The IndUS Network e-magazine

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.