As I kept rowing—following the sun, because that made the most sense at the time, at least—my arms started to ache. Not just sore. Like they'd been doing hard labor for a full day straight.
I sighed, dropped the oars back into the boat, and opened up my sack.
Oh my gosh.
I started chomping.
Chomping. Chomping. Chomping.
I Took a drink.
Oh my lord. This was heavenly bliss.
If there's one thing you need to know about Kana, it's this: she's an amazing cook. I don't care if I'm just realizing that now—girl's a genius.
Invigorated, I picked the oars back up and kept going. Chased the sun until it started melting into the sea.
But then—somewhere between feeling full and feeling proud—I noticed a slight problem.
A tiny, maybe-kinda-devastating problem.
I don't really want to admit this, but…
…Alright, fine.
I ate the whole bag, okay?!
Everything. Gone.
I don't even know how I did it. I just kept eating. And drinking. And now?
Now I'm floating in the middle of nowhere with no food, no water, and apparently no self-control.
Help?
⸻
Did you know that when you press your fingers together, they make a little boop sound?
It's been two weeks.
Two weeks of salt water and a stomach that is pleading—for relief, for mercy, for literally anything that isn't invisible soup.
And trust me, I want to give it that. I do.
But I messed up. Big time.
And I think…
I think a part of me is starting to slip into full-on delirium.
The sea is still. No wind. No waves. Nothing pushing me forward.
Just silence and shimmer.
I start thinking about control—how I don't have any.
And weirdly, a part of me wonders if that'll be the thing that saves me.
Eventually.
But right now?
I screwed up.
I mean, look at me. I'm sitting here booping my fingers like that's a productive use of my time.
Is that normal? I don't think so.
And have you ever looked up at the sky during sunset?
It's like the forest is on fire—but up there.
Like the sky's burning. And it's beautiful.
Geez, Damien, get your head together.
"Ooh… glittery water," I say out loud.
And suddenly I'm splashing it.
Me. Splashing water.
Enjoying myself like a toddler with no supervision.
My mouth and my brain are not cooperating.
Because as I try to tell myself to stop, my mouth starts singing.
"Splish, splash, splishy-splash, splashy-splashy-splishy-splash."
Damien. Snap out of it. Come on, man.
But no. I just keep going.
Laughing. Singing. Splashing.
And somewhere between the nonsense and the skyfire and the hunger, a beautiful idea blooms in my head.
What if…
What if there's water underneath this boat?
Like… drinkable water?
⸻
I dive my head through the mirror of the sea.
Illuminated by the fiery sky above, I see a city.
A vast city.
Fish hustling through coral alleyways, trying to make ends meet. Lobster old men grumbling from their seaweed porches, shaking their claws like they're about to throw down—but let's be honest, they're too old for that.
Little ones bounce along the reef, hopping onto their ride for school.
Wait… that's not a bus.
That's a stingray.
My bad.
Further down, I spot a dark shadow in the distance.
But in the state I'm in right now, I decide that's not important.
If I were of sane mind, maybe I'd think otherwise.
It's all so… cool.
Watching them fly like little underwater airplanes.
Mothers and fathers kissing each other on the cheek as their young ones curl up inside translucent eggs.
It makes me wonder.
My family.
Kana never really told me much. Just said that when I was ready, I'd know.
I wasn't a fan of that answer. Still ain't.
But it didn't mean she didn't love me.
Honestly, Kana was probably the only family I ever really had.
And then—
"Down to Davy Jones… down to Davy Jones…"
I yank my head up and gasp for air.
Burning in my lungs. Water spilling from my mouth.
No.
No.
I didn't want to hear that song.
Anything but that.
That song means something.
That song is danger.
Once I stop coughing and the sea stops spinning, I do the smartest thing I can think of:
I stick my head right back in.
Back into the underwater city.
Back into the impossible.
The fish go on with their lives, like nothing's wrong. Like the world above isn't breaking.
They live in harmony.
And the shadow in the distance?
It's getting closer.