Pieces

Suffocate

Why me? I ask for the billionth time. The water around me is different. There's a bag like thing around it. I can't breath in here. It's like someone has taken all the oxygen out of the water.

I push against this wall again but I'm pushed back in.

I need to get out. I have to go home to my wife and children. They must be worried. They don't even know where I am.... I don't even know where I am. All I remember is coming to the shore, a splash and then this...

I'm stuck. Trying to wiggle out does me no good. This plastic- bag- thingy just tangled me up further. Thank goodness that pointy-trident-thing is gone. It did damage my dorsal fin though.

I see the waters... the open waters in front of me. But I can't reach them. It's so close, yet too far away.

The pain and the helplessness.

And suffocation.... its like the water is no longer fresh in the world. Even taking deep breaths doesn't fulfill the requirement of my gills.

I'm scared and alone... I want to go home. To fresh waters, and life, and my family.

I'm dying, I know that. There's no way I'm getting out of this bag, not in this life. Funny, I never thought I'd die like this. All my father taught me since I hatched was to look out for big fish.

They have teeth which tear you to shreds.

Now I'm thinking maybe torn to shreds in an instant is way better than this slow death.

As the oxygen level goes down, I see black spots around my vision. Or is it the night falling? I don't know for I'm light headed. All the fishes go to there houses at this time. Hatchlings are put to bed and the males stand guard as long as they can.

My family is unprotected...

My heart starts to ache at the thought. But I can't do any thing. I stoped wiggling a long time ago because it only causes more suffocation. I can't shake this thing off me. My gills are hurting now because of all the effort I'm doing to breath.

My broken fin might be infected by now. It hurts when the waves push the bag and it scrapes against it. But I can't even wince. I don't have energy to do anything.

After an eternity the world starts to tilt... or is it me? I can't tell...It's all fuzzy. All I remember is my family which needs me... they have no one. My loving and caring wife... she sent me with a kiss when... I can't even remember when.

Black... every thing is black. There's nothing but the inky darkness emptying me of whatever there is left. My heart is beating in my ears and I'm wondering which one is the last beat.

Come soon... I tell the last breath. Come soon.

But It takes an other eternity to come.