"I am the one who lives with the ocean,
It's where we came from, you know, and sometimes I just want to go back,
You don't know how precious you are, I am the one who lives with the ocean.
You don't know how I am the one. You don't know how I am the one."
— Dar Williams, "The Ocean"

One of Yemeya's stories (as told by Lilith Maeve):

Do you know what a drag it is to be patroness of the graveyards? Ain't no one happy to see you and it's nothing to write home about being pretty either.

It wasn't what I was cut out to do. It wasn't what I needed. Sometimes you need to do something drastic to change your fate. You can't be scared about it neither.

One night, I heard Oya call over the cemetery walls, "Hey, girl! It's dead as your house tonight." I heard her giggling at her wittiness. I rolled my eyes and kicked at some dirt. It's not like she would know. It's not like anyone could be bothered to come and visit me.

"Awww, Yemaya, don't be taking it that way. Come out and come for a walk," she said, trying to placate me.

I hopped over the walls and let her grab my arm and we started walking.

"You know, it sure is a drag sometimes being the ocean orisha," she said conversationally. I gritted my teeth. It was just like her to come by and rub that shit in my face.

"Really?" I said, casually.

"Yeah everyone all up in your shit giving you stuff all the time, wanting your attention. It gets old."

Wait. She's trying to tell me that it's hard to be like a princess? Like it's hard to be famous, boo-hoo let me cry for your unappreciative ass.

I clucked my tongue. "That's got to be rough, sister. Now I'm not one to complain or nothing, but sometimes it's a drag being left alone all the time with nothing to do but have people bring you whatever you want whenever you want it. I get so bored having all the housekeeping staff do everything for me. What's the point of having a huge six car garage mansion if you don't do anything to take care of it?"

"Hold up. You're trying to tell me that in that mangy assed cemetery you have a mansion and nobody bothers you?"

I yawned in boredom. "Yeah, and a limo and a huge pool with a Jacuzzi. But it really just sucks being there having nothing to do but watch your flat screen tv in your bathroom while you take yet another long bubble bath in your sunken in tub. You have it good, sister. Be thankful."

I could hear the wheels in Oya's brain clicking frantically. I hoped that she was as predictable as she usually was.

"You know," she said, trying to sound casual, "we could always switch or something . . ."

I laughed. "Naw, girl. Trust me, you don't want it."

"No, really. You sound so lonely, you would adore being adored for a while. And I could use some peace and quiet."

I looked her dead in the eyes. "Are you sure? Because you know we can't switch back. An eternity is a long time."

"Sister, I just want you to be happy."

We kissed each other's cheeks to seal the deal. I was surfing in the ocean before I heard her screaming and carrying on when she figured out I played her for the damn fool she is.

And that's how I became the orisha of the ocean.