Everyday we would swim to the surface and take a deep breath of fresh air. It burned my nose and throat but I couldn’t resist it. It was amazing! It was fresh and dry and clean in a completely different way than the water. Even on days when it was raining I enjoyed it and soaked in the water drops together with the air. The mixture was completely new to me every time. I envied the humans that had the luxury of feeling this free air every day. It seemed impossible for me that they could look so grumpy and look so longingly to the sea. If only they knew how dark and cold it got at nights down there.
There was one woman that looked especially grumpy and longing. I saw her every single day, she came just right after me and George surfaced, every day. I always wondered who she was and why she came to the beach. Her eyes looked sad, once they had probably been happy and sparkling but now they were more gray than blue and her yellow hair was pale, almost faded. Actually all of her looked as if she was fading away.
One day me and George swam closer to the beach then we had ever done before. The woman looked right at us when we swam and I almost thought she could see us. I grabbed Georges arm. “Shouldn’t we stop George? Go back? I think she knows we are here.” “It’s ok. It’s alright, I’m almost there.” He kept his eyes on the beach and kept going. I was sure that the woman could see us now, she had walked out into the water and raised her skirt above her knees and her eyes stared at George. “Come on George, let’s go.” I begged. But he kept going. Swam all the way up to the woman who kept walking out in the ocean, until they were face to face. She stared at him for a long time before she spoke. “You came. I wasn’t sure you would.” “I promised, didn’t I?” “Yes you did, but I wasn’t sure you remembered. I’ve been watching the sea everyday, waiting for you to return to me.” “I know, I’ve seen you. But it wasn’t until today I could approach you.” I could see that George was fighting to hold back his tears as he said this. “Why today?” He went quiet and stroked her face with one of his big hands. I had never seen him like this, strange and different. But in a good way, like he was more vulnerable. I felt as if I was intruding, but I couldn’t return to the chief alone. I turned my attention to two seagulls fighting over a piece of bread for a while.
When I looked back they were embracing and kissing each other fiercely. George rose as high as he could above the water and the woman was standing waist high. When they broke apart she wasn’t pale and grey anymore, she had a glow that I had never seen in a human before. A glow I had only ever seen in George, that first day I met him outside the compound. “George…” I murmured, but he didn’t want to hear me. He blocked me out and looked at the love of his life with such tenderness it made me ache for him. “George…” She said. “I know. This is the last time, just as I said. This is the end, and when you die, you take a part of me with you.” “Nooo!” I screamed, but again, he tuned me out. “And you will keep on living, forever.” “Yes, but a part of me will always be yours. Can’t you feel it? In you heart?” She smiled at him and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Yes I can feel it. Remember me George, forever.” She turned around and walked on to the beach, where she peeled off her wet skirt and sat down in the sunlight to wait. When George reached me he turned around and watched her one last time. “I love you” He whispered.
We stayed there until the night came and she fell asleep, her sundried skirt now draped over her as blanket. “Will she die tonight?” I asked. “Yes, in her sleep. That’s what I gave her. A painless death.” “But, if you gave her that, then you lost it. After tonight you will always feel pain. For ever.” “I know, but if you knew her, you would know that it was worth it.” He smiled the saddest smile I had ever seen. My best friend in the entire world had this big secret, and I never knew about it. I had to be a better friend from now on. I had to look after him and make him heal, I would not stand by and watch him turn grey and old from pain and grief. I took his hand and waited with him until the sun rose and the humans came down to the beach to find her. She was taken care of, now I had to take care of George.