hed been circled before
first time reared goosebumps of
fear on his flesh
but that was reinforced by the
element he was in water
had he gills to remain immersed
in the shimmer he had a knifeGame
on! queer thing of the sea was there was
nowhere to go except down to the bottom to find a place where he could put his
back against something and make the circler come on him face to face
in open water he was deadcenter
of a surrounding sphere of attacksa frightening myriad of radii to defend
an obscenely
awkward inability or agility to affect a stalwart defence
after that first time that first
shark that fish passing him by after
all it was just a fish he recognised that their similar
size had made them equals and
therefore likely the shark circling him like humans wishing they could circle a traffic
accident to gawk was curious
he was curious
curiosity ought be the nature of
any beast
unfortunately hed met too
many people who werent
apparently the work was too hard
he rushed headlong from a grotto
that was collapsing around himfilling with seawater from overhead slurring
suddenvents and spitting holes
it terrified himhis heart
thumping violently in his chest that this sparkling refracted bluewashed architecture its teeth stalagmites and stalactites stalactitties yes
were forever to be lost
he dragged his feetturned in
circles trying to take in remember as much as he could while he fled and spun on
the white sand before its depressed mouth and spun into the sea swimming hard trying
to put as much distance between himself and it as it boiled and crumbled underwater fearful a siphon a whirlpool might birth
it did not
treading water open water he saw he was being circled circled by a shadow beneath the waves that was twicethree times larger
than he
curious
he was
he took a deep breath and slipped
under the surface
circling him was an
exquisitelydrawn painted silveredblue largeeyed flyingfish a stylised Ohno
Bakufu though alive and threedimensional
it circled him gazed at him one eyethen reversing its way the other
it was a fish he didnt know how to read it
then reversing again having circled him several times it dipped a
pectoral fin and came headlong at him in its
rush it slowed itself by extending both set of fins extending its pelvic fins it swept down he tucked up then taking a chance
he reached down and grasped its pectorals where they joined its body and swung
upput a foot to its pelvis fin and straddled its back
ahold of the leading edge of
its pectorals it instantaneous folded its fins and bolted on a long angle racing
to the surface
they exploded through
crazedbubbles whitesilver and cyclonic tinyswirls its tail churning and catapulted into the sky were he sucked breath it caught blue updrafts the wind
of their propulsion screamed in his ears
its tail whipped the sea and they
went up again and again many times they reentered the water he heard it
gulpbtreathe then they were up again
his shoulders joints criedthough
he couldnt imagine that the flyingfish wasnt suffering either its subsequent jumps and flights were growing
shorter and shorter but there seemed it
had a purpose
a threedimensionally
executed flyfishing had a purpose
he
heard a grunt
it dove again
the
grunt persisted
it lunged again
broke the surface
it soared higher than it had before
and looking he saw a green
coastline whitelipped by beach
the fish bankedlosing some altitude
he screamed I SEE
and when they reentered the sea it collapsed its wings and slowed and slowe d
and s l o w e d
when he let go as he slipped off he
ran its hands lovingly down its back to its stilled tail
it wiggled a bit under his touch
swimming up to the surface he
watched it sink into the bluedpurpling depths a blur a smudge then disappeared
he rolled over onto his back and
looked and the yellow sun and occasionally spat water like a whales spout
fearless
he had
been touched
nothing dare accost him
the surf grew louder and louder
his ears underwater he could hear
the sand particles grate and dance and sing welcome
he staggered onto the beachstaggered
up to the dry warm sand and laid down laid down on his Mothers breast
impossibly saved
some time in the
wee hours, Sunday, 31 1.
21
1626, Sunday,
31 1. 21
