Beneath a Sea of Glass

Two men in orange coveralls approached an enormous building and despite the ravaged world around it, it appeared to be mostly untouched. The wind was blowing trash and debris around as they walked toward the concrete structure under melancholy skies of gray.

If one listened closely they could hear construction on nearby buildings, even though the closest ones were miles away. Drones zipped back and forth through the sky, scanning to map out the destruction from decades prior.

“Did you ever visit this place before the fall?” asked the older man, the color of his beard betraying his age.

“Can’t say that I did. I wasn't alive then.” replied the other, the effects of time still yet to take their toll on him.

“Way to make me feel old, Jacoby.” laughed the older man.

“I’ve heard it said, Wilson,” he said, eyes glued to the looming edifice, “one is only as old as they feel.”

“You believe that to be true?” Wilson asked.

Jacoby pondered for a moment, “If so then that would make you the younger of us, and I the elder.”

“They’ve really done a number on this one.” thought Wilson.

They happened upon a sign near the entrance, unreadable due to the buildup of dirt and grime.

Wilson promptly removed a small cloth from his front pocket and began to clean it. Once finished, he read it out loud;

Welcome to Atlantis, the largest aquarium in the world.

Fun facts about Atlantis:

This one-of-a-kind aquarium holds over twenty five million acre-feet of water. By comparison, the Great Salt Lake holds around fifteen million. Water is pumped continuously into and out of the facility from the Atlantic Ocean off the Georgia coast, nearly twenty five miles away.

Atlantis’s surface area is larger than the state of Rhode Island.

The name Atlantis stems from the city of legend, which supposedly sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

We are the only aquarium in the world to house Balaenoptera Musculus, commonly known as the Blue Whale.

Atlantis is also home to the most diverse collection of marine life in the world, second only to natural habitats.

“Interesting.” murmured Jacoby, “What do you think we will find?”

“I’m not sure,” said Wilson. “Hopefully not millions of gallons of stagnant water full of dead fish.”

“What do we do if that is the case?” inquired Jacoby.

“We’re just here to scout and report, so we will do just that.”

As they gained entry, Jacoby asked, “Any instructions on what to check first?”

“No, not really. I was thinking we should check the pumps out though, if they’re still operational then there’s a slight chance that some of the fish are still alive.”

As an afterthought he added, “You do have your security clearance, right? The patrol drones could still be active and that could make things quite interesting.”

All he got in response from Jacoby was a nod.

It turned out, much to the satisfaction of the two men, that the pumps were still in working order.

“Now for the fun part.” smiled Wilson, “It’s time to walk under the ocean.”

The two men made their way through the lobby of the gargantuan aquarium, when suddenly the holographic forms of two people dressed in strange garb, a man and a woman, appeared in front of them.

“Welcome to Atlantis!” they said in unison.

“I am called Atlantic.” said the man.

“And I am called Atlanta.” said the woman.

“Please let either of us know if we can be of any assistance to you. If you are first time visitors, please note you can get a detailed map of the aquarium from the Athanasius Gift Shop, photographs are taken inside The Maw of Leviathan, and a delicious lunch is provided at no extra cost at Poseidon’s Repast.”

Wilson scratched his head, “Uhh yeah. A map would be nice.” His stomach turned at the thought of what conditions the restaurant’s kitchens were in, “I don’t think I’m hungry at the moment.”

After obtaining a map, with help from the hologram forms of the Atlanteans, Wilson and Jacoby found themselves walking through Leviathan’s Maw, the mouth of a giant sea-serpent whose throat turned into the hallway that led into the center of the aquarium. This was their ultimate goal as most of what they had seen so far had not been in horrible disrepair.

The men emerged from the throat of the water dragon, a breathtaking view grasping both of them. The ceiling above was glass, with no supports or beams to be seen. They walked slowly, looking up at the spectacular scene above them.

Thousands, if not millions, of sea creatures swarmed in droves. A pod of dolphins shot by, colorful fish darted to and fro, and, right before their eyes, a shark clamped its razor sharp teeth into its innocent prey, creating a red cloud that quickly dissipated. Small scuba-drones zig-zagged through the water, constantly testing the pH balance and salinity levels, transmitting data to the aquarium’s central database.

“Life surely does find a way.” whispered Wilson, “It would seem this place has thrived more on its own than with the help of man.”

“That is, and always has been, the case.” stated Jacoby.

And then they saw him, majestic and gigantic.

The King of the Oceans that was once bound to the will of man, now ruling in his vitreous domain.

They froze, awestruck, as Neptune passed overhead, blotting out the ersatz sun.

“My God.” exhaled Wilson. “A blue whale in an aquarium.”

“Nature is truly an unrivaled marvel.” remarked Jacoby. “Yet so are the achievements of man.”

Wilson and Jacoby walked for miles, inspecting glass and the condition of the floor, when they reached the Caverns, a network of tunnels each leading to specific biomes of marine life.

They entered and while Wilson was looking up, he ran into the back of Jacoby who had stopped abruptly. Before the old man could chastise his young counterpart, he saw what had made him halt.

Not even twenty feet ahead, nestled into the bend of the tunnel, three bodies lay, still holding each other.

“What happened?” asked Jacoby.

“No doubt they broke in to escape the outside world.” he said, “Only those that survived it can fathom the death and destruction that reigned.”

Wilson bent and removed a small journal that lay on the skeletal lap of what he presumed to have once been a child.

“Is this within protocol?” inquired Jacoby.

“To hell with protocol.” snapped Wilson as he opened the book and began to read out loud.

November 12th, 2044

It’s cold outside but Daddy says he’ll have the door open soon. Then we can get inside and he will get me some hot food while I look at the fishies.

Entranced, he turned the page.

November 13th, 2044

It was so cold last night but Daddy finally got us in! I’m so excited!

He turned yet another page.

November 14th, 2044

I’m so hungry. The security bots won’t let us near the restaurant, they said we entered without permission. They locked down all the exits and called the police. Police that Daddy said would never come.

He flipped to the next sheet.

November 17th, 2044

We’ve been drinking water out of the backs of the toilets. It helps with the hunger, but only for a little while. Mommy got hurt trying to fight the robots blocking the restaurant. Daddy has been crying himself to sleep. I don’t know what to do.

Reluctantly, he proceeded, delving into the private mind of an unfortunate child.

November 19th, 2044

Daddy has been hitting the glass all day. He says if he can break it they’ll be fish for dinner. He keeps laughing and it scares me.

Wilson looked up to see the tiniest of cracks in the glass. His heart shattered, he yet again proceeded into the diary.

The last entry was scribbled, obviously penned by a different hand.

November 22nd, 2044

My wife and daughter are gone. To whoever finds this, please know that I stayed with them until the bitter end.

Starving underneath a tank of fish.

Full of turmoil in the company of blissful tranquility.

Drowning beneath a sea of glass.

We were so close yet so very far away.

Oh, the irony.

Wilson sat the diary down and walked away as Jacoby spoke, “I don’t understand irony.”

“It’s because you haven’t been programmed to. Come on, let’s head back outside. We’ll call an extraction team to get the bodies and let C.O.R.T know the condition of the aquarium.”

“Does it make you feel anything, his last words?”Jacoby asked, eyes affixed to the remnants of what was once a loving family.

“I’m trying to not think about it.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I am he, except I am still here.”

***

When the aquarium reopened, nearly a year later, Wilson found himself revisiting that same spot almost daily. He was well known by the staff and security until one day his visits ceased.

The world carried on, as it always does, leaving the lives and legacies of many to fade and be replaced by the laughs, smiles, tears and sorrows of those who inherited it.