Back To The Water

• Will Cameron, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2019

I still remember the day when all the people in the world turned into axolotls.

It was strange, but somehow I expected it. I supposed nature had been out of balance and was finally getting its own back at us. After all, humans had started out in the water, long ago. It seemed like we were heading back to it. Nature seemed to be laughing at me as I walked into my parents’ bedroom and found them waltzing around with a dazed expression, one foot long and with their lungs on top of their heads. I didn’t know much about axolotl healthcare, so I carefully tucked one under each arm, padded to the kitchen and placed them in the sink.

After that I repeated the process on my little brother, old Mrs April across the road, the neighbourhood policeman, the pizza delivery guy, my friends Flynn and Susie, and pretty much everybody in the neighbourhood until the house was teeming with axolotls.

As I walked down to the pet shop I picked up even more, tucking them under my arms once again. As I left some change on the counter I realised how appealing the axolotl feed looked. I also noticed that, as I walked through my house, the axolotls seemed to be getting bigger and, strangely, I couldn’t see myself in the mirror.

Then, as I reached out to feed them, I noticed the webbed fingers on my hand.

Only it wasn’t a hand.

It was a foot.

I looked down on my body and saw my slippery pink skin. I realised that I was an axolotl, and I felt so calm, so peaceful, and I realised what had to be done.

As we walked off to the nearest natural waterhole, I looked back at all the things, monstrosities, that humanity had created; cars, roads, buildings. I realised it was all useless, unnecessary, that all we needed was each other.

And water, of course.