What The Water Gave Me
How about a story?
Once upon a time there was a girl who sat and stared longingly out at the water. This girl came from privilege and had two loving parents who only wanted the best for their daughter. Yet despite this, the girl was alone, for while her parents truly did love her, they were always far too busy to show it. The girl would try to keep their attention, and at times she would succeed, and she would be happy to spend time with them. However, most times she would fail, her attempts halted by a chorus of "I'm sorry pumpkin, but daddy is busy", "I'm sorry, mommy is out of town again", "I'm sorry, but I have to work late. Dinner is in the fridge." And so the girl would spend most of her days alone.
Thus the girl would go down to the ocean, and she would sit and stare out at the water. She would watch the tides move back and forth, back and forth. She'd listen to the gulls, and feel the ocean breeze on her skin. Some days she would think about the dolphins, and wish she could be like them, and swim far away, and be free. But most days, she would simply stare out into the water, stare at her distorted and fleeting reflection. Then one day, as she was staring at her reflection in the tides that pulled up to shore, she saw something new. As the tide came up and brushed her toes, she saw herself sitting there not alone but with her parents by her side. She saw them smiling, and holding her close. She saw herself smiling too, and she wanted very much to be the her she saw in her reflection. Yet as she reached for the image, the tide pulled away. Twice more did this occur before the girl began to cry.
"Why do you cry, little girl?" The water asked the girl, and she wiped her eyes and sniffed, and she told the water that she was sad. When the water asked why she was sad, the girl told her that she was sad because her parents weren't there.
"I can help you with that." The water replied. "If you give yourself to me, I will make your parents pay attention to you. I will make it so that if you ask them to, they will abandon everything to spend time with you. Never again will they be too busy for you. Give yourself to me and you will have happiness."
It would be a lie to say that the girl was not enticed by the water's words. She wanted so much to be the her she saw in the tides, and for a moment she considered giving herself to the water. But the girl was not a fool, and she knew that those who gave themselves to the water seldom returned. This knowledge in hand, the girl politely declined the water's offer, and the water in turn politely said that was fine, and that she would still be there to sit with the girl whenever she felt lonely.
As the years went on, the girl's parents presence faded while her loneliness and sadness grew. On the rare occasion they were home, they would notice her sadness.As they were loving parents, they wanted to her to be happy, so they both told her how to achieve happiness in the only ways they knew. Her father was a smart and successful doctor, and so he told his daughter that she must be successful in all she does. he told her that intelligence was the only way to find her place in the world, and that being smart and successful would bring her happiness. Her mother, meanwhile, was a beautiful model. Thus her mother told her that she would only make her way in the world if she was beautiful. She told her that if she was beautiful, she would find not only success, but happiness as well.
So for a time the girl tried her best to follow the advice of her parents. She believed that if she was successful and did well in school, her father would pay attention to her and she would be happy. Believed that if she watched what she ate and was pretty enough, her mother would pay attention to her and then she would be happy. Unfortunately for the girl, she was not smart like her father, and despite her best efforts she was nowhere near as beautiful as her mother. Her stress grew and grew, and when it became too much to handle, she would go and sit by the water. As the tide came in and brushed against her toes, she would stare at her reflection. In her reflection she would see the version of herself she wished to be, beautiful and successful, her parents smiling at her with pride. Then one day the water spoke to her once more.
"Little girl, day after day I watch as you suffer, and once more I offer a way to ease your pain." The water said to the girl, with compassion in her voice. "If you give yourself over to me I will make you so beautiful that nobody could take their eyes off of you. People will fall to their knees at your feet, begging to do as you wish. If you offer yourself to me, I will give you the power to succeed at whatever you wish to do. You might simply speak the words and you can achieve your wildest dreams. And you will be able to make your parents love you, and they will praise you should you wish. They will worship you, and you will have happiness."
Yet once again the girl politely refused, for she had met a man who claimed to have magic pills that would take away her pain. She said that he claimed that he would give him to her for free if she would accept his love, and that she believed that his pills and his love would make her happy. As such she could not give herself to the water, for she was no longer her own to give. Once more the water politely accepted the girl's decision, and told her that she was still free to come to her when she felt stressed or alone.
For a time, the girl believed she was happy, and felt like she was loved. However there were days when that happiness was swept away, and she felt nothing but hatred and disgust. She hated what she saw when she looked in the mirror, she hated her parents who were never around, and who would only speak to her when she did not meet their expectations for her. She even grew to hate the man, who's pills did not last and who's love was as fickle as the moon. Yet on the good days she still clung to him, for were it not for him she felt she would not survive. And still the girl would visit the water when she needed to get away from it all. The water would sit and talk with the girl as always, but never again did she make the girl and offer. For a time, life continued on in this way.
Then one day it all fell apart. One day the girl's parents were both home, and they confronted her. For the girl's parents had found out about the pills and the man, and they were worried for her. They were worried and they were mad, worried for their daughter and mad at themselves for not noticing sooner. But it was already too late, for in the girl's mind she was certain they were mad at her. For in her mind she was afraid they'd hate her now as much as she'd grown to hate them. So amongst the threats to take away her pills, to have the man locked up, and between her fear of losing her only source of happiness and her growing anger she knew she had to act, and so in a panic she took their lives.
The girl stared in horror at what she had done, and in that instant she knew in her heart that any chance at happiness she had died with her parents. The girl knew there was only one place for her now, and so she walked down towards the beach. Once there she fell to her knees and wept as she told the water what she had done. The water listened, and once the girl fell silent began to offer words of comfort. These comforting words fell on deaf ears, however, as the girl was so consumed by disgust and hatred for herself that she rejected them, for she felt that not even the water would want her now, for she was so vile that she did not deserve this kindness from her oldest friend. Yet the water reassured the girl that no matter what, she would always accept her into her loving embrace. That now more than ever, she would take the girl in and put an end to her pain. That finally,within her the waves the girl would have happiness.
So the girl rose to her feet once more, and wiping the tears from her eyes she smiled as she gave herself to the water, to her oldest and dearest friend, and was gone.
Once upon a time there was a girl who sat and stared longingly out at the water. This girl came from privilege and had two loving parents who only wanted the best for their daughter. Yet despite this, the girl was alone, for while her parents truly did love her, they were always far too busy to show it. The girl would try to keep their attention, and at times she would succeed, and she would be happy to spend time with them. However, most times she would fail, her attempts halted by a chorus of "I'm sorry pumpkin, but daddy is busy", "I'm sorry, mommy is out of town again", "I'm sorry, but I have to work late. Dinner is in the fridge." And so the girl would spend most of her days alone.
Thus the girl would go down to the ocean, and she would sit and stare out at the water. She would watch the tides move back and forth, back and forth. She'd listen to the gulls, and feel the ocean breeze on her skin. Some days she would think about the dolphins, and wish she could be like them, and swim far away, and be free. But most days, she would simply stare out into the water, stare at her distorted and fleeting reflection. Then one day, as she was staring at her reflection in the tides that pulled up to shore, she saw something new. As the tide came up and brushed her toes, she saw herself sitting there not alone but with her parents by her side. She saw them smiling, and holding her close. She saw herself smiling too, and she wanted very much to be the her she saw in her reflection. Yet as she reached for the image, the tide pulled away. Twice more did this occur before the girl began to cry.
"Why do you cry, little girl?" The water asked the girl, and she wiped her eyes and sniffed, and she told the water that she was sad. When the water asked why she was sad, the girl told her that she was sad because her parents weren't there.
"I can help you with that." The water replied. "If you give yourself to me, I will make your parents pay attention to you. I will make it so that if you ask them to, they will abandon everything to spend time with you. Never again will they be too busy for you. Give yourself to me and you will have happiness."
It would be a lie to say that the girl was not enticed by the water's words. She wanted so much to be the her she saw in the tides, and for a moment she considered giving herself to the water. But the girl was not a fool, and she knew that those who gave themselves to the water seldom returned. This knowledge in hand, the girl politely declined the water's offer, and the water in turn politely said that was fine, and that she would still be there to sit with the girl whenever she felt lonely.
As the years went on, the girl's parents presence faded while her loneliness and sadness grew. On the rare occasion they were home, they would notice her sadness.As they were loving parents, they wanted to her to be happy, so they both told her how to achieve happiness in the only ways they knew. Her father was a smart and successful doctor, and so he told his daughter that she must be successful in all she does. he told her that intelligence was the only way to find her place in the world, and that being smart and successful would bring her happiness. Her mother, meanwhile, was a beautiful model. Thus her mother told her that she would only make her way in the world if she was beautiful. She told her that if she was beautiful, she would find not only success, but happiness as well.
So for a time the girl tried her best to follow the advice of her parents. She believed that if she was successful and did well in school, her father would pay attention to her and she would be happy. Believed that if she watched what she ate and was pretty enough, her mother would pay attention to her and then she would be happy. Unfortunately for the girl, she was not smart like her father, and despite her best efforts she was nowhere near as beautiful as her mother. Her stress grew and grew, and when it became too much to handle, she would go and sit by the water. As the tide came in and brushed against her toes, she would stare at her reflection. In her reflection she would see the version of herself she wished to be, beautiful and successful, her parents smiling at her with pride. Then one day the water spoke to her once more.
"Little girl, day after day I watch as you suffer, and once more I offer a way to ease your pain." The water said to the girl, with compassion in her voice. "If you give yourself over to me I will make you so beautiful that nobody could take their eyes off of you. People will fall to their knees at your feet, begging to do as you wish. If you offer yourself to me, I will give you the power to succeed at whatever you wish to do. You might simply speak the words and you can achieve your wildest dreams. And you will be able to make your parents love you, and they will praise you should you wish. They will worship you, and you will have happiness."
Yet once again the girl politely refused, for she had met a man who claimed to have magic pills that would take away her pain. She said that he claimed that he would give him to her for free if she would accept his love, and that she believed that his pills and his love would make her happy. As such she could not give herself to the water, for she was no longer her own to give. Once more the water politely accepted the girl's decision, and told her that she was still free to come to her when she felt stressed or alone.
For a time, the girl believed she was happy, and felt like she was loved. However there were days when that happiness was swept away, and she felt nothing but hatred and disgust. She hated what she saw when she looked in the mirror, she hated her parents who were never around, and who would only speak to her when she did not meet their expectations for her. She even grew to hate the man, who's pills did not last and who's love was as fickle as the moon. Yet on the good days she still clung to him, for were it not for him she felt she would not survive. And still the girl would visit the water when she needed to get away from it all. The water would sit and talk with the girl as always, but never again did she make the girl and offer. For a time, life continued on in this way.
Then one day it all fell apart. One day the girl's parents were both home, and they confronted her. For the girl's parents had found out about the pills and the man, and they were worried for her. They were worried and they were mad, worried for their daughter and mad at themselves for not noticing sooner. But it was already too late, for in the girl's mind she was certain they were mad at her. For in her mind she was afraid they'd hate her now as much as she'd grown to hate them. So amongst the threats to take away her pills, to have the man locked up, and between her fear of losing her only source of happiness and her growing anger she knew she had to act, and so in a panic she took their lives.
The girl stared in horror at what she had done, and in that instant she knew in her heart that any chance at happiness she had died with her parents. The girl knew there was only one place for her now, and so she walked down towards the beach. Once there she fell to her knees and wept as she told the water what she had done. The water listened, and once the girl fell silent began to offer words of comfort. These comforting words fell on deaf ears, however, as the girl was so consumed by disgust and hatred for herself that she rejected them, for she felt that not even the water would want her now, for she was so vile that she did not deserve this kindness from her oldest friend. Yet the water reassured the girl that no matter what, she would always accept her into her loving embrace. That now more than ever, she would take the girl in and put an end to her pain. That finally,within her the waves the girl would have happiness.
So the girl rose to her feet once more, and wiping the tears from her eyes she smiled as she gave herself to the water, to her oldest and dearest friend, and was gone.
Comments
Post a Comment