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The two had been cooped up in a library, searching through old maritime legends and tales in hopes of finding something about a Leviathan. Wifies was rather preoccupied with an old log recovered from a shipwreck. So far, nothing had mentioned a massive sea creature that sinks ships. However, no reports of the Leviathan had mentioned it sinking any ships, thus he began to doubt himself.
The sun had begun to set, sunlight streaking against the sea, illuminating it in shades of gold and crimson. How long had they been in here? The whole day?
“Hey, Wifies, have you, uh, read this story yet?” Hummer said, holding out a book. ‘The Heart of the Sea’. It seemed like a romance story. How could that help?
“No, I haven’t.”
“Well, it’s probably an old sailor’s tale, but regardless,” he paused, flipping to the start of the story. “A man, having spent his life on land, had began to seek a call from the great blue. It had come to him suddenly, as if he had been struck by a damning revelation. He found a peculiar allure in the ocean — how on tranquil days it resembled a pristine mirror, how on stormy nights it roared and ravaged whatever ships that went beyond its shores. It was as beautiful as it was ruthless.
“He took all of his belongings and moved to edge of a cliff, which overlooked the sea. There, he built a massive lighthouse, so that he could sit at the highest point and watch as the sun sank beneath the horizon, and so that he could sleep closer to the stars, which he considered the sea of the skies.
“However, despite living so close to the sea, it was still not enough. So the man constructed a sailboat, leaving behind the lighthouse. He set sail for the ends of the earth, and he never set foot on land again.” Hummer closed the book.
“So what? Did he drown?”
“Well—uh, I think it’s more or less up to interpretation. Some people say that he was hearing a siren’s call, other say he was searching for something more. Maybe purpose or fulfillment.”
“Well,” Wifies mused. “That’s interesting.” Perhaps this story was based on a real location? It likely wasn’t, but wouldn’t that be something?
“Do you think,” Hummer asked, glancing at Wifies. “We’re like them?”
“What?”
“In the story.”
“Well I guess, with us searching for the Leviathan, yeah.”
“Oh. Right,” Hummer said, glancing away. He put away the book, and reached for a random book on the bookshelf. “Us and the Leviathan.”
“Oh, by the way, was that story based on a real location?”
“No, I’m sure it was made up. It doesn’t matter.”
“Right.”
“It’s been a long day. I think we should be getting back before it gets too dark, don’t you think?” Hummer suggested, taking out a torch.
“Yeah. We can continue tomorrow.”
“You go first, I’ll stick back here for a bit. I’ve got to take care of something real quick.”
“Oh sure, take your time, I’ll be waiting outside,” Wifies said, walking towards the door. He shut the door behind him, exiting the library. The night was crisp, with the stars having newly made their way across the sky. The moon was only starting on the horizon, bathing the ocean before him in a silver light.
It was a night so similar to that one that he found himself once again facing the sea under a sky full of stars. Once again, he was alone.
Standing at the foot of a lighthouse, he gazed up at the stars. He didn’t need to know every single star in the sky, he just needed to know one — the one he had lost. For stars only shine for so long, he reminded himself. He stood at the foot of the cliff, overlooking the sea before him, listening to how it softly roared, crashing against the rocks.
Why now, to remember that old story Hummer had told him ages ago? Why now, when the night was so cold?
Now, when he sank into the depths, feeling the cold embrace of the great blue surround him, dragging him further into the abyss.
And for a moment he understood why the man had loved the sea, despite having barely known it.