Chapter 11 “Salvation”

As the two BFF’s enjoyed their stroll through the coral reefs, the less attractive of the two noticed something hiding between the corals in its peripheral vision. A hunger-driven eel, its mouth distorted by a crazed smile, locked it’s from madness consumed eyes on its best friend, who, unaware of this hunter and its own brightly orange glowing target, also known as its body, happily continued its stroll.

As the eel, with full speed ahead and mouth wide open, leaped forward, the tiny fish’s faithful friend acted without thinking twice, throwing itself between them. The fruit-colored fish got hit in the process and whirled through the water. The enraged eel brushed against its brave adversary and began to writhe in pain as it slowly sank to the ground.

One of the Stonefish’s dorsal spines had penetrated the mad eels skin. Shocked by the sight but also relieved that the danger was averted, the brave but faint-hearted fish rushed to its injured friend.

Its bright best friend lay trembling on the cold ocean floor, “I’m glad you’re uninjured…” It took all its strength to speak.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“No!” The poor Stonefish realized that as it pushed its friend out of harm’s way, it had accidentally hit it with one of its dorsal spines.

It despaired plopped to the ground, tears welling up as its dear friend laid dying in its fins. “No…No! This can’t be! Don’t leave me!” It cried out in heart wrenching sorrow.

“I-It’s not your fault.” The small dying fish tried to comfort it, even as fear struck its tiny heart, it did not want to leave its best friend shouldering this burdening guilt.

It stretched out its tiny trembling fin towards its crying friend and smiled brightly, “Thanks for saving me.”

“!”

Its small fin lost all its strength and slowly floated down, but contrary to what the tiny orange wanted to achieve with its last words, the poor Stonefish’s heart shattered in an instant, never to be mended again.

***

And now, after all these years, it saw it happen yet again. Where all its efforts to live in solitude so it would never hurt someone again pointless? Even though it thought it had already reached the bottom of its deep despair, it fell even deeper. In its mind, the scene of its dying friend repeated again and again as it stared at the snake, writhing in pain because of its poison.

Everything felt so pointless, so in vain…

All its excruciating memories and feelings, which it had bundled up inside it, turned blank.

Everything that remained was pure emptiness…

Maybe that was its salvation, was what it thought as it swam into the deep nothingness of the cold blue ocean.