Sweet Song

Chapter 13

It had been a while since that day, I had learnt a lot. Things started to get better after that. The relationship I had with my father grew. He started to listen to me. He started to pay attention to the things that I really wanted. I was enrolled in school. It wasn't a fancy, prestigious singing school. It was a regular school where I made some friends. I found out that I really enjoyed history.

I could tell that my father was trying. I could tell that he felt guilty for taking away Ula's voice. He had jumped to conclusions and assumed that Sirenneyets were the ones to attack mother. When we were sitting on that small piece of land we talked about it. He told me many things which he had hidden from me. I didn't think that our relationship would be the same after that. Yet, it was stronger than ever before. There were no more secrets between us when it came to the past.

I hadn't seen Ula or any of the other Sirenneyets since they brought us back to land. They had a lot to worry about at the time so I didn't think much of it. They were looking after Kano. I was a little bit upset, I had some things which I wanted to discuss with them. I sometimes still went to the sandy shore to see if Ula was at our spot.

That's what I was doing right now. My stormy gray eyes watched over the sea as I skipped some stones in the water. I sighed and sat down against the cliff. Nothing had changed. It was the same rocks, the same water, the same sky that there has always been. I felt like I was seeing it through another person's eyes.

After everything that had went down over the past month or so, I had been rather preoccupied. There was something which was always on my mind. It was what I had seen that day in the water. I didn't have a lot of time with my mother when she was alive, yet somehow I could recognise her. It was an image trapped in my mind constantly. It was back when we were in Turin's cave. When I was pulled into the water. I had braced myself, expecting to feel the acidic sting of the water, to meet my end. No end came for me.

Instead, a beautiful sight was before me within the water. The water was a kaleidoscope of colours surrounding me. I had gotten dizzy, my mind whirled like the water around me. My attention was quickly caught by something other than Turin as he was forcibly pulled away from me. It was a kind and loving face. It was the face of my mother. Of course I never told anyone what I saw, especially dad.

I leant back against the cliff and closed my eyes for a moment. An action I soon came to regret as not too long later, I was splashed. I jumped in surprise and opened my eyes. In front of me was a chuckling Ula. "Haha, very funny." I splashed her slightly but she didn't seem to mind. "Where've you been?"

It was probably rude to have that as a first question but I was curious. She looked at me with a small smirk and opened her mouth. I couldn't help the surprise which came over me when she said "Home." I raised my eyebrows and before I knew it, I wrapped my arms around her in excitement.

"You have a voice!" I could feel her chuckle slightly. She had tensed up when I had wrapped my arms around her. Soon she copied my motions. I shivered slightly at the feel of her webbed hand on my back, it was an odd sensation but I didn't mind it. "When did that happen?"

She moved her wrist in a circle three times. "Days." She said simply. I guess that she wouldn't be able to tell me many things in detail. It would be like a child learning how to talk. It could take her a long while to figure out how to speak. "But." She started to say before reaching out and taking my hand. It shocked me a little and I jumped, she didn't seem to notice as she played with my hand. She curled four of my fingers into a fist and left my thumb out, like a thumbs up. She then lifted my hand.

I gave a chuckle. "Everything's good?" She nodded. She seemed pleased with herself that I could understand her. "I'm glad."The two of us looked back at the ocean again. The silence was peaceful and calm. It was the middle of the day so there were quite a few people on the beach. "What are you going to do now?" I could tell that there was a little bit of sadness in my voice.

Ula shrugged. I could tell that her mood had significantly dropped. She gestured out towards the sea. "Family." I knew that simple word meant so much, to the both of us. Her family was in the sea. She would be searching for her lost family, the rest of the group she travelled with. As far as she knew, they had left without her notice. She also thought that, about her father and brother, before she found out that Turin had transfigured them into fish.

"I hope you find them." I gave her a small smile and nudged her gently. It was something I was rather used to doing. I never thought that I would have this kind of relationship with something which my father considered extremely dangerous. Something which I used to consider as extremely dangerous. "You guys will be one big, happy family again."

She nodded, it was a little more hesitant than what I was expecting. She leant forward, as though she was going to go back into the water. Yet, she paused for a moment. She turned around to look at me with mischief in her eyes. She quickly came closer to me and kissed me on the cheek. I looked at her with my mouth opening and closing.

I could hear her give a slight giggle, a sound rather melodious. It was light and airy, full of happiness. I stood up on the rocks just like I had when we first met. I watched her in the water. She swam happily and I watched with glee. Her laugh was like a sweet song echoing in my mind.

I knelt down next to the water and cupped my hands together, in a heart shape. Her eyes widened in the water as she tried to copy my motions. I nodded and grinned at her success. She swam in one final circle before she waved. My heart filled with sadness. I didn't know if I would see her again. I gave a wave and watched as she swam. She didn't look back, even though my eyes never left her.

We both got what we wished for. She got her voice back, her family back. I also got my family back, a little bit of it at least. I also got a new opportunity in life. I could finally do what I wanted to do. There were no more secrets. Apart from one. I never told anyone what happened in the pool that day. I never told anyone the image of my mother which I saw in the sea. Of course, I might have been hallucinating. Yet, I would swear down that I saw a shimmering image of my mother, smiling at me. Letting me know that I'll make it through.

The end.

Thanks to everyone who read this story! I had a lot of fun writing it-special thank you to Astaria who helped editthe story! just a reminder this is a watty exclusive too-so if you're reading this from another website...report :) thank you again!