Theo the Street Kid and the Extraordinary Competition

Chapter 22 - Stage One: Results

Theo tried to swim around the mutated twelve-legged octopus, but it seemed particularly interested in his pearl.
But as far as he knew, no one had died in the competition yet, so he needed the pearl in order to cross the finish line and advance to the next level.
It reached out one tentacle and tried to swipe the pearl from him, but Theo evaded it.
The mutant looked particularly gruesome, with its gnashing teeth and one enormous eye.
Theo tried to swim away, but it wouldn't let him.
It moved closer and closer and then wrapped two large tentacles around his body.
Theo struggled, but that motion only tightened the constriction.
Like a snake, the sea monster was trying to choke Theo to death.
Struggling wasn't working, so Theo tried a new idea.
He stopped moving.
He played dead.
As soon as he did that, the confused octopus loosened its grip slightly.
It came in for a closer look at its prey and that was when Theo struck.
Every animal had a weak spot and Theo could sense that the octopus' eye was unprotected.
So, Theo whacked the sea monster's eye with his pearl.
Then he jammed it directly into the eye.
The octopus immediately let go and Theo used this opportunity to escape.
Like a bullet train, he rushed up to the surface.

***

A few minutes later, Theo emerged to the surface, grateful for the sun's warm light on his face.
The submarine that was following him re-surfaced too.
With the Pearl of Lao Tzu in his hand, Theo swam to shore and without dawdling, he crossed the finish line.
Sovana was already there, a smug look on her face and a pearl in her arm.
So far, she had kept her end of the deal: she had not attacked Theo, but he could sure have used her help when Chammy attacked him.
The referee Mr. Sotia was standing behind the white line, by the group of palm trees.
"Hello," he said to Theo.
Exhausted, Theo merely nodded as he removed his scuba-diving gear.
They waited a few minutes more and then, both the monk and Borm emerged from the water, holding a pearl each.
They both crossed the finish line as more submarines emerged from the water.
Theo was curious now.
Where was the senator?
With the cameras on him, Mr. Sotia cleared his throat. "We have some good news and some bad news for you. The bad news is that, sadly, the submarine following Senator Chammy reported that he has been eaten by a giant clam. The good news is that Senator Chammy has been eaten by a giant clam. Since he's dead now, you can all move on to the next stage, since at least one of you is carrying the required item for this stage."
Theo looked at the reactions of his opponents.
They all looked happy and relieved.
Their reactions confirmed what he thought about them: they were all a bunch of cold-blooded heartless sociopaths.
Either that or they were all desensitized to death.
Theo himself had mixed feelings.
He didn't know whether to feel happy or sad.
On the one hand, someone's death is never a cause to celebrate, although the deceased man did try to kill him.
But on the other hand, one opponent has been eliminated and Theo was one step closer to the grand prize.
One down. Three to go.
The death clearly did not bother the referee though.
A wide smile on his face, Mr. Sotia threw up both arms. "Congratulations, everyone. You can all now rest for a little while and then it's on to Stage Two. Now that you've dove underwater, Stage Two's location is the opposite."
The opposite? Theo wondered. Where could that be?
At that moment, all the reporters and the cameramen started playing footage of the contestants.
The referee explained, "And for the audience at home, here is the instant replay of Stage One, shot by shot."
Hoping to see the figure in white captured on film, Theo honed in to his own camera.
The footage was re-playing Theo's harrowing encounter with the jellyfish and the orca. They were showing the part where the orca was about to collide with Theo, but then the orca stopped, as though it had been stunned.
Theo knew it was the figure in white that had been the barrier between himself and the whale, but the figure in white had not been captured on film.
It was very odd indeed.