UNDER THE OCEAN (Original)

Chapter Thirteen: Sam's narrow escape

The ocean was a bustling city of life and colour again. The troubled souls from among the damned emerged to make their final journey to the edge of the abyss – to be breakfast for the giant gulpers. Paul was agitated and lured to the edge also. A strong desire drawing him. A giant magnet tugged at his mind, trying to take control: no one understood why. The children grabbed him to stop him from leaving the cave and joining the others. Paul was vague but he did recognise the children. He looked at them and then the cave entrance. He wasn’t going to harm them and the slight glimmer in his eyes was not completely blackened like those other adults’ eyes were. They beat from dark grey to green and back again. The rhythm of his heartbeat pulsed in those tormented eyes: it frightened the children.

Paul moaned and shook, and tried to exit the cave. What could he be thinking? Why was he responding so strongly to the summon that howled in his mind like the call of a hungry wolf? The call was after his total destruction – why didn’t he fight it?

“No! You stay here Paul!” Sam did not want to see him turn into someone or some thing's breakfast. A friendship had been built through the night as they talked, but Paul was in a state of trauma. Sam desperately tried to reason with him, explaining what he saw happening to the damned. Paul listened but continued his struggles; he was like a dog straining against the leash of a cruel owner. He fought helplessly against the hand of an invisible enemy.

“I can’t stop myself!” Paul said in a strained voice. “The pull is too great! Help me Sam; help me Jasmine!”

“Tie him up!” Joe exclaimed. “It’s the only way!”

The two wrestled him to the sand and got busy with the rope again, Joe was right, this did seem to be the only suitable thing to do. They tied the rope around him and then around the stalagmite that had knocked him out just hours before.

Paul struggled and fought with the rope. His body wanted to do one thing, yet his soul desired another – regardless of the consequences. Even though he knew what they were, he did not seem to care, and then he did. Paul seemed to be knocking on the door of insanity. The children tried all sorts of things to distract him for the next few moments. Although it seemed like hours of this, it was only several minutes. Paul began to grow weary and sore from his struggles. The abyss was weakening its hold over him and his foggy mind was clearing. The inside turmoil was settling down.

Unfortunately, in a very short time, many of the lost souls had already become breakfast for the giant gulpers, and not one in that small cave was pleased. Their sombre expressions aged them beyond what a child’s frame is built to endure. Their tender hearts ached for the lost and damned. Although Paul had regained his clarity of mind, something much more dangerous and sinister was about to happen. Jasmine noticed it first. She saw the vile creature’s flat, black head and deep, wide mouth was hinged open slightly. The hungry mouth set on the underside of a thick, tapered, muscular vacuum hose . . . its body. It was as long as a school bus but curled up like a slithering corkscrew. It had two small, black marble eyes set above the top lip. The bottom lip hooked up towards the deadened eyes, lined with sharp needles: needles designed to hold the victim before swallowing them completely.

The foul creature was not far from the entrance of the cave. This was one of the giant gulpers. It knew there was still one, or maybe two of the ‘damned souls’ on the loose somewhere and had begun its search. It floated high and low, to the left and to the right: looking, smelling and hunting silently. What a disgusting creature! But it did know there was still some breakfast somewhere.

Jasmine dived as quiet as a mouse back into the depths of their hidden cave. The small party was in grave danger but could do nothing about it. They could only hope and pray the giant gulper would not discover them. As time ticked no one moved. They waited some more and could not stand it any longer . . . someone had to have a look. Paul couldn’t because it was most likely him it was after. Joe couldn’t because he was shaking like a leaf on a windy day, Jasmine couldn’t either because she would have easily screamed. Sam was the only one left; he had faced the giant gulpers before and they did not harm him then. Drawing in a deep breath, he peered through the hidden entrance. He looked out, he could see nothing. He needed to poke his head out for a better view, wary. He waited, still nothing unusual was seen. The moment was tense, so tense you could have dropped a pin and the whole ocean would have heard it clatter to the rock-hard ocean bed.

Sam peered to the left and to the right: as he did, he saw two shape shifters – the ones that had rescued Sarah. They shot towards him at a terrific speed, then altered direction and headed up above his head. He followed their lead and saw the giant gulper immediately above his unprotected head, in mid-attack upon him. In an instant, there was a massive explosion of colours: reds, greens, blues and yellows. The gulper was taken by surprise as the shape shifters smashed into it. Sam's head suddenly throbbed painfully, he had been struck!

Quickly forming into a battle stance, the gulpers heavy tail swung around to pin one shape shifter down and then swiftly twisted into a powerful coil like a cobra snake. From each side, Sam saw two large sea horses, armored crabs on their backs, and charging full speed towards the giant gulper. From its position, it launched another attack on the sea horses. It was incredibly fast but the sea horses split – one up, the other down. The crab from the top sea horse dropped down on to the gulper and with its massive nippers began to tear its flesh: black blood gushed from its wounds. The crab from the sea horse underneath grabbed one shape shifter and freed it while darting past. The other flattened itself and slid out from under the strong body of the gulper. The gulper was snapping its deep mouth to catch the sea horse that freed the shape shifter and then it flicked off the crab that was on its back as if it was a flea.

The sea horse came around for a counter attack and the shape shifters shot pasted its eyes as a decoy. By this time Sam had been pulled back into the cave by Jasmine. It all happened so quick and after a very bloody battle the giant gulper retreated, disappearing down into the abyss like a serpent returning to its rock. It was no doubt injured but the children knew it was still fighting fit. Would it be back for another go soon, after its wounds had healed? Maybe it would win the next time? No one knew, and trembled.

The horses, the shape shifters and the crabs regrouped, battle wearied and catching their breath. They lined up like peas in a pod facing the children. One of the crabs had lost a nipper and tried to hide its pain; a sea horse had a gash across its spine where the gulper had caught it in its needle fangs. A shape shifter could not move a part of its injured frame properly: instead it had to tow it limply behind. Each of them were exhausted, but still held their dignity. Sam himself had a bloodied head.

A shape shifter moved closer to them and drifted to Jasmine. It must have been Holly because it transformed its translucent body again into her own friendly face, just as it had done once before when it led Jasmine to the cave.

Smiling, it then approached Sam. It was most peculiar as it transformed from Jasmine’s face and then into the spitting image of Sam: like a computer morphing animation. Sam was looking into a three-dimensional mirror it seemed. As it touched Sam's head, his throbbing stopped, then the shape shifter smiled again and moved to Paul. It did not change its shape for a few moments as expected into Paul’s reflection. Instead, it planted itself and looked intently into his face from six inches away; it was searching his soul.

As it waited, Joe told Paul that it needed to be sure that he was truly free from the abyss’ hold. The other shape shifter approached Paul too, and then began to study him. The second shape shifter touched Paul’s right eye with a long formed ‘finger’ it had shaped from the side of its body that was not injured. It touched his left eye and ran its three fingered ‘hand’ around the contours of Paul's face. It grabbed gently at his eyes and removed dark scales or contact lenses from them. It took the two dark lenses to a warrior crab. The crab clasped them with a powerful nipper and crushed them into dust.

Finally, both of the shape shifters formed into Paul’s face and they smiled together. The injured one was only able to reflect Paul from its good side, but Paul understood. These spitting images brought a great relief to the small group of miss-matched people and creatures. What could it all mean?

The red sea horse approached and declared with a rather deep voice . . . “Welcome Jasmine, Sam, and Paul. A strange event has taken place here.” He continued, “Three young people of the living have saved a fourth from destruction and separation. General Sabaoth has worked a miracle. We are honoured to be a part of this miracle. Now, one of these people from the living must return to help the three.”

“What does he mean?” Jasmine asked Joe. “I don’t understand.”