[ Oblivion ]

Inking created by me

"What do you think would be the end of our life, Chris?"

"Death, maybe?"

"For my species, it is the oblivion."

"Oblivion?"

"Yes. It is also our last wish before our end."
...

Chris had stayed at the oceanic island for exactly 10 years of his life ever since he reached 20 and was in an exploratory sailing that 8-year-old Chris had kept dreaming of. There he met Lylia the mermaid, whose voice sounded like the orchestral composition of waves and eyes looked more crystal-alike tranquil than his above. An adventurous sailor and a curious little mermaid had their first encounter when Chris’s barque nailed their anchor near a greening land floating on the surface, Lylia and her sisters were amusing themselves with other marine fellows. What could capture the wild and young bachelor's attention at that time stronger than long-term excursions? Chris would be about to explain it was the frail existence of Lylia to make him stay. The moment she told him she would at last turn into foam, a sudden voice echoed in his mind persuading him that she would be his right one. It was not the first time male humans engaged with mermaids, however, Chris did not expect himself to be one of those pioneers. Since those mermaids could only mate with exotic individuals, apart from humans, many of them had mated with other species who understood their language or shared some similarities with them.

So Chris stayed, after he proposed to Lylia and had her oceanically tasteful kiss. Lylia was 3 years old according to the Mermaid Calendar, or 16 in the Human Calendar. At that age, tons of her friends had given birth, but Lylia was a bit more curious than them about life beyond the water, so her abdomen did not carry any of Chris’s children until her age ascended to 5. Their first and only daughter was born when Lylia reached 6, Cly had Lylia’s ether-alike pupils and Chris’s hazel curly hair, with the sparkling fish tail featuring Cly’s mermaid clan. If that had been a boy, he would have had human’s feet instead. That was the reason why mermaid members could breed with just other species in case they wanted to continue their bloodline.

Chris had never seen Lylia aged anymore since the day she got 4, whilst Lylia always questioned him why humankind aged so fast. His look changed with the increase of wrinkles, the discolor of his brown eyes, the darker his tan became and the weaker status of his health. However, Chris’s glare had been drawn to Lylia every time, no matter how many wrinkles were suppressing his eyelids. The dream sown at 8 years old were finally postponed by the bond of love that made Chris sometimes felt kind of loss. Lylia apprehended it easily but she could not let him go as easily as the way she understood the situation. Now then she had Cly, now then she came up with the thought to free Chris away, from the remembrance of her. As Chris returned to his dark blue journey, Lylia would have her return to mother Ocean.

…

"I don't think so, to humankind, we keep it as a memory. So that the dead wouldn't ever be really dead, since they would long live in our remembrance."

"Remembrance is such a painful thing before it transforms into real remembrance. We can't afford it, so we let it go with the flow of foam."

"How would it happen? The oblivion?"

"Really simple. We die, and some time later our skin, flesh, organs, everything, will dissolve into foam. When I meant everything, I meant the memory of us too. It will quickly fade in everyone's mind, no matter how hard they try to keep it. You could say the only trace about us left would be our names."

"When will you die?"

"When we accept the oblivion about us, Chris. Once we are totally letting go, we'll go."

A glow of fear lingered in his voice, he looked deeply into Lylia’s eyes. And she did not seem to turn away. Chris was stunned, something had changed within his treasure in the middle of the sea. He no longer saw at Lylia the little mermaid he once met, she had become so caring and thoughtful, yet he could sense the severe distance between them, which had never existed albeit their first place. Except for her soft palm when she tried to stop his lips because she wanted to take down her partner-to-be. Mermaids' expectancy depended on their longings, some were said to be immortal since they had lived for 50 phases according to Mermaid Calendar, and some died at really young ages like 2 or 3. Each beings' clan has their own way to perish. If humankind's is age, mermaids' would be oblivion.

"You see Ema? She will have been 19 this time's lunar eclipse. She also had 3 mates from different breeds before, the now one will be numbered as 4th if he deceases before she does."

"And you Lylia? You are not going to leave me and Cly, are you?"

"Actually that is my intention Chris." She answered without hesitance, which dug a hole throughout his strength. "Memory about me will soon vanish from this world, from your mind, as well as Cly's. You will only remember you once had a mate named Lylia. Cly will only know her mother named Lylia, much as I know about my parents."

"Why so suddenly? Do you think I would be able to suffer it? Maybe Cly would since she is the same to you, but how about me?! You are overestimating me, Lylia."

"I met my dreams already Chris, whilst you haven't…" Her tone dropped in an interruption of recalling. Lylia had an exquisitely smooth voice, especially in the moment she called Chris by his name. Either way, it was intriguing if she whined for him during their intercourse under the shining blue witness. "I don't know what is beyond this area, but I am so fulfilled by your existence, Chris. I know we haven't gone so far, however, you have taken me further than any mermaid ever had their journey. And Cly came to me. My life has been satisfied, all the simplest requirements were met. Or maybe because we mermaids don't have chances on sails, our expectations are just as simple as possible. Still, you see, many are ambitious to be remembered."

"Why wouldn't you be one of them?"

"I saw it on your face, that glory in your pupils when you saw a barque passing by from afar, that astonishing crescent on your smile each time a hawk hovered upon your head. Soon after I realized that to be forgotten is a very great thing."

"No Lylia, don't do this…!"

His mind was driven off as Lylia started closing her eyes, he grasped her hands abruptly. Her words brought him back 22 years ago, the first time the utterly dark blue surface sparkled in front of his eyes, the first time he survived a thunderstorm on the sea, the first time freedom tasted salty as the flavor he sensed from the breeze, and also the first time his attention hooked on somebody that tightly. Chris questioned himself whether he could have all of them in his life, whatever, human beings were just so greedy, for feelings and for experiences.

"Chris, there is a legend like this, if you sail to the South for 225 miles, there you'll see a glittering oasis floating on water at full moon nights. All of the mermaids' stories are written there, within every pebble, as long as you can find out the right piece with my name on it."

Chris widened his eyes as if he figured out the way to escape from that situation. He was so naive that he did not buy what she said with a single doubt, and she knew it deeply from her heart. The legend was descended from generations to generations too long ago, neither the alive members were aware of its accuracy, nor the one who put on their sails to the South had come back. Possibly, they all had forgotten about their initial purpose before they arrived. How would Chris leave her for the rest of his journey in case she did not leave him first? Lylia's complexion turned gray by the time her temperature had lowered. The slim fingers slipped off his brawny palms gently as foam. Lylia was right. The dissolution happened faster than he anticipated, not even enough for a blink, his beloved ocean's fairy had already melted into foam. Chris desperately rummaged the rugged baggage he had carried along since he became a sailor, trying to look for the creasy voyage journal he had not added details anymore since the day Cly came to life. How fortunate it was that the pencil was still in use, his hand dashed on the paper in multiple trembles and his cheeks were soaked in bitter streams.
…

The dispassionate old captain frowned his eyebrows, meanwhile billions of stars were blinking above. He took a look over the compass of which the needle was pointing at the “S”. Wind caressed his countenance in a quiet way someone had done to him many previous times. “Lylia”, that was all he knew. His barque had wandered on the sea for 13 years, and gradually he could no longer explain the reason bringing him there, all left beside him was the voyage diary with some last pages filled with scribbles about forgotten Lylia, his so-called partner, about the mysterious oasis which would float up on full moon days. He had no clue what he was writing about in those sheets, or had he somehow omitted things that should not have been omitted? He had a relationship with a mermaid, and they had a mermaid daughter called Cly, even Cly could reminisce nothing about her mother. As what the mermaids told him, he let Cly stay on the island to be taken care of, on the other hand he took up the Southward excursion. The brutal time emissary could beat his entire memory of her just in an easy brief, in another way, faster than the time needed for the ink to blend out.

“Captain! I saw a floating oasis over there!” All of a sudden, the beholder’s delightful shout startled him. “It is sparkling as alluring as gold and silver! See it yourself, Captain!”

He walked towards the quarterdeck, the moon hanging amidst the air had revealed its true shape since when he had not noticed. Reflection in his eyes was enlightened within a dazzling glister from both the front oasis and upper starry firmament. A familiar kind of warmth cuddled his lips in an ephemeral moment. The serene echoed its waves gently on the hull, a reverberation of singing teased his ears and intoxicated his ever-since-disturbance. His sailors hurriedly unfurled all the sails on masts, the steer-man gripped his wheel tightly,

and that mesmerizing light kept brightening real slow, amongst the calm frosty mirror, beaming thoroughly the void chamber in his mind.