The Cinders of Dezu

1st: Glistening Red (5)

"I don't know, it's pretty far down," said Cairo.

"Lets get it done!"

Julian was already swimming toward the beach as he said it. Cairo had been right, it was a bit farther down than they had realized. The rest of the evening became a diving game for the stone. Once they hit the water, they had found that each time it took a bit more work than they realized to touch the bottom. It was frustratingly close. The pressure towards the bottom was intense. They would strain and run out of energy before they could reach their target. They needed a bit of a break each time they made a concerted effort and would wade for a bit and then try again. Cairo's ears started to pop when he got down too far. He was starting to get a headache. The day began to grow dark. Raina watched with steadily growing frustration as they kept coming up empty-handed with each attempt.

"I could do this!" she said.

"No, Fluff, " said Cairo, "I'm serious this time. You know what your dad said."

Devin had left by this point. He had remarked that he needed to handle some business and in his absence Raina had become more vocal about helping.

"You wouldn't even be heavy enough if you tried, " said Julian, "Plus, you need the floaty."

"It's not a floaty and I don't NEED it!" said Raina.

The water had gotten quite a bit rockier and they felt the sprinklings of rain at this point. Cairo wasn't going to let her take any chances.

"Give us just a few more tries, okay?"

"We are running outta light, " Julian said, looking out at the horizon.

"Come on, " Cairo said, waving him over to the shore to climb up again.

They made their way up the hill while Raina kept staring down at the seafloor through her goggles. Julian was right, they were running out of light and the water had gotten a lot darker. And yet Raina could still see the red glow so clearly. She floated there for a bit, being moved by the waves. Finally, the temptation grew to be too much. She began fiddling with the straps on her life vest until she found the plastic clips. She unfastened them and slipped her arms out. She held the vest to the side of her and counted. She let go and took a deep breath.
At that exact moment, a wave went over the top of her snorkel. Saltwater began choking her and she began to panic. She frantically began trying to find her jacket but it was not where she left it. She tried to look around and began thrashing. She was coughing now and began aspirating more water. Her thrashing made her goggles loosen and water started pouring in. The salt stung her eyes and she couldn't see.

She heard a splash nearby. This was followed shortly after by a strong arm wrapping around her. Her head came up to the surface in time to hear Cairo's voice speaking breathlessly.

"I got you."

Julian watched from high up as Cairo carried his step-cousin through the water.

"Is she okay?" he called down to them.
Cairo took her to shore before he yelled back to him. "I'm taking her back to the house!"

Julian frowned. He could see she was hack coughing on her hands and knees in the sand.

"Poor thing," he whispered under his breath.

"I'll meet you inside," Cairo yelled to him.

He lead Raina away and walked up the path towards the house.

Julian looked down at the increasingly turbulent waves below him. He knew it would mean a lot to her. He looked around him on the hill until he found a large stone. He went over to it and lifted it. It was smooth and fairly wide. He decided it seemed just light enough to carry but just heavy enough to work. He went to the cliffs edge, carrying it in front of him.

"One last try, " he said to himself.

The fall was as long as it was before. It gave him time to think before he got the water about how dumb it had been to take a leap with a small boulder in his arms. He realized the impact could easily cause him a head injury. He hit the water safely, though. He almost shivered at the thought of being alone in the ocean, out cold with no one around. He shook the thought from his mind as the momentum from the fall slowed his plunge and the weight from the stone continued it. He let air out as he anticipated the feel of the ocean sand on his toes. Down and down he sank into the dark until the only light he could see was a faint glow of red.