Love Is Like A Tide

In the Caribbean, it is a sight to see a parade of floating baskets filled with white roses, leaving a trail of petals as they wade through the vast cerulean ocean waters. Anyone outside of a few is quick to wonder, what are roses doing in the open ocean? How do such enter this environment? Yet here, along the coasts of Cuba, it is well known that these roses are gifts to the Sea Queen. She loves white roses and anything of beauty. Her followers gather large bouquets and launch them from the rocky shores in intricately tethered baskets made of vines and strips of blue cloth. These baskets surf the waves and eventually find the hands of their destined owner. "Must we gather all of these today, Yemaya? You have no room for every single basket," Fifi, the water spirit, implores the Queen. "We must not let Olokun see these, Fifi. I do not wish for them to get upset." "Well, it does not take much to set Olokun off, if we were being honest." "Now, Fifi," Yemaya smirks. "You know better than to speak like that in front of me. I should go immediately to Olokun and let them know of your impressions of them." "And set my sentence back for another eternity? No, thank you. I can grab the bunch towards the left." Yemaya, the Queen of the Upper Seas, and Fifi, one of the many water spirits who serve her, gather the baskets and bring them to the underwater cave they call home. No humans have ever managed to find this little lagoon near the shoreline. It's the perfect location that could only be described as an inbetween. She is a full-figured goddess on top--but what truly indicates her otherworldly status is her iridescently scaled blue fish tail. She has black, voluminous, waist-length hair that contrasts nicely against her glowing brown skin. Her delicate features and her sharp brown eyes were made to capture any person's heart. She is absolutely stunning-this beautiful Orisha. Half woman, half fish. "Set them in the corner there, Fifi. Why must you act as if your arms are sore?" Fifi, to the human eye, cannot be seen. But to Yemaya, she has as much life and vibrancy as any other mortal. A young girl of about nineteen with braided hair to the nape of her neck. She is a tiny thing who originally hails from a small village, located on the coastal beaches of West Ghana. Fifi died on a ship many years ago. Her body was cast over and discarded. When souls are lost at sea, it is up to the Orishas to decide whether they transition on or remain in this realm as guardians of the Kingdom. Yemaya decided to keep her because she found her to be a fiery and useful companion. Also, a part of her felt that Fifi never got a chance to truly live. So, in a way, it's a gift, albeit one Fifi may not recognize. "I'm happy we finished this quickly. Now we can see what is happening on the shoreline. I hear a lot of noise in the eastern waters. I want to see what it could be," says Yemaya. "The living and their constant need to never be satisfied, I am sure," Fifi slyly remarks, then a serious look falls on her face. "Olokun will not like the sound of that. I wonder if they hear things too?" "Yes, but luckily, they cannot leave the Deep Sea. A blessing for the people and even Olokun, as well." The U.S. Naval Base of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is like a small town for its inhabitants. With a population of about 6,000 on 3000 acres of coastal land. This is a little American bubble, where magic and the supernatural simply do not exist. Sitting along the docks are two massive war ships that constantly loom over like majestic whales at sea. Watching and scanning over the port, as small and big ships alike pass through in order to get to their destination beyond Guantanamo Bay. And if the Naval officer in charge were to pay close attention to the radar, he would see a very small speck gliding through the water, heading straight for the docked area. "Yemaya, all of these ships are moving left and right. We-- well YOU must be careful in case someone were to see you." Fifi and Yemaya have poked their heads from underwater near the dock. "These humans never take a day off anymore, do they?" "They've been sending something into the water. That is for sure. A very loud beeping something. I must find out what it is," Yemaya says with a slight edge to her voice. "Over here!" A sudden cry from a man is heard. "Yemaya, stay low!" Fifi passionately whispers. Above their heads on the dock, footsteps announced the arrival of a group of men. All in military uniform, except for one. "Dr. Betancourt, it is an honor to have you with us today. We've been anticipating your arrival and have already done some trials just to make sure your time with us here will be without any hiccups." "Thank you, Sergeant Reynolds." Yemaya felt her face warm up in response to the mystery voice. His deep timbre filled her ears and piqued her desire to know if the face attached to it was just as beautiful. "I'm looking forward to continuing my research with you all in collaboration with the Cuban Navy, as well. I feel like a lifelong plan is finally happening", Dr. Betancourt says with a touch of a smile. "My grandmother is from Cuba. She used to tell me stories of healing waters and protection that came from the Caribbean. I believe there is something to what she said. I'm here to find that out and I hope you all are excited about going along on this journey with me." "We look forward to your findings, sir. Would you like to test the N-114?" "That would be great!" "All right then. The boat is right this way." The group continue their trek further down the dock to a small white passenger boat. Yemaya and Fifi slowly follow the boat as it makes its way from the dock. Both didn't say a word about what they had just heard, but the look in their eyes showed the worry and anxiety that was growing within their bosoms. Dr. Betancourt has a wise grandmother, but the answers he is in search of should not- cannot be found. A noble cause that can easily change into a death wish. He will potentially stir up a dangerous reaction from the one Orisha all humans should fear. Olokun. "Let's bring it over here!" The men work to heave a large metallic sphere overboard. The sun reflects off of its smooth silver surface, like a floating disco ball in the middle of the sea. In the center of this sphere is a red light which lights up every so often with a beeping chime indicating its functioning status. The silver ball plops onto the surface of the water, floating as it awaits further instructions. "Betancourt, will you do the honors?" The sergeant is heard saying. At this point, Yemaya is towards the back of the stern. She pokes her head out of the water. Everyone is facing away from her and she's able to get her first glimpse of Dr. Betancourt. Well. His side profile at least. "My pleasure." The man with the voice definitely has a side profile to match. Short, dark brown hair against beautiful bronzed skin. The sun hit his eyes to reveal a deep molten brown. His strong hands gently holding a black object. "My Queen, we must hide!" Fifi grabs Yemaya's arm in earnest. Not truly understanding but mindful of Fifi's tone, Yemaya quickly ducks her head back into the water. Up above, the silver spear begins to spin while slowly lowering itself into the water. They find a safe spot behind the bedrock and watch as the sphere makes its way to the sea floor. The red light blinking and making a sound Yemaya had come to realize was the same beeping noise she heard a while back. "That thing will become a problem if we do not take care of it soon," Fifi mutters. "We can't just allow it to roam all over." "We must first find out what it does exactly. I don't see a need to destroy it now." Yemaya says while intently watching it move past their bedrock. "Delaying this may become dangerous, Yemaya. We don't know what that thing is capable of. What if it reaches the edge of the kingdom? What if it somehow tells our secrets?" "We can not be so sure they will attempt to go that deep. The kingdom is a long ways off from here. I doubt it would venture that far. It's important we do not interfere with human creation unless absolutely necessary. I think that would create an even bigger risk of us being discovered." "Well, what about, Olokun? Are you not afraid of what their reaction will be once they find out this...THING is roaming potentially near their territory?" "There's no need to tell Olokun a word. The only way for them to find out is if you, my friend, decide to tell them yourself." "They won't need to hear it from me, Yemaya," Fifi says with a deadpan tone. "Great! Then we have an understanding-", Yemaya begins to say with a smirk, but is then interrupted by Fifi pointing over her shoulder. In the distance, two black specks are seen. These specks grow bigger as they inch closer. A part of Yemaya hopes that they are simply fish and nothing more. Her wishful thinking tries to ignore the fact that there is a noticeable lack of movement from the surrounding waters as they glide towards them. Within a mile radius, the human features begin to become clearer. These big, strong, black figures are Olokun's right-hand men, Bumbe and Daniel. Yemaya's worst nightmare has just become reality, as she watches the two water spirits observe the silver ball roaming the ocean floor. She had hoped to keep this activity all a secret-- but that hope is dashed now. Olokun will hear all about this mess very soon, whether she likes it or not. * * * "This is heaven," Raphael says as he watches the boats drift from left to right. He and the crew had just arrived back from testing out the N-114. It did not find anything substantial, but it did appear to do its job of sending radio waves under water to bounce off of objects. A rather large bounce happened thrice when the N-114 first entered. Then, suddenly, the radar stopped picking up the signal. The team assumed it to be a grouper passing through and he conceded that could most likely be the culprit. Raphael anticipates there will be many false alarms along this journey to finding what he is in search of. Still. He is excited and determined to see this thing through. Now, here, standing on the dock, watching as the ocean's edge perfectly meets the setting sun, he can't help but think about all of the stories his grandmother used to tell him. In awe of how right she was about the sea of gold at sunset. With the way the sunlight reflects off of the mirrored waters, even all of the military hustle and bustle could not take away from this vision. "New York's got nothing on this, Abuelita," Raphael looks up and spreads out his arms. His palms facing upwards, he closes his eyes, as the sea breeze wraps around him like a warm hug. " I can't imagine how it must have felt to leave all this behind." A moment of bleakness falls on his face as he takes it all in. To know how blessed he is to be in the native land of his ancestors, while also acknowledging the hurt his grandparents must have felt when they were forced to flee. It's a bittersweet reunion marked by the sea. Dr. Raphael Betancourt worked hard to get to this point. Once a quiet, sensitive young boy who was raised by his grandparents in Washington Heights. He is now a grown man leading the charge to find a possible medical phenomenon. Growing up, he used to listen to his grandmother's tales of spirits and powerful magic as a bedtime ritual. He never put much weight on these stories. That was, until 7 years ago, when she was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer while Raphael was still in medical school. Having just lost his grandfather the year prior, he was a wreck when she told him the news. So much so, he couldn't speak to her for about a week after that. But that grief eventually turned into a fervent determination to find a cure so his grandmother could live. He went to every single doctor's appointment. Picking the brains of the oncologists, extensively researching current and past studies, and pulling all nighters looking through NYU's robust catalog. He ultimately made the decision to pursue oncology as his specialty. Raphael put his heart and soul into the idea of saving his abuelita. Yet, the end eventually came and Raphael was no closer to finding the answer when his grandmother gave her final goodbyes. "I'm so proud of you, my Raffi. May God allow me to continue watching over you in this next chapter." A heartbreak he never recovered from. A catalyst towards what has become his life's mission. In the aftermath of her death, Raphael remembered a story she once told about a Valley of Life that harbors all types of plants which provided great health to any that ingested them. In this story, humanity angered the Orishas and this valley was flooded in order to prevent humans from having eternal life. His abuelita always made sure to say, "If there is such a valley, it must be underneath the Caribbean ocean. Where do you think us dipping our mangos and guavas in its waters come from? There is healing magic underneath the surface. I just know it. From that point on, Raphael became convinced that the answer to curing cancers and other chronic diseases may not be found in things that are scientifically understood. Maybe the answer to all of humanity's problems is found in a fable about a magical valley under the sea.