Gimmer

Their boat drifted unsteadily, cutting a wobbly line through the sea of plastic. The floating mass of bottles, cans, and wrappers seemed so solid Reese wouldn’t be surprised if Meg could walk on top of it. His little sister was at the curious, energetic age of two, and her tiny body seemed so light and fragile from the lack of proper nutrition that he was tempted to set her down on top of the plastic island to test it out. Him and his mom had tried their best to give her the majority of the food they’d scrounge up, but now that his mother was pregnant, there was even less food to go around. It was a last, bitter goodbye from his father, a nail in the coffin of their survival. Reese squinted at his phone’s GPS, the rays of light from the blistering sun bleaching out the screen. After his father had passed away, his fear of starvation reached new heights. Watching someone fade away into nothingness, too exhausted for even delusion or anger, terrified him. As the only member capable of diving, he was determined to not let the rest of his family meet the same fate. 

Once they reached an avenue they hadn’t explored yet, the underwater streets blinking green with no traffic, Reese tied a rope around his waist and secured his goggles. He grabbed his backpack and, with a firm nod to his mother, dove into the water. Once he cleared the layer of garbage that covered the surface, he spotted some homes. It was always surreal, a normal neighborhood, abandoned and left under the water to rot. He swam above his targeted home, rose for one last breath, and dove deeper. Crowbar in hand, he pried the door of the home open easily, its rotting wood giving way without a fight. He swam to the kitchen and found exactly what he was looking for, a pantry. It was a treasure trove, the silver gleam of cans of corn and soup glistening, sealed bags of instant rice and granola bars more valuable than gold just waiting to be taken. Reese felt his chest tighten slightly, and he returned to the surface, his head popping up from beneath the plastic, a huge smile on his face. 

“Did you find anything?” his mother called out.

Not wanting to waste his breath by shouting, he lifted up an enthusiastic thumbs up, took another deep breath, and dove down again. He returned to the pantry, backpack open and ready, but as he approached it, he felt a strong tug at his waist. The safety rope was not long enough to let him reach the food. His mother always warned him that if he untied the rope he could risk drowning, but he wasn’t about to let this massive supply of food go. Without hesitation, Reece undid the tight knot around his waist and began to transfer the food into his backpack. Once he finished, he turned to retie the rope and spotted a stuffed bunny, water soaked and sunken under a kitchen chair. He anchored the rope down, tying it to the now heavy backpack, and swam to retrieve the bunny for Meg. 

Then, a large fish darted out from underneath the table, disturbed by Reece’s large movements. He cried out in shock, fish were rare encounters, as most of them were hunted on sight in desperation for food. Shoving the stuffed bunny into his shirt, his heart sank as his chest tightened painfully. He scrunched his nose up, pressing his left hand to his mouth as his right hand fumbled with the rope, willing himself desperately not to take a breath. He managed to loosely tie it to his waist, but by then it was too late. Despite his urgent efforts, Reece’s body disobeyed him, his lungs and throat opening up to take a breath, only to be met with mouthfuls of salty water instead. He thrashed in pain, tugging the rope frantically as he continued to cough out and breath in more water. As his vision began to dim, he felt the rope jerk faintly. A ringing filled his ears and became louder and louder until it reached the point of being unbearable. His fear faded with his vision, everything turning white as his body went slack.

Reece woke up to the blistering sun stinging his forehead, the ringing returning and then leaving as he slowly regained more consciousness. The tearful face of his mother loomed over him, shifting to relief as they met eyes. He was pulled into a tight hug, his arms weakly rising to return it. Then, he felt a tug at his sleeve, his teary sister looking at him uneasily, clutching the bunny tightly in her arms. 

Smiling feebly, he ruffled her hair, “I’m okay now Megs, so don’t worry okay? I’m fine. You like your bunny? I had to fight a monster fish in order to get it.”

Meg’s eyes widened, and his mother scolded him tearfully, “I told you never to untie the rope. I told you it’s too dangerous, that you could die!”

“Relax Mom, I’m fine okay? I have you and Megs here to save me after all. Besides, there was a ton of food in that house. I couldn’t give it up. We have four mouths to feed now, and Megs is getting thinner every day.” He winced, fingers rising to touch a new band-aid on his forehead. 

“I think you hit the door frame when we were dragging you up. It was bleeding and everything, scared Meg to bits.” She sniffled, shaking her head and pulling Reece into another tight hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

After they had all settled down, Reece checked his GPS again and rowed the kayak to the shore. As they approached, they all put on their masks to provide protection from the now thicker air pollution, and they docked their kayak underneath the roof of a sunken home, hidden from potential thieves. Carrying Meg in his arms, Reece led the trek back to the abandoned home they were lodging in. Not many people wanted to live near the depressing sight of the white ocean whether it was bleached by dead coral or plastic. They waited until the slightly cooler night winds to begin eating, as the intense heat made it hard for their stomachs to accept the warm food. Reece finished his share of corn, eyes smiling warmly as he watched Meg excitedly scarf down a chocolate granola bar, no doubt a treat in the bleak environment she had been brought up in. Looking out the window, he blinked in amazement, pointing to the sky with awe. His family stared in wonder at a single star, its hopeful glimmer shining through the gray, polluted atmosphere.