Welcome to another chapter… of a sort.

Bear with me this week, as I struggle through college nastiness. I hope to update soon, but it all depends on the load my professors decide to dump on me.

Thanks for reading, leave some comments, and once more, a huge thank you goes out to JonathanByers11, my faithful beta!

Once, when the world was still new, and spirits walked among the trees of our world, there lived a young water spirit, whose name was Kaman.

Kaman lived by himself, in a cave near the ocean. And while he liked nothing so much as wandering the watery depths of the ocean, or scrambling along the shore, picking up interesting stones and shells, he was lonely.

It came about that one day Kaman was walking near a grove of mangroves when he heard a soft cry. Intrigued, Kaman entered the grove, and slipped between the tangled roots of the mangroves, looking for the source of the noise.

Finally, he came upon an old mangrove, in whose roots was caught a young woman. Kaman went to work, and in no time, he freed the girl. Thanking him, the girl introduced herself as Liluye, and asked how she could pay him back- she knew she owed the spirit a debt.

Kaman thought about it for only a second before telling Liluye that she could come visit him in his cave. Liluye thought it a strange request, but agreed.

After her first visit, Kaman asked Liluye to return, and even though the young woman thought that the dark cave was unpleasant and oppressive, she continued to visit Kaman. Kaman had no idea that Liluye thought his home uncomfortable, and with each of her visits, he became more and more convinced that he loved Liluye.

When Kaman confessed his feelings to her, Liluye was startled, and puzzled; she had never expressed anything other than friendship to the water spirit. She told Kaman that she didn't feel the same, and he flew into a rage. Frightened, Liluye fled straight to her home, a small village in the forest that lay near the ocean.

Kaman visited the forest everyday, calling out for Liluye, begging her to forgive him, crying that he missed her company and that he would never speak of love again, if only she would visit him again. The villagers disliked the noise the water spirit created, and Liluye grew tired of Kaman's persistence.

One day, she made up her mind and returned to Kaman's cave.

Kaman behaved perfectly, and Liluye relaxed, and enjoyed her time with the water spirit. At the end of her visit, Kaman apologised once again for his bad behavior, and offered Liluye a gift as way of making it up to her, a necklace. Liluye was flattered by this gift, and pleased with the beautiful necklace. She put it on as she left Kaman's cave, and thanked him.

The next day, Liluye stormed back to Kaman's cave, and demanded to know what was wrong with the necklace. She had tried to take it off the night before, and hadn't been able to.

Kaman became angry when he found out Liluye had tried to take his gift off, and Liluye began to leave his cave.

All of a sudden, the young woman was jerked back, as if by a hand around her neck. Whirling around, she saw Kaman standing near the back of his cave. She tried to leave the cave again, but this time a great pressure wrapped around her neck, and Lilyue began to choke. She looked to Kaman in desperation, only to find him smiling at her.

The pressure lessened, and Liluye was able to demand what Kaman had done. Kaman settled himself next to Liluye on the floor and explained that he had created this necklace for the sole purpose of keeping her with him at all times.

Horrified, Liluye attempted once more to escape, only to be jerked back by the necklace. As she realised that Kaman truly meant to keep her within his cave, Liluye felt all affection for the water spirit leave her.

Kaman kept Liluye in the cave, and while he tried to demonstrate his love for her everyday, the woman refused to speak, refused to eat and she never smiled. Kaman could only watch as the woman he professed to love lost all the vibrancy she once had.

When he kissed her, Liluye would stare into space and remain as stiff as a shell on the beach. Kaman tried everything. He made Liluye delicious foods, he brought her flowers and gave her beautiful clothes. He even sang songs he had learned from the ocean.

But no matter what he tried, Liluye remained distant.

Frustrated, Kaman began to go for long forays into the ocean, leaving Liluye locked within his cave. One day, when he returned from the sea, he found Liluye dead, at the mouth of the cave, her hands outstretched towards the sunlight, just out of reach. She had cut her wrists, but a serene smile graced her pale face.

Full of sorrow and anger, the water spirit removed the necklace from Liluye cold neck, and brought her body to the edge of the forest where her village was.

He laid her in the grass, placing a white shell at each of her wrists, and left her for her people to find. He then took the necklace, and walked to the sea. Journeying under the waves, Kaman came to a remote island, and there he buried he necklace, placing a warning over it.

Here lies the doom of my love

The doom of my life

Let it remain

Kaman traveled to the spirit world, and lost himself in its hills and mountains. He never spoke again, but spent his eternity searching for Liluye's spirit, wishing to gain her forgiveness for all his wrongs. He never found her.