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.

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.