Under The Sea

• Amitya Palsani, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2021

The roaring of the engine ceased as the early morning mist started to rise. The waves gently splashed along the hull causing the boat to rock. The clouds were now stirring, they let narrow rays of light beam into the water.

The diver gracefully dipped into the water. He left a hypnotic ripple before he disappeared into the dark abyss of the sea. The diver was surrounded by bubbles. So many that for a brief moment all he could see was white. He watched the bubbles, they rose rapidly to the surface as he slowly descended into the depths of the ocean.

Under the expanse of blue, it was surprisingly colourful. Clownfish darted through the beige anemones, the colour made the clownfish stand out unlike any other fish. Lionfish slowly made their way into the vibrant coral where they seemed to fade into their surroundings.

There were many other fish he couldn’t name, like a serpent-like animal that moved so gracefully with its slender body. It’s lean body became thinner as it got closer to its tail. In fact, the diver was sure it’s rear was thinner than that of a sewing needle. It’s head was the largest part of it’s extremely narrow body, it was the size of a golf ball. It’s eye took up a third of its head and it’s jaws were prolonged and extremely thin. It was a light French beige colour. This was the most fascinating creature the diver had seen.

As the diver kept swimming, his heavy flippers helped him propel himself through the water. He kept swimming further downwards so that he would reach deep enough, so that the sunlight would rapidly dissipate. It was here, he believed, that the more interesting experiences and animals would hide out. The diver switched on his flashlight. The light glowed and it spread out into a cone shaped beam.

As the diver looked around, he found a large opening. It led down to a small cave. Two beams of light penetrated through the water. The diver was surprised. He felt the cold stone which was covered in seaweed and other moss-like substances. A faint glow came from the corner of the cave. He started to push himself towards it, but before he could enter the unusual area, he realised that his adventure had come to an end and he had to resurface soon. As he swam over to the opening and took one last glance at the faint light. The water seemed as if it were tugging him toward it’s warm glow. The diver swam up and felt his way out. His breathing became shallower the longer he stayed in the water. He flashed his torch up and down trying to find an opening to swim out of.

He could feel his heart pounding against his chest and could feel a sense of dread at the pit of his stomach. A muffled scream echoed in the water.