Chasing Blue- The Final Saga (Book 4)

Chapter 2: Into the Blue

Pain. Piercing pain. It erupted through my skull with suddenness unbeknownst to me. Then quick jabbing sensations raced down from my hand, traveling down my arm and through the rest of my body. I could feel my heart racing inside my chest, as my breathing grew heavy. I could sense the bath of warm sunlight in my direction as my eyelids flew open to witness the rising sun. I moaned aloud, clenching my bonded teeth. Breathe. Just breathe I told myself, as I dug my fingernails into the mattress. I should be used to the pain, after everything I went through earlier this year. I had gone through worse...much worse. Suddenly as it came, the pain subsided, leaving me dazed as I felt my body slowly drifting. As I weakly lifted my head, I saw a white bird perched on my arm, its sharp talons pricking me as it played a balancing act on my arm.

"Get off me!" I hissed, as I violently shook my arm to and fro. The poor bird wildly flapped its wings to regain its balance before hastily taking off into the blue sky. As I began to look around me, I discovered to my horror where I was...in the middle of the sea!  I jolted myself upright in a cold sweat as I saw myself on the cot drifting further away from the docks. How did this happen?! Why was on a cot and even more importantly how did I end up in the sea? How did I let myself go? Was I drunk? Could this be one bad nightmare? The pain a few minutes ago told me something else. This was not a dream because pain is what made me know I was alive; it was reality. I had told myself that too many times before.

Instinct took over as I plopped down belly first on the mattress. I extended my lanky arms in front of the cot as my arms glided through the cold water. With my arms used as oars, I propelled myself forward, telling myself I could still make it back on shore. However the more I rowed, the further the docks seemed to be. Then the soft waves were replaced by large ones as the white capped waves lifted the front of the cot upward. Another wave encircled me, as the water gushed in my face, causing me to choke. I slipped off the cot causing me to dive head first into the blue. As I slowly fell deeper into the blue I held my breath expecting the worst. But in that frightening moment I felt a brief sense of serenity take over me as I opened my eyes and looked up at the surface up ahead. I could see the light from above. Gathering the last of my strength I fought my way back up to the surface as I sputtered out salt water. There was nothing holding me back now as I swam to shore.

Relief swept over me as I finally could feel the gritty sand beneath my coarse feet. As I at last trudged down the muddy tide line, I collapsed down on my knees as I bowed my head towards the sand to cough out the sea water I had ingested. More waves rippled over my soggy clothes, as I vomited out a mixture of sea water and gravel.

"Are you well lad?" a man in a Greek sounding accent called out to me. No I am dying can you not tell! I ignored the man, as he gingerly walked towards me. He knelt down by me as he rubbed my back in a circular motion and began vigorously patting my spine, helping me to spit out the last of the trapped water in my lungs.

"Tha...thank you," I stuttered between coughs, as I slowly gained my composure. As the waves lapped against my weak body, the man helped me back to my wobbly legs as we walked away from the tide lines.

"What were you doing drifting off on a mattress?" the man began again hoping to extract answers from me.

"I do not know," I muttered shaking my head. "I do not recall much other than that I was in a tavern and there was a nice lady that was being mistreated and some man was really angry at me for speaking out and I had a drink..." As the faint memories of last night slowly resurfaced, I remembered staring into space, drinking the cup of wine Galataya the bar maid had given me. But I only had one drink...or did I have more than one? Somehow everything after that just seemed to blur in my subconscious. Once again, I found myself lost in my thoughts, as the man standing over me tried to get my attention.