Fish Food
Ray White was nearing the brink of paralysis. He had been swimming for days and his muscles had all but abandoned him. It had been three days since his boat sank from an inexplicable puncture in the stern and his hope to be rescued had diminished along with his strength.
His only chance was to remain afloat until spotted by a passing ship, conserving his energy until he saw the broadening lights creep over the horizon and hears that blissful air horn signaling that a drifter had been spotted. That was his plan. But unfortunately, he had to use his cached strength to evade the creature under the water.
He called it a creature because he had yet to see it. He only felt it, brushing against his kicking feet, testing his strength with a sharp fin swipe and circling predatorily, sizing him up. Ray couldn’t quite make out its size but he knew it was massive, lifting the water nearly thirty feet when it reached the surface, ducking back into the depths before completely showing itself.
It had been following him since his boat sank, usually coming at night. Ray constantly felt it swimming below, the displaced water suggesting movement, but in the black oblivion which is the ocean at night, he was absolutely blind below the surface of the water. He couldn’t see it. He had no idea what it was planning to do. There was a world under his feet, filled with various life forms and practices and none were known to him. He could barely swim under his own strength anymore.
As it was, whenever he tried to rest a little, the creature would brush and bump him awake, as if it knew and didn’t want him to rest. Rest would help replenish strength and it didn’t want that. It wanted him weak. It was saving him for something.
Ray just didn’t know what.
The answer came on the fourth night, when Ray saw a few more mounds rise in the water and similar movements slosh about and dive before emerging. The creature apparently had a family and was steering Ray’s drift in their direction so they could all sup in the bounty. Ray wouldn’t be surprised if this thing was the real reason his boat sank.
A thrashing water sound to his right and the sea lifted above him, dripping away along a massive, scaly frame with sharp yellow eyes, watching him with half its body still below water. For the first time, Ray was able to see it. He still didn’t know what it was. It was unlike anything he had ever seen or heard about and that was after a fulfilling life at sea.
Its kin swam closer and the big beast blinked and then abruptly immersed out of sight, swimming deep. The others circled, keeping a specific distance from their prey, awaiting the dinner bell.
Ray knew it was coming. His only thought was to peek below and see where the beast had gone, holding his breath and attempting to penetrate the dark abyss. He heard a roaring whoosh just before those bright, harrowing yellow eyes appeared surging toward him with a large, teeth-laden mouth widening as it reached him, large enough to swallow him whole.
But in this instance, it only wanted his head, ripping it off with one bite. Its family eagerly swam closer, tasting fresh blood in the calm sea.
