Author: Vaibhav Vijay
1: Past
I plunged straight into the endless ocean. Never got the chance to take a breath. Arms and legs flailing, I did my best to stay afloat but any muscle memory of swimming I had was missing in the moment. My attempts at grasping air grew desperate, and then hopeless. The last few air bubbles escaped my mouth. I was sinking to deeper and darker waters, my consciousness drifting away. I felt tempted to let myself give in, stop struggling and be swallowed. Once I was out, I wouldn’t feel anymore. A simple plot, to end everything quicker. It was just that I wanted to see more and so I continued to fight myself; to stay awake and wait for a miracle
Interlude: Move On
With all my senses failing, I felt what I could only describe as an embrace from the ocean and then the next moment, I was falling away from it. I briefly thought I was levitating upwards in an exact reversal of the sequence of events leading to my dip in the ocean, but this felt different. I had the distinct sensation of falling. Still gasping for air, I looked up to see the ocean again. Had I fallen out the bottom of the ocean? What lay below all of that then?
2: Chance
I landed on my answer, a pile of sand. I first thought of a serene beach, except I couldn’t see the water anymore. It more resembled a desert with not even the small amount of vegetation I’d normally associate with it. I felt a hand grab me by the leg. My mind was beginning to comprehend the situation. This pit of quicksand was burying me. I did what I knew and laid down on my back. The sand had already taken my foot, but it had slowed down now; a lot. I was going to be stuck here on this sandy bed and it almost felt… comfortable. Would it be so bad to be stuck here for days, weeks, months… maybe even years and just end here? The sand tugged at my foot again. No, I couldn’t just lie in wait here just barely surviving. I was going to find the bottom of this sand pit too. Boosted by my resolve, I started digging out the sand. The sand too for its part, engulfed me. I kept at it, even when my arms felt like they were on fire, even when I was just breathing sand. I didn’t know if there was a bottom but i wasn’t going to regret my choice now. My joints felt like they’d come apart, but I kept up my mad rush to the bottom.
Bridge: Glimmer
I did not want to fall here. Almost unaware of anything else now, I just continued to do whatever I was doing. A hand grabbed me and yanked me out of the sand. I was falling yet again, the skies going as far out as my eyes could see but this time was definitely different.
Outro
I was battered but I had been triumphant. My savior was falling with me, her arms outstretched towards me. I finally managed to take a look at her face. A smile crept onto my face when I realized who it had been all this time. I took hold of her hands, not very worried about the fall anymore.
“Now the sky could be blue, I don’t mind
Without you it’s a waste of time.”
