Short Story: She or Sea?
A short story of changing metaphoric points of view. Each part is HE -SHE and the metaphor changes.
She or Sea?
He always waited near the sea. He liked the waves, they were always there for him. They would come near him, bend into a white frothy palm and welcome him by gesturing their fingers, folding inward, like asking him to come near them.
The sea was beautiful from the beach. It stretched to the horizon, meeting the sky that curved towards it. He knew that it was deeper if one rode the waves and reached the quiet part. It seemed that the sea had a mind of its own, like the shallow, wavy part near him — that was the gregarious part of the sea, like that girl one finds next door, constantly sitting on her patio, her wavy hair and breezy smile always present feature. The other part is the deep, broody part which one can never figure out. He liked the sea from the shore, he would not dare diving into its depths.
The sea was a she. His lover, companion, and spouse. She could never figure him out either. He seemed all interested, staring at her forever, almost, sometimes smiling and waving back, and sometimes brooding. But he never approached her. She wanted to embrace, touch, feel and smell him, but he always kept his distance. Was he not interested? She wanted him to dive into her depths, and discover the pearls of ecstasy within her.
He wanted to dive deep inside her depths. However, he was always stunned at the stillness and silence of her depths. He had ventured once or twice, but the sight and the sound ( or lack thereof) made him refrain from attempting further. He dare not even dip his big toe. One day, he shouted into the breeze that caressed him tantalizingly. ‘Hi sea, can you tell me what is on your mind? I have been here for ages. You are stunning yet somber-’
A day came, and he asked her what was on her mind. She replied. ‘I always thought you were not interested. But it seems you are. What is that I can do for you, that you can come near me — embrace and make love to me?’
The waves were silent. He smiled at them. ‘You have been inviting all along, yet it was me who dithered. It is me — I have to come near you, for you are always there.’
He stood up and wiped the dust on his trousers and hands. He undressed, now down to his innerwear. He walked toward her slowly, but now surely. She was already opening her arms to him. It did not take much longer for him to dive into her depths.
~Ashok Subramanian, © 2022
