The day has ended,
And night has settled over the lowlands of the Northlands.
The horizon glows with the last pale threads of twilight,
While above you the first stars begin to pierce the sky.
You are standing on a wide,
Empty beach,
The sand cool beneath your feet,
The sea stretching out endlessly before you.
The tide moves in a gentle rhythm,
A deep,
Steady breathing of the earth itself.
The waves wash forward,
And then fall back,
Again and again.
A lullaby that has been sung since the beginning of time.
Ahead of you,
Near the water's edge,
You see her,
The Seeress of your people,
A tall figure cloaked in wool,
Her staff in hand.
The firelight of a small torch flickers against her face,
Revealing eyes that seem to carry both wisdom and tenderness.
She turns as you approach,
Her amber beads catching the light like drops of the sun.
She smiles as though she has been waiting for you.
Without words,
She gestures for you to walk beside her,
And together you step toward the sea.
The sand crunches softly beneath your steps,
The night air is cool,
Filled with the mingling scents of salt,
Driftwood,
And seaweed.
The waves glisten silver beneath the moon,
Their crests rising and falling like slow,
Rolling hills.
The Seeress bends down to pick up a smooth shell,
Its spiral shape gleaming in the starlight.
She places it in your palm.
This,
She whispers softly,
Is how life moves,
Always circling,
Always returning,
Yet always growing outward.
You hold the shell to your ear,
And you hear the sea within it,
Endless,
Eternal,
Steady.
Together you reach the edge of the tide.
The water swirls around your ankles,
Cool and alive,
As though greeting you.
The Seeress kneels and draws a pouch from her cloak.
Inside are small treasures,
An amber bead,
A carved piece of bone,
A fragment of polished stone.
These are gifts to the sea,
She says,
Gifts of gratitude,
Gifts of trust.
When we release them,
The ocean carries our prayers,
And returns them to us,
Changed.
She hands you one of the treasures,
And you feel its weight,
Its history,
Its warmth in your palm.
Slowly,
You open your hand and let the wave carry it away.
The water receives it gently,
Pulling it into the deep,
And for a moment,
You feel your own worries,
Your own heaviness,
Lift and dissolve with it.
The Seeress turns to you,
Her voice low,
Melodic,
Like the sea itself.
Everything in life moves like the tide,
She says,
The coming and the going,
The gathering and the letting go.
Do not fear the ebb,
For it always makes way for the flow.
Do not cling to what must leave,
For the sea always returns what you need.
Her words settle in like soft rain,
Calming,
Reassuring,
True.
You walk together until you find a driftwood log,
Resting high upon the shore,
You sip aside her,
Listening.
The waves roll on,
Steady and soothing,
The night grows deeper,
The stars brighter,
The moon casting a silver path across the water.
The Seeress leans her staff against her shoulder,
And begins to hum a low,
Steady tune.
It rises and falls with the rhythm of the sea,
A song that feels both ancient and familiar.
Your body softens,
Your breath slows,
Your heart beats in time with the ocean's rhythm.
The fire of her torch has burned low now,
Leaving only the glow of moon and stars.
The sea continues its song,
Waves rolling endlessly,
Soothingly,
Eternally.
Your eyes grow heavy,
The world softens,
You feel the earth beneath you,
The sky above you,
And the sea around you.
And as you drift into sleep,
The Seeress remains beside you,
Watching,
Guarding,
Her song weaving through your dreams.
The tide carries you inward,
Into the quiet,
Into the deep,
Into rest.
And you sleep now,
Safe,
Protected,
And timeless.
With the sea as your lullaby.
Sweet dreams,
Goodnight.
