To the Shore of no More
A large rock sticks out from the ocean exposed to the blue sky as waves crash into it and melt back into the depths. With each bash a mighty roar resounds from the waves, diminishing into a white, foamy growl; and then repeats its cycle. A man with torn and soaked clothing sits huddled in the middle of this large and harassed boulder. Every time the foamy teeth of the ocean squirts at him, he cringes away from the cold sting. Blood drips from his poorly wrapped feet and then gets washed off from the salty waters. He had shoes, once, real shoes; but after a while they got soggy and cold. They were doing more harm than good by freezing his feet, and so he chucked them into the deep. He tore some cloth from his feet hoping that it would be some sort of protection from the sharp edges of the rock.
His arse is becoming sore again and so he stands for his feet to take the pressure, then again, his entire body aches from the constant tension he has from being stuck on this tombstone of his. Whenever he takes to his feet, though, he catches a glimpse of an island in the distance. He can see the green vegetation covering the small land in joy, mocking his puny and threatening kingdom. However, every time he glances at the floating sand bed, hope begins to swell in him, that there is a way to escape. All he has to do is jump from the edge in the proper direction, dive into the depths, and swim his way to freedom. But what lies is the rippling blue? He has watched the birds from afar dive in from the sky before and come out with a fish between their beaks. His stomach groans to the thought of food. He can't remember the last time his belly was satisfied with sustenance.
To think of it now, he can't think of a time before he was trapped on this God-forsaken rock. All he remembers is constantly fighting his body to endure the relentless cold and bashing waves; trying to mentally to mentally beat at his hunger and fatigue just to keep breathing; hoping that someday he can be far away from this watery hell. He's had enough!
His eyes close and he breathes in to gather enough gumption. His fists clutch to surge the small amount of energy within him throughout his body and gazes to the island. He then stares down at the thrashing ocean with determination and takes one last deep breath. His shaky knees bend and he jumps from the edge of the rock. To be consumed by his enemy meant victory for him, or so he thought.
Despite his great effort of paddling with his arms and propelling with his legs, the great push of a wave thrusts him backwards and his back slams into the boulder. A burst of carbon dioxide expels from his lungs from the impact, but the tide mercilessly pulls him in away from the pillar and smashes him in again. For the third time, he fights through the pain and grabs hold of the rock. He uses the force to climb up for refuge. After coming back to the middle of his territory, he looks to the vicious waves in frustration and curses them. Once his will-power comes back to a full charge, he stands again and faces south of the savory island. Perhaps he can try from an easier side and swim around. He prepares his body like last time and dives into the mouth of the great beast.
Again, the waves force him back into the boulder, but this time he catches the rhythm and paddles with the low tide. It takes longer than he would have liked, and certainly more energy exerted, but eventually he makes a good distance away from the pillar. His head pops out of the water for air and a smile forms on his lips to see the rock away from him. His long and gray beard gladly soaks up the salty water in protest to the bearing boulder. It's been a while since he's felt the muscles of his mouth expand to express a happy emotion. He does need to press on, though, or he will die from the waves pulling him under and suffocating him. His swimming directs him around the rock until he believes he's in the direction of the island.
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He can also tell which way to go from the direction the birds fly. They always head back to the island after they catch a fish or two for their babies. The strain on his body begins to tire his muscles and slow him down. Eventually, he stops in hopes of giving his body a rest as his head barely pokes out of the water. At this point he can spot the green hills on the landmass. He just has to keep pushing himself and he'll be there soon.
Just before he decides to continue on with his journey, he's suddenly sucked underwater with an incredible amount of pain in his right leg. He screams underneath the surface in a bubbling panic. The man manages to constrict his lungs so that no more oxygen escapes them and looks to where his leg used to be. The red oozing out of his stub contrasts with the dark blue surrounding him. A blurry object swimming in the corner of his eye catches his attention and he snaps his head in the proper direction to see it.
A shark stares back at him from the side of its head with bulging eyes. Anger is eminent on its face as the sharp triangular teeth stick out from the large mouth. He can see some red fog coming from its mouth in the shade of the same substance from his leg while it circles around him. A second shark pops into view behind the first one and shrinks the circle around him, waiting to take a chunk from his fragile and delicious body. One by one, a new shark comes out from the blue abyss to hover in circles around the poor man. He can't fight all of them off, let alone have enough air in his lungs to make it back to the surface.
The man remembers that he needs to breathe. He does his best to control his body as to not inhale the ocean water. His right arm compensates for the loss of his leg to balance himself in the sea as he struggles his way up to the surface where the light of the sun shines through. Never mind the sting surging through him or the fact that he's about to be a tasty meal. All he needs is that fresh taste of oxygen again. But with one limb gone, he can't get the needed momentum to reach the top of the waves.
A big gray object surprisingly comes close to his face and stuns him slightly until he realizes that it's a dolphin. The majestic creature looks into his eyes and awaits his touch. He holds onto the marine mammal and they both shoot to the surface. Finally, he's able to breathe again as the creature swims its way towards the island in a rhythmic pattern corresponding to the waves. However, never has the wind given him such joy to know that he will surely reach a new way of living. The island grows as he approaches the shores. He's so close. The glory is almost his. His attention then comes to the lightness of his head. The vision of the island becomes fuzzy with every passing second. The grip on the dolphin loosens without his knowledge and his slips back into the salty ocean with barely enough energy to stay conscious. He watches the sunlight piercing through the surface with a dull mind and the loving dolphin be attacked by one of the sharks. The poor creature is overcomed by a multitude of large, carnivorous fish picking their share of meat off of it.
The man's sight begins to darken, but not before he feels pain all over his body. He tries to motion his remaining limbs around, but nothing seems to happen. His vision keeps twirling and changing perspectives away from the yellow glow. Eventually, the pain dissipates as the darkness consumes him. No more thoughts, no more pain, no more memories; just the watery blackness.
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Swallowing their large crumbs of the four-limbed salty creature and rubbery arch-nemesis, the sharks take their fill for the month and continue their journey across the ocean in search of food in the distance for when their bellies will crave food once again. Today they've scored victory over nature, but without the knowledge that they too will be consumed by their very home in due time.