Images use for Malayari, Tala and Narah-el are copyright free and/or of creative commons (edited using Photoscape X).
Story of Narah-el
I am Narah-el.
Cursed by that damnable Goddess Malayari to roam this dark desolate sea where The Great Sun’s light will never reach. The reason why eludes me. My mind is nothing but cinders of its past glory and my memories are locked in Pandemonium.
That despicable deity hovers over me. Displaying her true self, that wretched pale blue light above the sky ever vigilant, ever watching.
I walk towards the helm with wind on my side.
This old buccaneer coat hangs loose as my flesh is all gone and only my gray bones frame it, but still it flutters. The atrophy that is my ship The Escadalorous howls at the moon, it hungers; it needs to feed on any unlucky traveler. Thousands of souls cry out. The song of agony and misery arose from my cellars, like an orchestra of fallen angels breaking the silence of this forbidden realm, trying to reach the heavens and tell her of my wrath.
If only she could hear, that would make this boredom cease.
My eyes if it is still there, scanned the vast horizon for anything that can soothe my curiosity, but alas, nothing. Huh!? I heard something—a gentle enchanting voice penetrated the howling of the souls. I raise my hand to stop the infernal racket and there it is again.
”Kind sir, will you please help. I am lost and hungry.”
If only I have lips, I would be smiling right now. Still, how can that be? The Escandalorous would have made her part of the ship the moment she came near. Well, no matter. I headed towards the sounds and reach the starboard rails but with the blasted moon at my back, the ship’s broadside shadow falls on the girl. Slammed my fist in fury sending a small shock wave that coursed through the ship. It responded with a growl and soon after the lanterns burn verdant and the souls start to run rampant, squeezing out the cracks, illuminating the sea green.
There she is with her naked torso floating well above the water, her red wavy hair scattered on its surface. She called out and her voice excited me.
”Kind sir, will you please help. I am lost, hungry, and has no place to go.”
The ship could sense my joy and by itself rolled out the rope ladder outward violently hitting the water as it landed. I opened my mouth and a voice that seemed to have been drawn out of the bottom of Pandemonium left, “Come lass, Welcome to my ship The Escandalorous.”
“I am sorry kind sir I am unable to. You see…” she replied.
Surprised I am when she dove back into the water. Waited I did, but I was more surprised when she rose higher and higher till her elegant fishtail was shown in its full glory. Understanding her predicament I tap lightly The Escandalorous. Souls started to wail in agonizing screams as the hull starts to creak then burst open. Ah, I know the sight that lays beneath these wooden planks, coagulation of flesh and soul bound together for all eternity, making my ship a living vessel.
Water starts to come in, the ship starts to slowly sink but the wails will not cease. I stared at her anxious face, then start to wonder if she is now too terrified to board my vessel.
Now the deck is in level with the sea, I ushered her to board.
She swam like a shark with her red hair making the fin and no sooner than a blink of an eye her hand touch the rails and heaved herself up, landing on deck like a fish out of water. The ship immediately close up and abruptly raised itself well above the sea.
She sat on an uneven posture and said, “Thank you kind sir for your generosity. I am Tala from the islands of Seville.”
I flick my fingers and no sooner souls rush towards her, swirling, lifting her. I watched in amazement at her reactions. The souls slowly turned itself into a thick mist, surrounding her like a translucent pool. “This is a gift—they will follow you through land, air, or sea and be the very waters that you swim in.”
She twirled and swirled laughing, racing around the ship free as a bird.
Realizing that I just lost her attention, I clapped my hands and the ship started to move forward, and the souls wail in unison. From the galley doors, the tables, chairs, and everything that was needed to make a feast burst forth, each on their own with no one to hold them. They arrange themselves on deck, as a chair came behind me I sat; patiently waited for—let us call this dinner.
The lass suddenly pop out my side asking, “Sir, is this food… can I?” I just pointed to the forward with palms open as an invitation. She smiled, floated above the table, and pick the foods she like. Her hair floated, revealing her shapely breast, its pinkish tip, and the gentle contours of her body, reminding me this is a woman but the knowledge seems vague even though fully knowing I am a man under this coat.
I waited till she had her fill before asking, “Lass, so how did ye find yerself here?” She seems flustered by the question but still, she tried to answer in a stuttering voice.
”I… I was brought here by my sister Malayari, to save me from a curse.”
The name of that wretched deity felt like poison in my tongue, if I still have one but am still curious as to why the lunar goddess would send her sister here so I ask for the details. In which she gladly complied.
”A prince curse me to fall for him, so he could be the king of our island nation. And so, my sister hid me under her care, making the curse ineffective. But I found myself hungry, alone, and scared in this desolate waters.” She pouted and out of her moist lips came out a pink pearl falling unto her palm.
”Me reckon that is something—special, but what does it do lass?” I ask in full curiosity.
“This is my sister's gift to me, and how I came to her care… let me show you, kind sir,” she said in a gentle voice that rings heavenly in my imaginary ear. She started to chant something—archaic, but I understand completely, it is a language I am accustomed to.
Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, everything changed.
“Am I falling!?” Asking myself such a stupid question when I fully realized that my feet is way up in the air and my hands flailing upward. Looking around I saw The Escandalorous falling not so far away prow first—I found that funny. An enchanting familiar sound came.
”Sir, grab my hand!”
Saw her swimming at an unprecedented speed, extending her hands towards me and for some reason, I reach out to grab it. I think I smiled, seeing the look of surprise on her face as The Escadalorous swooped beneath us. Her hand on mine, I softly landed on deck then said, “Thank ye lass, guess me owe you one.”
Bewildered, at the flying ship, she just nodded slightly then looked around her with a hint of amazement plastered on her face.
”Well, lass is there something you would like to ask of me?”
Her head spun back with eyes wide open then she asks, “Will you help me break this curse?”
”Me know nothing about it, but…” I paused to make an impression and to raise her hope, “…tell me, did your sister—ehem, Malayari. Has she told you how to break the curse?”
She paled, cold sweat was apparent on her brows, she replied in a low uneasy voice, “Only through death shall I be free, were her words to me.”
I can see the green venomous fumes that are seeping through the sides of my mouth. I laugh and laugh till I can feel all the gaseous contents of my soul seep out, then said, “Me have a proposition for you lass, but it is not a good one I might add.”
Clasping her hands on her chest she nervously nodded.
”I can give you the death you seek, then freedom and life everlasting—and seeing me owe you one, it will be the best deal I could give.”
”Will I be... like you?”
”Nah, If ye agree to be my navigator too—we can sail out of here and ye can bathe in the light of The Great Sun and stay as ye are BUT— ye will be bound to me and cannot go too far unless ye want to die.”
”…and the curse?”
”GONE!”
She paused for a while to think then took a deep breath before saying, “Yes, I agree!” If as commanded the souls on the ship intertwined in songs and hymns and chants of a language lost in time. They formed around her making a cocoon. I watched in sheer joy at her transformation.
I hear the drums of war, in front of me a nation and its army bathing in the light of The Great Sun. Oh, what joy! The Escandalorous screams in delight from the sight of fresh meat in front of us.
A gentle enchanting voice rang on my side, “Captain, they look delicious.”
Thank you for reading 😁
Authors Note
The #inkwellprompt is: light of the moon
This story is told from a first-person perspective. where I am telling the story as the character. (I am still an amateur as a fiction writer but the only way to move forward is to write and learn)
This story is inspired by Rashōmon so this is a single story told using three different characters in three different perspectives publish in three different front ends. Why? This is to declare my affiliations and was inspired to do so.
The Story of Nara-el, is first person told by him personally and is published using Neoxian.city [status: published]
The Story of Tala told on her side using third person limited will be published in Proofofbrain.io in a few days [status: proof reading]
The Story of Malayari told in third person omniscient (what better way to do this other than seeing the story through a goddess's eyes. I am thinking of using an unreliable narrator if possible) will be published in (still pondering where), a few days later. [status: draft]
Else,
Malayari/Mayari is a Philippine deity of the moon. src.
Narah-el and The Escandalorous are both fictional characters that are born out of my imagination.
Pandemonium can be defined as a place for all demons. src
Afterword,
- For those that worry, I am sorry for not writing for so long... my family is hit by the pandemic (like so many others), my daughter is getting better but my son and wife are still ill. I would like to request small prayers from you dear reader, thank you very much.
All links go to Wikipedia.org
- Images used for Malayari, Tala and Narah-el are edited using PhotoScape X, they are copyright free and/or of creative commons license. (click the link on their names for their respective sources).
Else, pictures and banners in this post were taken or made by myself, ©@khoola using creative common images from Pixabay.com. In the cases when they were taken from other sources, I stated it in the sub-caption of the pictures.
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