World Without

She hadn't been snorkelling far; just about 300 meters from their family yacht that had anchored in one of the world's best diving spots. If she's lucky, the guide had said, she'd spot some wildlife, like a manta ray or perhaps a dolphin! That thought almost brought a smile to her face, but she remembered she had to bite hard on the mouthpiece, or choke on saltwater.

Despite her ears being half submerged, Elsa could still hear the soft lapping of the waves. The sun rays were just enough to illuminate the world beneath her. Just me, the sea, and these fish, Elsa said to herself as her eyes scanned the various species of angelfish, corals, and blue Tang. Just then, a playful clownfish popped out of its anemone, joining two eels to play hide and seek.

She looked ahead now, quickly spotting their 35-metre catamaran super yacht, where she imagined her parents frying their skins on the deck. About 200 meters, she calculated in her head. She wanted to take her time. Breathe in, breathe out, left foot, right foot. The odds were low, but Elsa still hoped for that dolphin or manta ray.

As if it truly was her lucky day, a dark shadow quickly passed underneath her. She couldn't help but gasp, taking in a huge gulp of saltwater as she did so. Quickly paddling so she was upright, she spat and corrected her mouthpiece before diving in again.

There! It's a ray!, she gave an excited shriek in her head. The gentle blue giant, as if hearing her enthusiasm, flapped its fins to swim alongside her.

Pop! Something hit her forehead. A plastic water bottle? Put! An empty canister of wet wipes smacked against her shoulder. She frowned under the waves. Must be my parents, she thought with annoyance.

As the dark shadow of the catamaran loomed in front, more and more trash appeared to be floating in her direction. Zip lock bags, Styrofoam containers, bottle caps, beer holders...Now she had to put her hands in front of her to protect herself from accidentally suffocating. Something's wrong, she thought.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the manta ray. Its enormous fins had been entangled among old fishing nets. The more it struggled, the more it seemed to sink into the dark depths below. Hold on!, she screamed in her head as she hurriedly swam to it. Reaching out her hand in a last desperate attempt, Elsa's eyes widened as a colossal mass of plastic trash enveloped them both.

---

The Earth Museum would be closing in 10 minutes. All visitors please take your leave at the proper exits. Thank you.

"Grandma! You were daydreaming again!"

A little girl in pigtails tugged at Elsa's wrinkled hand.

"I'm sorry. Ready to go? Have you seen everything?"

"Uh-huh." the girl grinned, "I didn't know Earth used to have birds in the ocean."

"Yes..." Elsa thought as she fought back tears.

"We used to..."