#now we get to make our own new phil and sy scenes xDDD

[oneofgodsowncreations]

tímє wαs α funnч thíng.

ít cσuld pαss, αnd lєαvє, αnd língєr. ít cσuld crєαtє dístαncє αnd чєt nєvєr fullч rєmσvє trαcєs σf whαt wαs. ít cσuld gívє чσu fαlsє mєmσríєs αnd fαlsє єхpєctαtíσns, αnd ít cσuld trαp чσu αnd kєєp чσu αnd αllσw чσu nσ αír frσm α prísσn wíth lєss rєspítє thαn cσuld єvєr вє fσund вєnєαth thє σcєαn's surfαcє.

αnd чєt, σnє glαncє íntσ fαmílíαr єчєs cσuld cαtαpult σnє чєαrs вαck íntσ tímє.

shє hαd cσmє tσ thє shσrє lσσkíng fσr α chαngє. hєr jσurnєч undєr thє sєα hαd tαkєn α tσll σn hєr. fαmílч míssíσns, lσst trєαsurє- ít hαd cσst hєr mσrє thαn shє hαd hσpєd tσ spєnd. чєαrs ín thє sєrvícє σf thє spαnísh quєєn, lσckєd íntσ lєgs… shє hαd thσught σnlч thє sєα cσuld вє hєr rєmєdч, σnlч thє wαtєr's єmвrαcє cσuld вє hєr thєrαpч. чєt shє wαs rєstlєss, sєαrchíng fσr sσmєthíng shє cσuld nєvєr trulч fínd nσ mαttєr hσw hαrd shє sєαrchєd.

sчrєnα hαd α gíft wíth lαnguαgєs. ít cαmє frσm вєíng α mєrmαíd αnd frσm вєíng sσ íntuítívє rєgαrdíng thσughts, íntєntíσns, αnd єmσtíσns. shє hαd nєvєr quítє hαd wσrds fσr whαt wαs єncαpsulαtíng hєr- thє єnglísh sαíd, "í míss чσu," вut ít wαs thє frєnch whσ cαpturєd hєr hєαrt σn thє mαttєr ín hσw thєч put ít- "чσu αrє míssíng frσm mє."

вut shє wαs surє hє cσuld nєvєr fσrgívє hєr dístαncє.

tσσ much tímє undєrwαtєr hαd mαdє hєr fσrgєtful. tσσ much tímє wíth hєr sístєrs hαd rσввєd hєr σf hєr chσícєs αnd mєmσríєs. ít wαs nσt hєr chσícє- shє hαd nσt wαntєd tσ fσrgєt fσr α mσmєnt. fulfíllíng α fαmílíαl dutч tσ rєtríєvє thєír lσst trєαsurє hαd вєєn αn σвlígαtíσn, αnd whєn ít wαs σvєr, shє wαs cєrtαín tσσ much tímє hαd pαssєd. hαd phíllíp fσrgσttєn hєr cσmplєtєlч? wσuld hє єvєr lσvє hєr αgαín?

shє símplч wαs αfrαíd tσ fínd σut.

чєt.

hєr вrєαth cαught ín hєr thrσαt.

shє hαd вєєn rєαchíng frσ α вσσk ín thє mαrkєt, α вíвlє σf αll thíngs- mєmσríєs, cσmfσrt - αnd hαd nσt quítє lσσkєd whєrє shє wαs gσíng--

untíl hє crαshєd íntσ hєr, tσσ, αnd thєír єчєs mєt, thє dístαncє вєtwєєn thєm fínαllч cєαsíng. hєr hαnds trєmвlєd; shє nєαrlч drσppєd thє вíвlє. thє shσpcαrt kєєpєr snαtchєd ít σut σf hєr hαnds, вut shє wαs unαffєctєd. hєr whσlє wσrld hαd pαusєd, lσckєd íntσ α fαmílíαr fαcє вєfσrє hєr.

σnlч σnє smαll, símplє wσrd єscαpєd hєr líps, αs hєr fєαturєs wαrmєd αnd hєr smílє rєαchєd hєr єчєs. α míllíσn чєαrs σf αgσnч, wσndєr, αnd sєpαrαtíσn vαníshєd αs shє sαíd, "hєllσ."

[love is patient, love is...]

@oneofgodsowncreations

Sometimes Philip believed he knew how to be forgiven, especially by a woman. Sometimes it was easy, and sometimes it had to be bought with flowers and sweet treats when kisses were as worthless as pennies. But oftentimes, Philip questioned himself how he got here -- rushing through the marketplace and stressing himself over what would please his lover and lighten her spirits.

Rachel was a childhood friend that eventually developed into a crush, though it had to be cut short when he began to prioritize his responsibilities with the church. It was placed in his heart to travel as a missionary, and when Rachel learned this, she moved on to someone more stable. It hurt, but Philip knew God's plans were bigger so it was easy for him to let go and move on. Last he heard, as he left home, was that Rachel was engaged. And that was okay. He convinced himself he was happy for her, that that was God's plan for her as his missions trip was his.

Over the years Philip stopped thinking about her, focusing more on the people he was reaching and the messages he was sharing. It was enough to fill his heart.

It was supposed to be the year he returned home, when Blackbeard and his crew attacked his ship -- and somehow, Philip was the only survivor, spared by the first mate and Blackbeard's daughter, Angelica.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,'" Philip would recite to himself whenever things got tough. "'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you... plans to give you hope and a future...'"

Then he met Syrena. And she had saved his life.

But she left. And though he waited, she didn't return, for some reason unknown to him. Philip spent the next few years searching for her, listening to every tall tale, even becoming a cartographer's apprentice so he could better study maps... But a man's strength runs out eventually, and Philip had to force himself to surrender.

The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.

So Philip returned home. And it wasn't long before he ran into Rachel by chance. She wasn't married, having called off her engagement when her fiancé turned out to be violent when drunk. She had decided to dedicate her life to humanitarian work since, especially helping women and children -- admitting that she was inspired by Philip's selflessness and compassion, and wanted to follow in his footsteps.

They eventually spent more time together, Philip often sharing stories of his adventures -- though leaving Syrena out of his tales -- and it wasn't long before their feelings were reignited and he claimed himself Rachel's lover.

It was good the first year, like they were making up for the lost time, the years spent apart. Philip continued his apprenticeship and, with the pay he received and with so much love in his heart to give, he spent it all on Rachel, nearly spoiling her. But over time, the more he studied maps and was growing closer to completing his apprenticeship -- the more his heart yearned to return to the sea. No, it's not because of Syrena, he tried to convince himself. He already had Rachel after all. He actually wanted to propose soon.

But Rachel had no interest in traveling, and was content staying on land and growing old there -- together with him. It would be a comfortable and stable life.

But the sea is calling out to him again.

He wanted to take her with him. But she didn't want to go. And now a rift was growing between them, like a gradual flood. Philip was trying his best to patch up the leaks. He didn't want to lose another woman again. He chose a woman of the sea once, and she left him. Now a woman of land wanted him to stay -- how cruel and ironic if he were the one to leave her.

But at the same time, she said his pursuing cartography changed him as a person, that he was no longer the man she originally fell in love with. It stung, coming from her. Philip didn't believe he was that different -- he was still the same.

Or maybe the same, but in the way that he shouldn't be.

Sometimes the flowers are fragrant enough and there is enough sugar in the sweets-- and sometimes there are not. Rachel was one to talk; it was soon starting to grow difficult to predict her moods and her feelings. But Philip was as familiar with the unpredictability of the sea and knew how to navigate them -- or so he thought.

For he could not predict that the woman he accidentally bumped into at the market, with his thoughts as scattered as the fish in the sea, would be her.

"Forgive me," Philip sighed, not meeting the other woman's eyes in shame of his clumsiness. He immediately knelt to pick up her belongings first, dusting the dirt off them. "I'm not watching where I'm going. My mind is--"

He looked up and his eyes locked in with Syrena's. Any words he wanted to say escaped him. He struggled to speak. He blinked. It couldn't be her. But it is. There was no mistaking the ocean in her eyes.