Plastic Chains #PlanetOrPlastic

Plastic Chains

The little girl squealed in delight as water droplets sprayed by the boat's jets dampened her face. Her mother stood beside her and smashed a bottle of frozen water against the side of the boat, earning her wary looks from her husband. She retrieved the pieces of hardened water by hacking at the bottle. The little girl began to yell in glee at the sight of a sea turtle surfacing for air. Her mother, knowing the area was famous for its turtles, finally gathered the ice in a jug and tossed the now cut up plastic bottle into the water. She proceeded to join her daughter, unaware of the consequences of that single toss. 

The sea turtle was oblivious to its spectators, its only concerns were air and pain. The moment of relief fresh air granted it was soon overtaken by the deep throbbing in its hind flipper. A ring of plastic had found its way around the turtle soon after it had hatched and now while it aged, the ring constricted it as it cut into growing skin and wounded the creature under its ever tightening hold. The turtle's only choice was to swim in agony awaiting a day of release. By the time it noticed the boat, it was only a glimmer of light, a trail of rippling water carrying pieces of plastic in its wake. 

The waves carried what was left of the bottle into layers of algae. The pieces rested there, not degrading but slowly disguising themselves amidst the plant life; even fooling occupants of the ocean. One of which was the sea turtle. The mosaic beauty had come in search of food and the algae layered water lured it in. As it began indulging itself, it felt something unusually textured in its mouth, yet the object looked and tasted like a mound of floating algae. The turtle thought nothing of it and continued eating, but the algae mound was proving to be a challenge. 

A sharp pain erupted within the turtle's mouth; drops of blood began to drip from its beak. However, to the sea turtle this was algae and algae could not possibly be the cause. It continued to eat, but the pain only worsened. The turtle swallowed, and still agony followed where the algae went. The pain was a familiar,  biting sensation it had been accustomed to for most of its life. It felt like... What did it feel like? The ring! Yes, the ring. The plastic that encircled its hind flipper and produced a dull ache that occasionally stung with every passing moment. 

Weeks went by as the sea turtle weakened and its body anguished from inside and out until finally, it found release with its last breath. It was no longer bound to the pain of its plastic chain or the piece of plastic that had deceived him. Floating lifelessly, the sea turtle found freedom. For what was its life except endless, plastic induced torment? 

We may perceive our world as a planet, but don't be deceived for we have - often unknowingly -reduced many a creature's world to plastic.