3 Goodbye and a new Beginning

My tummy grumbles loudly between us. He reluctantly releases me in the direction of the kelp forest. He hums "Don't go far." I swim over to start munching on leaves while he swam the opposite direction towards the eggs.

His size astounds me. His length is atleast six times my entire length and his width at the shoulders easily my entire length. He has a vivid green tail that shimmered with deep blue speckles as the sunlight danced off his scales. I on the other hand, much smaller than he and my tail almost a translucent white with hints of blue speckles barely visible. My skin a pale white compared to his coppery skin. My hair not even a wisp compared to his full grown mane. He has four pectoral fins, all a translucent green while I had little nubs where mine should have been located. I had much growing to do to catch up to him.

He swims around the eggs, places an ear on each of them and listens. His expression saddens at the discovery that they no longer contain life. He hums a heartrending melody and manages to convey to me "Stay in the nest, I will be right back, it's time for your siblings to return to the ocean." He gently picks up both eggs and my abandoned shell and disappers away throught the kelp forest.

He is gone for a while, giving me enough time to fill my tummy and swim around the nest, inspecting and picking up tiny rocks, completely restless and not knowing what do to with myself.

Much later, with the ocean darkening, father swims back into the nest dejected. I point to the place where the eggs had been with a question on my face. He hums back "They are with the ocean now, they will forever be around us." I don't understand what he means, yet I nod, his countenance too pained for me to trouble him any further.

He hums, "Its time to go, hold my hand and don't let go." I take his hand and swim alongside him, we dive into the kelp forest just as the sunlight winked out of existence. Scared of the dark, I shut my eyes but a reflex came over my eyes forcing an inner set of lids to open. Suddenly, I could see the ocean was not dark at all.

It was the complete opposite, vibrant colors from fish, plants and my father shown through bright and wondrous. Fish of all sizes, anemone and crabs all scuttled around in the depths of the kelp forest with luminous markings. The kelp leaves themselves gave off a luminous bright green glow down its veins. Like a beautiful maze that twisted and turned as the leaves danced in the current. The sounds seem muted here in the forest, but life was everywhere you looked!