UNDERWATER
Prompt - Underwater : Write about sea creatures and under water life. What's under the surface of the ocean? What adventures might be waiting?
'Be careful what you wish for.'
'All that glitters is not gold.'
And even
'Look before you leap.'
Of course nobody said these actual words to him, but there were plenty ready to lecture Sulyman with similar phrases in his own language. All because he saw the sea as an adventure, a place to explore, a place of mysteries and excitement. Where everyone else saw only a source of the food, a way of living, the boy grew up dreaming of what he might find if he was able to dive deeper, further, than the pearl fishermen did, than the squid hunters did, than any diver could manage without benefit of artificial assistance.
Then they laughed when he had been to the city, and worked hard, and returned with the tools to his dream. A wetsuit. Flippers. Breathing apparatus. The oxygen which would enable his dream. What did he hope to find? Didn't he know there were dangers out there? Dangers well beyond what so many villagers faced on a daily basis in pursuit of their livelihood? Diving was work, not fun. A skill, not a hobby. Who did he think he was?
Sulyman didn't care. He had already been places, and done things, and achieved more, than anyone in the village had ever dared imagine. Even his family treated his efforts and attainments with suspicion, especially when he aw no need to work any more. Did he think he was better than them?
Only the children showed any interest in the amazing things he'd brought back with him. A suit to swim in? Why? Big heavy tanks on his back that meant he didn't have to hold his breath? How? Big flippers on his feet? Was he turning into a fish? They loved watching him don the complex outfit, clumsily make his way into the sea, and... vanish. Only to return, magically, long after any normal diver would have been given up on.
Sulyman worked on his technique, purchased more equipment as he became bolder, went further and deeper and wider. He'd always return with fish for the family, but never pearls. He had no desire to upset the traditionalists even further. In time he had explored the whole bay out as far as the point where the shelf fell away and the black depths plummeted underneath him. Which meant it was time for him to venture further.
He'd got himself a small boat from which to dive, and practiced with that, over and over. Falling out over the side was easy enough, but it took many attempts before he could smoothly raise himself back in. Once he felt confident he took the boat out to the edge of the shelf and set down his anchor. Got all his gear on, including the bigger oxygen cylinders which would allow him to stay down for over an hour, and ran through the safety checks that had been drilled into him back in the city. All done, he sat on the side of the boat, and allowed himself to fall down into the warm water.
He swam down to the shelf, then pushed out into the deeper water, and set himself a steady routine of descent and adjustment, the increasing darkness illuminated by the spotlight on his helmet. Suddenly he found himself but ten meters away from a large pink and green octopus. He handled his camera into position and took the shot, checked the result on his screen. The octopus had one eye shut, as if winking. He looked up. The octopus winked. He did. Didn't he? The octopus smiled. That wasn't possible, was it? Sulyman metaphorically shook his head and wiped his eyes. The octopus continued to smile, or appear to smile. Then it raised two tentacles, beckoned him on, and turned away, checking round to see if he'd follow. Cephalopods weren't known for being so communicative.
But this one was, or seemed to be at least, and Sulyman had taken up diving for adventure and mystery, so how could he resist? He followed the pumping blob and went deeper still. As the darkness got thicker he sped up and closed in on his guide until the octopus stopped and he found they were face to face.
"We have been waiting for you."
The octopus had spoken. A speaking octopus? This couldn't be happening. Yet he had heard the words, clearly, through water and rubber and the sound of his own steady breathing. But with the mouthpiece in he couldn't reply, so he tried to give a quizzical look through the mask.
"You were not expecting us, but we have been expecting you. We have watched you these past months, becoming bolder, looking at one with our world. Looking for something that you cannot find on the land. We would like you to join us." And the octopus turned again and dived deeper. Sulyman followed. Who was 'we'?
The answer came minutes later, when they approached a rockface, in which a large cave mouth was set. Together they entered the cave and Sulyman saw before him nothing he'd expected and everything he'd dreamed of.
The cave mouth had expanded into a large chamber, with phosphorescent streaks in the rock providing a rippling glow to the interior. Arranged around the space, be it in welcome or otherwise, was a huge variety of sea creatures - was this the 'we' they'd been heading for? Octopuses, squid and cuttlefish mixed with rays, skates, anglerfish, and so many more he didn't have names for. His guide wafted off into the crowd and a dark blue squid came forward.
"Welcome. We have been looking forward to your arrival."
"Welcome Sulyman." said the assembled shoal.
Sulyman didn't know what to say. Didn't know how to say. The squid was ahead of him.
"Think your words to us Sulyman, and we will hear them." So he did, and they did, and they conversed. They had been aware of his diving, of his ambitions, for months. They had read his desires in his actions and knew he wasn't like the others of his kind. They knew he was a sea creature.
Enthralled by his discovery, or perhaps his being discovered, Sulyman had lost all track of time. So when he looked at his dials he was hit by shock, bewilderment, panic. More than ninety minutes had passed since he left the boat, and even his emergency tank of oxygen was long since depleted. He must be dead, this must be the afterlife, he would never see his family again, he... He looked around him, at the welcoming assembly. Cautiously he removed his mouthpiece. He could still breathe.
"You no longer have any need of your suit, " said Ashtane, for that was the blue squid's name, "you really are one of us now, you are of the sea." So he removed his headgear, and felt no pressure, felt no sense of cold. He removed his gloves, and saw that there was a membrane of skin grown between his fingers, the better to propel him through the water. He removed his flippers and his toes had elongated and sprouted identical skin formations. He removed his empty oxygen tanks, and they drifted to the floor of the cavern, deep into the sand. He removed his weight belt it too vanished below, while he remaining in place, with no sudden movement surfacewards. He removed his wetsit and found his body sleek, sheathed, shimmering. The squid was right. he was one of them now. He had found his adventure
It was as well he would never return to land. They would never have believed him.
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