I had been floating on my back, kicking my feet gently, and when I opened my eyes I had floated a long way from the boat. The island was now closer than the Valerian, so I swam ashore and walked back down the beach. The sand was very hot so I stayed in the shallow water. When I got down to the pond, I stopped and looked at its colorless calm. I went past the pond and walked around to the other side of the island where I first came ashore. The island was bigger than I calculated, so I took a shortcut back to the east side and swam back to the boat.
I started the diesel, charged the batteries, refroze the fridge, and used the microwave to heat up a can of Campbell’s Chunky Sirloin soup. That, some garlic bread, and a Heineken constituted sustenance until tomorrow. The sun set as I finished another beer.
I leaned against the cabin with my feet on the cushions and stared at the Salt Pond. With no colorful activity, I leaned my head back and watched a jet passing… possibly from Cuba.
“FLASH… FLASH… FLASH!”
“Oh sure… now you want to play! I worked all day and I’m tired!” I said loudly.
I looked back up at the sky as the jet had vanished into the distance.
“FLASH… FLASH… FLASH!”
“Okay, it’s not like I’ve got anything better to do!” I climbed into the dinghy and rowed to the beach.
With each approaching footstep of my feet, the Alka-Seltzer fizz echoed my approach.
“Oh yeah! You guys are on the ball tonight!” I reached the pond. “So what do you want?”
The white light went away and the deep amber light grew brighter from the bottom.
“Okay… I think I understand!”
I took off my t-shirt and stepped into the water. The amber grew brighter and a slight surface fizz tickled my legs. I smoothly floated on my back without causing a lot of waves. I floated out into the center and held buoyancy in that location.
“So I’m here! What do you want?” I whispered.
I felt my body mass increasing and it became harder to maintain my buoyancy. I was sinking in the water so I took a big breath and let myself drop to the bottom. I was suspended in the warm amber glow of peace and calmness. I felt like I could go to sleep but I knew that if I did I would drown. The pain in my lungs increased. I opened my eyes and stared through the amber glow. I saw all the eyes watching me from the surface. I panicked and tried to surface only to stir up the sand into a nasty gray cloud. The amber color changed to a reddish gold. I was being restrained on the bottom.
I had to breathe! My lungs felt like the cells were being ripped out. I held my breath…. I held my breath! …….. I inhaled the water…………………….