The Two Sides of the Ocean

Water pelts my face, the crashing waves drenching me as they soar over me. The sky is pitch black, and I can’t see any stars through the downpour. Lightning strikes, giving me a moment of visibility.

There’s no sign of land. I’m stranded on my old, beat-up gillnetter. The one that used to be my father’s boat. It has survived many storms, but my father always warned me not to take it out in anything more than a light shower anymore.

He’d be so disappointed right now. The sky was clear when I left the port, but a few other fishermen warned me a storm was coming. I told them they were crazy, that the sky was clear.

I ignored their warnings and set out anyway. I wanted to prove to my father I was ready to be a part of the family business. I wanted to prove that I could hold my own on the sea.

It was fine sailing and fishing for the first few hours, then out of nowhere, it hit. A storm appeared, as if out of thin air, creating such huge waves that I got turned around and lost.

I’m miles and miles from home, likely farther than I’ve ever been. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep the boat upright, but the storm isn’t letting up. I might die out here.

A massive wave looms over me, and I grab on tight to the mast. Suddenly, I can’t breathe. Water surrounds me; I’m not sure if it’s the wave or if I’m under water. I’m too afraid to open my eyes.

My fingers start to lose grip on the mast. They slip off one by one, the rest straining to hold on. I lose my grip completely, the water rushing around every curve of my hand.

My body is limp as the water tosses me around. The pressure in my ears is more painful than the sharp stabs of the current. I force open my eyes, a stinging erupts over them.

I see darkness stretching on endlessly. I squint and turn my head against the powerful water. My boat is above me, upside down and much too far to grab ahold of. It grows smaller as I sink deeper.

I try and swim up, but my legs refuse to move. I don’t even want to look down at them to see the damage done. My arms feel light in the water, but I can’t move them, either.

Bubbles slip from my nose, and I consciously try to hold in my remaining breath. I’m trying to prolong my life, to change my fate.

Out of the corner off my eyes I see something bright white, nearly blinding. I turn my head, and my eyes nearly pop out of the sockets in shock.

A great white shark is swimming toward me at full force. As if drowning wasn’t a terrible enough way of dying. My family will never find my body if this shark makes me its next meal.

The shark stops directly in front of me. Its eyes seem to glow, something I’ve never heard of in all of the fishermen myths. I stare back, trying not to move any muscle; maybe it will think I’m dead already.

“Grab onto my first dorsal fin.” A deep voice commands.

I can’t help but look around for the source of the voice. No one is near me, just the shark and empty ocean. The shark couldn’t have possibly talked to me, could it?

“I said, grab onto my fin.” The voice is in my head I realize.

I look at the shark again and see something in its eyes, a light. The glow seems to be coming from a small light inside each eye. My body relaxes the more I stare into the light. I hadn’t realized I was tensing up.

“I do not mean do scare you, young fisherman. I am your guide to the next life.” The voice fills my head once more, and this time I can tell it’s from the shark.

I reach out with all my might, my shoulders screaming in pain as I move my arms. The shark turns to have its side next to me, making it easier to grab the fin. I wrap my hands around it, pulling myself close.

The shark is cold to the touch, a cool sensation travelling through my bones, starting at my fingers. The feeling takes away all the pain I’ve been feeling.

The shark starts to swim, heading deeper into the ocean. My eyes widen and I try to speak, but my mouth stays clamped shut. We should not be heading deeper if I want to survive.

I turn my head, my mouth opening and all my remaining air escapes as I see what’s above me.

Myself. My body floats in the dark abyss, lifeless and limp. My skin appears colorless, my joints unmoving as water moves the body. I’m already dead.

“You are a spirit now, young fisherman. Your body is dead, but your life force is eternal. Do not fear the direction we are travelling, as it is the path for your next life.” The deep voice echoes in my head, attempting to calm me.

I wrap my head around what I’m being told. I’m a spirit now. I can’t see my family ever again. My mother will be devastated when she finds out. My father will be disappointed.

I never should have come out to the ocean. I didn’t really have to prove anything to my father, it was all in my head. I wanted to make him proud, but I was trying to show myself I was capable of more.

A sudden and blinding light takes me away from my thoughts. The darkness that surrounds us becomes white, the closer we get to the unknown light source.

“This is the end of our journey together. I am sorry your life ended so soon, young fisherman. This is not the end of your soul, though. You will be reborn and given another chance.” The shark gives me its final words.

I slip my hands from the fin of the shark, turning to face it. I stare into the face of the shark; the glowing eyes and pale white skin are a beautiful sight. I couldn’t ask for a more memorable last vision.

The shark grows smaller as I am pulled deeper into the light. The shark seems to have a smile on its face. It has done its job successfully one more time.

I never could have imagined a shark would be my guide to the next life. Now, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The experience was easy, the power of the shark kept me calm during the last moment of my life.

I close my eyes, the white light blending into pink. I regret the choices I made leading up to my death, but I accept them. That’s all I can do now.

I exhale one last time, everything fading away to darkness.