Marina Thu Jan 03, 2013 2:23 am[So this is the story of how Marina lost her mother, and the start of a small secret... But many of you already know about it... XP]
A four old Marina rushed into the study room, giggling softly as she crossed the room. Looking around, she found the perfect place to hide. She crawled down to the desk, and peeked a little to see if anyone was closer so see where it was her hideout. She wrapped her legs against her chest and tried to keep quietly, while she listened to the sounds outside and inside the room.
It didn’t take too long, and she could hear her voice. “A-ha”, the woman exclaimed triumphantly, and right after it was heard the sound of a thunder. Marina not even staggered on her place because of the loud sound, instead she only smiled, she has always loved storms. “Well, I think my little dove isn’t on the room”, a disappointed voice said, and Marina heard soft steps walking towards the door. Then, she started smiling, getting proud at herself for finding such perfect place to hide. But her glorious moment didn’t last long, and soon a head popped upside down, “Found you”, Regina smiled down at her daughter under the table, and Marina screamed, both because she didn’t expect to get caught, and because of the funny face her mother made.
She pushed chair, and everything that was in front of her as she crawled out from the hideout, and looked up at her mommy on the table. Besides Amelia, that woman was all she ever knew. Regina was the most beautiful woman Marina had ever seen, and for her the woman was a heroine. There was nothing that could bring that woman down, but Marina was too young to see the signs of tiredness on her eyes, and how much Regina has lost on her strength during the weeks. “You can catch me!”, Marina cooed and ran like a lighting from the room, being followed by Regina right after. Marina was on the middle of the hall which led to the great lounge when she stopped and screamed, seeing the strange figure walking into the house. She screamed and ran back, wrapping her arms around her mother’s legs. ‘’Mommy the monster of the lake you told me is here!”, Marina mumbled terrified, and Regina had no other choice but hold her up in her arms and rest her head on her shoulder. “You sure, little dove? Let’s find out, it would be a great adventure, you know…”, Regina encouraged her, and with light steps she walked towards the lounge, now and then looking at Marina with a complicity expression. But once they were at the lounge, they couldn’t see the monster. “Oh, look! Footsteps… I think the beast went to the kitchen or the living room”, Regina pointed with a small excitement, she loved to instigate Marina to think, and this was the kind of game she liked the most, trying to find out starting with a train of thought.
“I dunno, mommy…”, Marina said hesitantly. “You said he likes to make soup of little kids…. I’m a little kid. Is he going to make a soup of me?”, she asked with a scrunch face which made Regina laugh lightly. “I’ll protect my little dove. I promise”, saying that she kissed Marina’s forehead and cleaned her throat. “So, which one we’ll look first? Kitchen or living room?”
“Hmmm, living room… There is only old people at kitchen”, Marina said with a small nod, and Regina put her on her feet. At first Marina got scared, but holding her mother’s hand into hers made things more safely. They walked on the tip of their feet to the living room, and they peeked their heads from the door frame. The monster had his back towards her, and Marina couldn’t help but gasp, “It’s him!”. The monster didn’t move or made a sound for a moment, but suddenly he growled and ran towards them with a wide grin on his lips. Marina screamed again and started running around on the room, and Regina just leaned on the door frame and watched while father and daughter played around.
Marina was too scared, and when she saw there was no way out, she turned around to face the monster. She will teach him who was the master on the house. She lounged at his legs and Cassim laughed. “Easy there, little mermaid”. Hearing his voice Marina looked up with wide eyes and grinned. “Daddy!”, she jumped up and Cassim took her into her arms. “Have you missed me?”, Marina nodded, “Yes, daddy, I missed you much… Right mommy?”. And that was the first time Cassim looked at his wife since he arrived. Regina looked gorgeous as always, but her spirit was weaker than the last time he had seen her, and Cassim got worried. “Are you alright?”, he whispered softly as he hugged her and kissed her temple with devotion. “I’m fine… I’m just tired”, she said and another thunder was heard. Regina knew about his business at the continent, including the ones Cassim didn’t want her to know. But she was raised well, and her husband would never know she was aware of every of his moves. “It didn’t surprise me Marina has mistaken you with a monster, you’re soaked till the core.”, she said with a light giggle and smiled towards Marina while she took the little girl in her arms. “C’mon, I’ll put this little girl to sleep while you change your clothes and get yourself dried”, she said with a soft smile and pecked his lips. Cassim looked at her with gentle eyes as she left the room holding a stubborn Marina, assuring she wasn’t tired enough to go to sleep.
On the next morning, Cassim left the house to take care of his business on the island, and Marina was seated on her desk at her bedroom, staring at the tray with her breakfast, strawberry with cream and cocoa. But she didn’t quit asking about her father, mother and even for Amelia. But the answer was the same, they were all unavailable. Marina didn’t know what unavailable meant, but she pouted and crossed her arms tightly against her chest. When the annoying servant could least expect, Marina had slid from her seat and was running to her parents’ bedroom. She found her mother still on the bed, so she jumped on the mattress and Regina smiled weakly at her. “Already up, sunshine?”, Marina smirked and curled on her mother. “They say you were unavailable, and also daddy and Amelia”, she pouted, “What’s the meaning of unavailable?”. Regina laughed and explained. The day ran calmly, and Marina spent the rest of the time with her daddy, playing on the house, seeing the fact it was still raining outside. But Regina stayed all day long on the bed, and the next day, and the other day after it. Marina didn’t understand what was happening, but she noticed her father was sadder and her mother quieter.
----------------------------
One day, she walked silently at her father’s study and caught him looking blankly at the ocean view from the window. She tilted her head and looked intently at him, seeing a tear on his cheek. “Daddy? Where’s mommy? I went to her bed, but it was empty…”, Marina asked quietly. His father turned his dark hues towards her, and Marina could see another tear on his cheek. She had never seen her father crying before, and she didn’t know how could ever happened to make her father so sad. “Oh, Marina… My precious girl”. Cassim said with a moved voice and took her into his arms. He kissed her temple with devotion and sat on the chair of his table, making Marina sat on his lap. “Your mother… She-she went to a long journey”, he started quietly. Cassim knew his daughter was smart, she was almost turning on five, but still, she was too young to understand the situation. “Like the ones you go, daddy?”, Marina asked with puerile curiosity, and looked at her father, knowing he was about to tell her a story. “No… It’s not like any of the travels or journeys I’ve gone too. This one is very special, and once you’re going on it, you can never come back. “
He pushed the letter on the table and started sketching on the paper. “Look this is where we live. And these are all the places I’ve been to”, he sketched all over the paper, and Marina looked at the drawing with awe. “But your mom, she’s going to the sky, to a wonderful place called Heaven. And the ship she took, it’s the most beautiful ship he had ever seen…”, he continued describing the most amazing ship Marina could never dreamed of, and at the end of his tale, Marina had a big pout. “Why mommy didn’t take me with her? Does she hate me?”. Cassim softened his eyes and held Marina tight against him. “No, your mother loved you with all her heart, but this travel is very, very special, and only the chosen one are allowed to go. One day I’m going on this travel too, and many years later you’re going to, my little angel.”
Marina wasn’t pleased yet. “But why she left me without saying goodbye? You say goodbye to me before you go…”, she mumbled, and then Cassim sighed. “I’ll show you a place.”, he said quietly and carried Marina on his arms while he took a walk. They stopped by a place near the ocean, and not so far from home. “This is the place where your mother boarded on that magical ship. Since then, no one has seen her”, he said with a weak smile while he stared at the grave with Regina’s name on it. “Oh, look! Gardenia flower! Mother’s favorite!”, she exclaimed and slid from her father’s arms. She then walked closer to the flower and took her scent in, before taking a sight from the place around her. “This is a nice place… I’m sure mommy loved it.”, hearing that Cassim couldn’t hold anymore and cried quietly, at Regina’s grave. Marina got surprised and put a hand into her father’s arms. “Mommy wouldn’t like to see you crying, daddy…”, Marina said simply, and then Cassim nodded with a lovingly smile on his lips as he stared at his baby girl. “You right, my little mermaid…. She wouldn’t”
Later on that night, Marina stayed at her window’s frame, and watched the sky until the stars started popping. Then she screamed for her daddy, who came at once in her bedroom. “Is that mommy’s ship?”, she asked innocently, pointing her little finger to the brightest start she could find at the sky. Cassim sighed in relieved and took her into his arms before she looked at where Marina’s was pointing. “It could be… But remember. She’ll be always be with you in here”, he tapped her heart softly with his fingers, “And in here, at your memories”, he said kissing her temple. “No matter where you are, she’ll always be with you, as someday I’ll be too”… “When you take your special ship too, right?”, Marina asked, and Cassim laughed weakly, “My ship is going to be big too, right? And made with gold too?”, she asked excited and Cassim shook his head while he carried her to her bed. “Maybe… But we don’t have to talk about that for today… Now, it’s time for sandman to come here, and bring you sweet dreams.”, he hummed, and Marina pouted, she hated sleep. But after a small story her father told her, she was finally lost in her own dreams, and sandman was quite creative that night.
After seeing his daughter in such peaceful sleep, Cassim left the room with a fondly smile on his lips. He knew he wasn’t a great man, but he also knew he had done the right decision on telling Marina this version of how her mother had died. At his study, he thought more about the topic, and decided that someday Marina deserved to know the truth about it. He had found a letter Regina left to her, it was sealed, and Cassim didn’t open it. Instead, he wrote a letter to Marina too, and decided he would give them to her the day she was married. He took his private chest and kept them on its secret compartment, so hidden as his darkest secrets.
A four old Marina rushed into the study room, giggling softly as she crossed the room. Looking around, she found the perfect place to hide. She crawled down to the desk, and peeked a little to see if anyone was closer so see where it was her hideout. She wrapped her legs against her chest and tried to keep quietly, while she listened to the sounds outside and inside the room.
It didn’t take too long, and she could hear her voice. “A-ha”, the woman exclaimed triumphantly, and right after it was heard the sound of a thunder. Marina not even staggered on her place because of the loud sound, instead she only smiled, she has always loved storms. “Well, I think my little dove isn’t on the room”, a disappointed voice said, and Marina heard soft steps walking towards the door. Then, she started smiling, getting proud at herself for finding such perfect place to hide. But her glorious moment didn’t last long, and soon a head popped upside down, “Found you”, Regina smiled down at her daughter under the table, and Marina screamed, both because she didn’t expect to get caught, and because of the funny face her mother made.
She pushed chair, and everything that was in front of her as she crawled out from the hideout, and looked up at her mommy on the table. Besides Amelia, that woman was all she ever knew. Regina was the most beautiful woman Marina had ever seen, and for her the woman was a heroine. There was nothing that could bring that woman down, but Marina was too young to see the signs of tiredness on her eyes, and how much Regina has lost on her strength during the weeks. “You can catch me!”, Marina cooed and ran like a lighting from the room, being followed by Regina right after. Marina was on the middle of the hall which led to the great lounge when she stopped and screamed, seeing the strange figure walking into the house. She screamed and ran back, wrapping her arms around her mother’s legs. ‘’Mommy the monster of the lake you told me is here!”, Marina mumbled terrified, and Regina had no other choice but hold her up in her arms and rest her head on her shoulder. “You sure, little dove? Let’s find out, it would be a great adventure, you know…”, Regina encouraged her, and with light steps she walked towards the lounge, now and then looking at Marina with a complicity expression. But once they were at the lounge, they couldn’t see the monster. “Oh, look! Footsteps… I think the beast went to the kitchen or the living room”, Regina pointed with a small excitement, she loved to instigate Marina to think, and this was the kind of game she liked the most, trying to find out starting with a train of thought.
“I dunno, mommy…”, Marina said hesitantly. “You said he likes to make soup of little kids…. I’m a little kid. Is he going to make a soup of me?”, she asked with a scrunch face which made Regina laugh lightly. “I’ll protect my little dove. I promise”, saying that she kissed Marina’s forehead and cleaned her throat. “So, which one we’ll look first? Kitchen or living room?”
“Hmmm, living room… There is only old people at kitchen”, Marina said with a small nod, and Regina put her on her feet. At first Marina got scared, but holding her mother’s hand into hers made things more safely. They walked on the tip of their feet to the living room, and they peeked their heads from the door frame. The monster had his back towards her, and Marina couldn’t help but gasp, “It’s him!”. The monster didn’t move or made a sound for a moment, but suddenly he growled and ran towards them with a wide grin on his lips. Marina screamed again and started running around on the room, and Regina just leaned on the door frame and watched while father and daughter played around.
Marina was too scared, and when she saw there was no way out, she turned around to face the monster. She will teach him who was the master on the house. She lounged at his legs and Cassim laughed. “Easy there, little mermaid”. Hearing his voice Marina looked up with wide eyes and grinned. “Daddy!”, she jumped up and Cassim took her into her arms. “Have you missed me?”, Marina nodded, “Yes, daddy, I missed you much… Right mommy?”. And that was the first time Cassim looked at his wife since he arrived. Regina looked gorgeous as always, but her spirit was weaker than the last time he had seen her, and Cassim got worried. “Are you alright?”, he whispered softly as he hugged her and kissed her temple with devotion. “I’m fine… I’m just tired”, she said and another thunder was heard. Regina knew about his business at the continent, including the ones Cassim didn’t want her to know. But she was raised well, and her husband would never know she was aware of every of his moves. “It didn’t surprise me Marina has mistaken you with a monster, you’re soaked till the core.”, she said with a light giggle and smiled towards Marina while she took the little girl in her arms. “C’mon, I’ll put this little girl to sleep while you change your clothes and get yourself dried”, she said with a soft smile and pecked his lips. Cassim looked at her with gentle eyes as she left the room holding a stubborn Marina, assuring she wasn’t tired enough to go to sleep.
On the next morning, Cassim left the house to take care of his business on the island, and Marina was seated on her desk at her bedroom, staring at the tray with her breakfast, strawberry with cream and cocoa. But she didn’t quit asking about her father, mother and even for Amelia. But the answer was the same, they were all unavailable. Marina didn’t know what unavailable meant, but she pouted and crossed her arms tightly against her chest. When the annoying servant could least expect, Marina had slid from her seat and was running to her parents’ bedroom. She found her mother still on the bed, so she jumped on the mattress and Regina smiled weakly at her. “Already up, sunshine?”, Marina smirked and curled on her mother. “They say you were unavailable, and also daddy and Amelia”, she pouted, “What’s the meaning of unavailable?”. Regina laughed and explained. The day ran calmly, and Marina spent the rest of the time with her daddy, playing on the house, seeing the fact it was still raining outside. But Regina stayed all day long on the bed, and the next day, and the other day after it. Marina didn’t understand what was happening, but she noticed her father was sadder and her mother quieter.
----------------------------
One day, she walked silently at her father’s study and caught him looking blankly at the ocean view from the window. She tilted her head and looked intently at him, seeing a tear on his cheek. “Daddy? Where’s mommy? I went to her bed, but it was empty…”, Marina asked quietly. His father turned his dark hues towards her, and Marina could see another tear on his cheek. She had never seen her father crying before, and she didn’t know how could ever happened to make her father so sad. “Oh, Marina… My precious girl”. Cassim said with a moved voice and took her into his arms. He kissed her temple with devotion and sat on the chair of his table, making Marina sat on his lap. “Your mother… She-she went to a long journey”, he started quietly. Cassim knew his daughter was smart, she was almost turning on five, but still, she was too young to understand the situation. “Like the ones you go, daddy?”, Marina asked with puerile curiosity, and looked at her father, knowing he was about to tell her a story. “No… It’s not like any of the travels or journeys I’ve gone too. This one is very special, and once you’re going on it, you can never come back. “
He pushed the letter on the table and started sketching on the paper. “Look this is where we live. And these are all the places I’ve been to”, he sketched all over the paper, and Marina looked at the drawing with awe. “But your mom, she’s going to the sky, to a wonderful place called Heaven. And the ship she took, it’s the most beautiful ship he had ever seen…”, he continued describing the most amazing ship Marina could never dreamed of, and at the end of his tale, Marina had a big pout. “Why mommy didn’t take me with her? Does she hate me?”. Cassim softened his eyes and held Marina tight against him. “No, your mother loved you with all her heart, but this travel is very, very special, and only the chosen one are allowed to go. One day I’m going on this travel too, and many years later you’re going to, my little angel.”
Marina wasn’t pleased yet. “But why she left me without saying goodbye? You say goodbye to me before you go…”, she mumbled, and then Cassim sighed. “I’ll show you a place.”, he said quietly and carried Marina on his arms while he took a walk. They stopped by a place near the ocean, and not so far from home. “This is the place where your mother boarded on that magical ship. Since then, no one has seen her”, he said with a weak smile while he stared at the grave with Regina’s name on it. “Oh, look! Gardenia flower! Mother’s favorite!”, she exclaimed and slid from her father’s arms. She then walked closer to the flower and took her scent in, before taking a sight from the place around her. “This is a nice place… I’m sure mommy loved it.”, hearing that Cassim couldn’t hold anymore and cried quietly, at Regina’s grave. Marina got surprised and put a hand into her father’s arms. “Mommy wouldn’t like to see you crying, daddy…”, Marina said simply, and then Cassim nodded with a lovingly smile on his lips as he stared at his baby girl. “You right, my little mermaid…. She wouldn’t”
Later on that night, Marina stayed at her window’s frame, and watched the sky until the stars started popping. Then she screamed for her daddy, who came at once in her bedroom. “Is that mommy’s ship?”, she asked innocently, pointing her little finger to the brightest start she could find at the sky. Cassim sighed in relieved and took her into his arms before she looked at where Marina’s was pointing. “It could be… But remember. She’ll be always be with you in here”, he tapped her heart softly with his fingers, “And in here, at your memories”, he said kissing her temple. “No matter where you are, she’ll always be with you, as someday I’ll be too”… “When you take your special ship too, right?”, Marina asked, and Cassim laughed weakly, “My ship is going to be big too, right? And made with gold too?”, she asked excited and Cassim shook his head while he carried her to her bed. “Maybe… But we don’t have to talk about that for today… Now, it’s time for sandman to come here, and bring you sweet dreams.”, he hummed, and Marina pouted, she hated sleep. But after a small story her father told her, she was finally lost in her own dreams, and sandman was quite creative that night.
After seeing his daughter in such peaceful sleep, Cassim left the room with a fondly smile on his lips. He knew he wasn’t a great man, but he also knew he had done the right decision on telling Marina this version of how her mother had died. At his study, he thought more about the topic, and decided that someday Marina deserved to know the truth about it. He had found a letter Regina left to her, it was sealed, and Cassim didn’t open it. Instead, he wrote a letter to Marina too, and decided he would give them to her the day she was married. He took his private chest and kept them on its secret compartment, so hidden as his darkest secrets.
