Fishy Fables

I was so close, I could almost smell it. The sea breeze nudged our boat in a slow, steady path as we searched the clear waters of the Caribbean. Suddenly, I saw a faint glimmer in the deepest of waters.

“There! I see it! Lay the anchor!”

My crew scrambled as they prepared to take a deep-sea treasure dive. I doubt they were as excited as me, though. I, Captain Coyle Cutthroat, have finally found the treasure most pirates dream of. No one has been said to lay their hands on it and survive. Yet.

I was going to be the first, and this treasure must be worth a fortune if it is guarded that well. I rubbed my hands together in excitement and the thrill of the moment. I had my eye on the prize, and I wasn’t going to give up now.

As I waited for the crew to scramble around like startled mice, I thought about the dangers that I could be facing. It could be anything from poison or oil to giant octopi or squid. My crew and I had prepared for anything. Thirteen years of roaming the seas, and my moment to shine had finally come.

The cold of the water shocked me as I jumped into the water from the bow. Jumping was my favorite part, especially jumping off the bow. It made me look cooler.

Diving down, I looked to make sure that my first mate, Breezy Brenin, had jumped, too. I was going to need his help hauling the treasure to the surface. I would also need him to make sure that if things went wrong, he would have actual diving gear for us.

Before I write what happens next, I should explain that my crew and I are not your normal pirates. We have a deep, dark secret. When we go in water, we can transform into any animal we want, as long as it breathes water. Anything we have melds into us, so it stays dry, and we don’t lose anything. We can also just breathe water without going up for air.

Brenin and I had decided, before jumping in, that we should be barracudas, fast, sleek fish. It would be a nice disguise, and it would save time.

About halfway down, we had to shift to lanternfish to see, and so we didn’t get crushed by the pressure. We also had to start checking corners for any lurking danger. There are many things you should worry about when in the oceans. For one, there are sharks that think you are overly tasty. Secondly, other big, scary things that will rip you apart. Thirdly, small fish that can be very harmful, and will attach themselves to you while practically eating you alive. Finally, coral is very sharp, and can slice you to small ribbons with one small rub of exposed flesh. Basically, you don’t trust or touch anything in the oceans.

Finally, after a few hours of slowly swimming and checking corners while descending, we reached rock bottom. Literally. The floor of the ocean was solid, melded together rocks. Sand was scattered between them, and there were many small fish gliding smoothly along the water-polished rocks. It looked like no living being had been down there then back up ever, but they probably hadn’t. Not since the dinosaurs, anyway.

We drifted around for a while, checking for signs of danger. We found nothing at all, which was strange because the bottom of the ocean should be teeming with fish and other sea creatures. When we met back at the treasure, all the mini fish were gone. We were in total darkness. And alone.

Then the sand began to shift and gravitate towards something in a nearby cave that we had just checked. As we treaded water there, shocked, we were sucked in as well! Brenin and I struggled against the current, but there was no use. We were only delaying the inevitable.

As I was sucked in farther, I looked around desperately for Brenin, but he had disappeared. He must’ve been sucked in already, otherwise he was safe, and he would tell the others and help me out. It was a slim chance, but I would do whatever it took to get out.

Then the ocean turned black.

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I woke to a horrifying stench. I was a human again, but that was because I wasn’t touching the muck around me. As I looked around, I realized why all the small fish were gone earlier. They were all rotting right here. I needed to get out soon, or I would end up just like them. I looked up, and I could see only a small stem of light coming from above, and it was definitely not part of any fish I knew. I needed to find Brenin.

As I trekked through the wasteland of filth, fish, and fumes splinters of wood, I kept a lookout for my first mate. I only stopped once I had checked every space, and I still hadn’t caught a glimpse of Brenin. I had almost given up completely, when I saw a glimmer the same as the one I had seen before. I had found the beloved treasure from many stories, told and untold. The Meretricious Map of Montela.

For minutes on end, I sat staring at the shining, gold bottle, wondering if it was real, or if I was just crazy, which was completely possible. At last, I gently picked it up and cradled it in my arms, worried that it would break with any sudden movements. At the least, I was stunned. Twenty years of my life had come to this, and it had better be worth it.

I peeled open the parchment, and peered at it in the dim lighting. The legends were true! It felt magical just laying in my lap, and the lacy ink on the page showed where each of the 17 hidden highlights of the Caribbean were.

I had to get this back to my crew, but first, I needed to get out of here, and quick. I scrambled over piles of stuff, aiming for the wall, and when I reached it, I immediately started to climb.

At the top, I discovered that the beam of light was really an airhole, and that I was stuck in a simulation of a fish stomach. As soon as I realized this, it made me queasy and furious. I started banging on the airhole, and it gave way easily. When it did, water flowed in, and the hole kept growing.

Climbing out, I treaded water and quickly changed to a lanternfish again before the pressure got the best of me. I made my way up as quickly as I could, excitement fueling my adrenaline. I changed form many times as I ascended, and at the end, I transformed into a flying fish, jumped high into the air, and landed on the deck, fully human again.

As I surveyed the scene, I realized that Brenin had come back and had been hurrying to save me. My crew snapped to attention when they saw me, and all their faces showed pure shock.

“All hands on deck!” I ordered

“Aye Captain!” My crew responded.

As we sailed off into the sunrise, I realized that we were lucky, unique, and talented. We were unlike any other pirates out there because their captain was me, Coyle Cutthroat

And after all, tomorrow is another day.