Don’t Go To The Edge

by Playful

A squawk shrilly pierced through the air as birds called to one another. It was an eerie sound to a Neried, a type of sea nymph, who was called Laomi and who was lodged in a wading pool. Actually, she was wedged between the rocks there. And she was none too happy with the approaching gloam, as well as the Jaegers that were landing on the rocks along with the gulls and other seafaring birds. If she so much as fell asleep, they might peck at her. Their cries sounded so menacing, they drowned out the sloughing of the ripples on the water’s surface as the wind gently brushed it on its way to the land. The rocks were so close together that not even caique could get through. How did she get in here? Laomi guessed that it had to do with why her parents warned her about going to the Edge, the edge of the known world, the edge of the ocean. It was not the sanctuary that her home was! The water must have been deeper when she had been swimming in the afternoon and felt adventurous enough to go to the forbidden area. The word “tide” came to mind and she thought it might have something to do with how she wound up in shallow water that must have been deeper earlier. Laomi wasn’t certain if that was the phenomenon as she had never, ever been so close to land. She had barely seen land before let alone thought much of anything like tide. She surveyed the purlieu to see if there were any humans around that could help. Laomi didn’t see anyone. Jonquils dotted the grasslands not too far away. Well, lot of good they were. She didn’t have legs to walk over there. Laomi saw some nephrite and quartz stones mixed in with the non-descript stones and the water’s edge. These rested on some rocks that encircled the tide pool and the edge of the beach. If only her arms were used to being walked on and not swimming she might be able to walk over the stones and rocks to get to the ocean, her beloved home. She tried to pull herself up and along the top of the rocks but she couldn’t even manage that. There was nothing she could do! Why had she come out this far? Why was she so curious? The sun set. Laomi began to cry. She just knew she would perish here. The crying was making her sleepy so she made herself stop. At least by trying to pull herself up on the rocks, she was keeping herself alert. She knew she had to keep trying. After all, her legs had to be as good as a frog’s since they looked so similar. And frog’s back legs weren’t entirely useless on hard surfaces. Maybe if she used her legs she could push even if she couldn’t walk. So she pushed with her legs and pulled with her arms. One foot. She moved one foot. AND she was able to hang on! Just five more feet to go. An hour passed and Laomi was only three feet from the water’s edge. But over jagged rocks, three feet was as painful a crossing as a mile over a smooth surface. Laomi knew she couldn’t stop. What Laomi didn’t know was that the tide was also rising. So her progress was assisted by the natural occurrence that brought her to the tide pool to begin with. Soon there was only one foot of distance to cross. Laomi gritted her teeth and pressed on. Nine inches to go. Six. Five. Laomi was too intent to get back to the ocean where she could once again swim to safety to even be bothered by her hunger pains. As she was working her way back to the water, a wave came along. It carried Laomi with it. And in a mere matter of seconds, all her work was for nothing. The wave carried her back where she started from. Now she would cry. She sobbed and sobbed. “It’s no use,” she thought. But fate can be as kind as it can be cruel. Her demise was not to be so soon; the tide once again returned her to her beloved home the ocean. And this time, Laomi wasted no time in swimming as far away into the depths of the ocean before she once again could be carried into the imprisoning tide pool. Laomi returned home to much rejoicing from her family and friends who were alarmed when she did not return before night fall and feared the worst when Laomi failed to return home that night. A holiday was declared and Laomi was happier to see her friends than even to receive gifts at the celebration. Her story served as a lesson to stay close to home for those young Nerieds who might be too adventurous. Word List Provided by: BugBug Milliken Neried- sea nymph Soughing – murmuring of brook, rustling sound Purlieu – surrounding area Nephrite – jade is common name Jonquil – sometimes called the rush leaved daffodil Caique – a light skiff or rowboat used on the Bosphoros. Bos´po`rus (bos"pô*rus), n. A strait or narrow sea between two seas, or a lake and a seas; as, the Bosporus (formerly the Thracian Bosporus). Jaeger – a large northern sea-faring bird Gloam – twilight Sanctuary –a safe haven Rejoice - celebrate