ISEUL
My eyes were closed tightly…..I couldn't move my limbs, my body was freezing to death….but still , this didn't feel like I was dying…. I could hear my heart beats, they seemed louder than ever….as if…as if they were forcing me to open my eyes….. I mustered up all the remaining heat of my cells, and opened my eyes….. I was drowning…. Drowning inside the depth of ocean…. Dark blue water surrounded me…..Not even a ray of light was visible…. I tried moving my legs to swim upwards but….. It felt as if someone was pulling me into the depth….. I went deeper and deeper... Suddenly a purple light illuminated from the bottom… Sea bed was filled up with the purple light….. I went more closer….. And I felt a grip of hand on my right ankle…. I looked down, a black tainted hand was pulling me down…..I looked around...Few more tainted hands started clutching me….. I opened my mouth to scream and water went up my nostrils….. It suffocated me….Now…I felt I was dying…. The death engulfed me in her arms…..But the death seemed…..someone…..someone familiar…..
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"Iseul !!! Iseul-ahh!!! It's past 6 AM my love", Dad's sweet voice woke me up from my dream. Dream? More like a nightmare…. A nightmare which keeps growing... 6 year old me, dreamt about me standing on the sea shore. 12 year old me, dreamt about me drowning inside the ocean. And today , 19 year old me…. Saw those tainted hands….That purple light…. Something seemed so eerie about myself, at few intervals….I thought Dad knew that 'something' about me… But I never asked him and he never told me. Anyways , my world limits here…. Me , my Dad , And this Modo Island. I don't know if there's some different world beyond the sea.
"Dad….Why so loud??? It's just 6AM!!! Let me have some sleep" I grumbled covering in my sheets.
"Iseul-ah , Aren't you excited for the Jindo Sea Parting Festival?? Until last year you were jumping around in excitement for this festival….What is this laziness today?" He sat beside me and pulled down my blanket.
"What's so exciting about it….. It might be something magical for the foreigners….For us it's just an annual routine" I stood up yawning and went inside bathroom.
Dad was busy setting up the breakfast table. I stepped outside the bathroom after taking hot bath with robe covering my wet body. I straight up headed towards kitchen to have breakfast.
"Seul-ah , when will you learn wearing clothes before stepping out of the bathroom? Are you a child now?" Dad scolded me but I giggled as he could never raise his voice over me even when he was angry.
"It's Okay Dad!! Who's gonna see me? You still wash my hair whenever I feel sick…..What's with this sudden formality?" I placed my hands on his shoulder. "And you say I have grown up….but still doesn't allow me to leave this island…..ughhh….so mean…."
"You will never leave this island, at least till my death…."
"DAD !!!!"
I hugged him tightly, he was my family….we were the only family for each other… I can't imagine my life without my Dad….. But as I know…. How much my father loves me….He will forgive me for sure…Because in this sea parting festival, I am going to cross my limited world… The world beyond the ocean was hinting me to step out….
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All Modo residents gathered up at the sea shore at 5 PM. I looked around and found out that I was the only person in 20's present there…. Everyone sent their children to Seoul, let them free in the world beyond ocean…. But my Dad home schooled me , I never went to school… He always told me that I was extraordinary…. And he needs to treasure me…. But as I grew up, Seoul became my goal…. I hoped that I would step in Seoul before my death….
5:30 PM…. The sea started splitting…. A narrow way appeared slowly….. Jindo Island became more clear… People were waiting on the Jindo Island to walk on this narrow path and reach this end, Modo Island. Modo elders started the rituals to pay respects to Great Dragon King lord….God of Ocean…and the Tiger deity statue who caused this sea splitting.
As soon as I saw Dad getting busy with the rituals, and crowd of people approaching Modo…. I knew it was the only chance I could slip away…. I picked up my sack bag, Looked in mobile, 5:45 PM…. I have minimum 1 hour to cross this path. And as this festival continues for next 3 days, I will come back on the 3rd day at this same time. As soon as I will reach Jindo I'll call Dad and tell him the truth about my 2 day Seoul trip…
I took a deep breath and stepped on the path made by the splitting sea…. I was crossing my boundaries, but at what cost?