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In a land far away, on a town by the sea, a boy lived with his father and his young sister. His mother had died after childbirth, and because of this, the father was left on his own with the children. They lived quaint and simple lives on a small house that overlooked the sea. With no mother to care for them, the father struggled to keep an eye on them as he brought home the means to live.

The boy grew up fast as a result. He and his father tried their best to raise the little girl, and even though she was very happy, she also happened to be very sickly. Doctors said she was lucky to live by the sea, because the clean air and rich environment were some of the only things keeping her well. Despite this, she was constantly suffering through fevers and colds.

The father struggled to provide for his family. He was a strong man. A fisherman. Although it provided for their basic life, the little girl's need for medicine was becoming an issue. He started taking more and more jobs to help provide for his beloved children, leaving his son to care for his sister. Soon, he began to be the main provider for the town, bringing in the biggest loads of fish, and bounties from the sea. The town sympathized with the man, and began to offer their help to him.

One blistering summer came and the father took on a job out at sea to earn some extra money. His daughter had even been getting better for a while. Thinking that things were to improve, he left on a trip, leaving his son to care for his sister, as was the usual case. They were often checked on by their neighbors, people who worried for them being all alone.

As they days went by, the children worried for their father as the seas of their world were a harsh place. The summer had been broken by powerful rains that washed away the dryness and salt that had built up in the summer heat. The children however couldn't help but stare out their window into the roiling sea, praying for their father's safe return. Weeks quickly turned to months and the father never returned.

Left alone, the children were helped out by the village next to the sea, as they had loved the fisherman and his family, and without him, the village had fallen into a slump. Though no famines happened in the father's absence, fish took an all too familiar hike in price, and the days when fish was cheap were slowly forgotten. The people missed the fisherman.

Things were okay for the boy and his sister, even if they missed their parents. Every now and then they would stare out into the ocean, and smile, the memory of their father in mind. They had to smile. If they only dwelled on the sadness of their life, it would swallow them up, just as the sea had done with their father.

The trials continued however, as seasons passed and the little boy and girl began to grow. Like his father before him, the boy began to take up the family trade of being a fisherman. He was nowhere as skilled as his father was, but he pulled in enough of a catch for the town to remind the people that the sea's harvest was bountiful and large.

He was often worried for his sister, but she would always send him off with a smile and her blessings. She did after feel lucky that the world had gifted her with such caring people. Sometimes she worried that she would be left alone in the world, but preferred not to dwell on such things. She was gifted with a pale beauty, and every now and then, she would get an admirer for it. To say that her life was not interesting would have been a lie.

One day, in the middle of a fishing trip, The God of the Oceans approached the boy in his dreams. The God of the Oceans had once seen his sister, and had admired the beauty of his sister, comparable to the Twin Moons the shone their lights on his blue yard. In the shape of a manta the boy had never seen, he told the boy that his sister was deathly ill.

The boy rushed out to his sister's side. He drop all of his fishing and dedicated himself to caring for his sister, leaving his trade in search for a cure. Doctors came and went, yet no cure could be found. Her fever would spike, and the sister was bedridden as a result. News of the girl's imminent demise began to spread.

Things seemed to be heading for the worst, and with no resources left, the boy prayed and asked The God of the Oceans for help. He prayed for three days, until he had no energy and fell asleep. In disturbed dreams, the God of the Oceans appeared again. He stood over calm water in his dream, and like the churning waves, the water rushing; the sound of water filled his mind.

"The Horseshell Manta come your way,

Giving birth to child a new,

And in this visit that they'll pay,

Take some drops from their crown's dew.

Take not than what you need,

This is news that you must heed.

Take not more than a couple drips,

Or my Ocean will swallow you like seafaring ships."

The sound of rushing water died down to the sound of water dripping gently, and the image of the God of the Oceans vanished gently into the dark of dreams, like water flowing into the land.

The boy waited day and night for the Horseshell Manta, and he told the town of the coming blessing. The town rejoiced, and spread the news, rumors milling about of the dew's powers, thinking it a cure-all to disease. And that it was. Despite the good news, something was lurking in the dark.

Unbeknownst to the town folk were the dark intentions of a man who lived in the shade. Well versed in legends, he had heard of the Horseshell Manta before. He was not a good man. He was greedy and selfish, hoping to hoard as much dew and make some gold out of the effort, not caring what he had to do for it. He was a swindler, and he had slipped into town when he had heard of the coming Manta. In silence, and in the shade, the man waited for his chance to milk something out of the God of the Oceans' blessing.

One night, as the boy began to fall asleep on the shore, mysterious cries to wake him. Glowing lights could be seen from far of, gently coming in to shore. The boy knew it was the Manta. The Manta quietly beached themselves, and the boy stroked the calm beasts. They felt like smooth against his hand, except for the head, where a shell-like crown jutted in the shape of a horse shoe.

Thousands of manta came. Covering the beach, the boy could hear the crooning of the Manta as they gave birth. It took the boy a few minutes to remember of the dew, he had been so entranced. Looking at the horse shoe shaped crown, he saw a small silvery pool that gleamed in the night light where just a bit of dew collected. He took some of the dew from a calm Manta, and sipped a bit, feeling the energy of life flow through him. It was more invigorating than water, but thick, like a clear soup. It reminded him of sweat without salt, or something akin to sweet tears. He pulled out a small bottle that he had been holding on to for just that exact moment. Taking a few drops drop as the God of the Oceans had told him, he placed the cork stopper and sealed the bottle tight for his sister. He thanked the god for the blessing and began to walk back, staring at the animals doing their labor.

As he watched the Manta, he realized that not all was well. The started cries of manta filled the air, and the boy wondered what could be causing such a ruckus. At the distance he spotted the Greedy Man. A wickedly shaped blade was in his hand, and even from his location, he could tell is was covered in blood. It could only have belonged to the Manta. Dressed in black robes, the man had several bottles and jars tied to him, his face masked by thick scarf. He gathered indiscriminately, taking dew, blood and body parts from the Manta, young and old alike. They boy cried and begged the man to stop, the warning of the god ringing at the back his mind.

"Ha! Don't be fool! This is an opportunity of a lifetime! Why would a man like ME, believe in bogus stories such as the God of the Oceans? Legends only contain kernels of truth! You can't believe everything you hear" the Greedy man said, and he went about his way. Where he could, the boy would move Manta back to see, helping the startled animals back into the bay. As the Manta began to leave, the Greedy man rushed to gather as much as he could, having filled bottles and jars to the brim with all sorts of gory things. The boy could only hope that his efforts could save as many Manta as possible, parents and children together. The beach began to glow, and with their departure, the dew began to leave as well. The boy could feel the ocean call out to the dew, as a mystical force pulled on the bottle with a few drops of dew. Suddenly he remembered the Greedy man, and saw him being pulled into the ocean. Trapped by the ropes he had tied to the jars and jugs, there was nothing the boy could do to help the greedy from being dragged along into the sea. The boy cried for the Greedy man, and hoped that he could find peace in the afterlife. He watched the shore for a while and hoped that perhaps, the God of the Oceans would spare him. After a while went by, he shook his and turned back to the town, knowing that if the God of the Oceans hadn't returned his father, he would definitely not return the Greedy man.

He departed that night and gave his sister the dew of the Manta. He remembered the feeling as it had touched his mouth, as it coursed through his body. He realized that perhaps it was few drops he drank that which had given him the strength to help as many Manta as he did when the Greedy man had attacked. Would it be enough to save his sister?

He opened the bottle and carefully handed it to his feverish sister. While the drops lasted nothing as she sipped them from the tiny bottle, he was relieved to see her gain color. Her fever began to die down, and with minutes, the rasp in her voice vanished. She quickly recovered, it was a miracle! The boy embraced his sister, and they felt like the rough tides that had navigated their lives were finally over.

In an effort to thank the god, the boy and the girl would sent gifts every year on the eve of the night the Manta came, thankful for the blessing of the god.

A few years in the future, the boy heard the actual fate of the Manta from traveling story teller. The boy had learned that the adult manta quickly died after giving birth, spending only a few days with their child before dying. He remembered his mother, and how she only lived a few days with her daughter before she faded away. It was strangely nostalgic. He hoped that the Manta were as happy to meet their children as his mother was.

Years past. The boy grew into a man, and he sired a few children of his own with a beautiful woman he married...As for his sister, she married a kind man from a moderately wealthy family. He was no Prince Charming by any means, but he made her happy. With the help of the brother-in-law, the young boy didn't need to continue maintaining the family business. He didn't risk his life at seas again.

...As the decades past, the man and his sister passed the story on to their own children and grandchildren, telling them that if they ever spotted lights out in the ocean at night, to come out to see the Manta and all the joys they would bring, but to never be greedy, and take more than what one needs...