Serenity
by Allie Dakessian
This short story, Serenity, was first written in January 2025. It was inspired by a character in Tears of the Bleeding sun, a novel I am currently working on, whose name is Serenity. She’s a complex character, and I was trying to figure out her backstory to explain why she acted so different from the rest of the characters. I wanted the piece to show that sometimes things happen to people who did nothing to deserve it. Additionally, I wanted to show that the way you choose to handle the hard things changes the way you view life and that circumstance. I also wanted to show that sometimes strangers can be kind, taking pity on and care of others. I think we should care for others more. The Bible says in Mark 12:31, “And the second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.” I wanted this idea to be exemplified in my piece. I hope you enjoy Serenity’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Every year, the last child to turn five in the Caves Sector disappeared. No one knew why or how. It didn’t matter if the child was tall or short, skinny or fat, healthy or sick, or even if they came from one of the wealthier clan-like-families. As long as they were the youngest, they disappeared without a trace on July twenty-seventh.
In the beginning, the families would fight the disappearances. The doomed households would flee the Caves Sector or hire guards to keep vigilant watch over their children. They did all they could to protect those they loved. Some of the households borrowed money from their family, causing the families to go bankrupt in an attempt to protect their children. In the end, none of their efforts mattered. A child always disappeared.
This year, Emily was the youngest five-year-old in the Caves Sector. She could see the way the other adults looked at her. She watched as parents pulled their children away as if they were afraid their child would disappear too if they associated with her. She could hear the quiet condolences to her parents and the harsh gossip. More often, when she was tucked into bed, she would feel the drip of salty tears from her mother’s eyes falling onto her cheeks. Her friends whispered that she was cursed; her parents wouldn’t tell her why.
Today was July twenty-sixth. The townsfolk kept asking her if she was scared. She wasn’t scared. She didn’t understand the pitying gazes. She didn’t comprehend the whispered prayers. Everyone who saw her was fighting back tears and murmuring goodbyes. They treated her kinder than usual. She had gotten an extra dessert, and when she had asked why, her mother had forced herself to smile softly.
“You’ve been so good, my love.”
Emily didn’t understand it. She had been the same as normal. It had been a good day, so why were her parents so off? Emily was looking forward to going to bed. She wanted things to go back to normal. She wanted her family to smile again. She begged her parents to let her go to sleep early all day.
Her mother would hold her close, whispering, “No, Baby, please. Stay up a little longer.”
Emily looked at her father, “Please, Daddy?”
Her father wouldn’t answer. He just looked at her, his eyes empty and haunted. His hands were shaking. The glances he threw at her mother were wrong. Maybe, when the small bits of sun that leaked down through the cracks in the ground kissed the earth, her father would play with her again.
When the most persistent of moonbeams had long since filled the streets with pockets of light, her parents led her into her room after overly tearful goodbyes from her siblings and tucked her into bed. Her mother tenderly kissed her forehead, and her father fluffed her pillow. Then, accompanied by more tears from her mother, and her father’s face scrunched as he fought back sobs, the door to her room clicked shut.
Emily could hear the tremors in their voices on the other side of the door, accompanied by soft, tender voices she didn’t recognize. The voices grew quieter as they moved away from her door, the tiny cries of high-pitched voices fading alongside them.
Emily quickly drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were sweet, and her pillow was soft. She was warm and cozy in the blankets that enveloped her. Not a single fear haunted her rest. Halfway through the night, her eyes fluttered open, her dream abruptly ending. Her ceiling danced with the reflections of light bouncing off of water. She could hear the gentle lapping of waves and taste the salty tang of the water on her tongue.
Her senses guided her over to an otherworldly creature in the corner of her room. There, a creature that looked like a glowing ball of water floated. It had no eyes, no mouth, absolutely nothing to mark it as a living creature. But Emily knew it was alive.
Hello little one, the creature cooed.
Its words echoed gently in her mind, its voice reverberating as though it swirled through a seashell to reach her. The words seemed to pour themselves into her brain, flowing to the back of her head and pooling there.
“Hello.”
Sweet Child, do not be afraid. I am not here to harm you.
“I’m not scared.”
Its light flickered slightly, the glow reflecting over her skin. Emily got a strange sense that the creature was examining her. She imagined that it appeared pleased with what it saw. Then you, sweet love, shall be called Serenity, since you are so filled with peace.
The creature floated towards her, slipping into her chest and filling her up with a warm light. She felt lighter than air, as if she had no bones. Her body felt fluid, almost water-like. Then, her room grew blurry, the bed sheets messy, and her stuffed animal fell to the floor.
* * *
July twenty-seventh was a happy day in the Waters Sector. Every year, a child would mysteriously appear in front of a family’s home. That household would joyfully celebrate their luck, taking in the child and raising them as their own, adopting them into their family. They would quickly become the pride of the household and their family, which operated like a clan. The families loved these children, seeing them as a gift from their Elemental Dragon ruler, Darlana. Families all across the Waters Sector would hope all year to be chosen for the
auspicious honor of receiving one of these children. The community had begun to refer to the chosen child as Blessed One, since they were blessed to have been chosen by Darlana.
Today, as the sun peaked over the edge of the ocean, a small watery child appeared in front of the many houses that littered the beach. This particular house had a tiny white sign with gold embossed letters reading: The Rivers Household. Alone and bewildered, she crept up to the door of the modest house, her hands quivering slightly as she timidly knocked. After a moment, the door creaked open, and an eye set in a watery face peeked out. It widened at the sight of the child, and the door flew open. A water nymph ran out, snatched up the child into her arms, and held her close.
“Oh my sweet oceans. Thank Darlana, we’ve finally been chosen.” She looked over her shoulder, through the doorway, and shouted, “Honey, come quick!”
After a few moments, another watery figure, this one distinctly masculine, appeared in the doorway. His eyes landed on the child in his wife’s arms, then slid to the glowing ball of water hovering above her shoulder. The child had been throwing glances at the ball of light, as if it were the one thing she recognized in this strange place.
He bowed slightly to it. “Thank you for trusting us with this little Blessed One. What are we to call her?”
Serenity.
He straightened, and turned towards the little girl, still in his wife’s embrace. “Welcome, Serenity Rivers, to the Clearwater Family.”