Love Song

Soundtrack: Ice Dance, Edward Scissorhands Score, Danny Elfman

The ocean trembled with an uncertainty that echoed through my chest. The moonshine rippled through the waves as I laced my fingers through the reflection, distorting its beautiful, round shape. I sat on the bank of the bay, cross-legged with water up to my waist, listening to the frogs chirping in the woods. The wind swept through the pine and oak trees and whistled back to my ears like a smooth clarinet. I took a deep breath and waited it out. I know she would come. I had seen her before; she was always careful. But these summer nights, she liked to surprise me. I never sought to get her attention, but fate had me follow her until she was aware of my existence.

I was only a man with basic needs, after all; the need to feel, to love, to belong, and most of all, to know my destiny.

She was my destiny. And so, I waited.

I felt a considerable amount of time pass, but I didn’t waver.

Life is tricky, and topsy-turvy. Just when you think you have a whole plan thought out, something so amazing and unpredictable can turn it all around. After awhile, I let out an impatient sigh, but I still don’t move. I felt the wind change. I heard a splash of water from the west. Static electricity soared through the water, making my hair on my neck stand on end. The tide rose and crashed against my chest. I rose up on my knees, and as I steadied myself on the sandy bank, I heard her call. It was a cross between a beautiful train and a brass orchestra as she rose up from out of the water. Her body rose up like a goliath, but she was the most amazing sight I ever had the fortune of witnessing up close. When she crashed into the water, the wave rose up and encompassed my upper body. I gasped for air, and rubbed my eyes to remove the sting of the salt water. When they focused back, all that was left was the ripple of the waves and her echoing song. I stood up and watched as the horizon turned a light shade of purple, signaling the upcoming sunrise.

I stood up on my feet, dripping from every inch of my body and watched as the waves rocked back and forth. Just when I thought that had been the end of it, I heard her song again. It was scary and beautiful and life changing as any sound could make once it meets its match. Something in that song triggered my senses. I saw her fluke rise up out of the wave, white and navy and as unique as my own fingerprint. It bent in the air as if waving to me, before lapping the water in a splash.

She disappeared after that. I heard her for the next few minutes, weaving in and out of the bay, until only the echo in my ears remained. The sun slowly came up and the new day was born. I knew that I wouldn’t see her again for quite some time, but like all good things, they make their way around the circle and return to its humble beginnings.

I walked away from the ocean that morning with a newfound respect and awareness. My love for her would grow and grow, that I was certain. There was a lot of work to do, but like a man who knows his love, who knows his destiny…I would make my way to return to her, to them, and make it count.