The Eye of The Ocean(Melody Kuku) He could feel the water pull him closer, beyond the railing of the decks. It felt like a magnet as he slowly began to move, head first into the water. Then, it stopped.

The water seemed to suck him into its silvery embrace. As a child, Devi had always been scared of swimming. His greatest fear was being in the water, paralysed like his uncle Tosan who died. He could sail in a yacht and sip juice round the pool. Yet, he never dared to venture into it. Now, he felt that old fear creep up in him like the smell of vomit, choking him.

He lashed wildly at the water, trying to stay on the surface.

"Yahere! Help, somebody help me!" He screamed.

His voice seemed a whisper to the waves that rose anytime he screamed. The wind drowned his screams with its own.

Among all the things Devo never did, he had never believed in the supernatural but at that moment, the sky seemed to mock him. He could hear the harsh laughter of the wind that sounded so much like a whip.

The cold seeped through his bones as he kept trying to swim; to stay close to the lone yacht.

"I have to stay alive, I have to swim for her", he whispered to himself.

"Yahere! SOMEBODY Help me!"

The clouds darkened and the water twisted into a blue bluer than ever. That was when he felt it- cold fingers clawing him, prickling his soul.



* * *

She loved him like any sane woman would love a man who gave her his world. Yet, whenever she stood on the deck, the desire to choose came so strongly to her.

It was a knife slicing through her chest, slowly and then so fast, cutting away her breath.

He did try to understand her but then she knew he couldn't. No one could. Who will stand her desire to be with the ocean, to love it and make love to it?

Her friends thought her mad, so would he if she told how she really felt.

Yahere could feel the peace like an arm around her when she thought of the ocean's eye and how it gazed back at her, planting breezy kisses on her forehead, ears and her breasts through the thin nylon blouse she wore. It's arms were where she belonged, its depths was hers as her soul was its. It felt so beautiful.

She loved Devo and she loved the Ocean. They couldn't share her; she had to belong to one.

"Devo..." She whispered.

What is it? The sudden panic welling up in her. Why waa she suddenly being scared. Couldn't it be... Devo?

"Devo..."

Where could he be? He never left her for more than thirty minutes since they had come on the yacht two days ago for their honeymoon. Now it was close to two hours since he left her to prepare brunch.

She kicked off the covers and climbed out of the bed. Her heart was still beating fast as she raced up the stairs of the lower cabin to the deck.

"Devo? Baby are you okay?" She called out.

He wasn't in the wine cellar either. Shee stood, her back to the front deck when a soft breeze began to push her backwards

"What the..."

The words were whipped out of her lips. She struggled to regain her balance but the breeze kept pushing her till her back was pressed against the railing of the deck.

She turned.

There he was, arms outstretched as he floated beside the yacht.

"Devo! Oh, my God! Baby..."

He opened his eyes and stared up at her.

"I'm coming baby, I'm coming".

She tried to jump into the water but couldn't. That strange breeze was back, holding her in place. It began to twirl Devo too and then it would draw him into the water and back to the surface.

"Tell him", it whispered to her as she stood, as if petrified.

"What? Tell him what? God, I'm going nuts!"

"It's the time to choose", it whispered again.

She turned to stare at Devo who was suapended in the water and this time, she understood.

"I choose the Ocean Devo", she said out loud.

He blinked weakly.

"It's holding you baby. Can't you see? I love you but I have to let you go, I have to go to it"...

Yahere felt like her heart was being ripped in two but she couldn't go back. It was meant to be that way, so did fate decide.

Devo's arms were freed and so were hers. She plunged into the water and dragged him out.

They didn't say a word to each other. All they could both remember was the first day on the yacht. She had stood gazing at the stretch of the Ocean. He had put his arms around her slender waist and said:

"I love you and that moment we walked hands in hands down the aisle, I knew I didn't make a mistake. You are the one I want to die with Yahere..."

"I know baby. I love you more and I will leave you or make you sad", she cut in.

And now? Now?

She helped him up on one of the recliners on the deck.

She wanted to kiss him goodbye but then, a kiss was too painful a goodbye. So she turned and walked into the water. The waves rose as the water circled her waist before giving in to a deep hole, a whirlpool. The eye of the Ocean. She allowed herself to be carried away by the current till she stood in the center of the eye.

The love she felt was so deep, so lovely a fragrance. She sighed as it sucked her into a bliss greater than life and more perfect than death.



THE END.

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