I shouldn’t be surprised. For the Sea God, stories are both an escape from the truths of the world and the only way to see them clearly.
My hand hovers above the Sea God and then comes down gently upon his soft hair. I lightly brush back the strands that have fallen across his forehead.
Joon’s favorite stories were always the ones I seemed to pluck like a leaf from the air to best fit our moods, whether we wanted to laugh or cry, stories about love, about hate, about hope and despair—all the truths we needed to hear.
I would close my eyes, let my mind wander, and tell him—tell us—a story from the heart.
“In a village by the sea,” I begin, “there lived a blind man named Shim Bongsa. He had nothing of material value, but he was content and happy, for he had his daughter, Shim Cheong, who he loved more than anything in the world. More than the warmth of a summer breeze, more than the sweet taste of honey in a cup of tea, more than the song of the sea as it kisses the shore. He was blind, but he saw the world, because the world to him was Shim Cheong.
“Now, in this village by the sea, there was a great storm. Many crops and livestock were swept away with the tide. The village elders gathered together and determined that the reason for the storm was because of the Sea God, who they say lived somewhere deep down in the great depths of the sea. In order to appease him, they decided to make a sacrifice.
“The previous day, Shim Bongsa had fallen into a ditch on his way home, and had broken his leg. Because of this, he could no longer work in the fields. Shim Cheong, hearing about the sacrifice the elders were preparing, volunteered. She would jump into the sea, if the village would provide rice for her father in her absence. The villagers quickly agreed, for Shim Cheong was kind and beautiful, a worthy sacrifice for a god.
“On the day of the sacrifice, she kissed her father on the cheek, and when she told him she loved him, she kept her voice steady so he wouldn’t know that she was leaving him forever, and that she was afraid. The boatmen rowed Shim Cheong out to sea, and with one last prayer that her father live a long and prosperous life, she jumped.
“She went down, down into the dark depths. After a while, she didn’t know whether she was dead or alive. Finally, her feet touched the bottom of the sea. Before her stood a magnificent palace. Coral formed the walls, and sea ivy grew up its grand towers. She stepped through the palace doors into a hall, catching sight of the Sea God sitting on a golden throne.
“He was a great sea dragon with a whiskered mouth and eyes so large and dark she felt they must hold all the wisdom of the world. Colorful fish of red, gold, and white floated all around him. Although fearful, Shim Cheong approached the throne, coming to stand before the Sea God with her chin held high.
“Shim Cheong would have been right in believing the Sea God was wise, for he could see all things. Looking into her heart, he said, ‘Your love for your father is beautiful and good. Because of your sacrifice, I will honor you above all others.’ He summoned dolphins to come and wrap Shim Cheong in a gown woven of the flowers of the sea, and he sent her back up to the surface inside a beautiful lotus blossom, which bloomed in the court of the emperor. The emperor, upon seeing Shim Cheong, fell in love with her, and she with him. And shortly afterward, they were married.
“Meanwhile, Shim Bongsa roamed the countryside, searching for his daughter. Even though the villagers offered to take care of him, he declined, for as you can imagine, he was bereft. To him, he had lost the world.
“He heard of a great feast the emperor was hosting for all the blind men, women, and children of the kingdom, in honor of his new bride. Shim Bongsa made his way to the capital. He entered the palace, drawn by the sounds of laughter and music. A hush fell across the hall, and the old man was curious as to what was happening. He heard the approach of light steps. The crowd gasped when the empress leaned down to embrace the old man.
“‘I have found you,’ Shim Cheong said to her father. ‘You are home.’
“And Shim Bongsa, hearing the voice of his beloved daughter, wept tears of joy.”
As I finish the story, a spell of sleep falls over me.
I wake to a strange tugging at my wrist. I look down only to sit up abruptly. The Red String of Fate.
Shin. I scramble to my feet. The ribbon leads me out the hall into the courtyard, where a figure stands alone, looking up at the starless sky. The Red String of Fate falters in the windless air. At the end of it is …
The Sea God.
31
Though the Sea God has claimed me as his bride, questions still plague me for the next few days as I wander the lonely halls of the palace. Lord Crane said that once the Red String of Fate formed between the Sea God and myself, I would know it was time to break the curse. Was he lying, or was there never a curse to begin with? A year seems too long a time to wait to see if the storms have stopped for good. And something within me feels restless, as if I’m peering at a scroll that remains unfinished.