Minnow
If you're gonna dig, dig to the heavens!
Yeah, lame title, I know.
I wrote this for English class. We were supposed to take a memory we had and incorporate some sort of supernatural element with it. I took a memory of myself at the beach being caught in a wave and bent it to be the machinations of some island/ocean spirit-thing. It's really rough for a lot of it, but I haven't had a chance to go back and revisedit it yet, so whatever.
And, thanks for taking your time to read it, if you do.
Comments? Criticisms? Suggestions?
Once, it had been a jungle. Thick, wet, suffocating air had given rise to thousands of species, large and small. For millions of years they thrived and evolved within their jungle, filling what roles they would, and paying no attention to the outside world. Life was peaceful.
But, as with all things, the jungle didn’t last. Slowly, the gene pool became diluted, the air lost much of its precious oxygen, and growing tremors pointed to something cataclysmic on the horizon.
And what a cataclysm it was! Tremendous, earth-shattering quakes, molten rock and fire, tumbling from the heaven, and noxious fumes soon became commonplace. As life began to burn, other changes began to grow with surprising speed. The now barren earth cracked and ruptured, ripping itself apart with unfathomable force, tearing the land in two.
Before long, the land had forgotten the jungle, and as it drifted into the sea, all traces of its former bounty had disappeared. On and on it drifted, and, for ten thousand years, knew nothing but the sea.
Some life appeared and grew, but only in surrounding waters, as the land itself was still barren. Slowly, though, it changed once again, and became repopulated with creatures and plants that could survive in the harsh terrain. The island became peaceful, just as before.
Yet, just as before, it could not last. After many millennia at sea, the power at work in the depths of the earth surged forth once more, forcing an unimaginable collision, of island and shore. When all had calmed, the island was no longer free, having been bound to this alien land.
Somehow, though, the island’s life survived, and found new homes along the coast of and within this new continent. Soon, all signs that the land had been separate had disappeared, and it became one with the shore.
And life went on. Creatures reemerged, plants grew again, and a stable existence was achieved, perhaps differently than before. Although it was no longer a jungle, being full of sand and reeds rather than moss and swamp, the shore was at peace.
Eventually, new creatures arrived, from far away. They bore powerful weapons, and even more powerful minds. They soon learned to use the land for their own purposes. At first, their presence was only mildly inconvenient, but before long, they had begun ruining the shore. The water became thick and oily. The pure sand they loved so much had been artificially tainted with sand from elsewhere. The animals were hunted and captured.
But, being as strong as it was, the shore resisted its torment, and was able to carry on. Strange wooden structures were built upon it, allowing the creatures easier access to the shore, giving them more and more opportunities to deface and destroy it. The shore could barely resist these new tactics, but managed to hang onto its life and relative peace.
All it had left was hope. Hope that these creatures would relax their relentless assault, and simply let it survive in peace.
The ocean rose and fell, swelling in space, and sound before receding back into its own depths. Hints of its former plenty, the shells, drying sand dollars, and curling seaweed traced a path of life and death along the shore. Faint breezes flew down the beach, leaving miniscule valleys and ridges in the sand. A gull cried overhead.
And in the midst of all this natural beauty, a small boy stood at the edge of the water, taking in all the wonderful sights and sounds of the ocean scene. The sea had always fascinated him, and he’d have liked to visit it often, but never got much chance to.
He glanced worriedly into the clouds. Today’s trip was a rare occurrence, and he was hoping to make the best of it that he could, though that wasn’t looking like it was going to last very long. The first hint of a thundercloud could derail an entire afternoon at the beach.
Down in the water, another, younger boy called to him, waving his hand.
The sea was colder than usual today, and he didn’t really want to go swimming. He felt more comfortable just looking out at the ocean, anyway. The other boy, however was insistent and, sighing, the boy on the shore waded into the water.
It was as cold as he expected, and, wincing, he dove towards the younger boy, under a passing wave.
Suddenly, the wave caught him, and he slowly felt himself dragged along with it. Struggling, he tried to break free from the wave, but it was forceful, and offered no room for resistance. The boy decided to just wait until it pushed him back ashore.
Then, in an instant, he was slammed against the rough sand, forcing the air out of his lungs and scraping him along the ground. For a brief second, he felt his head break above the water, but then, gasping for air, he was once again shoved back into the sand, twisting with the wave.
This time, his head had hit the bottom, and he began to black out. He opened his eyes, searching for an escape, but his vision was fading, and he soon slipped out of consciousness.
I have been here a long time. For thousands—no—tens of thousands of years I have lived, watching over myself and my children. My dear fish and birds, how could they take you away? My beloved trees and shrubs, why have you gone?
I just never understood. Why are these new creatures so troublesome? All the other animals I’ve taken care of before have always gotten along well enough. What is it that makes these ones so devastatingly cruel and malignant? Shouldn’t they be just like the others?
But now, I think I do understand. These smart, powerful, destructive lives must be a test; for me, and for my children. We must act strong. We must act like a family, if we are to overcome them.
Yes, overcome them. If only that were possible. But they are too strange. Too different. Too strong. I cannot defeat them. I realize that now, after years of trying. I can’t protect my family forever.
Hah, family. They are almost all gone now. These new creatures have taken them all away. Now, but a handful remain. My gulls. My sand fleas. My minnows. Perhaps a few more. They’re disappearing too fast for me to count now.
If only I could defeat these abominations upon my soil. If only I could drive them away, perhaps all my beloved children would come back. If only, if only.
It’s not like I haven’t been trying. It’s just that these creatures are so very slippery and hard to catch. It’s been many decades since I’ve caught one. But you’ll never know when one will just walk right into your grasp, so—ah! What’s this?
The boy felt himself regain consciousness. All was silent and motionless. He wasn’t being scraped against the sand. He was caught in the wave anymore.
He could breathe.
The boy opened his eyes. At first, he saw nothing, but his eyes soon adjusted to the dim light. He was suspended, and still seemed to be underwater. Confused, he tried to move his body, but found himself trapped, immobile.
A dark shape came into his field of vision. From the depths of the water it rose, engulfing him. He could no longer see any traces of light. In time, a voice filled his mind.
“I must have caught one of their young. What a strange creature.”
Panic and confusion swept through the boys mind. He strained against the dark mass, but to no avail. His pupils dilated as two spots of light glowed into existence in front of him.
“Do you have any idea what your kind has done to me? To my children? My family? Have you the slightest clue what your incompetence has done to my wellbeing, not to mention my lifespan?”
The boy tried to speak, but he still had no ability to move. He continued to strain against the shadows.
“Hm? Can you not speak? Oh, I see.”
Slowly, the water around the boy’s head withdrew, and he found his face dry. And he felt the pressure lift from his chest up. He sputtered for a few seconds, and then opened his mouth to speak.
“What’s going on?” the boy said, “Who are you?”
“Me?” The water around the boy surged a swelled slightly. The voice said, “Who am I? Only the one you’ve defiled for centuries! Only the one you still refuse to do anything less than destroy it! Only the one who has always been there for you, never taking, only giving? Who am I? Hmph. Who are you? That would be a better question. Who are you, to defile my body, my soul, my family? Who are you to think you can come marching in here with your brightly colored plastic and oily lotions and expect no repercussions? Who are you to assume your superiority, because, what, you think you’re smarter or something? No. You know who I am. There should be no doubt about that.”
The boy was taken aback. Tilting his head slightly, he gazed into the darkness.
“I don’t know anything about that,” he said, “I just went to the beach with my family, and we were having a nice time until you showed up. I think they probably are worried, and I want to go home. Can I leave?”
“Home?! Home!?” the voice exploded in rage, “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to go home? All my life I’ve wanted peace, quiet, fairness; a nice way for my family to live in harmony! Together! Home! Is that too much to ask for? I don’t think so. And you’ve gone and taken it all away from me!”
“Okay, listen. I feel sorry for you, I do. But what can I do about it? I don’t have any say in what people decide to do to this beach? How can I help; what use could I be to you—”
“Haha, and that’s my plan, you see. If I take you away, if I remove you, if I make sure you never return, then maybe people will finally leave me alone. Maybe they’ll get scared and stay away from this shore. If enough people disappear, then perhaps my children will return.”
The boys looked troubled. A sad look flashed across his face for a moment, but then, resolutely, he spoke into the deep.
“No,” he said, firmly, “you’re a monster. However noble your cause may be, taking people, children especially, away from their families is simply malevolent and wrong. There are other ways to bring back your children than taking away everyone else’s.”
The water around the boy suddenly constricted, and the bubble around his head collapsed. He could no longer breathe. The pressure on his body increased and a booming voice filled his head once again.
“How dare you act like you know what’s best for me, for my children! You don’t know the pain I’ve felt, watching them slip away over the years! You can’t possibly know! And now you never will!”
The noise grew into a roar, fading out of comprehension and into white noise, as the water pushed harder and harder on the boy’s body, crushing him, knocking the wind out of him. He felt himself begin to twist and roll, dizzying him and causing him to feel faint.
As the water swirled around him, he saw a glimpse of light, far above him, before being once more thrown against rough sand, and being scraped along the ground. Within seconds, he found himself on the wet sand, with the water retreating behind him, back into the sea.
Coughing and sputtering, he crawled up the beach. A familiar voice rang above the rumbling of the ocean. It was his father.
“Hey, did the wave catch you?”
The boy glanced upwards at his family, nodded, and laid his head back into the sand, resting. Panting, he rolled onto his back and stared at the sea. It looked so peaceful from where he was lying.
A low, distant rumbling emanated from the sky. Looking up, the boy saw dark storm clouds had begun to creep in from the east. He stood up shakily and looked out again at the water.
With another rumble, the clouds began to move in; it was time to leave. With a slight look of sadness in his face, the boy glanced one last time at the shore. He imagined everything that once must have lived here. He was sure many more fish and other aquatic things had lived here than did today, and the amounts of plant species were likely staggering. He couldn’t help but think that the people who came and still come to these beaches must have affected the dwindling of species somehow.
“Hey, ready to go home?”
Glancing over his shoulder, the boy saw his father holding a beach towel and beckoning with his hand. The boy looked out at the sea, then back to his father.
“What’s the matter? Hit your head?”
“I think so, that wave hit pretty hard,” the boy said.
“Well, I wouldn’t worry about it. You just have to remember to be careful about what you do in the water, or it can be dangerous.”
The water swirled around the boy’s feet, weakly pulling him seawards.
Thunder rolled across the sky, and a small raindrop dripped onto his forehead.
“Yeah,” said the boy, “I know.”
I wrote this for English class. We were supposed to take a memory we had and incorporate some sort of supernatural element with it. I took a memory of myself at the beach being caught in a wave and bent it to be the machinations of some island/ocean spirit-thing. It's really rough for a lot of it, but I haven't had a chance to go back and revisedit it yet, so whatever.
And, thanks for taking your time to read it, if you do.
Comments? Criticisms? Suggestions?
~ ~ ~
Once, it had been a jungle. Thick, wet, suffocating air had given rise to thousands of species, large and small. For millions of years they thrived and evolved within their jungle, filling what roles they would, and paying no attention to the outside world. Life was peaceful.
But, as with all things, the jungle didn’t last. Slowly, the gene pool became diluted, the air lost much of its precious oxygen, and growing tremors pointed to something cataclysmic on the horizon.
And what a cataclysm it was! Tremendous, earth-shattering quakes, molten rock and fire, tumbling from the heaven, and noxious fumes soon became commonplace. As life began to burn, other changes began to grow with surprising speed. The now barren earth cracked and ruptured, ripping itself apart with unfathomable force, tearing the land in two.
Before long, the land had forgotten the jungle, and as it drifted into the sea, all traces of its former bounty had disappeared. On and on it drifted, and, for ten thousand years, knew nothing but the sea.
Some life appeared and grew, but only in surrounding waters, as the land itself was still barren. Slowly, though, it changed once again, and became repopulated with creatures and plants that could survive in the harsh terrain. The island became peaceful, just as before.
Yet, just as before, it could not last. After many millennia at sea, the power at work in the depths of the earth surged forth once more, forcing an unimaginable collision, of island and shore. When all had calmed, the island was no longer free, having been bound to this alien land.
Somehow, though, the island’s life survived, and found new homes along the coast of and within this new continent. Soon, all signs that the land had been separate had disappeared, and it became one with the shore.
And life went on. Creatures reemerged, plants grew again, and a stable existence was achieved, perhaps differently than before. Although it was no longer a jungle, being full of sand and reeds rather than moss and swamp, the shore was at peace.
Eventually, new creatures arrived, from far away. They bore powerful weapons, and even more powerful minds. They soon learned to use the land for their own purposes. At first, their presence was only mildly inconvenient, but before long, they had begun ruining the shore. The water became thick and oily. The pure sand they loved so much had been artificially tainted with sand from elsewhere. The animals were hunted and captured.
But, being as strong as it was, the shore resisted its torment, and was able to carry on. Strange wooden structures were built upon it, allowing the creatures easier access to the shore, giving them more and more opportunities to deface and destroy it. The shore could barely resist these new tactics, but managed to hang onto its life and relative peace.
All it had left was hope. Hope that these creatures would relax their relentless assault, and simply let it survive in peace.
~ ~ ~
And in the midst of all this natural beauty, a small boy stood at the edge of the water, taking in all the wonderful sights and sounds of the ocean scene. The sea had always fascinated him, and he’d have liked to visit it often, but never got much chance to.
He glanced worriedly into the clouds. Today’s trip was a rare occurrence, and he was hoping to make the best of it that he could, though that wasn’t looking like it was going to last very long. The first hint of a thundercloud could derail an entire afternoon at the beach.
Down in the water, another, younger boy called to him, waving his hand.
The sea was colder than usual today, and he didn’t really want to go swimming. He felt more comfortable just looking out at the ocean, anyway. The other boy, however was insistent and, sighing, the boy on the shore waded into the water.
It was as cold as he expected, and, wincing, he dove towards the younger boy, under a passing wave.
Suddenly, the wave caught him, and he slowly felt himself dragged along with it. Struggling, he tried to break free from the wave, but it was forceful, and offered no room for resistance. The boy decided to just wait until it pushed him back ashore.
Then, in an instant, he was slammed against the rough sand, forcing the air out of his lungs and scraping him along the ground. For a brief second, he felt his head break above the water, but then, gasping for air, he was once again shoved back into the sand, twisting with the wave.
This time, his head had hit the bottom, and he began to black out. He opened his eyes, searching for an escape, but his vision was fading, and he soon slipped out of consciousness.
~ ~ ~
I just never understood. Why are these new creatures so troublesome? All the other animals I’ve taken care of before have always gotten along well enough. What is it that makes these ones so devastatingly cruel and malignant? Shouldn’t they be just like the others?
But now, I think I do understand. These smart, powerful, destructive lives must be a test; for me, and for my children. We must act strong. We must act like a family, if we are to overcome them.
Yes, overcome them. If only that were possible. But they are too strange. Too different. Too strong. I cannot defeat them. I realize that now, after years of trying. I can’t protect my family forever.
Hah, family. They are almost all gone now. These new creatures have taken them all away. Now, but a handful remain. My gulls. My sand fleas. My minnows. Perhaps a few more. They’re disappearing too fast for me to count now.
If only I could defeat these abominations upon my soil. If only I could drive them away, perhaps all my beloved children would come back. If only, if only.
It’s not like I haven’t been trying. It’s just that these creatures are so very slippery and hard to catch. It’s been many decades since I’ve caught one. But you’ll never know when one will just walk right into your grasp, so—ah! What’s this?
~ ~ ~
The boy felt himself regain consciousness. All was silent and motionless. He wasn’t being scraped against the sand. He was caught in the wave anymore.
He could breathe.
The boy opened his eyes. At first, he saw nothing, but his eyes soon adjusted to the dim light. He was suspended, and still seemed to be underwater. Confused, he tried to move his body, but found himself trapped, immobile.
A dark shape came into his field of vision. From the depths of the water it rose, engulfing him. He could no longer see any traces of light. In time, a voice filled his mind.
“I must have caught one of their young. What a strange creature.”
Panic and confusion swept through the boys mind. He strained against the dark mass, but to no avail. His pupils dilated as two spots of light glowed into existence in front of him.
“Do you have any idea what your kind has done to me? To my children? My family? Have you the slightest clue what your incompetence has done to my wellbeing, not to mention my lifespan?”
The boy tried to speak, but he still had no ability to move. He continued to strain against the shadows.
“Hm? Can you not speak? Oh, I see.”
Slowly, the water around the boy’s head withdrew, and he found his face dry. And he felt the pressure lift from his chest up. He sputtered for a few seconds, and then opened his mouth to speak.
“What’s going on?” the boy said, “Who are you?”
“Me?” The water around the boy surged a swelled slightly. The voice said, “Who am I? Only the one you’ve defiled for centuries! Only the one you still refuse to do anything less than destroy it! Only the one who has always been there for you, never taking, only giving? Who am I? Hmph. Who are you? That would be a better question. Who are you, to defile my body, my soul, my family? Who are you to think you can come marching in here with your brightly colored plastic and oily lotions and expect no repercussions? Who are you to assume your superiority, because, what, you think you’re smarter or something? No. You know who I am. There should be no doubt about that.”
The boy was taken aback. Tilting his head slightly, he gazed into the darkness.
“I don’t know anything about that,” he said, “I just went to the beach with my family, and we were having a nice time until you showed up. I think they probably are worried, and I want to go home. Can I leave?”
“Home?! Home!?” the voice exploded in rage, “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to go home? All my life I’ve wanted peace, quiet, fairness; a nice way for my family to live in harmony! Together! Home! Is that too much to ask for? I don’t think so. And you’ve gone and taken it all away from me!”
“Okay, listen. I feel sorry for you, I do. But what can I do about it? I don’t have any say in what people decide to do to this beach? How can I help; what use could I be to you—”
“Haha, and that’s my plan, you see. If I take you away, if I remove you, if I make sure you never return, then maybe people will finally leave me alone. Maybe they’ll get scared and stay away from this shore. If enough people disappear, then perhaps my children will return.”
The boys looked troubled. A sad look flashed across his face for a moment, but then, resolutely, he spoke into the deep.
“No,” he said, firmly, “you’re a monster. However noble your cause may be, taking people, children especially, away from their families is simply malevolent and wrong. There are other ways to bring back your children than taking away everyone else’s.”
The water around the boy suddenly constricted, and the bubble around his head collapsed. He could no longer breathe. The pressure on his body increased and a booming voice filled his head once again.
“How dare you act like you know what’s best for me, for my children! You don’t know the pain I’ve felt, watching them slip away over the years! You can’t possibly know! And now you never will!”
The noise grew into a roar, fading out of comprehension and into white noise, as the water pushed harder and harder on the boy’s body, crushing him, knocking the wind out of him. He felt himself begin to twist and roll, dizzying him and causing him to feel faint.
As the water swirled around him, he saw a glimpse of light, far above him, before being once more thrown against rough sand, and being scraped along the ground. Within seconds, he found himself on the wet sand, with the water retreating behind him, back into the sea.
Coughing and sputtering, he crawled up the beach. A familiar voice rang above the rumbling of the ocean. It was his father.
“Hey, did the wave catch you?”
The boy glanced upwards at his family, nodded, and laid his head back into the sand, resting. Panting, he rolled onto his back and stared at the sea. It looked so peaceful from where he was lying.
A low, distant rumbling emanated from the sky. Looking up, the boy saw dark storm clouds had begun to creep in from the east. He stood up shakily and looked out again at the water.
With another rumble, the clouds began to move in; it was time to leave. With a slight look of sadness in his face, the boy glanced one last time at the shore. He imagined everything that once must have lived here. He was sure many more fish and other aquatic things had lived here than did today, and the amounts of plant species were likely staggering. He couldn’t help but think that the people who came and still come to these beaches must have affected the dwindling of species somehow.
“Hey, ready to go home?”
Glancing over his shoulder, the boy saw his father holding a beach towel and beckoning with his hand. The boy looked out at the sea, then back to his father.
“What’s the matter? Hit your head?”
“I think so, that wave hit pretty hard,” the boy said.
“Well, I wouldn’t worry about it. You just have to remember to be careful about what you do in the water, or it can be dangerous.”
The water swirled around the boy’s feet, weakly pulling him seawards.
Thunder rolled across the sky, and a small raindrop dripped onto his forehead.
“Yeah,” said the boy, “I know.”