My bed is drenched, more so than usual. Water collects and pools underneath me, creating a puddle of cold saltwater sweat, permeating the room with the smell of the sea, and of me. I change my clothes and linens, my blankets and pillowcases, and once again prepare for the day. Last night's dream feels distant, and fades away with each second, but I recall the feeling of being changed, altered, mutated. I shudder at the feeling, but thinking of the dream only causes it to fade more quickly.
I look in the mirror, my hair is darker and clumps together still, but now my eyes have changed. A brighter color, reminiscent of the sky, dulled as though seen through a reflection in water. I pay no mind and continue on, knowing how close I am to what I seek.
When I arrive at the docks, the sky is clouded, and the captain tells me today's journey will be shorter. We head out and I am filled with an anticipation I have never felt before. My nerves ache, my muscles tense, every second that passes brings me closer to answers, and for the first time that terrifies me. I wonder if I am prepared for what I will find, for the answers I seek.
We stop, arriving at the location we usually do, just above where I surface from every dive. I take a deep breath, this time will be different, I can feel it. The captain gives me a wave, and a sad look I don't quite understand, before I plunge into the water.
I swim deep, deeper, until I can go no further. The light, as usual, guides me for a time before disappearing all together. And now, again, I hover in a watery void. Here, I feel as though I remember something. Something I was told, something I was given. I look down, into the darkness through which I cannot see, and I know what I must do.
I swim down, down into the darkness, every foot I travel slowly tightens around me. I feel as though a giant hand has grabbed me, and is squeezing my insides, but still I persist. Soon, I begin to see another light, a new light, a white light. It shines from the depths, and then splits into two as I slowly approach from above. Then suddenly, my vision turns, and I feel as though the entire ocean is flipping on its head.
Darkness takes me, and I fall unconscious.
YOU ARE READING
The Dark Depths: The Deep
Mistério / SuspenseIn my dreams it calls to me, The spirit of the deep blue sea. To know the things I do not know, I venture where no else shall go. My dreams are now reality, The thing I see, the sea, is me. Book Two of the Dark Depths Trilogy
