10 Freedom

Zephyr sat down next to Serenity and looked at what she was looking at, and he was astounded by how the deep blue seas met the coastline. The water is soothing and inviting, like a lovely blanket. The sound of the waves crashing into the surrounding ocean can only be compared to a bass drum's thunderous booming.

The moon looked down on them, keeping an eye on them. The brightness of this full moon allows them to see its ever-so-magnificent craters. The moon shone in the sky with a warm milky radiance, as though the sight of it could turn into a song in the eyes of everyone willing to look up. Their day was made so much brighter by the illumination of the stars and the moon.

"What did you and Desiree talk about?" Zephyr asked. Serenity took the Nava that Zephyr handed her and ate it, almost hearing the sound of its crunch.

"Nothing too much." She answered, still looking at the beautiful sight.

The moon, the mother of the sky who gazed over every beating heart, steady and true, shone brightly among the stars. There is a continuous warmth from the grains on the grayish rock, the tone as pleasant to the eye as a vintage photograph. Already, the stars appear to have preserved a pocket of daylight to shine throughout the night sky. At dawn, there is always the promise of splendour. Serenity will remain here until then, breathing deeply of ocean air and listening to the drumming of waves, which has been her lullaby since she was an awareness wrapped in a siren form.

"Just don't pay attention to what she says, she's just saying what she wants to say. Just in case you have a problem, just tell me. I'm willing to listen." Serenity nodded at what Zephyr told her.

The wind whispers in Serenity's ear as it plays with her hair, as if it is telling her it's deepest, darkest secrets. It is all so pure and cleansing, so much so that she feels intrusive when she scratches her foot. The sound seems loud and resounding.

The fishy smell is oddly comforting. It smells warm and salty, as she breathes in the cold, salty air. It is the smell of freedom, and it makes her want to get up and run along the shore, which is exactly what she does. Zephyr was surprised by Serenity's sudden action. Zephyr just laughed when Serenity suddenly ran away.

The wind blows her hair back and whips her face as she runs. Her eyes water and her feet tingle as she breathes in the salty air. Serenity almost falls; the water makes her slip and she stumbles clumsily. So glad that there aren't any sharp rocks around her. Her arms are thrown apart, grasping the empty air. She stopped, breathless, and felt the stickiness settling on her skin as she walked towards the ocean to wash her feet.

"Looks like you're having fun, may I join you?" Serenity nodded at Zephyr's sudden question while soaking her feet and washing her face with ocean water. They also played in the ocean water for a long time before sitting on the rocks again due to the extreme cold of the water.

"A while ago you seemed bothered. That's why I thought Desiree must have told you something that kept bothering you. I don't know how to explain it." Serenity looked at Zephyr at what he said and tapped the big rock they were sitting on.

"I also don't know what happened to me. I just realized what I was doing when I stumbled." Zephyr laughed at Serenity's answer to him.

"What's so funny?" Serenity asked Zephyr in astonishment.

"Well your reason is kinda-." Zephyr's words were cut off.

"Kinda what?" Serenity asked.

"Well, I don't know how to explain it, but it looks like you were possessed a while ago." Zephyr said, laughing as he remembered what Serenity had been doing earlier.

"I felt freedom." Serenity suddenly blurted out, and that made Zephyr stop what he was doing.

"Freedom?" Serenity nodded. Serenity looked up at the ocean and stopped when she saw Calypso on the side waving at her. He seemed to be there earlier but Serenity didn't notice him. Calypso smiled when he saw that Serenity had seen him, so he waved his hands even more as if he was inviting Serenity to go back to Anthemoesia.

"Zephyr, can you say to Desiree that I'm sorry that I'll leave early, in my stead. I need to leave as soon as possible, next time again." Serenity said to Zephyr. He can't do anything but nod to what Serenity told him. Serenity's figure's slowly moving away from Zephyr.

"Serenity! Zephyr!" Desiree shouted loudly as she approached the young man still staring at where Serenity had gone.

"Oh! Where's Serenity?" Desiree asked the young man in surprise.

"She left." Zephyr answered Desiree's question.

"It's a pity. I want to give her something, but I don't know that she has already left." Desiree said, disappointed, and just looked at the weak waves in the ocean.

"You know I've been waiting for you here for a while. I thought you'd get back to your senses right away." Calypso said, suppressing his laughter.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Serenity took off her clothes and slowly dived into the water and did what she had to do to be a siren again. The water glowed again as well as Serenity's feet and it slowly turned into a tail. To this day, she still can't believe what's happening in her life.

Serenity still doesn't know the reason why the mysterious woman gave her a magical pearl and she also doesn't know its name and where the mysterious woman can be found so that Serenity will talk to her. But Serenity didn't think of it too much about how to find her, because suddenly the mysterious woman just shows up to her and takes her to the dark place.

"You're just running and running, not knowing that you're surrounded by rocks, then you suddenly stumble because of your clumsyness." Calypso told her teasingly, but Serenity didn't argue back with Calypso because what the young man told her was true, so she couldn't do anything else. The two began to swim back to Anthemoesia, back to the place where sirens like them should live.