Short Story: A Song of Love and Joy
"A Song of Love and Joy" by astersyn
I am born under a sculptor's hands. When he touches me, a humble block of marble, I can sense the beauty he sees inside me, the image he will coax from my depths. I am joyful to be chosen. No exotic material am I, just ivory-white marble from a local quarrry, and he selects me for his work. By his skill, I will become beautiful.
A studio full of half-finished pieces, all worthy of his chisel, and yet I am the only one he has touched since I arrived. I must be very special. My form is still rough, only just beginning to take shape, but I know from his adoring, gentle care that I will be his masterpiece.
I have heard my purpose from visitors to the studio. I will be a statue of the sea god's daughter, an offering to his mercy this coming spring. The townspeople will put me in the ocean, and if I am pleasing to him, he will grant fair weather for the year. It is a great honor and I hope I will be good enough to gain his divine favor for my creator's town.
The pride is visible in my creator's eyes when he works on me. He buffs the curves of my body, the arch of my cheek, the swell of my lips, as cherishingly as a lover. He carves tiny details long into the night, squinting and straining his eyes in the glow of an oil lamp. I am rarely cold - the warmth of his hands lingers when he must leave. Sometimes he sings to me as he works; a song about a man who loves a woman who is far away.
The village men carry me to the shore. I hear my creator telling them to be careful. Women chant prayers and throw fresh-cut flowers along the paths on the sand. I am taken out into the briny water, the men struggling against the shove of the cold waves. Finally, my base is planted deep, holding me upright, my head just barely above the water. I wish I could turn to see my creator, to say goodbye, but I am only a statue; I am frozen gazing up to the sky, my mouth fixed wide in praise of the sea god. For the first time, I watch the sun set on the horizon.
The sea rises and covers up my head. The sun glitters down through the water like many jewels. The weather is good. I have pleased my creator's god, for I am his most beautiful statue. Fish brush me with kisses, and small creatures crawl across me, like the hands of the god caressing me. As my creator loved me, the sea loves me now. I am happy, forever in the water's embrace.
A film of algae grows on me. The push of the waves is slowly wearing away my delicate details. Crabs and fish hide and nest in my crevices. I do not know how much time has passed. I wonder if my creator has made a statue more lovely than me while I stand in the water. But I am not saddened. I will stay here for eternity, smiling and singing a song of love and joy.
(story inspired by the image above which is from here)