Bedtime Story: The Sea And His Sons

This is a story about the beginning, about the Father Sea and Mother Earth. This is a story about the time when the Mother Earth and the Father Sea learned to communicate and about the four sons who blessed them.

Transcript

The Sea and His Sons. A story by Julie E. Lahr Grace. When the earth was young and time had not been written, There was only land and sea. The infant sea lapped against the land and kissed it mystily. It caressed the shores and offered it geography. But the land gave nothing to the sea. In its misery, The sea cried out to the one who had created all things, And said, Creator, I am lonely. When I speak to the land, She says nothing at all. I send white waters, And she only washes back sand. I rise high above, Tidal and brave, And I see nothing but sparse trees and rock. Please, Creator, Make the land speak to me. The Creator of the earth was silent and pondered the sea's request. When the Creator finally spoke, A question was asked. Dear sea, Are you simply lonely, Or do you wish to make the land your companion? The sea responded with such force that water swelled and pooled with a great white rush. I wish for the land to be my companion. We have been here together always. She is all I know. She is my partner in this place. The Creator thought for many moments, And instead offered the sea four suns. The sea, So overjoyed by new companionship, Sent water rumbling under the land. It rushed and turned with such strength that rifts formed in the land and seawater burst through the rock and sand. Lakes and rivers were born on the momentous day that the sea's suns came to him. The rivers pulsed and salty tides discovered the great structure of the land's plates. The water raced to tell the father sea of the wonders in the continents. The sea joyfully welcomed his four suns to earth, But the suns, Infant and new, Were afraid of the sea, As the Creator placed each of them onto the water's great back. The sea comforted his suns and cradled them and told them not to be afraid. He soothed them with the sounds of waves and taught them to float upon the water. The sea said to his suns, My suns, Lie back. I will hold you. The reluctant children tipped into their father and found that they did not sink. The suns were pleased and crude with delight. As the sea's suns began to grow, The sea fed them fish and crab. From their lips they licked the water's salt and knew to love the taste of the ocean. Soon the suns learned to dive with dolphins and they rode the backs of whales. The creatures of the sea guarded the suns as their own and taught them to breathe this fish's dew. After twenty years of suckling from the waters, The Creator appeared before the suns and father. He asked, Sea, Have you spoken to the land? The sea, Surprised, Said, No, I have not spoken to her since you gave me my suns. They are my companions now. The Creator was silent. And after a great pause, The Creator said, Sea, Your suns are your suns. You wish for the land to be your companion, As she has been with you since the beginning. You beseeched my help and you have failed to help her to find her voice. But you gave me suns, Cried the sea. You gave her no voice, No movement. The rivers and tides caress her and she still offers nothing. Without my suns, There would be no rivers or lakes. It was their gift to her and she replied without a sound. Their gift to her is still to come, Said the Creator. He called to the sea's children and said, You must come with me now. The eldest son of the sea swam forward and told the Creator he would not leave his father the sea. The Creator called back to him. I have created your father the sea and I too have created you. A great wind then swept across the sea and the children began to dive toward the sea bed searching for their father's comforting arms. The sea grasping for his suns was held back by a mighty wind. A great tunnel swelled and burst in his waters and he began to weep as he heard his children calling to him. They begged their father to stop the wind as it carried them away. They grabbed for rocks and coral, Algae and weeds. The sea's weeping caused great raindrops to fall as the suns passed above the sands of the land. The sea's fourth and youngest son was carried to the great tops of giant trees. He folded himself into the branches and he called for his brothers to grab hold of the massive trunks to take root in the thick foliage, But his brothers rushed past him, Still caught in the wind. The third brother, With a surge of strength, Broke from the wind and dove to the ground. He found himself covered in the dust of a dying lake bed. He was so far from his brothers. The second brother saw a vine from a great tree and he grabbed hold of it and held to it for many hours as the wind rushed all around him. When the wind finally fell away, He too was lost from his brothers. The eldest brother could not break free from the wind and he eventually dropped to the earth when all that was left was a light breeze. He and all his brothers were separated. Each wept the giant tears of their father and rainstorms flooded the lands. Fallen upon the earth, The eldest son called to the creator again. From the desolate ground, He shouted, �Why have you forsaken me? Why have you forsaken my father and my brothers? � In the barren place, He continued to weep and he became angry at the creator for the rupture of his family. In his anger, The sea's oldest son grew bitter and cold. As he wept, His tears turned to ice, Leaving frozen trails along the land he paced. He moved about the North Countries, Searching for water that would lead him to the sea. And one morning he found a river, Though it was covered in ice. His coldness and his anger had frozen all the land and waters. He began to weep as he saw what his anger had done. He cried for the creator to forgive him. The creator heard his pleas and a hush befell the land. The first snow then began to fall in large flakes upon the head of the sea's first son. He laughed as he saw the cascade of white petals falling from the sky. His tears stopped and he looked down again to the frozen river where he saw a trout moving slowly below the sheet of ice. He called to the trout in the language of waters, �Dear trout, Have you seen my father, The sea? � The trout began to swish his great tail with joy and said, �You are Winter. You are Winter, The sea's eldest son. � Winter cried out, �Yes, Yes, I am Winter. � The trout replied, �I must find your father and tell him that you are alive. � He then wiggled his fins rapidly, Slipping his silver body into the current of the water. Winter called out to him again, �How is my father, Dear trout? Do you know of my brothers? � The trout stilled, The swish of his tail slowed. �Your father has been stricken with grief since the creator placed you with the land. He has heard no news of you, Nor your brothers, As the lakes and rivers have been frozen for many months. He and the land do not speak the same language, And she cannot tell him where you are. � Winter fell into a great heap upon the fresh snow. He cried steadily, As it was he who had frozen everything with his anger. The trout looked to Winter and said, �Dear Winter, I will find your brothers. Do not move from this place. I will tell them where you are, And I will tell your father that you are alive. � Winter called back, �But dear trout, How will you navigate the frozen waterways? I have hampered your route with my cold tears. � The trout responded coolly, �Son of the sea, Look at me. I am strong, And I am brave. I will challenge the ice, And I will glide in the cold waters below. The scales on my skin will not freeze, And I will move forward. � The trout then darted quickly from sight, Disappearing into the still night river. Winter laid back onto the snow, And only then did he realize that the snow was made of water. Winter called thanks to the Creator, And fell into a deep sleep, Cradled in a blanket of snow. The second of the sea's suns swung from the vines of secret emerald forests. A chill had set upon the land, And he foraged for food on the forest floor, Where he discovered seeds. He ate for sustenance. When filled of the seeds, He placed them in his pockets for safe keeping. Soon his pockets began to overflow as he swung from the vines, And the seeds spilled across the snowy landscapes. One afternoon, As the second brother played by balancing on a vine that crossed a river, He heard a great splash below him. He looked down and saw a glimmering trout racing amongst icebergs. He heard the language of the waters spoken to him, And he leapt from the vine, His feet sinking deep into the melting snow below. �Great trout, Do you speak to me? � The trout swished his tail joyfully, And said, �Yes, Yes, You are the second son of the sea, And brother to Winter. Your name is Spring. � Spring knelt to the river�s icy edge and touched the trout�s majestic back. He rubbed its head, And the trout gurgled with glee. �Great trout, Have you news of my brothers or father? � The trout swished mightily and told Spring of his meeting with Winter. He relayed Winter�s location, And then told Spring that he must hurry to the sea, As he now had found two of the brothers alive and well. The trout sprang forward and dove into the stream. Spring cried out to him, As he longed to hear more. It had been months since he�d heard the language of the waters, But the trout was already far away, Coursing through the veins of the river. Spring, Excited by the news, Took hold of a vine and began swinging wildly toward the edge of the forest. He did not know how he would make his way across the frozen earth, As the land was still so foreign to him, But he knew he must venture beyond the woods to find his brother. He searched the forest floor once again for seeds to carry and eat on the journey. He filled his pockets and even fashioned a bag out of vines and leaves. On his journey across the land, Many of the seeds fell from Spring�s pockets. He fell lost along the way, As the land was so unfamiliar to a son of the sea. Weeks passed, And Spring could not find Winter. He grew weary and eventually collapsed onto a heap of snow and fell asleep. But when he awoke, Winter was next to him, Miraculously peering over his younger brother. Spring leapt to his feet and embraced his older brother. The two would not let go of one another, And soon warmth began to spread across the land. Great trails of flowers and fruits began to appear. The land bloomed, And the brothers saw that Spring�s seeds had grown with the warmth and melting waters of the snow. The brothers shrieked and cried in joy, And a windstorm swept across the land as flowers and fruit trees continued to grow. The third of the sea�s sons had fallen into a lakebed in the south, Where the ground was dry and cracked. He scoured for food as there were no fish and there was no foliage. He learned to enjoy the dry heat of the land, To tan his skin, And spend more time at rest on the warm ground. Late one afternoon, The sea�s third son was startled when he heard a rush of sound barreling towards him. The sound was familiar. It was the rumbling of water. He looked to the distance and saw great bursts of white waves approaching. Inside the waves he saw a trout and heard him shouting in the language of waters. The sea�s third son called to the trout, But the water moved so quickly that the trout could not stop. The trout yelled back to the son, �Summer, Your brother�s winter and spring are in the north. These are the waters of melted snow. This dry well will be a lake again. Go north. Go north. � Summer called thanks to the trout, And with great strength he dove into the cascading waters. He fought the current both with agility and love as he swam towards the north, Towards his brothers. Summer swam for weeks, And when he could swim no more, He pulled himself upon a sandy shore and cried out in exhaustion. A thunderstorm boomed with his cries. The heat of his tan body radiated electricity, And lightning was born. Winter and spring heard the great thunder and saw the streaks of light in the sky. They were puzzled by this great sight, But soon they realized it must be a sign of their mighty and strong brother, Summer. They raced across the land, And as they approached the banks of the river, They felt heat. Summer heard their soft footsteps and looked up to them from the place where he lay tired on the shore. His elder brothers helped him to his feet, And the three embraced. Again the land grew warmer as the brothers hugged, And Summer brought with him all he acquired in the dry lands of the south. With the new warmth, More fruits appeared on the bushes and the trees, And the brothers collected strawberries and blackberries to eat. They harvested watermelons and plucked edible roots from the soil. But as the days moved forward, Their longing for their youngest brother grew deeper. They also wondered of the brave trout and their father the sea. The youngest son of the sea was nestled in a tree top, Painting with the juices of berries when he heard the language of waters being spoken to him. Calmly, He looked to the great trout and said, Hello there, Wonderful beast. Have you news from the waters or my father the sea? The trout, Relieved to have finally found the youngest and wisest of the sea's sons, Said, Dear Autumn, You too are alive. Autumn replied, But of course I am alive, For this is where the Creator placed me. The trout called to him, Your brothers are together in the north. I must finish my journey to your father and tell him that you and your brothers are well. Does he not know? Asked Autumn. He does not know, Answered the trout. Autumn was saddened, Knowing his father must have felt grief and anguish these last nine months of separation. He pulled a branch of painted leaves from the tree tops and floated the branch down toward the trout. Please give my father this gift, Dear trout. Tell him we are well. I have been happy to paint and eat in the trees these months. I will now go to find my brothers. It is time. The trout bowed to the youngest son of the sea and cupped the branch in his powerful jaws. I will give this to your father, And he will know I have not deceived him. The trout then swam forward. Autumn waved goodbye, His hands still covered in the juices of red berries and the yellow pollens of giant sunflowers. He shimmied down a massive oak tree and followed the shore of the river, Placing his hands in the leaves along the way so as not to lose his tracks. For weeks he painted paths through the trees, Listening to the forest and fields, Waiting to hear the language of the waters. On his journey he found pockets of warm air and trails of daisies and violas, Shadows of where the snow had once lain. On a bright blue day, Autumn found his three brothers. The sea's sons laughed and danced as they embraced one another. They told of their adventures through the land and how they had missed one another so very much. They still worried about their father the sea, As well as the mighty trout, Their friend who had navigated so bravely such distances to help them reunite. Suddenly, A robin appeared at the brothers' feet and began to speak in the language of the waters. The brothers were shocked and even a little frightened as the little bird spoke to them in a language so foreign to a robin's tongue. Winter spoke, I have only heard of gulls learning the language of waters. How do you come by such knowledge, Little robin? The robin clucked and cooed. Your friend the trout and I have spent many months traveling side by side, He in the water, I in the sky. We have learned to communicate in so many ways. The brothers were impressed and anxious to hear of their friend the trout. The robin reported to the sea's sons. Your friend the trout is tired. He has traveled for nearly a year, But he is happy now, Swimming with his family in the depths of a great lake. Did he find our father, Asked Summer. He did, Said the robin. And how did he find him, Asked Autumn. How was he? The trout told your father of his adventures through the waterways, Through the land, Of finding all of you again. Your father wept for joy. We must go to him, Said Winter. How can we find him? How can we get there? There is no need, Replied the robin. But why not, Cried Spring. Your father now knows the language of the land. The robin quieted. He saw Winter's snow and watched as Spring trailed balloons of flowers across the earth. He felt the warmth of Summer's arrival and watched as Autumn changed the colors of the leaves. Your father, The sea, Said it was the first time that the land had ever spoken to him, And it was through you, His sons. The sons began to both laugh and cry, Overjoyed to know their father was watching them, Now with pleasure from his great perch in the oceans. They knew then that they would bring the snow and flowers and warmth and color every year as a gift for their father. They also knew then that their mother was the earth and that this too was a gift for her. They were the sea's sons, And here together with their mother and father they had created the seasons.

Reviews

This story is very soothing and comforting. Perfect for falling asleep.

🙏🏻

I enjoyed that story and felt like I was being read too just like my mother had as she tucked me in at night during my youth. It brought me joy.

Nice little wind down story good job

What a beautiful, thoughtful, creative story, fashioned and told only as the lovely and inspiring Julie Ela Grace could. Well done! You and your children will want to listen to this over and over again!