“No man ever steps in the same river twice,” said Heraclitus. But that is simply not true, because I can think of exactly one thing that never changes, that has never changed since the very beginning. The sea– the very one that I have been sailing in since the very beginning, in which nothing has changed. It has been cycling our dear Earth for all of this time, and yet it has managed to stay the same. I almost envy the sea for it.

      I suppose that when you are stuck somewhere for this long, one way or another, you start noticing the details- like the darkness of the water, that eventually disappears when you stare at the depths for long enough, revealing treasures hidden below. The motion I see under my beautiful oak ship, the Ocean Maiden (named aptly by my mother, who claimed that “The greatest of the depths may only be conquered by the fiercest of them all, and that is not for men to do…”- wise woman), is another such example. 

      Now, what is that? I tilt my head slightly to the left and squint my eyes, hoping the sea will accept my gentle sacrifice and reveal those treasures once more…

      “Yo, Colly-boy, what are you staring at? Fell so womanless, that you’ve taken up seducing the old lady?” Stevy pointed, looking at where I was looking, the depths. He is second in command, so I shouldn’t call him Stevy, but he was always there next to mother, and now he’s become a brother; of course, I will not be calling him brother, as that would make me the laughing stock for how long? At least a year (Time doesn’t pass quickly, when all you’ve got is the sea and twenty drunk folk)!

      “Nothing…” I mumbled, looking up from the moving treasure, and staring at the horizon for just another second. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the cabin right now?”

      “Came here to check on you-you’re awfully quiet these days… Captain is worried too, y’know, she thinks you’re sick.” Stevy had those gentle eyes that he had, only when he was worried, which is rare.

      “All good, just me being me.” I flash an enthusiastic smile at Stevy to reassure him. “And tell Mama I’m not sick, I just couldn't sleep well these days. The waves in this area are really wild.” I lie: mother doesn’t need to worry about me, she already has enough things to deal with. Stevy is not convinced, but he has that look, the one that says “I get it, it’s a you problem, I’ll let you be.” Two gentle taps on my back, and he is gone. 

      “We are tete-a-tete, once again…” I look at the dark blue sea, waiting for it to open its curtains once again for me, so that I can behold my lovely wanderer treasure.

      To say that I’ve lied once in the last five minutes would be a lie, because I lied once more before the second lie, which I guess means that I lied three times- I’m becoming a liar. My first lie was to myself about the treasure. This is not our first encounter, though my amazement for this lovely wanderer has never changed. It has been following me for weeks now, though I can’t exactly tell; time has a different flow in the sea. 

      I know it's following me, by heart, even though I can’t explain why. I did believe it was after the ship at first, but that idea was quickly declined by my gut. That’s not the only proof either; treasure follows me to sleep, to my dreams, to the awaking excitement of curiosity, to the embarrassing obsession of getting an answer… Maybe living on a ship is finally getting to me after twenty-four years, maybe Stevy was right, maybe I’m not okay and starting to see the sea as a mistress in my consciousness… Well, whatever it is, it’s keeping me awake at night, with the warm feeling of interest and fascination that I’ve been longing for, and I’m pretty sure I’d do anything to just reach down and grab the answer-

 

      “Yvon Collymore! What the hell are you doing?” Mother’s voice echoes through my head, waking me up from a state of captivation. When my eyes start working, I see the sea just a couple of metres away from the tip of my nose. Oh my- I quickly pull myself back, so hard that accidentally taking a couple more steps makes me fall right onto my spine. I’m feeling… dizzy? 

      It’s dark. I can feel my body’s weight on my arms, trying to carry me. Before I register anything, the weight I feel halves as a hand touches my back, which I lean upon. My eyes don’t want to work very much, but forcing them open has been successful. I know that hand, long nails gently piercing my suede vest, a rough palm grasping my back, with worry so great that I can feel it from just a touch.

      “Mama…” I pull my head up, staring at her amber eyes. She had me quite young; it wasn’t an accident, it was a curse dawning on a young woman, who just happened to be at the wrong alley at the wrong time. It might have been a bane, but my mother never made me feel like one. She sat on the sail the day I was born, and left that dreadful town without a blink of an eye. Nowadays, “strong” is all I can think, when I look at her. 

      “Dear boy, what were you thinking…?” She looks at me, puzzled. Her front braids hang from her shoulder, and I can see the red extensions braided in them, contrasting with her brunette genes, memories from our dear adventures…

      “Nothing, I just felt dizzy. Don’t worry, Mama, I just couldn’t really sleep well these past few days. Nothing a good night's rest won’t fix.” A reassuring smile grows on my cheeks, her presence always wrapped me in a blanket of credence.

      “Let’s just take you to your chamber, you need some rest, my boy.” Her hand wraps around my back and pulls me up within seconds. For such a small woman, she is quite strong, it's honestly impressive. I don’t wanna leave though, I want to keep looking at my treasure, and I can feel it wants me too. My hands climb up in protest, trying to very gently push my mother away, but I fail miserably. Maybe mother is right, maybe I do need some sleep. I can come back for my treasure later, right? It wouldn’t just abandon me, would it…?

      Mother takes me to my cabin. I guess being the captain's son does have its perks, ‘cuz my cabin is right next to my mother’s, while all of the other crew members use the downstairs cabins. Even Stevy, whom Mother asks to control the crew (poor Stevy)…

      I pace to my bed when we get to the cabin, for that's the only time that my mother releases her grip. She is being cautious, for some reason,- I wasn’t even in that bad of a state, I was just swoony-

      Plop. A sudden sound appears when I accidentally fall into bed. How did I not see it when it was right in front of me? Nevermind… Maybe mother was right?

      She walks towards me as I adjust my posture on the bed. She has the gentlest eyes ever to exist. I don’t use pillows, because I’m against their existence, which makes me look as dead as a doornail when I sleep- I think it’s making my mother worried, but nothing I can do about it… Mother’s hand brushes through my hairline, as soothing as ever. I love it when people play with my hair, and she knows it. It gives me tingles, so she does it deliberately. Hehe. 

      “Sleep, Yvon-ny!” Mother leans in, kisses my forehead, and closes the door behind herself as she leaves. And then, it's silent. 

      “Once again, we are alone, treasure.” My hand touches my heart to reach the feeling of warmth. Treasure created that, that warmth that wasn't there before. 

      Wait for me, my jewel.

 

      Heat, it’s rising. My eyes flutter open to the feeling growing in my chest. The warmth of treasure, it is turning into something more- a sensation that is almost uncomfortable. I can’t help but grab my chest. It’s aching- I need to see treasure.

      As I rise, the light in the corridor comes into view. Who is that? Mother… and Stevy. They seem to be having a discussion. Stevy is talking in a very passionate, gesticulated way. What are they talking about…? My brain must have finally started functioning, because I got up, walked towards the door, opened the knob and got into some kind of a staring contest with mother and Stevy. They seem freaked out: how long have I been asleep?

      “Yvon, are you awake, my boy?” Mother says, without being able to wipe the worry off her face. I wave my head in acknowledgement. 

      “What is happening?” I ask the long-awaited question. 

      “We don’t know either. Everything was fine until a couple of minutes ago. It was sunny, then suddenly a thunderstorm, streaks of lightning, waves the size of Poseidon’s trident… And it lasts for miles, we don’t know how to get out.” Stevy is tense, and it’s making me tense, too. Ew, that must be sibling empathy.

      “Gahh-” A burning pain strikes my chest- I think it’s an actual burn - and I can’t help but grasp my heart. What is happening right now? Treasure? Is something wrong? Mother and Stevy both reach out for me and grab me by the shoulders. They are pulling me up as if I’m gonna fall. Maybe I will, who knows? 

      “How long have I been asleep for?” I try to decline the torment inside and get my answers, I need to reach treasure as soon as possible.

      “My boy, are you okay? What is happening right now?” Mother is distressed. She orders Stevy to get the medkit. That's nice, but it doesn’t help. 

      “How long, Mama?” My voice is shaky.

      “Yesterday evening, Yvon. What’s wrong?” Sorry, mother, not right now.

      I sprint downstairs to the front deck and look around, they were right. It is a disaster here, and just being outside is dangerous. The wind could take me to oblivion, but I resist.

      I can feel the heat aching for my presence. Coincidentally, the presence is also a strange longing, so I know where to go. That's nice, at least it comes with instructions. I run to the left side of the deck, holding the ledge firmly before looking down. 

      Open the curtains, sea, let me reunite with my treasure. Once again, I can’t tell how, but I just absolutely know it; this disastrous weather has something to do with my jewel.

      Sea doesn’t let me in, it doesn’t need to. The feeling of burning is leaving- warmth, precious warmth once again. There is something moving close to the surface. What is that? One, two, no three dorsal fins, all attached to each other… It has a long tail, shiny, the same colour as a shallow island lagoon. The most atrociously beautiful shade of cyan my mortal eyes have ever seen. Wait a second, it’s a boy! A strange one, with diamond pupils wrapped around those same gorgeous cyan orbs, and the ears that carry the same shape as his dorsal fins. It's Treasure.

      I am stunned, and we are locked in. I can’t take my eyes off his beauty… Mother and the crew are yelling at me for something. I don’t know, and I couldn’t care less. 

      “Come.” A strange voice echoes through my head, Treasure.

      “Yes.” I think my brain is dead, because I can’t even think before acting. I stand on the very ledge that I was holding so tight mere seconds ago. And-

 

      Cold water touching my skin wakes me up. What was that? Treasure. He wanted me. So I jumped- Air. My memories are hazy, and I can’t remember what happened a lot, but my reflexes have finally kicked in, finally. I see the surface quite well despite the grey weather. My eyes are wide open, and my arms are doing everything in their power to get me oxygen. Movement, very fast movement. I’m panicking, with lungs running out of air, but I’m not alone. There is someone else here with me. Treasure. It is circling around me at lightning speed. His presence is calming my anxiety…

       I’m quite close to the surface now, my hand reaches out, and it is out there. I can see Mama's red braids reaching out for me, she is calling my name. The crew is behind her, too; they are all leaning down towards me, I think. I’m coming, Mama, I’ll take Treasure with me-

 

      Red. The cerulean is turning red. Pain. I look at my chest. There is a hand inside me- a claw, quite literally. When I look up, Treasure is in front of me. Such a beauty… 

      “Devour.” The same angelic voice echoes through my head once again.

      The red grows richer. His beauty has never been so vibrant.

      Treasure… My precious jewel…