Unfathomable

CHAPTER ONE: A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT, 06/17/2026

Ms. Augusta Erikson,

It is with my deepest honor that I name you leader of the crew aboard Charybdis, the most high-tech submarine to date. For several years, our country's great engineers and brilliant minds have worked on the construction of Charybdis. The submarine is nearing completion, and in a little over a year's time, Charybdis will be ready to take to the deep.

This exploration is the next big discovery for humanity. Currently, we know more about the moon, which is 238,900 miles away, than we do about our oceans, which covers 70% of our planet. What I am asking of you and your crew members has never been asked before.

I am entrusting you with control over this mission: to document species, from the smallest of plankton to the largest of whales; to assess levels of pollution in the ocean and test the prototype Vacooze; indicate any animals, plants, bacteria, or their byproducts which may have medicinal properties; determine the effects of deep sea exploration-- high pressure, lack of natural sunlight, etc-- on human biology and psychology; keep written and photographic documentation of your travels; and bolster the image of America with your findings.

In a few weeks time, I will be meeting you personally at your location in NODSEA headquarters to give you further information on the objectives of your mission as well as contact information for the other crew members.

Sincerely,
Anna Liu

The crisp piece of paper falls to my desk. Numbly, I trace the golden seal stamped above the president's name with my finger. The words sink in like rain on dry ground. I cannot feel my body, the smile on my face, the all too fast beat of my heart. Every part of my being is on fire, and yet, I cannot sense it at all. I imagine that this is what it is like to become sunlight. I feel intangible, aerial, far above, inhuman. It's like the split second of anticipation, like lighting the first sparkler on July 4th after a year long wait. Suddenly aflame, dragging a star with your hands, spinning around in circles and having it orbit around you. Taking control of the fire and letting it warm every fragment of your timeline. This is joy in its truest form. I am so happy; it cannot be real.

I regain control of my fingers. They shake with exhilaration. My nerves are still shot through with some sort of ethereal caffeination, and I realize there are tears on my cheeks. I wipe them away with the back of my fluttering hands before they can splatter on the pristine piece of paper. There is so much warmth in the page. I hold my breath.

This letter. From the President of the United States. To me. I wait for my future to catch alight and dazzle like starbursts.

The first comprehensible thought I have is this: Be kind to everyone you meet in your life. You never know if the person you "drunkenly" make out with at a college party might wind up being the president of the United States. 

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oh, hey guys. long time, no post. how are you doing?

this is chapter one from my nanowrimo novel this year. as with all of my nanowrimo attempts- this is a work in progress. it's definitely not perfect, and it might not even be good, but it's written. i have hit the 50k mark, but i still have so much story left to write... that being said, subsequent chapters might be slow to post because there's a lot of word vomit i need to slog through. anyways, enjoy this brief 'lil snippet. don't worry- the chapters get much longer after a bit.