Beyond the Sea | Teen Ink

Beyond the Sea

January 19, 2021
By BrayanD BRONZE, Bedford Hills, New York
BrayanD BRONZE, Bedford Hills, New York
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Beyond the Sea


I squashed a shell when my foot suffocated with the sand and a crackle filled the silence of my morning. I looked down and stared at the pieces of shell peeling of the sand still cemented to my feet. I kept walking. The sun began to emerge from under the far seas and struck my scythe but my cloak blocked the daily blessing from blinding me. I looked up at the heavens and unable to close my eyes I withdrew from that desire and kept walking. 


Every spring life begins one more time, but some creatures can only endure life so long. I see them crawling, begging, crying and it's my duty to end their agony. I am death.


Not so far from me a sandcastle probably built by a human lay and waited for me to sit on. It was perfect. Some hours later after staring at the gorgeous waves, something called my attention. From under the ground, I heard some cracking, moans, and gravel rolling. And there I sat, pondering. Little creatures chased away the shells that covered them with their flippers and blinded themselves in a bath of water and sand. Brothers and sisters began to hear the calm and gorgeous call of the sea that dragged their flippers moving back and forth. It was a beautiful scenery.


Many deluded beings in this albur crawled with the idea that their lives would be filled with joy. I contemplated the beginning of life.


I heard some singing from the skies. I looked up and saw feathered planes circling and looking down at the turtles. Seagulls. The seagulls began to feast and like bombs fell from the skies striking the waters with only one objective, to eat. The battlefield was glorious. With my dark, dull, eyes I saw the turtles die. My eyes reached the ground and out of all the newborns, one of them kept me entertained and wished to die the least. I called her Sam. 


Only Sammy and some of her brothers were still alive trying desperately to get to the water. Then, something pearl-like shined in the water and this caused the seagulls to get distracted. The seagulls on their way devoured Sammy’s brothers but missed her when some seaweed at the edge of the beach sat near her. She dragged herself under it and camouflaged herself. I stood up and my cloak like a cloud covered the battlefield. I wanted to see how she was doing. I bent down and placed my face against the sand and looked at her covered in fear. 


The seagulls had finished their feast. A hatchling descended and with hunger started to rummage the scattered turtles. Sammy poked her head from the long green sleeves that covered her but the hatchling quickly noticed her movement and rushing he began to flap his wings and galloped towards her. He got to her and rapidly seized the seaweeds and tossed them away exposing her naked. He bounced his head back and with his pointy beak, he was ready to slice her. He flapped, he screamed and launched his head at her. She closed her eyes and with frowned melting eyes, she had already given up. The hatchling began to cry and cry. Something had popped out of the water and attached itself to the head of the bird and blinded him, keeping him from killing Sammy. Sam uncovered her visage and looking up she noticed that a tiny shrimp was chewing on the hatchling's eyelids. I liked the shrimp. I called him Mark. 


The shrimp merged on the hatchling's face impulsed himself from the bird's eyelids and flew over his head and when he landed on the neck he bit him. The bite was so hard and honest that feathers flew from the bird. I chuckled. Sammy knew that the shrimp could easily be torn apart if the bird took him off. Sammy quickly, while the bird was distracted, snuck on the bird's feet and started to bite them. The bird began to flap and started ascending the skies. Some feathers came off. Still getting his feet bitten and his eyes chewed, the bird was convinced that if he flew up and crashed into the water then, he would be liberated. I thought so too. When the bird dropped to the water Sammy and the shrimp came off and quickly swam away. From the bottom of the sea, a cloud showered in reds on top of the sea could be seen making some shade. 

“I think we are okay now,” said Sammy.

The shrimp hiding under some coral was still scared. Sam approached him and with a calm and sweet voice said to him. 

“It's okay now. We are safe.”

Mark drove his eyes out of the coral and with a heavy breath told Sammy how he was feeling.

Exposing one of her flippers, Sammy was able to take Mark from his hiding place and Mark, enchanted by her, swam out and placed himself on the flipper. Sammy with her bright yellow eyes looked at Mark and convinced him that everything was going to be okay. Mark's scarce figure on the flipper showcased how small one being can be to another's vast existence and yet create such friendship. They saw other sea creatures swimming to the horizon. They knew they were supposed to be together and with a big smile, both departed where the light of the dawn first appeared. 


Perched on my castle I felt redemption. There are times when the act of vanishing others from life plays around my head and breaks me into doubt. I did not kill the bird and that's a good thing. I am the everlasting partner of all life until time separates us.


The author's comments:

The is a short story that I had to write my Creative Writing class. It's not great but I hope anyone thhat likes to read will enjoy it. The story centers about death (the narrator), a sea turtle, and a shripm. Does life have to die? Does death feel pain? Lets find out.


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