Below The Water

• Chelsea Calzado, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2022

Never explore the unknown. You will be next.
“This will be my last expedition.” confessed the diver. She paced across the head of the conference table hovering sheets of maps and papers of the ocean depth. In front of her were the understanding faces of the people she trusted. The group respected her. She constantly praised and gave feedback to the five of them which rewarded them with reputable careers.
The plan was to explore an untouched area in the ocean, infamous for the sightings of lights and wailing noises. Directed by their employer, a renowned fishing company, the group of deep-sea divers had to try debunking those rumors. Sailors avoided the location from the gossip, even though a booming fish population reside in that place. Money will come and go, and this will gather millions.
Easing into the blur between the ocean and the surface, the divers started their decline into the underwater world. Below the surface, they enter the familiar bright, colored sea floor. A school of fish crosses their path revealing a bustling coral reef, home to all species of fish. Near the joyous sight, a still, gaping trench consumed the life around it. Everything corrupted by the hole.
The divers rushed to the death hole peeking into the darkness beyond them. The head diver turned on her torch and the others followed. Navigating through the murky depths, the torch had done little to support the travelers. They swam slowly, creeping about the intricate turns of the trench.
“I think I see something!” exclaimed one of the divers. He turned his torch in the direction of his sighting. Glowing trails of slime glistened even though darkness consumed all forms of light in there. Following the path, the trench sparkled with newfound color. Pops of greens, purples, yellows, pinks, and other organic hues sprinkled over the trench floor.
“Well, that explains the lights.” mumbled another diver. She grabbed a camera and took a picture of the scenery. The group divided into two. One collecting samples and the other exploring. The collecting group continued to gather organisms without noticing that the other group strayed too far into the trench.
A shock of discomfort shuddered throughout the lost half. Before them was a civilization, not marine life but city on dry land. The city, enclosed by a giant bubble, had futuristic machines and humanoid creatures with its own source of light. A giant ball of light was atop the highest building acting as the Sun.
Someone passed the boarder noticing the group paralyzed by the sight. With a simple press of a button, the city’s guard rushed to the location. The group tried to run but to no avail and the others ended up captured. Taken into captivity, the divers were to become slaves to this species.
“Those divers failed! Well, find another group to get rid of the rumors!” the fishing company snapped. As for the wails in the ocean, they are replaced, and it is their turn now.