Dedicated to my father,
Ahmed Nanasi
The world is filled with beautiful places. Each has a certain uniqueness that makes it strike out from those that are deemed ordinary. One of these magnificent places is Serene, a “coin beach” as many say. By day, a two-skied paradise. The water is so pure that it’s like swimming in the sky, perfectly mirrored in the tranquil surface. The beach has a heavenly sensation, by a strange yet harmonious sound being heard—believed to be a choir of angels— coming from the unique formation of rocks, with perfectly shaped circular holes that the water goes through. Serene also has unusual surroundings, a wide shore of yellow sand with mild sprouts of green grass and beautiful little white flowers. A place where it’s always sunny and warm yet cool by its light breeze. The people that go there are always peaceful and joyful; free to play, run, laugh, swim, whatever they want without a care in the world. At night, it’s like a different place.
Serene is also a traditional place where people go to grieve. According to the grievers that come to unburden themselves, the beach is empty—alone, eerie, and cold as winter. The water becomes uneasy with violent waves crashing into those same unique rocks that lay out a frightening sound, presumably the sobs of all previous grievers, and sworn that they even saw sorrowful faces flashing on the edgy surface of the bright silver water, caused by the reflection of the moon. This custom has been done through centuries since its origin.
According to the myth, Serene was a vast desert with the most dangerous heat, earning the name, “Hell’s Land”. Some say that those who dared to cross this desert under the infernal sun, died out of heatstroke and their corpses became its sand. But all that changed one night, when it was supposedly safe to do so. An anonymous, tearful young woman ran through that desert. Not much is known about her, but mildly detailed sources claim that she was a smart, kind-hearted, beautiful girl with a pure, old soul. She lived peacefully and happily with her supportive, noble, kind, wise, and doting father. They had a loving and wholesome relationship with one another. Always inseparable, until one day, her father died from a mysterious swift illness. Her sadness for him was overwhelming. She didn’t just lose a father, but also her best friend, teacher, protector, and comfort. That very same night, the young woman ran out of her village as far as she could, ending up in the desert. She fell on her knees and repeatedly screamed at the horizon; her echoes were heard after every breath she took. Eventually, the young woman got tired, laid on the sand and stared at a solitary star in the empty sky. She saw the star moving, coming towards her and growing larger as it descended. The young woman quickly stood up and slowly stepped back as the silver light landed on the sand. The light shined so blindly that the young woman briefly looked away… When it dimmed, she saw another woman standing before her.
This other woman seemed divine looking, luminescent and slightly middle-aged. She wore a black, long-sleeved and gowned dress with silver stars on every edge and had long braided white hair. She stood and stared at the mesmerized young grieving woman with a gentle smile, empathetic eyes and spoke with an angelic voice:
“I can feel the pain of your heart. You lost someone very dear to you. That loss will always hurt, and you will always carry it. But, in time, it will be easier. Life is cruel, but generous. There will be more times of sadness, fears, but also joy and blessings through the challenges and opportunities that you will face. They will help you grow and become stronger and resilient. Right now, it may feel that you are alone, but you won’t be forever. I am going to relieve you from that pain, not the sadness, because it will always be felt, but it won’t have the power to stop you from having a long happy life”.
The divine woman elevated her hands and positioned her palms together as if she was pleading for food. Suddenly, the young woman felt an internal movement rising from her chest to her eyes, where water was extracted, flowed like a river across the air and turned into a huge orb in the divine woman’s hands. The latter slowly turned to face the horizon, dropped the orb and splattered it as a large puddle on the sand. The young woman immediately felt better. She stood up, happily danced for a bit, bowed to the divine woman and ran back home. There were others afterward. A divine woman appeared in front of a griever, took their sorrows away and splashed them on top of the previous ones. The puddle grew larger and deeper, becoming an ocean. The abundance of moisture caused the growth of the grass, flowers and those unique rocks that birth the mysterious sounds. That’s why, traditionally, grievers go to Serene at night, as it is also a place to express their sadness, just like the beach is doing through its edgy nature when no one is around nor aware.
