Adventure under the sea

Adventure under the sea.

It was that time again. Cleaning time. I was at Grape field watching the ocean come and go. My grandma had sent me. “Go and get me some sea water and some sea moss girl” she said. I always forget to ask her why the sea moss was so important. The sea water I understood. We used that all the time to clean the house for the new year and about this time of year. I never understood why it had to be sea water. But we don’t question our parents or grandparents when they ask us to do something.  I had two big containers for the sea water and a big bag for the sea moss. When I arrived at Grape field, I did not see much sea moss. Which meant I had to go into the bushes to get the sea moss. Grandma wanted wet and dry sea moss. So, I had to get some dry ones from the beach and then go into the water to get some wet ones. The wet ones I saw. They were right at the edge of the sea.  I decided to go and get the dry ones first. That was more tedious. I sighed deeply and started walking into the bushes. Pushing aside twigs from low hanging trees and watching carefully where I was walking so I didn’t step unto some Willa bushes. Willa bushes can give you the itch for days and your whole body looks like you have the measles. Yuchhhh. I saw some sea moss up ahead and bent to pick them. As I was picking, some funny little creature ran over my hand. It looked like a huge rat, but it wasn’t a rat. It had the most beautiful fur and a short tail. But nonetheless it was a creature. I screamed and scrambled away from the area. But I was inquisitive. I wanted to know what that creature was. I started walking in the direction I saw the creature go. I could hear my own hearty beat. I was scared and still not to scared to follow the creature. I started hearing funny noises. No noised I have ever heard before. Squeaks, grunts, peeps,….I could not discern what animals made these sounds. The sounds were getting louder as I walked to a clearing. When I moved some bushes and finally saw the clearing, I was shocked. My heart beat louder, my eyes opened wider, my mouth hung open. There, in front of me was the weirdest scene I have ever encountered. Thousands and thousands of little creatures scurried about in the sparse grass,…..no not grass.! Sea moss….!! They were picking the sea moss and stacking it unto a hill in the middle of the clearing. They were doing it so fast I could not believe my eyes. When I finally stepped into the clearing all eyes looked at me. What eyes! Glassy big round orbs looked at me. And because they were so many it looked like some big glass ball was mesmerizing me. I felt captivated. I could not look away. My felt myself crumbling to the ground. I could not help myself. All I saw were these eyes. They were doing something to me. I could not think, I could not move. I just felt myself falling to the ground. Then from the corner of my eyes I noticed all these creatures coming to me. They were surrounding me, tugging at my arms, my legs, my head. I could not understand why I could not move. I wanted to swat at them and chase them away from my body. But I could not. They were now under my body. Thousands of little furry creatures surrounding me. And the noise, the sound of them augmented one hundred-fold. It deafened me. I could not think because of that noise. I felt the noise in my body. Then I felt myself being moved, literally moved. How was that possible. They were moving me. Where were they taking me? What would they do with me?

Then suddenly the noise of the creatures stopped. I tried to move my arms and legs, but I could not. Then I heard it. I heard the sound of the ocean. Yes, the lapping of the waves at the shore. The water coming and going. The ocean?? Why would they take me to the ocean?  I felt the creatures moving away from me. I was left on the shore. The water of the ocean lapped at my jeans and my blouse. I still could not move. When the water receded, I was dragged little by little into the ocean. I would drown. O my God they would let me drown. I could not move which means I cannot save myself. I felt desperation take hold of me. I didn’t want to die like this. I had to save myself! I had to move my arms and legs and swim. 

Then like a chorus I heard the noise of the furry creatures again. Loudly, louder than in the clearing.  I was surrounded by the noise. I did not know what to do. I could not do anything because my body did not obey my brains. My arms could not move, my legs either. 

Then I felt my body just floating. Floating above the water. I did not feel the water anymore. What are they doing to me? I was so scared. If I had control of my body, I think I would have wet myself. I started praying. That’s what my mom and grand mom taught me. When you don’t know what to do, pray!

“Dear God, please let this be just a dream! Please help me! Hear my prayers dear God. I need you? 

Then suddenly I was dropped into the water. Literally dropped. My feet hit the water and I sank at once. My body was so heavy I could not even float to the surface. I felt myself going down. I closed my eyes and kept on praying.

The water was warm. It enveloped my body like a cocoon. I did not feel strange in the water anymore. My body welcomed the water and as I sank deeper into the water, I felt my fears leave my body. 

I was not afraid anymore. It was as if I was going home.

Then my feet hit something. I opened my eyes and I could not believe my eyes. 

Everything was so clear, and we were at the bottom of the ocean! There was no sunlight coming from above and still I could see everything as it was daylight.

There were beautiful sea flowers, the grass was so green as it swayed to and fro in the water. I kept looking, enthralled by the beauty I was beholding. Never in a thousand years have I seen something so beautiful. There were beautiful shells on the bottom of the sea. The sand here was so white I could not believe I was at the bottom of the ocean. Fishes swam right beside me without a flinch. It was as if I belonged here.  Then I heard the sound again. The sound of thousands of furry animals. It kept growing louder and louder. I was so tuned into it I did not see the huge monstrosity coming my way. I had my hands over my ears. My hands! I could move them again. My feet, I was standing on them! I could move! I could swim to the top.

I started moving my hands and then 3 tentacles shot out and held onto my hands. I did not know where they came from. I tried to pry my hands from the tentacles, but I couldn’t. I was starting to get desperate and tried to see where the tentacles were coming from. I tried to turn but it had me so tight I could hardly move. 

Then the funny creatures were upon me.  Funny, but all of them had a piece of sea moss in its mouth.  There swam right past me. I felt the strength of the tentacles waning and pried my hands loose. I turned and the shock almost made me faint. There stood the most hideous monster I have ever seen in my life. A squid, a huge squid with about 10 tentacles. And the furry creatures were taking the sea moss straight to its mouth and to the holes on its tentacles. As soon as they put a piece to its mouth it disappeared. They were feeding the squid The squid was so occupied eating I saw my chance to escape. I saw a big beautiful boulder a few feet away and I swam to it and hid behind it. The sound of the furry creatures kept playing in my head. As soon as they fed the giant squid they swam to a big boulder where they all gathered. I was afraid to swim to the surface because they would notice me. The sound of the creatures kept getting lower and lower. Finally, it was quiet. The giant squid then started looking around. I quickly pulled my face back behind the boulder. I held my breath. Not knowing what was going to happen. I saw the tentacles of the giant squid pass by the boulder and I expected the squid to pass also. But before I could think any further the tentacles had me in their grip again. They lifted me over the boulder, and I stared into the most hideous face I have ever seen. It kept looking at me while I was hanging by its tentacles in the air. It started swaying and the tentacles that held me swayed also. It was as if we were dancing. The furry creatures started to make noise again. But this time it was a soft hum. They were humming and the giant squid was dancing to their tune and swaying me as if it was dancing with me. This was so surreal. I

It was as if I was outside my body looking at the scene. Suddenly, I saw the furry creatures start to make a formation. It was a rose, they formed a rose on the ocean bed. I did not understand. But then I saw it. In the middle of the rose there was a carpet of the most beautiful flowers on the sea bottom. It was like a bed.  The tentacles of the giant squid gently took me to the bed of flowers. When I was in the middle of the rose, the giant squid let me down gently. I stood in the middle of the rose. I still did not understand.

But then some of the furry creatures started coming towards me again. They had some flowers in their mouth. They brought the flowers towards me and put them in my hair.

I started feeling afraid and weird again. Flowers in my hair! 

It hit me then. They were looking for a queen for their king!

The furry little creatures thought I was the chosen one. That I was the one to wed their monstrous king, the squid. What? What am I going to do? It was so beautiful down here but this is not what my grandmother sent me to the ocean to do. I started shaking my head. No, no, this is not happening, this has to be a dream.

I felt the flowers in my hair. How come the water is not taking anything away. How come everything stays put down here at the bottom of the ocean. What’s the name of these creatures who are trying to put flowers on my dress, on my feet? Flowers, flowers, flowers. 

O my God am I dead, is this for real?

Suddenly I started screaming, I mean screaming like I was going out of my mind. I don’t know how the sound came out in the water, but I was screaming and holding my head and ripping the flowers out of my hair, my clothes and my feet. The eyes of the giant squid became rounder and bigger. It was so comical if I wasn’t so scared, I would have laughed. The furry little creatures all scampered away and hid behind the boulder where I had hidden. The giant squid sent two tentacles to lift me under the arms and swung me upwards. I screamed harder and started kicking my feet. The giant squid just looked at me with its two big eyes and started to ascend in the water. I screamed some more and fought for my life. This was not going to happen to me. No giant squid is going to take me as a bride. I am human, I am not a sea creature. One of the tentacles came a little close to my mouth and I opened my mouth and bit it real hard. The giant squid flinched visibly and suddenly I found myself being flung out of the water. I felt myself being airborne for a moment and then I splashed down in the water. I started swimming, not knowing where. Then I saw the shore and started swimming to the shore. It was not far away. I heard the sound of the furry little creatures like a hum and that made me start to swim faster. When I reached the shore, I started running as fast as I can to the car, I had left at the roadside. When I reached the car, I stopped and looked back. Is anything following me? No nothing. All was silent. I took a few deep breaths and opened my car. The keys were still in my pocket. Did all this really happen? Was I really at the bottom of the ocean? Was there really a giant squid who wanted to marry me? I shook my head and sat still for a while. Who would believe this really happened? Not even I believed it. I told myself I would never tell anyone of this adventure, be it real or not.

I switched my car on and rode to another beach to look for the sea water and the sea moss for my grandma. I never returned to Grape Field.