The Monster and the Predator

Inside this pool swam nature’s greatest predator, and as I paddled side to side, I felt the shark circling me. On hundred feet away from me, a ladder sat, and high above, the gathering of spectators watched as I gripped my shark tooth knife with such force that my hand turned paler than the shark.

Weakened from being deprived of food for the past four days, I knew it was only a matter of time before it struck, and carefully, I bid my time, letting the cut along my finger trickle blood into the clear water. Even before smelling the blood, the shark should have already noticed me, and if the behavior of his brethren was anything to behold, the little drops of red would completely overwhelm him.

Up above, a little kid threw a bucket of chum at me and screamed to get on with it. What a brat. Couldn’t he see I was making art right before his eyes, but patience was one thing that had not carried over to this new generation. They never took the time to enjoy the situation like me, and smiling, I drove the knife downward as the shark blurred towards me.

Steel met flesh, and as red filled the water, the shark darted from me. What a foolish animal. If it could just wait an hour, it would have a chance of catching me off guard, but instead, it charged headfirst into me, ensuring its own demise. Now, it was bleeding, and with a few more stabs, I would be able to finish it off.

The crowd roared, and glancing up, I saw onlookers applauding the show. Although unnecessary, it was always reassuring to see others appreciating my lifelong passion. If only there’d been more people like me, perhaps my father wouldn’t have turned out like he did, and even though the odds were impossible, I always imagined the monster in front of me was the one who took him.

Twirling the knife in my hand, I turned my attention back to the shark who’d circled around for another attempt, and taking a deep breath, I sank to his level. For a moment, the shark and I floated there, neither of us moving as we locked eyes, one filled with pain and another with hatred. Meanwhile, my assistants announced over the loudspeaker that the zoo would be closing after the event and that everyone not watching should hurry over to watch the climax.

Smiling, I reached my hand out of the water to briefly wave at the crowd, and eyes narrowed, I charged, swimming as fast as I could towards the shark’s viscous, merciless jaws. The shark responded in kind, but just as it appeared we were about to collide, I kicked, brining me down, under the shark. At that moment, it was too late for the shark to react, and I plunged my knife up into its belly.

The shark’s eyes went wide, and after a minute of squirming desperately for its own life, it went limp. Sadly, I must’ve missed the heart, and the rush of an instant kill was lost to me. Still, that made one less shark in the world. Kicking up, I surfaced above the water, knife in hand, and I took a moment to observe the cheering spectators.

Few people were as lucky as me, to be able to do what they wanted and get paid. Plus, this earned the zoo a lot of money, as it should. Sharks didn’t come cheep nowadays, and on occasion, when we couldn’t get another one in time, they would have me just wound the beast so we could use it next time. Of course, I was more than happy to return the suffering dealt to my family, but as I swam over to the ladder, I noticed the crowd had stopped cheering. My ears were still clogged, so I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but when my assistants started heading for the harpoons, I realized what had happened.

Spinning, I glanced down to where I’d left the shark’s body to find it gone. I then turned my eyes beneath me to discover with horror, that the chum and blood had clouded the water around me, and I couldn’t see where the shark was swimming.

Suddenly, my leg exploded in pain, like a hundred spikes were being plunged into it. I thrust my knife downward but struck nothing as the world disappeared. For a moment, I tried to fight it, but then, my head slammed against the bottom of the pool. The scent of blood filled my nose, and still, I kept going deeper… deeper… deeper….