Out of The Deep

Part One

Chapter One

I open my eyes to complete darkness. Holding my hand up in front of my face, I can't even see my fingers or the webbing between them. I am floating in the water, weightless. The water is so deep no human has ever been down this far. The weight of the water presses in around me. It holds me secure and comforts me. Comforts me from what? All I remember is this darkness. You would be surprised how warm it is. I am so close to the earth's core that magma seeps up through cracks in the ocean floor. These pools offer warmth and a soft glow. Usually I avoid these pockets because honestly, I don't like to see what's in the deep.

The darkness is a comfort to me as is the warmth and pressure on my body. You have to be careful. There are creatures in the deep. Indescribable creatures the darkness prevents you from seeing.

You can feel them. That much mass pushing through the water causes your heart to race as adrenaline kicks in. On the bright side, these monsters move leisurely. They sit out there; waiting for something to swim by. You can swim right down their giant mouth and into their stomach before realizing you're in danger.

I can't tell you how long I have been down here. There is no way to judge the passing of time. It is always dark and quiet. It could be I am a few hours old, maybe a million years. Not once have I run into any creature that looks like me. Maybe I am the only one. If I am how, did I get here? There are so many questions floating through my mind. Mostly though, I don't think about anything. I just am. Never before have I had the urge to look around or head towards the surface. Something deep down inside craves this quiet, this peace. Honestly I am afraid to dig into my brain and see what is hidden there. Some things are better left buried.

For some reason, this time I feel an itch, a restlessness to move on. The quiet is loud and booming in my ears. So I start to swim up. Slowly, I am unsure and afraid. The pressure starts to recede and the water becomes lighter. I continue to swim until I can see the waves crashing above me. That's when I pause, just watching the waves roll across the surface of the ocean. It's storming and the waters are churning. Rain is pounding into the surface and the loud booms of thunder are deafening. It hurts my ears, used to the soft echo of whales and other creatures of the deep signing. My eyes are struggling to adjust to the brightness of this world even with the darkness of the storm raging above.

I start to swim, unsure of exactly what it is that I am seeking. My head pokes above the water and I ride the waves as the rain beats down on my head. The roar of the waves is overwhelming. I cover my ears and peer through the darkness, searching. That's when I hear a loud sound that is harsh against the natural sounds of the storm. My eyes scan the darkness and land on a large weird rock sticking out of the ocean. As I approach I can see three creatures moving around. The surface must be slippery because as the rain drives down they stumble and slide.

There are two that are larger and have short hair. They wear some sort of cover over their lower half while their upper half remains bare. The other creature has long hair and is completely covered. The two larger creatures appear to be fighting. I float in the water and look at my fingers, assessing the webbing that runs between them that these creatures are lacking. Then I feel my ears flat against my head, designed to hear the echoes of the ocean. Next I look down at my tail fin, dark green and black, it blends in with the darkness. The fin along my back matches my tail fin in color. My skin is a shade lighter. My eyes are large and black, they reflect the light and glisten in the darkness. I worry they will give me away if the creatures on the rock look in my direction. My hair is long and black. It is jagged where I have cut it with rocks to keep it from tangling up in my fins while I swim.

The two tall creatures have pale skin and pale hair. Their eyes are much lighter as well. The other which I have decided is a female like me has darker more copper colored skin and dark hair and eyes. I feel bold and start to move a little closer. These creatures are not made for the sea. They cannot hurt me as long as I am in the water. As I approach I realize that the males are fighting. I assume they are fighting over the female. Often I have watched sharks in the deep compete for a desirable female. This concept is not new to me.