dancing dragons. Large colorful trees kept moving with the wind. I had never seen something so pretty. I kept looking out the window thinking about what Paul had said. How can something so beautiful be cursed? It had to be a local story to keep tourists away. As I looked out the window, the moon took the sky and the colorful dragons became glowing stars. When the last ray of sun was taken by the moon, strange melodies started to come from the forest. It sounded like singing or something. I closed the window and headed to bed. It had been a very long day. I had finally left my old me. I had finally decided to live the life I had in my dreams! I knew tomorrow was going to to be a big day. Tomorrow a new life awaited me. And with those songs coming from a far, I fell a sleep and started dreaming of future me.

The sun was coming in through the window, heating up the room. I opened my eyes and saw the trees at the far glaring at me. You could heard the people walking down the street and venders selling their things. I rolled to my side and the only thing I could think of was that this was my new life. A new place to make a new me!

I crawled out of bed, took a long shower and went off to explore the town. I had some cash I had saved up, so I knew I didn’t have to find a job right away, but it wasn’t a bad idea to start looking what was out there. Walked down the streets, people kept doing their regular routine, barely noticing I was knew to town. I was running from a past I didn’t want so being semi invisible felt good for a change. As I explored one alley that had a crooked water fountain at the end, a strong smell caught my attention. I started following it, trying to find where it was coming from. It smelled like warm coco with strawberries all combined in some old memory of mine. As I turn the corner next to the fountain, I crashed into someone. It was so hard I slipped and fell down to the floor splashing myself with the fountain. Some man yelled at me to watch where I was going, but I was still disoriented and wet! I looked up for a second when I found two ocean blue eyes staring at me. I couldn’t move. They were calm and nurturing. They radiated warmth but at the same time uncertainty. I was lost. The more I looked into them the more I was sucked inside. A soft voice pulled me out of the water. Grabbed my hand and and next thing I know I am standing in front of this beautiful blond woman. She was tall, thin, pail skin and had a small smile on her mouth. She looked at me like if she knew me. I wasn’t surprised, many people knew me from the past I was trying to escape. She put her hand on my head, smiled, and then with a dazzling calm voice told me I was fine. Her eyes were looking straight at mine. I was gone again in a pool of light.

Moon Prisoner

February 10, 2021February 11, 2021 ~ Think ~ Leave a comment

I was in the middle of the NYC pride parade walking down Fifth Avenue on a Sunday morning with my 3 best friends, Ann, Pangie and Manu. The streets were covered with flags in each light post and traffic lights. The windows of the stores were fully decorated in pride colors and if you looked up at the open windows, you would see people cheering and celebrating with everyone in the street. Thousand of people were outside dancing and singing going down the parade with me. I felt static! It was our first time walking down the parade and I had never felt so whole before.

As we danced our way down the street celebrating to the loud music and cheerful crowds, I kept feeling like someone was looking at me. I kept turning around but all I would see was thousands of people looking at everyone. I kept thinking it was just in my mind. Probably caused by the rush I was feeling for just being present, in pride, for the first time, feeling like I belonged. When we finally got to the end of the parade, right in the entrance of central park, we were probably 2 bottles down of tequila between my 3 friends. We spotted a group of latins in the park with a massive speaker and having a good time. Loud latin music and vibes were bouncing all over and we just felt that was the place to keep on celebrating!

As we approached the group, I saw this tall alluring woman. Her hair was so blond you could see it shine from a mile away. Her attractive eyes kept calling me. I was about to meet het gaze when my friend Pangie pulled me and we started dancing! Our favorite song from Shakira started playing! Very soon after I had forgotten about the mysterious woman and was singing and dancing to the tunes with everyone in the circle! Men, women, latin, non-latin, we were all together, like one big family! It felt amazing! Tune after tune kept coming and we just kept dancing! It was like an endless loop that we didn’t want to end. I was spinning Pangie to a salsa song when I accidentally let go of her. She flew 2 meters and fell in the grass. Everyone started laughing and asking her if she was ok. She had the biggest smile and was just hysterically happy! As she laid in the grass waiting for me to help her up; my eyes were locked somewhere else. I completely missed her fall and the laughs of everyone. I had been teleported out of this world and somewhere else.

I was surrounded by an ocean, clear as the blue sky. Purple and yellow lights where shining everywhere like diamonds in the sky. I couldn’t hear anything. Just the sound of the wind hitting my eyes. My heart started to raise and I could feel it like a drum inside my body trying to get out! My eyes were locked. Locked in her eyes. I knew everything and nothing about her at the same time. I had seen her a million times but couldn’t place her. I knew her, just not now. Then her lips started to move like if she was singing but I couldn’t hear. I knew right there I was under a spell. As the waves of the ocean brought her closer to me, her song finally hit my ears. A song I knew before.

“If she is sweet like a cherry, she will be blond. If she is mad like a devil, her hair will be red like the blanket of a bullfighter. So bright and strong that not even a horn can get through it. But when she decides to be free like an angel, her hair would be blue.

Blue like her crystal eyes, that take up half her face. So clear inside that you can see all the reflexions reflecting back. And when you look up, back at her hair, you can feel the ocean waves rolling down her neck. Making the room smell like sea. And when she talks you hear the songs, made by mermaids singing back at us.

Songs of love that make you dream, and with her lips you will taste the ocean breeze. At night her lips will be cold and sweet. Making no sound when you get a kiss. But in the morning you will taste a different thing. A hot and spicy kiss will make you scream.”

I started to feel like my head was about to explode. My vision kept shaking and losing focus of her crystal eyes. The more I tried to focus on her and the song, the more my head pounded. Then I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, like if I was getting hit by someone but no one was around me. A flash of light came down my eyes, and I couldn’t see the ocean anymore. As my eyes started to regain focus of the bright light, I saw Pangie standing in front of me. Her mouth was moving and her hand was raised above my head.

She had got up and slapped the back of my head saying “Earth to Monty, helloooo?” I shook my head and apologized to her. She laughed and told me to stop being a prick and drink a shot with her and her new friend 7. I turned to introduce my self to 7, still confused and dizzy of what had happen, when I realized it was her. The mermaid in that planet, the tall blond girl I had seen earlier. It all came rushing back to me. I was back in the middle of the ocean hearing her sing, but I was also standing in central park listening her speak. A burning hot feeling come down my spine. I felt like I was sweating down every inch of my body. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t speak. I was paralyzed. Another slap came soon after, but this one was in my hand and was received with a tequila shot. “DRINK” they both yelled. My friend drank it short after, but I was still motionless. I could see the tequila bubbling of the heat transfer from my hand and my feet still under water. Then the unexpected happened. 7 looked at me, with her calm crystal eyes. So seductive anyone would have melted in the spot. Lucky me I had already melted and froze so nothing much changed. She put a lime in her mouth and signal me to drink the shot in my hand. When I did, like a little girl following orders, she put her mouth on top of mine, like if she was going for a kiss. Then she pushed the lime into my mouth.

The tequila shot went down my throat, cooling my entire body down. The ocean around me turned cold and the diamond lights became shooting starts. When the shot finally reached my stomach, I felt a jolt of energy running back up my neck and into my mouth. as my eyes kept seeing two different sights, each shooting star had become part of her eyes. I took out the lemon of my mouth, placed my lemon in my lips, just like 7 had done. Without a sign she took her shot and this time I kissed her and passed my lime to her. My body felt cool and my head was clear. I turned around and signaled the guy that was controlling the music to play a sexy latin beat for me. When he did, I dragged 7 out of the ocean and into our grass dance floor. I spinned her all around making her dance like if she was a star.

We danced all night and looked into each other eyes till the sun came out. We knew everything about each other. Like if we had met 1000 times before in 100 past lives. I didn’t want the night to end, but as the sun was rising, we knew our time was also vanishing. Not a word had been exchanged all night, but our souls had been singing non stop. I turned around for a second to take a picture of us to remind myself of this unforgettable beautiful moment; and as the sun took the moon away, the moon took her away again. And to this day I see her only in the waves that the moon generates when I am next to her.

Sensuous Description

December 21, 2020December 21, 2020 ~ Think ~ Leave a comment

“looks like, smells like, feels like, sounds like, even tastes like”

If she is sweet like a cherry, she will be blond. If she is mad like a devil, her hair will be red like the blanket of a bullfighter. So bright and strong that not even a horn can get through it. But when she decides to be free like an angel, her hair would be blue.