Light Of The Sea

“My life’s been eventful. In fantastical ways I would’ve never thought possible.

In usual terms, it’s the truck that does the work, hit you to another fantastical world. Truck-kun.

But I found myself saving a cat from it,  walking away from it, only to get sent to my unusual world in the most unusual of ways.

Most heroes would get the usual swords or guns or O.P systems to run riot. But there was me with the unusual one. 

Well, that's enough usuals. Let's get to my story.

This is my story, the story of my transference to another world, a fantastical world.”

***

The evening breeze swept across my face as I rode my bike at full throttle. I’d just delivered my last order of a carton of fish to a customer, and was heading back home at the beach.

City life didn’t look like the type I was destined to have, the beach and its waters always felt like home. My subconscious was probably riding at this point when I suddenly pressed hard on my breaks to try and stop as fast as I could. 

I didn't really have much motivation in life but to catch fish and sell it with my mother. I was pretty good at catching them fishes though.

While riding, I spotted a black cat was at the middle of the road, couched up. I heaved a heavy sigh of relief having being able to dodge it, except, my heart rate spiked up almost immediately after.

A semitruck, at speed was just able to take a sharp turn and stop, but not before pushing my bike off balance and sending both me and the bike to the ground 

“You idiot!”

The truck driver was furious. Man, those veins in his head were intense. I’d almost made a killer out of him. I adjusted my face cap round my long blond hair over my cowering face as if in an apologetic manner, trying to find the words. Then the cat, now behind me, popped up and just strolled away, waving its tail about. 

My face quickly changed as though I’d a sour grape. The disbelief intensified when I noticed I’d bruised my hand. Seriously.

I picked myself up and hoisted my bike, whose engine was still running. This evening looked like it was going to get shitty. Sigh! The warnings might've been given already.

I got back to riding and within thirty minutes I got home. Traffic didn't matter much to me.

Sure enough my mother wasn't home, she'd likely gone to our stand at the fish market to start shop. But we didn't have much fish to sell for the night.

My life for the last four years since my father died had been a tale of long days and very short nights. I guess I'd aged quite well for a twenty-one years old at this point.

I worked most of the day hours for fish delivery firms as a courier for door to door delivery of cartons of frozen fish, while most evenings or early nights were spent fishing with other fishermen.

 Any little energy left was spent assisting my mother in the shop, or I just slept the remaining hours of the night.

***

I gathered my fishing gear and left the house to quickly meet up with other fishermen who were going fishing that evening into the night.

Reaching the sea dock, I noticed six others, all young men like myself ready to go. It was the first time I'd be going fishing without a relatively older fisherman.

We exchanged greetings as we set ourselves in the fishing boat. The weather looked really calm and it kind of gave an assuring sense that we might catch lots of fish for a longer duration on the day.

We went deep into the sea, about eight miles in, enough to catch good amounts of sardines in our nets as our forecasts had suggested.

Evening atmosphere quickly turned dark and we were surprised at the speed with which night fall came. Little did we know this was a serious misjudgements.

We were catching serious amounts of sardines to the point where we were getting greedy. Our boat was already struggling to hold the load when the first crackles of thunder sounded, rumbling through the sky, as shimmers of lightening shone above.

Within seconds, the rain started pouring. I never smelled the rain coming but could smell little danger, little. For some reason the atmosphere felt weird.

The was a general look of disappointment among the fishermen, as we felt our good opportunity slip away.

The eldest among us suggested we cast out net for a last time before the sardines all moved away, and the other five quickly agreed. I just chuckled. Fishermen's enthusiasms. I may not have responded but I also wanted it. More fish equalled more money afterall.

The storm intensified, and we were still battling with the net filled with fish. It felt as though it became five folds heavier, and the ship was starting to tilt towards the side of the net.

Concerns only increased as the storm got angrier, lashing out thunders and bombs of rain. Our boat too was taking in too much water and I was sure we had surpassed our loading capacity a long time ago.

We were already too greedy with our catch.

We split ourselves in an attempt to prevent the boat from sinking, the lights from within the cabin were just sufficient in the darkness for us to see about and try to stir.

I tried moving around the other side of the ship to grab a rope to fasten some structures in the ship when suddenly a violent wave rocked the ship away from the net to the side I was.

We lost the catch instantly, and I found myself underwater, in the midst of sardines slapping away at me as they freed themselves from the net.

I was taking in too much water due to this and tried to surface to reach my boat, but I saw the boat drift away too fast, controlled by the waves and storms. I was just making out shouts of my name, and saw outstretched hands. But I was fast losing strength to reach them.

Slowly and agonisingly, I went below, and the boat getting ever smaller. Life was leaving me like the bubbles coming from my mouth, plopping, plopping, and fade. Pain while my eyes were wide open.

***

The last lights were leaving my open eyes in this vast dark water darkness. Suddenly, a bright light from above came upon me, slowly. It stretched out tentacles, caressing my head. I squinted, wherever that energy came from. I tried to cough, and only bubbles came out.

I suddenly felt a sharp sensation through my head, and it felt as though I was in a trance.

At that moment, it felt as though I was peaking into the life of someone else. I kept seeing these memories, these strange experiences that felt other worldly.

Just as these flashed through me, I felt my own life flash out of me. I was feeling purged out of my ofife and memory. Weird unnatural occurrences followed in my mind, which threw me into confusion.

Fish don't float in air, surely?

And then, I was numb and out.

***

"Welcome!"

It was the first sound I heard from my subconscious, probably me hallucinating. Coming back to reality, I blinked. My head... no. My body hurt. I felt a ghastly pain in my sides, which made me squint and groan. I then heard low voices talking above me.

"We must kill him, princess. We can't risk one of the enemy like this. He may not divulge any useful information. The fish-men's clan are too loyal"

The sound of this made me jump out of the pain and alertly sit up.

"Atleast we must tr..."

Among all the rattling of whatever I was wearing and the stiffening sound of the room lit with candles at strategic corners, burning with a sweet sunflowery but old musty smell, the only thing I could make out was the face In front of me who I'd cut off suddenly.

Seriously, if the primrose flower was a person, this'd be her.

Candlelight reflection danced on her face with a clarity that showed movements of the flames. Her hazel eyes glowed in the dark and reflected my face. Her black hair, well oiled and glossy, smelled better than any perfume I'd ever used before. Her pink lips, could kiss the world to heaven. Ever seen a more perfect nose?

But astonishing of all, she was fully dressed in red armour.

My amazement seized sharply as confusion took over, and pain embraced me. 

Starting to fall unconscious again, I asked, where am I?

***

[RPG System...]

[Initiating Fisherman System...]

[Initiating Fisherman System...]

[Initiating Fisherman System...]

[System Installing...]

What?

Those were the last things I saw even with my eyes closed before I went back to dreamland.