Abyssal Reverie

Chapter 7: Distraction

   "Call me when they bury bodies underwater."

"Seeelaahhh." My father was calling to me, the air thick with morning fog. I had made my way down past the chicken coop, back into the trees behind our farm. My dress was covered in scat and mud from the day's chores. My heart was aching deep within my chest. "Selah, please. Please come home."

I was afraid to go home; My mother had not been the same since my brother was born. She was too busy caring for the baby to take me to the ocean. She broke promise after promise, and I watched her fall deeper into her sadness every day. "Selah, I will take you to the beach tomorrow. How does that sound?" My father's voice sounded so desperate to pull me closer to him. The thought of going home shuddered through me. If I went back, I would have to look at her, the woman who was in my mother's body. A ghost of who she used to be. I watched through branches as my father made his way closer to me. The pain that echoed within me was only amplified by the look of despair that sat on my father's face almost every day now. I pulled myself down off the tree trunk and began to wonder closer to him. As he rounded the corner to find me, his eyes met mine. I could see he was tired; not in the way a new parent was tired, but the way you get when you have worked on something that hasn't gone the way you planned. He was exhausted.

I met him in the small clearing of trees, reaching out to him in hopes of getting the hug that would soothe my soul. He gathered me up in his arms, scooping my feet from underneath me. He planted a sweet kiss on my forehead and held me close. "There you are!" He smiled, even though it didn't reach his eyes. "Did you hear me calling you?" I opened my mouth to answer but was met with nothing but a vicious scream from the direction of the house. Blood-curdling cries echoed through the trees, scaring the birds into flight.

◇~◇

I am awoken once again from my sleep with a start. The fear that had lingered in my dreams swirling through my brain. I could feel the rapid beats of my heart slamming against the cage that surrounded it. My throat was filled with bile, sweat pooling on my forehead. I had to calm myself, swinging my legs over the edge of my cot, I set both feet on the ground. Although we were deep in the middle of the sea I needed to ground myself. I wiggled my toes, flexing each of them individually to make my mind focus on what was right in front of me. I dig my fingers into the scratchy fabric of my hammock, dragging them along the thick grooves.

The acid caught in my throat began to subside, leaving a bitter taste on my tongue. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the dirt and grime that lingered from the last few days. I needed to steady myself and clean myself up. I looked out the small port window to the left of me. The sun had just begun to rise over the horizon, the small speckles of light dancing off the ocean waves. I made my way over to the bucket of water we kept to wash up. II, III, and IV were all still fast asleep in their cots. I watched them toss and turn as I scrubbed myself clean.

My hands were still shaking as I dunked my head into the cool water. I run my fingers through each section of hair, each of them getting caught on different tangles. I could feel each of them as I tugged them out one by one. The Saltwater kept my hair sticky, so it made it that much easier to braid it back into a beautiful crown, circling around the entirety of my head. I tugged on my white tunic, topping it with the beautiful vest attached to a scabbard. This would have held a sword if Vessel trusted me to have one.

After pulling on my pants and lacing up my boots I finally felt good enough to attempt the trek to the upper deck. Each step I took was easier than the last, even as my legs recovered from the jelly-like feeling that had plagued them prior. The thick leather of the scabbard smacks the side of my leg as I force my way past the crew members swabbing the deck. I could hear the chatter of the crew members around me, some talking about food. Others discuss their roles in helping Vessel in his search for sleep.