Stranded - Part 2

II

            When I turned around, I encountered a rather unusual sight. Maybe not unusual for someone who studies these things, but all my knowledge on this salty wet world was a posteriori. I was suddenly surrounded by a school of whales.

           Now, I don’t know if you have ever seen a whale in real life. It’s not like they have expressive faces (or faces, per se), but I had the slight feeling these were not very happy.

            I made for the surface, hoping I could reach my boat before things got complicated. And that is when my life changed. Again.

            I felt something collide against my right side, leaving me stunted and breathing with a lot of difficulty, especially considering I was getting oxygen from a mask. I had no time to regain my balance or perspective before something else smashed my left side. I felt helpless.

            Worse. I felt vulnerable.

            My eyes were open but I couldn’t see anything. I could no longer tell where the surface was or which direction I was facing, and, frankly, it was no longer my priority. I kept being shoved in different directions, violently pushed by one these creatures and carried by the current another one created as it swam quickly by my side. The world that had been so beautiful just minutes before, had become a swirling madness I could not get out of. I kept my hands on my face, both protecting it and the precious apparatus supplying me with the indispensable gas. All I could do was wish they would not damage the tank on my back. That would mean game over.

I tried to fight it. I tried to escape. I tried to make sense of it. And then I just gave in. I was up against majestic, powerful creatures in their own environment. I did not stand a chance. I relaxed my body and my mind. I kind of had known this trip had an expiration date, and I expected it would end something like this. But I still harbored a small hope that somehow, I could have made it back.

            As I took my hands away from my face and relaxed my legs, letting my body be carried by the flow, I noticed again the beautiful rays of the sun piercing through the surface. My body ached from the assault of the marine monsters. Then I felt another shove. I admired the deep darkness of the seemingly bottomless ocean, wondering what amazing creatures lived down there. Wondering how much I would see as I sank deeper into that darkness. Would my eyes adjust? Or would it be like sinking into a deep sleep? I kept getting turned this way and that as the mighty beasts toyed with me. Until it felt like it didn’t matter anymore.

Read part 1 here: http://awolfamongbears.blogspot.com/2013/03/stranded-part-1.html