SABIS the SURVIVOR

Chapter 3: An Underwater Presence

Chapter 3: An Underwater Presence

Breathing evenly and slowly, he knelt by the pool and moved his hands horizontally in the still, greenish water. His hands displaced the water gently, sending the nearly silent wave to the edge of the water-rock junction on the other side of the pool. As he followed the wave's path, he spotted a triangular, dark-green, and shiny creature.

It darted down into the water out of his sight. Sabis swallowed and felt his throat parched. So, he retrieved his canteen and refilled it from the drips of moisture that fell from the cave's walls. As he did so, he fixed his gaze on the creature's wake.

With his left hand, he shook some water off of his left fingertips, stretched his hand apart, and licked the remaining water with the tip of his tongue.

"Hmm. This pool's taste is so much different from the Sea of Fertility."

In his right hand, his jawbone knife took the place of his canteen. First, he scraped some moss off the cave wall and rolled up the green lignan into a ball to make it fit snugly into his ears. By plugging his ears, he would accomplish two things: One, he used the moss as a salve for his dry and cracked ear canal. Two, by reducing his hearing, he could heighten his other senses, in particular, his senses of vibration and touch.

He removed his clothing, leaving his loincloth in place. With the jawbone knife in between his teeth, he waded into the pool.

"Okay creature of the emerald pool, I'm coming in to say Hi!"

After a few steps into the warm and opaque water, he turned over onto his back and placed his arms high over his head. Using a gentle frog style kick to glide across the pool, he waited to feel the ripples and vibrations from the creature's movements.

While he floated in this Emerald pool, or as he now called it, the Sea of Serenity, Sabis wondered what lay at the bottom. Was there a family of strange creatures lurking to drag him down to a dark and watery grave? Were there plants that, if extracted and used in a potion, could cure his tribe's affliction? Either way, he longed for some companionship on this journey, even if it was an alien creature darting in and out of the water.

After what he would have spent in his home cave mineral pools plus a lot more, Sabis had floated for so long that he had lost track of time. His skin felt pruned and his coordination waned due to a need for food. Suddenly, he felt a tickle on the soles of his feet. He then spotted a dark and shiny head emerge from the water. As the creature surfaced, he discerned a tapered beak and two wing-like arms that fanned out on either side of its slender and long body. He had never seen anything so beautiful. He breathed in deeply and held his breath, then he rolled over onto his belly and submerged himself in the pool.

As he slowly released his lungs' stored air, he let himself sink to the pool's bottom, about ten feet. He waited and wondered. Would the creature of this serene sea wave hello or would it touch him in a different way?

Sabis realized that he had waded into this serene pool with a heavy heart and soul, searching for a way to shed the emotional burdens that he had been carrying around for so long.

I've been living my life like a heavy stone that sinks to the bottom of a lake. I've been holding onto a heavy weight for a long time. Instead of carrying this load of grief and anger for my father's death and duty for finding a cure for the warrior affliction, maybe it's finally time to release my sadness, fear of failure, as well as my anger.

The calmness of this place and the warmth of the pool caused his previous worries about his mission to dissipate into the darkness of the deep. He let his head fall forward and his arms go limp. His heart opened up wide and he felt connected to the creature swimming in the pool. How could he further connect to it and learn about its history? Did it have any secrets to share with him?

He now knew that the creature in this pool was like him. A wanderer with a history, a living being with needs for a home and security. They were alike in these ways and more. Sabis felt his spirits rise as he gently kicked his legs and stroked his arms so that he rose to the top of the water's surface. As he broke through into the cavern's flickering light, his anger and fear of failure evaporated into the misty air. He smiled and breathed quietly.

He also realized that every body of water that he entered into had its own particular effect on him. In the Volcanic Mineral pools, he tried to act more like an adult, as if problems did not bother him. In the Sea of Fertility, he performed solemn rituals that reminded him of the tribe's history, personal loss, and his aging process. In this Sea of Serenity, he was able to completely relax, explore friendship, and commune with Mother Earth's bounty and diversity.

His heart felt more buoyant and he felt a surge of energy to continue on his quest.