Voyage Toward the Abyss

Malikah peered out from the tugboat, across the horizon, watching the sunbeams dance over the vast sea in front of her. She knew she was approaching the point where the sea and earth ended, and she was ready to join the expedition to fall off the flat earth and explore the unknown world awaiting them.

No one knew what was on the other side; no one had ever returned from falling off the earth in order to tell the story. This venture was seen as a historical mission by supporters, who compared it to the Moon landing, and a suicide mission by naysayers, who saw the attention and media coverage as ridiculous.

Malikah saw it as the ultimate adventure.

She grabbed her wetsuit lying next to her, and moved into a secluded part of the boat, away from the rest of the crew. Stripping off her everyday clothes, she stepped into the black wetsuit and pulled it carefully up her tall, lanky body. She was now fully transformed into an other-world explorer, turning on her body camera to capture images to be telecast back to Earth.

“We are now approaching the point of no return,” bellowed the boat announcer over the PA system. “This is your final warning.”

The stern baritone quickened Malikah to action. Shaking her sandy brown dreadlocks one last time, Malikah and the crew approached the water’s edge, then toppled over into the dark, endless abyss of the underworld.