The Boy In The Bottle

On a rocky shore of a beach, not too far from here, was a small boy.

He sat looking at the waves, silently. Many days passed, but no one came for the child. He sat looking at the ocean as if he himself washed up on the shore.

On a rainy day, the boy was walking along the shallow water, throwing pebbles into the ocean, when he came across a bottle.

The bottle was large. Made of grey glass, the scratches along the surface were barely visible. In the bottle, was an old copper diving helmet.

Despite its age, the helmet seemed to shine, as the rain fell through the neck of the bottle. Face pressed against the glass; the boy looked around. This helmet didn't belong to anyone. Maybe, it could belong to him.

He squeezed himself inside, just barely fitting. The bottle was cramped and cold, especially with the helmet. But the boy somehow managed to fit the helmet on his head. It was big, but at least he had more room.

Now, with the helmet on his head, the boy would leave the bottle and walk with his new possession. As he tried to exit back through the neck, the boy hit his head on the shoulder of the bottle. After shaking it off, the boy tried again, more carefully, but still ended up with the same result. He couldn't fit. After more and more attempts, the boy found he couldn't leave. He tried to take off the helmet but found that there was no longer room inside the bottle.

The boy decided to wait. If he waited long enough, maybe someone else would come and help free him from the bottle. So, he waited.

At some point, a girl, no older than the boy came along. She said her name was Evie. She tried to help the boy escape but couldn't with all her might. Evie told the boy she would go find some help. She never came back.

Not too long after, a grown man came along. He too, tried to help the boy escape. He told the boy his name was Don. He also told the boy he would return tomorrow.

The next day, the beach was empty. It was silent, save for the waves crashing against the stones.
Two days after that, the boy gave up waiting for Don to come back.

As time passed around the boy, he felt as if he stayed the same. Nothing changed in the bottle. But outside, everything changed all the time. Once the boy escaped, he would change with the world. He knew he would.

Eventually, rain fell upon the beach once again. But this time, lighting and thunder followed. The boy curled up in his glass home as thunder rumbled and the rain grew colder. He squeezed his eyes tightly and hoped the rain would pass.

For the first time, the boy wished to shut out the outside world, instead of wanting to escape. He closed the face plate of his helmet and held his knees close.

Then, in a fraction of a moment. The lightning struck the bottle. It instantly shattered into thousands of tiny pieces on the ground. The boy looked up. He was out of the bottle. He was now apart of the world; at the one time he didn't want to be.

Without a second thought, the boy ran to the sea. He knew it better than the world, that would change and break and surprise in all the wrong ways. He knew the ocean would have another bottle for him.

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If you ever walk along a beach, and come across a bottle, don't throw it back in the ocean. The boy has discarded it and doesn't want it as a home. He'll keep looking until he finds the right one.

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Word Count: 640

A/N: Wrote that one quickly today. I hope you enjoyed. I haven't had time for editing, so if there are any mistakes, let me know so I can edit. Thx!

Sincerely,
Mac.