Beauty Of The Deep

Through the Pages : 9

Why was her wrist slowly turning blue?

Arlo's eyes remained on the girl's running figure until she makes it to a distance where his eyes couldn't reach any further. His eyebrows lowered and connected while his face draws a serious look at the thought of her hand. Questions once again clouded his mind but he was sure about one thing that his grip was not that tight that it clogged her blood flow.

Jogging back up the hill to the house. Everyone were seated in their chairs, ready to eat supper but Arlo on the other hand had other errands to attend to.

A furious Seven halts from pouring the kids their meals upon seeing Arlo muster up the courage to face him and surprisingly, he didn't get inside through the window.

Seven marches towards the silent visitor, and boy was he ready to pounce and yell at him in any way he could about the treatment he did not deserve from the boy but Arlo was too occupied in reaching his room that he passed by Seven who stood there, dumbfounded and bewildered by his action. That doubled the disrespect he's received but he couldn't dismiss the stern look on his face.

"I'll get back at him soon." He reassured himself, now walking back to the kitchen upon Mother's loud call.

Arlo swung the door open with the loud creak produced by the old door. He searched for that certain book that he never bothered to touch ever since he was taken in this house.

The last time he opened the book was no longer than 5 years ago, but he unbelievably could still remember that messy sketch he saw among the hundreds of pages what was binded together.

Rummaging through the boxes, the room was too dim for him to get a direct look of the cover, the candle was all melted into hill so whats left for light was the candle lit outside the room and the moon.

Arlo took every book his hand has encountered and brought it straight to his face for a better look. From what he recalls; the cover was leather, stitched on the side to bind the rusty papers together, no words on the covers but just a tiny seashell glued on the edge of the cover.

"Found it." Arlo whispers, eyeing the piece of journal in his hands that brought back many memories of the past. He coughs when carefully patting it for the dusts to fall off furthermore, holding back the urge to sneeze.

Arlo shoves the mess back into the boxes and keeps the journal with him and gets comfy with leaning his back on the wall, still fitted on the floor. He was seated under the window where it was vivid enough to identify the words, surely it will worsen his vision but he couldn't wait till morning.

Flipping the first page open, he sighs immediately, he was then filled with many emotions by seeing the first page blank with only the name of his mother and the design of her pirate flag. He brings his hands to flip the delicate papers and his eyes scrunched immediately to get a better view. Her letters were beautiful but a bit messy but you can still understand each letter she wrote on the pages.

"How come I don't remember this." Arlo whispers to one in particular, getting goosebumps at the process.

The second page, out of a hundred were written:

"I saw a mermaid." Arlo read out loud, getting more curious as the seconds run then proceeds to read the following.

"I saw a mermaid. I really did. I would tell them but they won't believe me and perhaps call me a crazy but I'm sure with what I saw. It was a human, but without legs. The mermaid was sitting on a boulder on the island we just docked at. I wanted to yell at my crew and let them face the same sight as I did, but before I could. They jumped back into the water and swam away. "

"Perhaps she won't come back to this island, but I want to see her again..." Arlo paused. It was as if he was reading a make-believe tale not because he did not believe his Mother's narrative. No. It was because she has never mentioned a single word about this to her own son.

He may have been a dumb and innocent youngster, but even just a short mythical, fairytale to make his childhood memorable? She decided to carry all the overwhelming weight and still managed to keep her sanity.

Has she ever reached a point where she thought she was going crazy?

Arlo proceeds to the next page and his heart ached at the first sentence.

"Am I losing my sanity? Or am I just deprived of my son's presence?"

With just that Arlo shuts the book close and tosses it on his side. Irritated was what he felt at the moment, along with sorrow curling up his emotions. Then why didn't she fulfil her assumptions and spend more time with me?

It dawned upon Arlo that he looked up to her not as a mother but as an icon he admired by her choice of position, it was only when he grew older he longed for a mother figure.

Frustrated than he already was, he kicks the book under the table and plops his body on his bed. All the events that he was slowly being aware off shot a pounding headache. Too painful that he got a grip of hair and started clenching it. The ache was still there however Arlo managed to sleep it off.

A few minutes by, Seven enter to see the boy resting soundlessly. He had a surprised but happy expression on his face.

"How often do I see this guy sleeping way earlier than me?" He chuckles, fond that his brother is getting some sleep but more like he sacrificed his meals for proper sleep.

Sighing, Seven reaches for Arlo's blanket and covers him up.

"All right kids, looks like Arlo is asleep early so let's all head to bed early too." Seven announced to the kids sharing the same room with him. Many replied with whines of refusal but he knew that they were extremely exhausted from the work they had to finish for the day. And in the end, he managed to get them all to sleep with no efforts at all. Arlo would usually be the last one to sleep but this time, it was his turn.

As soon as the people drift theirselves to sleep, that's when its safe for them to wonder around the island like normal citizens.