Written in sand and...carved in stone....

They lived near the beach. He loved her so much. So did she. They were a simple couple. Deeply in love. Everyday she would bid him adieu at dawn. Watch as he would walk out of that door. Take his little boat. He would pat their dog and go away. He would load all that he needed into the boat. Same ritual every morning. Look back at the house from where his beloved would wave to him. She had seen him do this for the last seven years. Yet, it all seemed different and new each day. She would see him disappear at the horizon. Anxious. And those eyes moist. But, she knew he had to go. And there was a pride in her eyes that her man was out to conquer the sea. And she would eagerly await his return.

He was a fisherman. She looked after the house. Together they lived a life that was at peace. Their small world had its share of happiness and worries. When she would have nothing to do, she would collect shells on the beach. She liked to play the flute. Always the same song. But, he loved it. He never said it. His eyes did. Today, she sat under the palm tree. The sun was high. The hammock shook slowly as if inviting the wind to play with it even more. The dog barked and went away behind the ball that she threw away. She knew that he was content with his life. As long as he had some bread and fish for the night, he was not worried. But her mind would not agree. She felt that there had to be more to their life. She had seen the other day another man sell pearls. He would make more money if even he did the same, she thought. Today, she would tell him what she thought.

He returned. Small fish shook wildly in his boat. He did next what he would do everyday. Took them out. Cleaned them. And sorted them out. Went to the dealer to sell them. Came back with his days earnings. He saw her. He knew she had something to say to him. After a moment of silence, she told him about selling pearls. As usual, he resisted change. His life had been like that always. But, then she had come into his life seven years ago. They had no children. He knew that made her sad. Everyday he would try to keep her happy. Bring her some wild flowers or some beautiful conch. But, today he knew that she had made up her mind. Nothing he would tell would reason with her. Finally, he accepted her wish. From the next day, he would look for pearls and other sea gems.

Two months went by. He was not doing well in his new work. Some days he would find some gem. Other days he would return with some exotic shell or a large conch. But, it would not be enough for a living. He was frustrated. She was unhappy with him. Things came to a standstill one day. She told him that his heart had never been in it. And that is why the sea would not give him his share of pearls. He tried to reason with her. But nothing would seem fair to her tonight. They argued about it for several hours. She was upset. And he was heartbroken too. She pushed the door away. And ran outside. And she looked up at the sky. It was a sight to behold. The blue waters glimmered under the light of the full moon. The waves came slowly to the shore as if to tell it that even they think that this night is magical. The stars looked down upon these lovers. Plankton shone gloriously. The palm trees swayed as if moving to a tune played by the sky. There were no clouds. It was a clear sky. She picked up a shell. And with it wrote in sand these words...

"O mighty sea...O lovely sands..O beautiful moon..O all ye eternal stars..You know how I feel tonight. I feel my life is incomplete because of him. He is here and still he is not. I do not want to see him anymore. He does not love me. I hate him."

The sun rose. She had not spoken to him later that night. He came out. Did what he would do every day. Went to the palm tree. Collected his stuff and put it in the boat. Patted the dog. And took his boat to the shore. He looked back if she would wave to him. She did not. She was still upset. But he knew that in her heart she still loved him. He turned back. He looked towards the sun. Looked up towards the sky. Heaved a sigh. He could see the birds flying without care. The waters were still. So, he set out. She went back inside their house. And tried to put those thoughts out of her mind. But, something inside told her. It was not to be...

It was evening. She sat there staring at him. The dog was quiet too. The master was dead. The other fishermen had brought his lifeless body. There had been a storm in the sea later that day. The fisherman had been caught in that. And there he was now. At peace. His eyes looked upward. The heart would not beat anymore. His hands stretched outwards as if asking the sky to come to him. His boat lay there. Broken. And so was his body. She said nothing. Looked nowhere but at him. Slowly, those tears rolled down her eyes onto his hands. She thought of nothing else. He was gone.

A few days later. She was sittng under the palm tree. And she saw something. It had not been there before. A stone. And on it was written something. She read it. And she read it again. She cried. Her tears fell on the stone. And the stone turned there. Touched by this emotion. As if there were a soul in it. And that soul had just been touched by this. Affection. She ran back to that spot where she had written those words that night. That fateful night. When they had fought. If only she had known that it would be their last night together. She could not find those words. The sands had been washed away. And she cried. Wept more. She thanked the sea for having erased those words. She thanked the sands for being so kind as to have removed all those painful memories. Later that night. She sat on the shore again. The waters touched her feet. The stars looked down upon her. She could feel his presence. She knew he was looking over her. She would miss him. She loved him dearly. She was glad that she had written those terrible things in sand. And he had done so in stone. For that was how both of them really felt. Besides her lay that stone. On it were neatly carved these words...

"O mighty sea...O lovely sands..O beautiful moon..O all ye eternal stars..You know how I feel tonight. I feel my life is complete just because of her. She is not here and still she is. I do not want to see her sad again like this. I know she loves me. And I love her too."