Underwater Expedition

Cliff pushed his nose against the porthole. He had never seen such wonders in his life. Usually Cliff was a land dweller like the rest of humanity but two weeks ago he was asked to go on an expedition to research the depths of the ocean. The other side of the Perspex was magnificent. Fluorescent coral hanging dangerously from rocky outcrops, small fish flitting by in the dim light. It was still amazed him that something as simple as plastic could hold back the mass amounts of water and pressure. While on this trip he was told only to observe. Under no circumstances was he to touch anything that didn’t belong to him while on this expedition , then cliff was explicitly told to leave all wildlife alone. He shivered at the thought of the consequences he might face in disobeying the rules.

Everywhere Cliff looked the water was teaming with life. It was almost unbelievable that this much could live under the surface. An octopus dragging itself under a rock, prey bound tightly in one tentacle as it slipped back inside its cavern. Schools of fish of every size and colour swam in all directions. Seaweed and plant life floated and drifted in the current. Life was everywhere, until it wasn't.

Cliff felt like he had blinked and suddenly everything was gone, except for a few brightly coloured fish flicking about trying to find a shadow to conceal themselves in. They were hiding, a predator was nearby. The last fish found its hiding spot and that’s when Cliff saw it, bigger than any creature he had ever seen. He imagined it had to be bigger than a car, perhaps even a small truck. The fiercest predator in the ocean swam from behind a rock, its body shimmered as it prowled the waters. Trailing behind were the only other living beings he could see. Pilot fish! Cliff had been studying them recently, how they had a mutual relationship with sharks. They ate parasites off the sharks and in return the sharks didn’t eat them. Coexistence at its finest. The shark flicked its tail and curved closer to the porthole. Cliff held his breath as the beast swam by. He felt like time had slowed and his heart had stopped as it disappeared for a moment, then swam by inches away from his own face. Nothing between them but plastic. Man and beast. He held the sharks gaze and felt the shark look back at him. He couldn't sense any thoughts or feelings, just staring. Perhaps the shark knew it was he who was the intruder. Then like it was never there, the shark was gone. The fish reappeared like nothing had happened. Life returned to normal.

‘Clifford Jameson!’ Called Mr Carlsbad with a slightly raised voice.

Cliff spun around and looked up at his teacher who was impatiently tapping his foot. He tried to find the words to describe what he had just witnessed but only a mumble escaped his lips.

‘Hurry up and find your partner,’ Mr Carlsbad rolled his eyes. ‘Its time to move on.’

Mr Carlsbad turned away and began to usher the other children away from the viewing area. Cliff was still in shock from seeing such a dangerous animal so close to him. He stood there for a moment, mouth wide open, watching the children form two lines in front of their teacher until Bradley Sollemn grabbed his hand a pulled him towards the others.

‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Jenny has been talking back to Mr C so he’s grumpy now. You don’t wanna get in trouble!’