Someone once asked me how I was feeling. This was my response: I feel like a lost, forgotten ship in an abundance of blue waters. I once held people up proudly, sailing across the pristine water in the early dawn of morning — the sky a pulchritudinous palette of reds and oranges and pinks; the cool blue waves tranquil as I float with ease atop them. I feel the early rays of dawn enveloping me in its warm, comforting grasp. I smell the delicious scent of salt wafting through the ocean as an equatable wind swooshes by. Life’s great. No lethal shark attacks nor ravenous thunderstorms that could swallow me full in one lasting gulp come my way. Clear sails ahead!
But then one day the impossible occurred — a roaring storm faced me head on in a duel. Dangerous, shocking lightning rained down on me, forcing myself to succumb to the unbearing pressure. The once comforting waves of the sea are now an eerie black void, prowling to get its injurious claws control over me. I try to fight, but the monsters of the ravaging sea, the fierceless wind, the electrifying lighting, and the frigid rain is all too much for me to handle. I simply can’t keep sailing onward — these demons won’t release my pious soul. I feel a rumbling crater erupt on my surface, ripping me into mangled shreds. I sink … and sink … and sink until I finally hit rock bottom — each sand particle making me weaker, deriving me of all energy. I look up into an endless black abyss, shadowing any hopeful light of my happiness. The sea used to be my fondest companion, but now the menacing waves hold me down, restricting me of any hope. I lay on the tons of sand that feel like knives stabbing me, making me weaker and weaker. I see the looming shadow of a large ship sailing on, merely enjoying the hot sun and the squawking seagulls. Oh, how envious I am of this striking ship with its ghastly size and pure contentment. The vessel comes directly over to where I lay, and I feel as if it’s calling “Learn how to swim!” Then it gracefully glides past without a moments hesitation, an acrimonious encounter. I’m lost and alone, forced to deal with the many burdens of the sea — they strike me one by one, eventually hammering me down to the point where I can’t get up. I glimpse a massive 24-foot long shark heading my way, ready to rip me to scraps with its deadly teeth. I know this is it … I’m done for. I’ve fought for what seems like decades, so now it’s time to perish — let my once best friend take me and destroy my once-polished ivory shaft into thousands of demolished pieces. Maybe this will actually be better for me — I’ve spent longing hours stuck here and no one has realized I’m gone. Perhaps no one will even feel pity once I’m gone forever. I feel the shark approaching as I wait for its attack, but nothing collides with me. 10 seconds… 20… 30… something’s not right.
All of a sudden I see the beauty of the underwater world caressing me in its gentle grasp once again. I see a school of fish scurrying about — mixes of vermilions, ambers, and azures happily dancing amongst the current. The high-pitched squeals of jovial dolphins ring in my ears as they swim upon the surface, flying on the crashing waves. Abruptly, I feel my heavy weight and tangled ropes float above the forbidding dark sea floor, the buoyancy of my ivory shaft enlightening my spirits. I go up, and up, and up; passing arrays of translucent jellyfish, pods of tender whales, and playful otters playing an amusing game of tag. As I advance upward, my spirits do as well.
Soon enough I’m back on the shore, my wood now scintillating in the evening light. The friendly waves carefully churn me from side to side, making me feel at home once again. Pelicans swoon around me, fish dancing in their enlarged beaks. I feel my sails slowly tip up — the first time in months. Humans smile when they’re cheerful whilst my colorful sails float high in the sky, exhibiting my prominent emotions. I eagerly push back the evocative memories of the ominous sea floor behind me as I savor the grace of the lowering sun casting a pink spell on the evening water.
Short Stories