The Sound of The Sea

[This is an Immersive Story. Please listen to the audio as you read.]

 [Sound 1: Rain on Windows ]

Droplets of rain pitter-pattered against old window panes that were split into squares by thin black lines of frame. The corners collected dust, but the floral curtains smelt of clean laundry. There was a clear view of the harbour and the adjacent beach from the little stone house, though the view became slightly obscured whenever the wind would blow the branches of a small apple tree to tap against the glass.

The call of a herring gull sounded through the air as Hakyeon opened up his bedroom window to inhale the scent of the sea breeze. A few drops of rain splattered against his face, but the feeling of it was calming. He took a deep, slow breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. It was at moments like these when all of his stress and all the problems that he faced in his day to day life just faded, washed by the rain and carried away on the ocean air.

His bedroom was fairly small, containing only his single bed, a chest of drawers, a small wicker bookshelf and desk with a small wicker chair. It was comfortable, though the single glazed windows did let in a bit of cold air at times. The wallpaper was pale yellow on the bottom half, separated by a dolphin print boarder, and a soft mid blue on the top half. The upper half of his wall and the ceiling (which was painted in the same colour) were covered in sea creatures such as mermaids, jellyfish, sharks, whales and many more. His mother, who was a painter by both hobby and profession, had painted them all by hand before he had even been born.

He loved to watch his mother as she painted on canvases. She would paint whatever she felt like painting and it would range from realistic portrayals of animals or plants, to expressive pieces the even she, herself, couldn't explain in words; they were just the summation of her innermost emotions. She was a fascinating woman, the type that could invent all manner of marvellous stories to entertain her son as he listened at the edge of his chair. She was warm and inviting, as every mother should be and she had the kind of smile that shone through into people's hearts and lightened them from the inside with her canorous laughter. Though she had surely known it and had soothed those around her, sadness had no home in her life for her joyous soul would wash it away.

She did her painting in the conservatory attached to the side of their home, though she preferred to refer to it as a solarium. The sun danced through the glass and the many potted plants around the room thrived in its warmth. If there had been many more, he may have considered it a greenhouse. As he watched her paint over the years, he came to understand why it was where she painted. The room was filled with warmth and colour, an atmosphere that resonated with his mother's soul.

Hakyeon would often stare up at his ceiling at night time, admiring the expanse of the sea that was painted there, small details of some fish and jellyfish, and occasional specs here and there shining thanks to his mother's fondness for glow in the dark paints. It was really a sight to behold and he would be forever enchanted by the love and beauty that was poured into it. Each of the brush held his mother's love for him; a warm love that was deeper than the furthest depths of the ocean.

His sheets were a cool sea foam in colour and his duvet cover and pillows were deep blue and covered in vibrant jellyfish. His bookshelf held an abundance of books about marine life and sea birds, but the shelves were mostly lined with fairy tales and fantasies about the ocean. In particular, Hakyeon loved the mythology surrounding mermaids, sirens, and foamy white horses. Across the room from there, a medium sized, round mirror hung on the back of his white door that was decorated with a frame of seagulls.

[Sound 2: Waves and Gulls ]

Sometimes Hakyeon would avoid the mirror's reflective surface, thinking back to the times when he was unfairly mocked by others, but his eyes were always drawn back to the ocean and as he gazed out at the blue waves, he knew in his heart that he was beautiful.

That day was no different as the morning gradually gave way to the afternoon and the rain came to a stop. Something about the sea had always had a steadfast grip on Hakyeon's soul, like he was tied to it with an invisible thread. Whenever he visited its shores, he was filled with a sense of calm and safety as the gentle ocean wind caressed his face and moved through his hair like the touch of loving hands.

Hakyeon decided then that he would go to the ocean and perhaps fill the pages of his sketchbook with more drawings of the sights it had to offer. Hakyeon had definitely inherited his mother's creative flare as he loved to attempt to capture the ocean's beauty.

He tore his gaze from the scenery outside his bedroom window and tossed his legs over the side of his bed with a newfound determination. He was filled with passion and inspiration. He got up and threw on some black leggings, holes worn around the legs from repetitive use, and an oversized, loosely knitted, pale yellow jumper.

Hakyeon loved the colour yellow; his mother always told him how she loved the way it brought out the warm glow of his skin tone.

He picked up his worn leather shoulder bag and made sure it still contained his sketchbook and essential art supplies. Usually he would carry several media around with him so that he could decide which to use once he arrived at his destination. To his expectation, the bag contained his book and his pencils, graphite, watercolours and brushes. He smiled and placed the bag on his chair before grabbing one of the many empty jam jars he used as paint pots and took it to the bathroom, where he rinsed it and filled it to the brim before screwing on the lid. He went back to his room and collected his bag, placing the jar of water inside before heading down the narrow staircase that lead to the downstairs hallway.

He grabbed his set of keys from where they hung on a hook by the door and slid on his old trainers before rushing out of the house. He bid good afternoon to the seagull perched on his garden fence before walking cheerfully down the road, towards the beach.

[Sound 3: Closer to The Sea ] 

As Hakyeon got closer to the seashore, the sound of chattering gulls grew louder and he smiled to himself, amused by their fleeting conversations. Some of the pretty sea birds even sounded like they were laughing.

The sun was beaming down on him and a cool breeze blew around him in the perfect balance. The sky was bright and blue with only a few fluffy, white clouds dotted here and there. As he passed by the bustling pier with a skip in his step and walked down the sandy beach, he admired the way the light bounced off of the water, causing it to appear as though it was glittering.

It was really shaping up to be a beautiful day.

He found a pleasant spot at a reasonable distance from the wet sand and sat down, taking out his sketchbook and deciding that today's media would be graphite. He scanned his surroundings and decided that his first drawing would be of a great black-backed gull that had landed on a rock not far from where he was sitting. It was a graceful bird, elegant despite the clumsy nature of gulls. It was a shame, he thought, that gulls had become so endangered, most of them being amber on the list of endangered species and a couple even being red.

It was then that the seagull opened its beak and threw its head back to let out a loud call. As the gull stopped, Hakyeon heard several other gulls doing the same thing in the distance, probably from up by the pier. He chuckled to himself and kept drawing before the gull decided to fly away.

Hakyeon then turned to the sea itself and began drawing the waves. He sketched out the curves of the waves, the white horses as they galloped into the shore and vanished into bubbling white foam, the glittering of distant water and much more. He loved the way the ocean moved, the way it crashed and curved and washed over things. He loved its unfathomable depth and mystery, loved the beauty that it held within it and the wondrous life that it contained.

He drew for a good few hours before hearing an ice cream truck. He shoved his things into his bag and ran towards the sound, snatching his wallet from a compartment within the bag while he went. He reached the truck right after a family with three small children, but he didn't mind the wait. He simply felt happy at seeing how excited the children were as their parents handed them the cones of ice cream.

He hopped up to the van once the family walked away together and excitedly asked for a blue bubblegum ice cream with green bubblegum sauce and sprinkles. The middle aged woman chuckled and smiled at his excitement and enthusiasm, handing him the ice cream with a wide grin.

"There you go, young man. Have a wonderful day."

"Thank you! I hope you get a lot of customers!" Hakyeon replied as he passed her the money.

He went away cheerful as he his ice cream. It was sugary and sweet, the slight sourness of the sauce contrasting deliciously with the soft flavour of the ice cream, the colourful sprinkles were just the perfect finishing touch. If there was anything he liked more than the flavour, it was the bright, vibrant shade of blue.

He had finished the ice cream and was polishing off the last bite of cone as he arrived back to the place he had been sitting before. He let out a contented sigh as he swallowed and decided that rather than sitting down again, he would go for a walk across the beach.

There weren't a lot of people at the beach, although the pier was fairly busy; it was mainly people walking their dogs and couples going for a stroll. He supposed that the lack of people was probably down to the heavy rainfall that morning. The roads and pavements were still rather damp, although the sun had evaporated most of the water.

Hakyeon kept walking along the beach, admiring the golden sand and the way the light shimmered across the water like liquid silver. He looked down as he took his next few steps, counting the pebbles and shells scattered across the ground. Hakyeon would stop every now and then to reach down and pick up a particularly intriguing stone or smooth-looking shell before placing them in his bag and continuing on his way.

[Sound 4: Waves on Rocks ] 

He reached the end of his stroll when he came to a more secluded part of the beach at the bottom of a small cliff, large rocks blocking him from venturing any further. He decided that this would be a good place to just sit and enjoy the v