Short Story: Lost at Sea

 by Samir Akram

Image by Nathan Dumlao

Flashbacks of the attacks enveloped me. I was in the same ominous, lingering part of the sea, but this time it was calmer, more peaceful, and the scorching sun rained down on my sweaty, sunburnt body. My legs were now in autopilot mode, but my mind had run out of fuel. I could sense the ghosts of my friends lurking in the dark, murky, obscure water about 100 yards ahead of me. I was hungry; my stomach moaned, whined and bellowed with every step my legs took. I had at least a thousand jellyfish stings spread across my body. My lungs were filled to the brim with salt water as if they were about to burst. 

As soon as I felt sand before my feet, it was like music to my ears. The luxurious sand had saved me in my weakest times, it had given me support and protected me from all evil. I wonder how many other sailors have been taken in by this decedent, loving sand? I wonder how many people have kept themselves up at night with the promise that one day they might rub their foot on the same grainy sand that I have had the pleasure of standing on? I am glad for the wonderful catastrophe that left me bearing this land. All my hopes and dreams flashed before my eyes in the time that it takes me to take one single step.

As soon as I stepped off this exquisite, alluring and smooth, supple sand, my mind turned on again, this time with a full tank of fuel. My feet went back into auto mode. My five scenes arose from the depths of my uncontrolled, lost mind. My thoughts eloquently dragged themselves out of their party into my mind. Night overpowered day in a magnificent sunset battle; I realised that the sea level was slowly getting shallower and shallower. Although I knew that sharks lurked in these bleak, murky waters at night, I was not afraid. For I had made the treacherous trip to Banana Island many times before. I could remember the jellyfish, squid, and sharks. I could remember the piranhas, eels and killer whales. I could remember how they made the hairs on my arm stick up to face the full moon.

The savage, icy waters had conquered me. They tossed me around and took my mind. I was tossed about. In front of me stood a huge whale with its mouth torn open. Suddenly I was dancing with the angels. I had never been so close to death as I was now. It was the best feeling in the world! I could finally see all my friends. There was something about it that struck me as suspicious. I did not realise I was having a hallucination until I woke up on the beach of an island.

Everything was blurry. Everything was cold. Everything was different in this new, sublime, technologically unimaginably advanced, hidden city. As I walked through the great, magnificent gates of Techville, my thoughts returned and swirled around me; none of this was here last week. No city, no lights, no nothing. Then I remembered: a tech prodigy survived the unspeakable, horrible tragedy. He lacked only one thing: connecting electrical wires. Before I had time to blink, there was a tremendous electric bang! The whole town went up in flames and with one more blink, the town was no more. There was only one lonely house left. As I touched the sweltering hot gate, my hands felt like I was shaking hands with the devil. As I walked toward the abstract porch, I felt a little voice inside me telling me not to knock on the door. But everyone knows that you should never trust that voice.

Knock! Knock! Knock! The door of the house opened insidiously. The inside of the house was a majestic nightmare. Alluring objects were tossed around the house like a hyena with its prey. The large chandelier fluttered on the ceiling above. Suddenly, a door flew open in front of me. A shadowy figure slowly meandered across the room until it stood a few feet in front of me. With each blink, my face tightened and a heavily armed man slowly crept out of his lofty shadow...