Hello, My Name is Matheius

~Many Years Ago~

Matheius

“Mat, turn her three degrees to the right.”

“But we’re on the left tack, Gilly. Are you sure?”

“Just trust me,” she shot back a wink from her spot at the front of the boat, “I think the wind’s about to shift.”

I couldn’t say no to those blue eyes.

So deep, wise, and full of mystery.

They were a match for the sea itself.

I laughed as I gently turned the old wooden steering wheel to the right.

The main sail started to flap wildly as the wind blew aimlessly around it, slowing ~The Dayfly’s~ steady pace to a shaky stop.

She laughed as the dark, rough waters swirled beneath us.

“I’m not so sure you haven’t lost your touch, old girl,” I joked, holding onto the steering wheel.

Before she could respond, the main sail filled with wind, and the boat surged forward, slicing through the waves.

She walked confidently to the back of the boat and sat down next to me at the helm.

“When are you ever going to realize...I’m never wrong.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek.

Gilly hadn’t spent as much time at sea as I had and was still unfamiliar with many of its dangers.

Maybe that’s why she faced it with such incredible bravery.

She embraced its vastness as if she understood it.

Not arrogantly, but instinctively—as if they were a part of each other.

And she knew the wind like no one else.

Even the most seasoned sailors couldn’t read it as well as she could.

She predicted its every shift with such accuracy, you might have thought she controlled it.

No one could have asked for a sweeter, kinder master.

Her calmness was greater than the gentlest spring breeze.

The elegance of her every move, and the kindness of her wise smile revealed the purity of her spirit.

“The Goddess sure made the night beautiful for us tonight, didn’t she?”

She leaned her head back into my lap to look up at the star-filled night sky.

And indeed, it was a beautiful night.

A full moon shone brightly above, surrounded by scattered stars.

Their reflections danced on the surface of the dark sea.

The boundaries between the sky and the sea were blurred.

We seemed to be floating through the galaxies as sailors of stars.

The night couldn’t have been more perfect for what I had planned.

Gilly closed her eyes peacefully as she rested her head in my lap.

She started to hum a haunting sea song.

~“I dreamed a dream the other night…”~

~“Lowlands… Lowlands Away…”~

~“My love, she came, dressed all in white.”~

I ran my fingers through her hair as her melody floated on the cool night breeze.

The world was in harmony, more perfect than it ever had been or would ever be again.

I tied a rope around the steering wheel to keep ~The Dayfly’s~ course steady and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.

She giggled as the red whiskers of my chin tickled her pale skin.

I sat down next to her and took a deep breath.

“What’s on your mind, sailor?” she asked.

“You’re my lady in white,” I said.

We looked at each other silently for a moment. I wanted to say more, but I couldn’t find the words to tell her how much she meant to me.

And then I noticed that she wasn’t looking at me. She was looking toward the sky beyond. Suddenly—

~CRASH!~

A clap of thunder broke the peaceful night.

I looked up to see the starry night covered by ominous storm clouds, swirling above.

Below me, I felt the waters become still.

I raised my fist to the skies. I was so excited to propose to her tonight on our boat. I didn’t want to wait any longer to make her my wife, so I ignored the warnings of unpredictable weather.

“Matheius!”

Gilly pointed off to the left side.

I turned to see a huge wall of water heading straight for us.

“Hold on to me, Gil!” I pulled her close to me as I wrapped my wrist in the right sail rope, praying it would be strong enough to hold us both.

Time seemed to stop for a moment before the giant wave crashed into ~The Dayfly~, tipping it on its side. I held onto Gilly as tightly as I could, but soon felt her slip from my grasp.

“Gilly!” I yelled over the roar of the water.

As the wave broke, I was amazed the boat had stayed afloat.

But Gilly was gone!

“Gilly! Where are you? Speak to me!”

“Mat!” I heard a distant call.

I looked off to the left side to see her, struggling in the stormy waters.

“I’m coming, Gil!”

I kicked off my boots and stood on the front of the boat, ready to dive in after her, but then, a strong gust of wind sent the boom spinning around in front of me.

~SMACK!~

Darkness.

***

~“She made no sound. No word she said.”~

~“Lowlands… Lowlands away…”~

~“And then I knew my love was dead.”~

~“Lowlands away…”~

I heard Gilly’s sweet voice singing her sad sea song.

It was music to my ears. Pure bliss.

But there was something different in her tone now.

Regretful… Haunting… Distant…

With a gasp, my eyes shot open to the blinding rays of the sun.

I rolled myself from my back onto all fours as I coughed up salty seawater.

The ground beneath my hands was rough.

It seemed I had washed up onto some rocky shore.

Once I could breathe again, I jumped to my feet and frantically scanned the horizon.

“Gil! Gil!” I shouted her name until my voice was hoarse.

But there was no answer.

It was useless.

My mate was gone.

A victim of Selena’s jealousy.

I turned my gaze toward the sky. “Selena!” I called out to my creator. “Selena. My mate has been taken by the storm! Save her! Save my Gilly!”

Then it came—her voice, as smooth as silk, echoing in my ears. “It’s too late,” she said. “I’m sorry, Matheius.”

“Too late?” I yelled, tears streaming down my face. “Divine Goddess, use your magic! Bring her back to me!”

“It’s not possible,” she replied. “You both are eternal, but not immortal. Death is a curse I can’t undo.”

“Take me to Astria! Let me try to bring her back.”

“I’m sorry, Matheius,” she said.

“You made mates so we could be together forever! That was ~your~ plan. If I can’t be with Gilly, then I don’t want to live. Take me with her. The pain—it’s unbearable!”

She was silent for a moment, then said, “Matheius, I hope you find peace, in some way, somehow.”

I called out to her over and over, but Selena didn’t respond again.

“Curse you! Selena!” I shouted, raising my fist to the sky. “I’ll see everything you love destroyed! Then you’ll know how it feels.”

That was my vow, sealed in the sweat, tears, and saltwater spilled on the rocky shore. I used the driftwood and flotsam washed up on the beach to build a raft that I steered back to land.

I had no food, no clean water.

I survived on pure determination.

The determination to destroy the very thing that had destroyed me.