1 The Sea Lord
Nicky gained confidence when he heard from his grandmother the story of Sea Lord, the legendary sea hero who helps those in distress at sea. He thought he could seek the help of the Sea Lord to rescue his father and others who pirates had captured.
The quiet, tree-lined beach, where no fishermen or visitors came, was a deserted land where turtles lay their eggs. There he rushed in search of the savior. The intense light of the midday sun gave a beautiful glow to the ocean's blue. It was a dry summer day. The seagulls were hovering over the sea shouting
"I want to see the Sea Lord immediately. He will help me when he hears my grief." Nicky said sobbing as he stood on the beach. "Only the Sea Lord with supernatural powers can solve this problem. I do not see any other way. No one can free the crews by paying such a large sum as the pirates demanded."
Nicky descended to the sandbar on the shore and stood looking at the sea. The sea was deserted like the coast. The deep blue ocean was dripping, and that buzz came to his ears like a song of a soothing voice. Without the aggression of the wild waves, the sea laughed at him with light murmurs. The light breeze caressed and comforted him.
Nicky is a 13-year-old boy. His father is a merchant navy officer traveling around the world. After each trip, his Papa brought new stories and gifts for Nicky. So Nicky's room was filled with fun gifts from all over the world. The bird that sings in the dark, the telescope of the ancient pirates, the flowers that change color every day, the coral plant that glows like coral when it touches the water, like that, so many wonders Nicky had got from his father along with many thrilling stories about his travel experience. Those stories were stranger than fairy tales. The flying fishes, the yellow men on the island of Sindbad, the sacred fish of the Adriatic Sea that sings psalms, the floating island of mermaids, the cannibal dragons of Ruby Island, and the shore of talking tortoises were some of those strange stories. Nicky was proud of his father, who witnessed many miracles unknown to the outside world.
Papa told Nicky as he returned from celebrating last Christmas and New Year with them.
"I'll be back before next summer. This time you're going to see a very special gift. Guess what is it?"
"The pearl in the Black Sea or the golden tortoise in the sea of the ocean god?" asked Nicky. His eyes filled with hope.
"If it is an octopus in the Gibraltar Sea who predicts the future?"
"An octopus predicting future…? I can't believe it." Nicky trembled with joy.
"Yes, he is the Lord of Gibraltar." Papa laughed.
"The Lord of Gibraltar is coming up to our house. I call him Gibra." The excited, Nicky screamed. "Gibra, this guardian is waiting for you impatiently."
"Did you name him so quickly?" Nicky's grandma asked.
"If I get such a magical creature, I will be a hero by his magic." While he says this, something comes to his mind, a beautiful dream. Nicky's imagination grew up. He said to himself, 'The teachers and classmates in the school will look at me with respect. The principal of the school, who is trying his luck in the share market, will certainly seek the help of the octopus to know the movements of his investment. The heroes, talents, and beauties of the school will seek help. I will be their hero and leader, all their secrets will be revealed to me like a priest accepting confession. In addition to them, sometimes the police, the army, and national leaders may come to know the future of relevant issues. Gibra and I, the protector, may be involved in international conspiracies, diplomacy, agreements, multi-million dollar deals, and projects, thus, my mind may turn to another vault where x-files containing the nation's top secrets are kept.' Nicky sighed with excitement as he remembered everything.
In the evening, Nicky saw her neighbor, Captain Hope, on the way. Hope's wife, who had gone to dump her father's ashes in the Dead Sea last year, had not returned.
"Hi, Mr. Hope. An octopus that predicts the future is coming to my house. It's my papa's New Year's gift," Nicky said proudly.
"So what?" Hope asked angrily.
"If you wish, we can ask the octopus about your wife's return."
"First, ask him about your mother's lovers," Hope shouted.
"There is no need to ask the octopus to know that. Anyone who knows your behavior can predict it. That poor woman is now in paradise. How can she come to this hell?"
Nicky ran away from the spot seeing the anger of Mr. Hope.
After that, Nicky never told anyone about the octopus. He decided to wait until the Gibra came.
One day, three months after Dad left, a call came from the ship. Nicky saw his mother, who had spoken to Papa, fall into a trance. Grandmother then spoke and screamed calling god.
"What's the matter?" Nicky asked. He realized that something had happened terribly.
Nicky could hear the word, pirates from the conversation. With that, he was able to understand things that the pirates had seized Papa's ship demanding a large sum of money as ransom.
"God, save us." Grandmother's mourning rose there.
Nicky picked up the phone from his grandmother and spoke to Papa.
"Papa…" Nicky's stumbling voice heard Papa.
"Oh.., Nicky. There's nothing to be afraid of," Papa said, stammering. That pathetic voice explained to Nicky what Papa's condition was.
"Papa... pirates..." That's all Nicky could say.
"Nothing, Nicky." Papa tried to laugh in a trembling voice. "They didn't do anything to us. Very good people," Papa said looking at a terrifying pirate pointing a gun.
"They are poor people who came to see if there is any food on the ship. Aren't people living with hunger and misery?" Papa said after a few moments of silence listening to Nicky's sobs over the phone. "Look, Nicky, I'm coming with your Gibra octopus. Yesterday I tried its ability to tell the future. I got a good sign. Gibra predicted I'd be home soon."
"How much have they asked for you to be released?" asked Nicky, eagerly.
In response, he heard a shout from a pirate over the phone. The phone call stopped there. Nicky froze and became weak, unable to speak. The ambulance came to take his unconscious mother.
That night, grandmother came to Nicky's bed, who was lying weak. She said to Nicky, who was sobbing.
"Don't cry my dear, nothing to fear." Grandma comforted him.
"The pirates need millions of dollars within a short period, if they don't get it, they will kill the crews." He cried and said.
"Nothing will happen like that." Grandma hugged him. "Little Nicky, have you heard of a wonderful man of the sea called Sea Lord? He is a rescuer at sea. No matter how great the danger or natural disaster, Sea Lord will get there soon. That wonderful man is the savior of the people who get into trouble in the sea. He will drive out the pirates soon."
"Who's Sea Lord?" Nicky asked.
"Sea Lord is a superman who lives in the sea with supernatural abilities. He can live on land and in water and has the power of tens of thousands of horses, he can travel at lightning speed. Sea Lord is similar to the legendary Greek hero Hercules. He is capable to take and throw huge ships or blue whales. There is no one equal to the Sea Lord on land and sea. But despite being so powerful, the Sea Lord is the most merciful creature on earth."
Grandma began to tell some stories of Sea Lord's adventures. Nicky calmly listened to it. His mind was still thinking of Papa who stays at the gunpoint of pirates.
"Will Sea Lord save Papa and the others?" Nicky asked in a stumbling voice to the grandmother who was telling the story.
"Yes, of course. Sea Lord is the Lord of the Sea who knows all the things that are happening in the sea."
"What if the pirates shoot The Sea Lord? They are strong and ruthless aggressors. They'll kill anyone. They have no compassion for anyone. There are many armed men. So how can Sea Lord save Papa?" Nicky's suspicions grew. He sobbed.
Grandma laughed a little.
"Oh, my dear," Grandma hugged Nicky and comforted him. "Sea Lord is not an ordinary human being as you think. He is a marvelous creature of supernatural ability. No man can defeat him at sea or on land. No weapon can subdue him. He will burn the bullets that come at him. But do you know what Sea Lord is going to do with those pirates? " Grandma opened her eyes and said in a frightened manner. "Oh..., it would be so scary! At lightning speed, like a thunderbolt, the Sea Lord will kick away those pirates. Do you know where they end up?"
Nicky looked at his grandma very curiously.
"They do not fall on the earth. They fall into dark black holes, home to devils in the void beyond the earth."
"What will happen to them?"
"The black hole will swallow them up."
"Is the Sea Lord so powerful to do so?"
"He is almighty. He can rescue even huge ships from the catch of the horrible whirlpools."
"How does he lift the ships in his hands? Is the Sea Lord that big?"
The grandma laughed at the anxiety on Nicky's face.
"My beloved, he can be as big as the sky and as small as a fish. He can reach the other side of the Atlantic with a leap. He travels faster than light."
After a brief pause, Nicky asked. "How can we see the Sea Lord?"
"If you go to the seashore and call, he will come."
"Will the Sea Lord save Papa?"
"Of course. He is dependent on the afflicted and oppressed.
"If so, we can go to the seashore and call the Sea Lord right now?" Nicky jumped out of bed and got up.
"Not now. Let's tomorrow morning. Now you sleep, my son."
Nicky went to the window and looked out. It was dark all around. There is not even the faintest glow of the moon anywhere, dense darkness. While looking to the mystery of darkness, Nicky saw that scene in his mind that, his father and his companions begging for their lives in front of the pirates' guns on a ship anchored somewhere in the ocean. That scene of terror filled his eyes. Again those eyes filled and flowed. Grandmother hugged him. Nicky could not sleep that night. In his mind, there were only pirates and Sea Lord. He fell asleep sometime in the morning.
Later Nicky woke up to his mother's sobs. She was sitting on the set, exhausted from crying. Neighbors and an officer from the shipping company are there giving the words comfort to the mother. Nicky ran to the side of his grandmother, who was watching the TV news with curiosity. Grandmother placed him on her lap and caressed him.
"The ship is surrounded by Coast Guard soldiers to catch the pirates. They will be arrested soon." Grandmother whispered in his ear.
Hearing this, the officer of the shipping company came to Nicky. "Yes, they will be arrested soon. There is nothing to fear. " He said, grasping his hand.
"Aren't they going to shoot?" Nicky asked.
"They are the starving poor. They have no energy to hold a gun and fight. They are confronted by soldiers from three countries, can they withstand heavy fire from the water and the sky? Don't worry, Your Papa will be here soon to see Nicky."
He looked at grandma.
Not knowing what to say, Grandma wiped her eyes and whispered, "God is with us, son. There will be no danger to Papa. Did you pray to God? God will answer the children's prayers immediately. "
"Then Sea Load will not accept our request?"
"Isn't he the God who created the Sea Lord great?" The grandmother tried to smile.
"But God will not accept our request and come down from heaven?" If we call, the Sea Lord will come and help us. We have to call the Sea Lord soon."
"Okay, let's do that."
"When. We need to do it immediately."
"Wait a while, we will hear the good news soon. God has already accepted our request."
"Shall I go to the seashore to call the Sea Lord? Will he come if I call? "
The grandmother looked at him and laughed. "Not now my dear, if we are not getting any good news soon, let us call him in the afternoon. Be patient, everything will end well. God is with us."
In fact, he didn't care what his grandmother was saying. His whole mind was on the ship anchored in the outer seas. Some movie scenes of pirates came to his mind, the masked armed men, their ship, with a skull-painted black flag, and poor sailors kneeling in front of them.
In that scene, Nicky saw his father's pale face among the crew. Nicky sobbed again.
When Nicky was in the garden in the afternoon, his mind was on the Sea Lord. He looked at the plants in the garden and stood in silence. Most of the plants were brought by Papa from abroad on each trip. It contained some varieties of plants, such as the blood flowers of Fort Dracula and the star flowers of the island of Java. Dracula's blood flowers glowed in the evening light. Nicky touched the flower and stood thinking about the Sea Lord. He saw in his mind that the sea legend was coming from the sea to help him.
"There is no time to wait, I need to see the Sea Lord immediately. He can do what soldiers cannot do. He is the Lord of the sea. Definitely, he can drive out the pirates." Nicky said to himself.
That afternoon, Nicky went to the seashore with his bicycle.
The calm sea sympathetically opened its eyes to the sobbing boy who came to the shore to see the Lord of the ocean. Nicky stood forgetting himself for a few moments hearing the song of the playing waves in the golden glow of the sun's rays moving toward the horizon. The singing wind gently caressed him and comforted him.
He went down into the water, which was green with no waves. He looked at the vastness of the sea seeking the Lord of the sea and called out.
"Sea Lord.., Oh Sea Lord, the Savior, please come up. I urgently need your help. "
He reached out and called again and again. In the quiet sea, that call sounded like a lament. The silence of the sea stared at him and the flying seagulls fluttered their wings over him. In response to his call, the waves murmured like a song of consolation.
He returned from the seashore hopelessly and walked with a decision to come to the sea at night.