Three Sisters and The Sea

Once upon a time, there lived three sisters upon a large island somewhere outside of ancient Greece. All the three sisters, Messalina, Cathola and Martyra, were extremely beautiful and had men lined up outside their houses. Despite their strict upbringing, they would surely have succumbed to the sins of the flesh, had it not been for their father. Their Father,Atiros, told them that a curse rested upon them. The curse had befallen them when they were all young, when a wraith had whispered incantations in her dying breath, as their father had killed it. Even though their father was the strongest man in all of Greece, and was a known hunter of beasts and monstrosities, he could do nothing about the curse. The curse said that if any of the three daughters were to kiss a man before they were over the age of twentyfive, they would forever be divided by the sea, not to be united again until their deaths.1

One day, a man, Etymos, snuck into Messalinas chamber to ask her for a kiss. Messalina respectfully turned him down, telling him the story of the curse, and promising him a kiss when she had turned twentyfive. Etymos saw no problem in waiting, and went back out through the window, promising to be back many times both before and after Messalina turned twentyfive.2

The next day, Etymos snuck into Catholas chamber and asked her for a kiss. Cathola was unaware of the fact that Etymos had previously asked her sister, but still turned him down. She told him about the curse, and said she'd think about it if he came back after her twentyfifth birthday.3

The third day, Etymos snuck into Martyras chamber. Martyra was sleeping soundly when Etymos entered, and did not wake. He sat down in bed next to her, and gently kissed her lips. Martyra awoke, and pushed Etymos away. Etymos, tired of having to wait, slapped Martyra and jumped upon her. He kisser her neck with force as he held her down, and kept kissing her lips as he ripped off her clothing. Martyra struggled to get free of his grasp, but he was far to strong for her. Suddenly Atiros burst into the room. With tears in his eyes he threw Etymos out of his daughters bed, and repeatedlypounded his head with his fists. Strike after strike, blood filled the air as Etymos was turned into a pulp of flesh and broken bones. Atiros screamed loudly, for he knew that his daughters would now have to be separated until their death.4

Seconds later, the ground under the house started shaking. The three sisters ran into the hallway, their father standing between them. Suddenly, the earth cracked and opened under him, swallowing him whole. The crack split the small island in three parts, ocean flooding in between. A sister stood at the edge of each part, watching as the two others drifted away. When the three parts of the island stopped moving, the sisters could each seeeach-other, but the roar of the sea made it impossible for them to communicate. 5

After that day, all the three sisters changed. Messalina never went down to the edge of her part of the island, as she suddenly feared the sea more than anything else, being tortured by visions of it swallowing her, holding her down in the depths. A thousand pale arms would stop her from ever resurfacing,drowning her, forever keeping her at the bottom of the sea. 6

Cathola had another, yet similar, vision. She saw herself falling into the water, being held down by the waves. Countless times in her dreams she'd felt the cold water fill herlounges , as she fell deeper down, and the dark waters clouded her vision. In chocking darkness she would then float, dead, before she awoke from the dream. She often stood watching the sea, but never dared to go anywhere near the edge of her island.7

Martyra however, was different. She had no visions, and no fear of the sea. Every single day she would walk up to the edge of her island, watching the two other parts. She'd seeMessalina staring at her from her window, and she'd see Cathola watching her from outside her house. Every day she'd cry, longing to be with her sisters. She felt that she was the one who brought the curse upon them, and felt embarrassed and ashamed. 8

One day as Martyra stood at the edge of her island, she decided that life wasn't worth living without her father and her sisters. She fell to her knees, staring down at the violent blue sea beneath her. Shedding a final tear, she let herself fall limp down into the sea. As she fell, she could hearCathola for the first time in what seemed forever, she was screaming, and ran towards the edge of her island. The last thing Martyra saw before she hit the cold water, was Messalina running out of her house and down towards the edge of her island aswell.9

Cathola threw herself off the edge as she saw her sister disappear beneath the waves. As Messalina cried and screamed behind her, Cathola also disappeared into the sea. Messalina was the last one to jump, but only because she had been the furthest away from the edge, and not because she hesitated for even a second.10

Even in water as black as ink, with limbs useless in the powerful streams, the three sisters all saw each-other in the water. They met at the very bottom, as the strong water held them down and pushed them around. After too long, they embracedeach-other for one last time, as their clouded vision turned completely dark, and they all died. 11

Three sisters, divided and united by the sea.