elusive
Valentine Wish
short
story ... continued (2)
It
was around 9am when he equipped himself with the proper apparatus,
mask, suit, breathing tank, under-water camera and scientific sensors
that he needs to fix under water. After double checking his breathing
tank level he ventured into the ocean for his maiden dive.
After swimming through the normal currents he reached the Leon cave
formation. As any good diver does, Mark marked his exit and ran
guidelines as he progressed into the cave. The natural light was
fading rapidly as he was progressing further and further. Mark switched
on his battery operated light for more visibility.
The initial part of the cave was not too wide but as he swam further
he could feel that the cave was widening. He could see corals, sponges,
fishes, mollusks, and crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp,
krill and barnacles family) going around him. It was a busy world
under the water. Mark could sense that he was not a welcome guest
over there.
Mark continued with his purpose of marking different
key points with flag markers and he attached sensors that can send
the geographical and oceanic information to the control center.
He swam from one wall to another while progressing deeper and further.
He did not realize that almost 2 hours have passed. He checked his
guideline to know how far he has come from the entrance. The guideline
showed 5 miles. He scanned the cave formation that was yet to be
covered. The next zone of the cave was like a pond but was connected
by numerous small gullies and multiple cave formations. Mark was
wondering whether he should call it for lunch or continue. He checked
his breathing gas level to see whether he has enough gas to go back
to the shore. He felt he can sustain another hour and a half without
any problem. So he decided to continue.
As Mark swam into the next zone, he felt the water current to be
much stronger than the path he travelled so far. He thought this
could be because of the numerous gullies and cave formation joining
here. Mark prepared himself mentally to handle the stronger currents.
He paused to do an aerial survey of the zone. The light he was having
was not sufficient to cover the whole zone as it was well spread
out. He was taking a note to himself to bring a powerful light next
time. With whatever visibility he had he could comprehend that the
zone is probably an imperfect oval shape with water streaming in
from the gully and cave openings. As he was turning around he observed
some movement at the far right corner. He paused for a moment and
focused his light towards the right corner. Yes, he did see some
movement. It must be something big because a large mass of water
was paving its way. It appeared to be moving towards him. Suddenly
he felt chilled and scared. His legs and hands froze without his
control. His mind was running wild to understand what that big thing
could be?
Short story continues in
next page... 3
The
characters, settings and happenings are fiction only. |