Sunday 10 May 2020

The Bewitching Yellow

From above looking at the deep blue ocean. The water flow reflecting the glitter of the bright stars and the luminescent round of the moon. The ripples and irregular flow of the water caused by the wind and the creatures below. The flying fish looking at its imminent plunge back into this water caught an unnatural glimpse. A faint but faraway light shone not as part of the reflection but instead from the depths of this ever-flowing mass. That light now its full focus seemed calling to it. Not caring about the aftermath of this inevitable meet, it took the dive.

The splash into the barrier of water felt heavy like shattering through a glass... causing a large ripple. For a moment, it remembered its size. It was an unusually big fish, having a bloated confidence of reaching further than most, in its species, when flying in the air. Though, now it was in its natural element. The comfort of which was an unknown to some, and craved by few.

Its speed increased with a jolt as it swam to the minute glow. The darkness that always existed around it not bothering it. It was a part that it gave in to considering living in the heart of it all. It couldn't even be kept hidden as here it was out in the vast open. Just by swimming, it emanated the darkness by giving it motion, to this lumbering unseen vastness.

The blue hue to the darkness for now, invited smaller schools to roam around. These were the panicky ones which seek the darkness but were too afraid to dwell too deep into it. They roam around out and about their jobs. Passing through, as the blueish around dimmed slightly, it comes across the shells that swim. Stopping for a moment, forgetting about the yellow in the depths. They seemed like just hung in stasis for a long period before giving a hint of movement. The subtlety in the movement felt, kind of, soothing to watch.

Coming out of the short engrossed time, it shifted its gaze back to the depths. Like a magnet pulling something with force, it got pulled, as if being consumed, by the faraway glow. Seemed like it had sped in the sway of its swim. Not aware of its surrounding, it got passed through a deadly intent. That too huge in size in comparison to itself. Unnatural yet in their natural habitat. Time felt still when it happened, as the humongous megalodon's body rushed past. In awe at this creature of the deep, it halted on its tracks. Though, as quickly as the fangs of death had come out of the darkness around, it had vanished again.

Feeling a sudden tinge of the flow around, it snapped back to its motive. The glow in the deep seemed to have grown brighter and bigger than the dimness it was exuding before. A school of fishes just passed through it. Weird though, considering they shouldn't be roaming around here just as it itself was in this unwelcome darkness. Giving little heed to them, it delved deeper, even speeding through the same school with much fervor which seemed to have startled them.

Its dive still ongoing, it could feel the nothingness around. Or was it stuck in the never-ending darkness with the amber glow its only guide. With its hope within the depths, it kept going. Was it just consumed by the need to be close to the glow? Why was it trying to reach such a distant thing? Were it death that it longed for? Wait, why such an unnerving thought passed, it couldn't pinpoint. Giving up on the thoughts, it just let it flow and continued onward through this much calm yet black surroundings.

Further ahead, maybe? Maybe not? Not that there was any indication of its movement deeper except for the light. Though, suddenly it came to its second halt. All around it, there were blue glows, moving around, or jumping around? It felt as if they skipped and hopped in the water. These were the
translucent beings it had heard of in stories. The electrifying blue covering the darkness with some big and some small. This was but a magnificent spectacle which was more of a myth to the community far above. Its as if chaos was running amok in this pitch darkness. The yellow sparks flying around putting its ability of flight to shame in a different way.

Yet again, the amazement was cut short by two things for it. One was the school it had left above, they passed through the jellyfishes playing around with themselves and scurrying to the depths ahead. The other was a silhouette of the megalodon in the darkness also diving into the deep. It pondered for a bit, the why of their fall into this part of the ocean.

What made them fall? Still deep in thought, its gaze reverted to the now clear enough yellow much further. As if a jellyfish had struck it with lightning, its already wide eyeballs opened wider, if they could that is. With a sudden spurt of decision, its fervor came back as it sped through the jolting blues. It wouldn't let others reach the yellow it craved for!!

This was a race in which it was far behind now, though not giving up. As the calm dive deeper kept ongoing, its mind had only the yellow left to ponder upon. There was no room for anything else. Its as if, it was already consumed by the attraction.

The amber became brighter and larger by the second. The destination was near. Its thoughts, now, pulling it further along with its own fall. The journey was nearing its end. A sudden water bubble flew up and burst in front of it, thereby halting it yet again, for the last time. Clearing up and focusing below, it was dumbstruck. This dim faraway yellow was no more dim neither far nor tiny. It was more than humongous or gigantic, its glow blinding the eyes for a long period. Its as if, the yellow had entered its eyes and that was the only thing left to see. Nothing else mattered as it gradually got pulled towards it.

It wasn't even moving by itself, the pull of the amber was much too great to go against. It let go of any resistance. Its mind flashed with scenes of its feverish race a bit ago and pondered on the megalodon and the school wondering where they were considering they'd gone ahead. Its pondering was cut short by this large pool of red forming right below it, beside the yellow. It felt fear for the first and probably its last time, as the "humongous stare" of this deadly creature came to fall upon this miniscule being. In one fell swoop, the blinding yellow became all red as the flow of its life ebbed out.

With its wish to reach the yellow fulfilled, its mind pondered on the electrifying blue from before, before the abrupt blackness....... It had truly reached further than most.



© Aditya Subramanian, 2020

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