***** Vol.1 Chap.10 Warnings from the albatrosses and dolphins *****

Kristin caught sight of the two albatrosses gliding smoothly and effortlessly. They circled the vessel, and on occasions, dipped their wings in unison to her. Nah, she shook her head, but out of courtesy, she nodded her head and waved back at them.

Well, at least someone knows how to enjoy this serenity that nature provides for us.

For a while, in pretension, she also flew with her albatross friends, circling high and low, swaying to the left, and swooping down. She turned to the right and flapped her wings as hard as her strength allowed to gain speed. Upon finding a thermal, she circled and rose with the hot air. She spotted the vessel Mayflower, which appeared so insignificant, both the ship and the occupants. As she passed by the bridge, the first officer had his feet on the dashboard, reading a dirty magazine.

Life would be less painful if everyone would take time to enjoy the beauty of this earth? She fantasized and imagined the earth without all the sorrows, all the pains. She indulged in her sensation of liberation and freedom: being free to roam the sky, free to roam the earth, free from the earthly cares, free from the demands of supervisors and co-workers, free from the 8-to-5 routine, free from all the obligations of friends and foes.

The wind brushed through her ears, causing her hair to fly behind her like a flag. She looked up at her winged friends. They seemed to smile at her and beckoned her to join them. Together, they made wide circles and tight circles, and flew to the north and to the south. They were carefree as she tried to follow close.

They know how to enjoy the beauty, the splendor of this earth, she thought to herself.

One albatross, larger than the other, took the lead. The smaller one followed without questioning. When the larger one sang, the smaller one harmonized. When the smaller one started a song, the larger one finished the song. And she just followed them and tried to sing with them.

Trouble…Sea…Trouble…Sea…

Something registered in her consciousness. She looked up at the albatrosses. They acknowledged her and nodded at her.

“What are you talking about?” She cried out to them.

They tipped their wings at her and flew higher and higher. Wait for me, she shouted. She flapped her wings faster and faster, but they soon disappeared. Disappointed, she swooped down and landed on the deck of the small vessel.

Trouble…Sea…Trouble…Sea…

“What is that all about?” She threw her hands up in the air with no understanding.

She took another sip of the coffee and looked out to the sea, which was as calm as possible. The waves were gentle and almost imperceptible. A little foaming appeared here and there. But as far as her eyes took in from horizon to horizon, it was just the sea. Everywhere she looked, it was the same monotonous color: deep blue. The sea had a definite effect of making a person feel small. Instinctively, she hung on tight with one hand to the railing, the only secure thing in her life right now. She gripped it so tight that her knuckles turned white. She gradually loosened herself and breathed slowly and let her tension slip and her anxiety ebb away.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

In the sight of such immensity as the ocean, one could only be awed and humbled. In fact, she felt so small. Such vast immensity, yet here she is, standing on a small deck mounted on a small vessel. She pondered how small homo sapiens appeared in this vast universe, yet how big our boasts were. We wanted to conquer space. We wanted to conquer the universe. Yet we had not even conquered the sea. Much worse, we did not even understand the ocean, nor did we comprehend or master all the wonderful inhabitants of the sea.

Her heart was thumping. She detected a vague calling, though she had no comprehension of what she was called to do.

She looked out to the sea again and this time; the waves seemed to beckon to her. They were not threatening at all. How could the gentle waves be threatening to anyone? She thought to herself. They are so gentle, so lovely. She almost wanted to jump in and thrash around in the gentle waves. That urge was just too tempting, too inviting.

A pair of dark shadows, possibly sharks, glided smoothly just beneath the surface. They moved with such grace and agility. Yes, this was their world. The ocean, with all its mysteries, was the last frontier on this planet. When would we ever learn to appreciate our planet? Would it ever be possible to enjoy this world without spoiling it? Would we ever learn to co-inhabit this planet with all its bounty without ever dominating it? There was so much to learn from the various inhabitants of this earth. They did not bother us; so why should we bother them? Look at the dolphins, and the humpbacks, and the sea turtles, and the blue crabs, etc.

A pair of dolphins jumped out of the water and arched gracefully across her view. Such beauty and grace and freedom! Greatly desiring that she would join them and spend a lifetime exploring the seven seas cruising over all the oceans and discovering all the secrets of the oceans, she would visit all the hot spots on the ocean floor and communicate with all the living creatures that spent their whole life in leisure waving around the underwater geysers. Perhaps she would swim underneath the polar caps and discover what unfathomed treasures lay there.

“Well, all in good time,” she said to the dolphins, “You just wait. I will join you real soon in my specially designed sub newly christened just a few weeks ago.” But right now, her thoughts were occupied by the outstanding nature around her. There will be plenty of time to think about the sub later.

Boat…danger…Boat…danger…

Another message surfaced in her consciousness again.

As she pondered on this message without understanding, she looked further out towards the horizon. It was still early and everything was calm. No boats in sight. She stared at her coffee, wondering if there was something in the coffee. The message was received, but she had no clue and no understanding of what the message meant.

Boat…danger…Boat…danger…

The dolphins waved their fins and departed their own way.

The coffee was getting cold now. Her stomach growled. It was time to taste what sumptuous breakfast George had whipped up for the morning.

Just when she turned around, she lost her balance. An unseen force acted on her, forcing her to slam against the railing.

Good thing the railing is here, otherwise I would have been history and I am not ready to go overboard yet.

She grabbed the handrail to steady herself and spread her feet to get a better footing.

What is going on?

She looked around. Nobody on the deck. The deck looked as deserted as before. Wait! The shadows of the chairs and table were moving. She glanced at the rising sun, but the sun was not where she last saw on the horizon. The sun had moved. Instead of rising upwards, the sun moved sideways! She sensed a slight vibration under her feet.

“Either George made the coffee extra strong this morning or I have too much coffee this morning. It is time to cut down on that stuff,” she said to herself.

She looked around. No one on the deck still.

“What is going on?” She asked herself.

Wait. Just now, the sun was on the starboard side, but now it was straight ahead.

Did we get turned around? I did not recall a change in the itinerary.

“Today is my day to try out the sub, Jennifer. This is my day and my time.” She told herself.

Not knowing what was happening, she got all worked up over the change. Anxiety. Confusion. The unknown. All the emotions exploded inside of her.

I must sort this out.

She turned around and moved to another section of the deck. She noticed the wake of the vessel. Sure enough, the wake showed a big wide circle of foam. The vessel had turned around and was speeding away.

So are my dreams and my plans! This could not be happening.

Baffled, she hurried to go inside.