A Conversation Between Land and Sea

​On the western coast of South America as day breaks before the sun rises:

 

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SEA:    “Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.”

LAND:    “My goodness, is it that time to wake up already??”

SEA:    “I’m afraid so.”

LAND:    “Why am I all wet? Seriously Pacific you don’t need to throw water on me all the time!”

SEA:    “I’m sorry, I just don’t like being alone.”

LAND:    “Did you have a rough night?”

SEA:    “Actually, no, it was rather tranquil.”

LAND:    “I know you get a bit sensitive and have a stormy temper.”

SEA:    “I don’t know South America, it’s just… I miss the old days you know, when we were all together.”

LAND:    “You were very big back then, I’m surprised you feel this way considering you were full of leviathans and enormous beasts swimming around your waters.”

SEA:    “Well, I was, but now I have similar beasts which are now Mammals swimming around, not to mention metal pests itching my surface.”

LAND:    “Don’t even go there, I’m almost covered in humans, not as bad as Europe or Asia, but still, I’ve got them trimming my forest which is almost bald, I’ve got them all along my coasts and this big spot on my east side and another on my north. It’s terrible because it’s spreading.”

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SEA:    “I don’t know how you cope, you let me know if you need a refreshing splash of water.”

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LAND:    “I don’t know, they’re not so bad, I’ve come to get used to them, I mean I’ve only got them recently, I took North America’s advice and give them a shake from time to time, but it doesn’t seem to change anything, they just keep on growing.”

SEA:    “So, you speak to North America?”

LAND:    “We’re in touch, he’s been having it worse than me with humans.”

SEA:    “He hasn’t spoken to me in a long time, I suppose he wasn’t too happy I cut him off from Asia.”

LAND:    “That was ridiculous, I mean, that Alaskan bridge was never going to last, and also you did him a favour. He was getting a lot of humans from Asia anyway.”

SEA:    “It’s true, but I should have sunk it immediately and not gradually.”

LAND:    “No, if you did that, then you’d be like the Atlantic, and you know what she did to Atlantis.”

SEA:    “What? Doesn’t the Atlantic get on well with everyone?”

LAND:    “Not really, the Atlantic is young and rash, and I know she has a good relationship with the Caribbean, but she’s just too volatile.”

SEA:    “I guess I miss talking to her, but we’re always fighting in the south these days, and I just can’t be bothered to talk with her anymore.”

LAND:    “Everyone still blames her for driving us apart.”

SEA:    “Well to be fair, it was you and North America who drifted away from the other continent.

LAND:    "Hey, it wasn’t just us. Australia wanted to be alone too.”

SEA:    “Australia! He’s a funny continent, we catch up from time to time but he’s so red and burnt, his humans ruined its lush green mane, I always tell him he should have stayed with Asia.”

LAND:    “You know there is no point in discussing that with Australia, he never used to listen. It’s like, do you remember when India moved away from Africa after their fight, and in the end, it moved into Asia? Asia still isn’t very happy, but India has forced itself in, and they’ve got a big wall between them, but they get along now.”

SEA:    “How do you know about Asia?”

LAND:    “North America tells me from time to time, he’s still in touch in the north.”

SEA:    “I’m glad you’re still in touch with North America, I speak with Indian Ocean, but she’s so weird with all her mood swings.”

LAND:    “Yeah, I don’t miss her at all. She’s far too hot-headed, not as cool as you or Atlantic.”

SEA:    “Thanks South America. I have my heated moments in the west though.. but then I cool off and chill out. Speaking of chilling out, you missed an excellent night’s sky.”

LAND:    “Well, you know me. I’m more of a day person, I like to bask in the sun.”

SEA:    “The night is my favourite time, I love the stars, and when the sky goes to sleep, it’s lovely to feel the moon rays touch my surface.”

LAND:    “I get scared at night. At least humans make a lot of artificial lighting which I like, you mentioned metal pests, do human still scratch your surface at night?”

SEA:    “Not so much as during the day but they do, and their metal ships are even bigger these days and harder to turn over.”

LAND:    “I wish by shaking myself up could just get rid of them, but it never does. I kind of miss the dinosaurs. I know we all had our issues, but they never dug as deep as these mammals do. It really hurts.”

SEA:    “I bet. The time of the dinosaurs was different South America, I was bigger, and you were all together, you all should never have split up and drifted apart like you have.”

LAND:    “We were always fighting Pacific, also when North America released all that gas to cleanse the land…”.

SEA:    “You all did that to be fair South America.”

LAND:    “It’s true… I still didn’t like it though. The dinosaurs on my land didn’t bother me as much as Europe and Asia.”

SEA:    “Antarctica never forgave any of us, you know? He just left and changed.”

LAND:    “He has his reasons, Pacific. We’re still in touch, but he’s really gone cold on everyone.”

SEA:    “It was a great time, you were all together, and I was much bigger. It was only ironic that while we were trying to get rid of the dinosaurs that Sky sent down that asteroid to take care of everything.”

LAND:    “I was never sure if Sky did that on purpose… he seemed very convincing that he had nothing to do with that.”

SEA:    “I don’t know South America. I always remember Europe talking with Sky in secret, I think they must have known something was going to happen.”

LAND:    “Either way what’s done is done, and you can’t change the past Pacific. Nowadays we’ve all gone our own way and, although I think about Africa and Europe from time to time, I don’t miss them that much.”

SEA:    “I feel the same about the Mediterranean Sea. She always thought that she was better than us because she’s so petit and warm.”

LAND:    “I really don’t know, I haven’t even thought about her in ages.”

SEA:    “I’m sure she’s fine along with Caspian Sea and Black Sea, I mean, I get told from Asia from time to time that they are doing well.”

LAND:    “We have really drifted apart since the asteroid strike but, at least we’re trying to stay in touch.”

SEA:    “I guess, it’s really nice you and North America are in touch. Antarctica annoys me, he never talks, just sits there staring at me with his white surface. I’m glad to hear he’s not like that with you and you are in touch.”

LAND:    “He loved the dinosaurs so much Pacific, do you remember?”

SEA:    “Yeah, I do. I never understood why. Anyway, I should get some sleep South America, or I’ll get in a bad mood later.”

LAND:    “Yeah, I’ve seen you furious sometimes, and there is nothing that can calm you down.”

SEA:    “It’s true… but you know the day after I’m always calm, am I not?”

LAND:    “Well, just try to get some rest during the night and don’t let these humans irritate you that much.”

SEA:    “As you said, I haven’t got it half as bad as you do, or the other continents. I wish the mammals were more like the dinosaurs. They may have cleared the land, but at least they had a harmony with it, not like these mammals, especially humans who just seem to dig deep and take out your resources and fill the air with gases.”

LAND:    “I’m used to it, it’s not as bad as it used to be, but I can’t do anything about it.”

SEA:    “In the future, if you need some help, you just tell me, and I’ll give your land a rinse…”

LAND:    “Thanks, but don’t worry, at the moment I’m in a good mood but… I’ll let you know how I feel later.”

SEA:    “Ok South America, I’ll speak to you soon and enjoy your day.”

LAND:    “Get some rest Pacific, and I’ll see you around.”

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The day began, and the gaze of the land was lost on the horizon while the waters fell asleep.

“Words are what you hear, moods are what you feel, and just because you cannot hear or understand something that does not mean that it does not exist. Their world is our world.”