Echoes of the Sea

Echoes of the Sea

by Akira Adrastea

           Rain poured from the sky. It soaked the ground and streamed across the bus stop roof to the ground, thrumming loudly. The boy looked up at the black mass of clouds. They swirled slowly, shifting like a live animal. In the distance, a call sounded, mournful and long. It vibrated through the air and resounded deep 
inside his soul. He could feel the creature's emotions like his own, but a glimpse of freedom was all he got, then it was gone, like a scrap of wind slipping through his fingers.

            Jake sighed. Sky Leviathans were creature of wonder and mystery. They had been his father's life study before he was born, and he dreamed of following in his footsteps, but university was expensive and only the richest of families could afford to give their children a good education.

            It looked like he would never be anything more than a clerk. Still, he reminded himself, trying to keep a sense of optimism, it hadn't been too bad for his father. Except, I want to be free, he thought, his eyes fixing on a patch of blue in the gray. Free to leave this tiny town in the middle of nowhere, to travel the world and explore the far reaches of civilization. Once his dream had been just to see a city, but now it was much much more. And even more unattainable he thought bitterly.

            A cool wind brushed his face and his anger vanished. He felt himself settle back into his usual resignation. Things were the way they should be for this son of a cleric. He just sometimes wished they weren't.

            His mother's voice sounded in his head. “Leave the foundation of this country alone. We are all who we are for a reason. You aren't the man who can change it with one swift stroke. But change does happen little by little. Become a good man and the world will become a little better.”

            Jake clenched his hands into a fist. He would become a good man even though sometimes he felt like it wouldn't be enough.

            A soft whining reached his ears. He glanced around quickly, trying to pinpoint the noise. A moment later, a high keening pierced the air and a small figure floated out of the trees.

            His heart instantly went out to the creature. Its cry had filled him with indescribable loneliness and despair.

            When it saw him, it froze and Jake knelt down, ignoring the cold water which instantly soaked into his pants.

            “Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you,” he called softly. He held out his hand. For a moment, the creature was still, then it keened again and glided toward him.

            Jake gasped as it came out of the rain and he finally got a good look at it. The baby leviathan stared back at him with mournful blue eyes the color of a washed out sea. It cried again and he reached out gently to touch its wrinkly body, which was surprisingly smooth and soft.

            The leviathan leaned into him and he hugged it, wrapping his arms around the small mammal. Somehow the little creature had been separated from its mother and was now all alone in the world.

            It made another noise, but this time it sounded more like its fellow creatures who had flown across the sky minutes ago, except mixed with the purr of a cat.

            When Jake finally pulled away, the leviathan continued to press its face against him, so Jake rested a hand on the creature's head. The small body vibrated. He smiled. Who would have thought he would ever meet a sky leviathan, much less a baby one?

            A loud screech broke the monotone of the rain and Jake jerked away in surprise as a bus skidded to a stop. The door thudded open to let him in. It was the last bus to Astoria that day. He hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the leviathan which had slipped back into the shadows and was watching him with sad, pleading eyes. He looked back at the bus. His clerical exam was at 7:00. If he missed it, he would have to wait another year.

            “Are you getting in or not? I have a time to keep,” the driver said, an annoyed expression flashing across his face.

            This snapped Jake out of his trance. He stepped back and the bus driver closed the door and rolled his eyes. Jake barely caught the muttered curse at teenage boys before the vehicle rumbled away, the mirrors on the sides rattling.

            He turned back to the leviathan who had returned to his side and buried it's nose in his hand.

            He smiled and stroked its head. Maybe his mother was right about changing the world a little bit at a time, but somehow he now knew it wasn't the right road for him. It never had been, really. He would change the world with his studies, just like his father had wanted to. This would be his life's work. It was what he was always meant to do. He had just needed a push in the right direction.