#seastories

Each day, each hour, each of us floats upon a social sea,

some like buoys chained to a reef tossing headstrong on

each tiny ripple to bang against whatever floats their way

some like boats with planked hulls of thick oak swollen

with time, partly leaking, crusted with barnacles, content

to be upright and cruising into another panoramic sunset

others like bubbles hovering suspended upon the surface

ready to burst at the slightest touch, their translucent faces

a multicolored swirl in every range of human offense

or a tanker, metallic and towering above the scrum and toil

of the buoys, boats, and bubbles on its way to some distant

payday, bashing through rips and eddies with cold purpose

I will stay upon my board within view of the sand, paddling

into the breakers and surfing their curling cascades as long

Two divers, equipped with all the necessary gear for deep-sea diving, ventured into the hidden corners of the sea in search of pearls. These waters were unclaimed, yet held countless dangers. Sometimes divers returned with distorted memories, or didn't return at all. Yet, rumors of an incredible pearl, shining brighter than any star, compelled them to search.

One day, after morning preparations, they set out in pursuit of this pearl. The dive was long. The surrounding silence was only broken by the faint sounds of water and the bubbling of oxygen tanks. The water grew colder, the light dimmer, and the pressure increasingly intense. They swam side by side, communicating through hand gestures, their primary means of expression in this silent world.

Delving deeper, a crevice revealed itself, within which lay a majestic shell, reminiscent of a precious gem on a throne.

Drawing closer, they were met with a sight of sheer magic. The pearl inside the shell glowed in a manner indescribable by words. Its luminance seemed to tell tales of thousands of years spent at the ocean floor.

One of them gestured, "Are you sure it's safe?". The other responded with a silent yet confident sign, as if to say, "All will be well."

But, as the first reached out for the pearl, everything changed. The crevice began to close, and they realized they were facing a living creature, its trap now sprung.

The water's force pushed the second diver away. He tried to rescue his companion, but the latter, seemingly under a spell, resisted, preventing his extraction from the monster's jaws. The struggle depleted the second diver's oxygen supply.