She wasn’t very sure about the help that she got, but she did look around herself at the kelp forest for the first time. She noticed other sea creatures that she hadn’t paid attention to before. Small fish were swimming here and there, shrimps and crabs were crawling around, and sea snails were stuck to the seaweed busy eating. And then, she saw where the forest cleared. She swam out and found herself outside in front of a seamount. She paused for a moment to feel for the first time the ocean current blowing by.
But then, suddenly she jumped from a sharp shock. She looked around, but didn’t see anything. Then again, she jumped. Something had just stung her.
“Yes, I see,” said a soft voice and it continued, “I see, I see.”
“Well, I don’t see,” she said a bit annoyed. “Where are you?” she was looking for where the voice was coming from.
“Yes. You are on your way to a great place. A grand place,” slowly the form of a jellyfish appeared before her eyes.
“That’s right,” she said delighted and eagerly, “do you know where it is?”
The jellyfish continued to speak, “Yes, I see it all clear now. You are searching for something far and wide, right? It is named the Deep Blue.”
“That’s it,” she was filled with joy and excitement. “Yes, that’s it. Where can I find it?”
“Yes, I see,” her head began to glow softly. “I see, you are just like me, you roll with the flow. Like one with the current, you are carried from place to place. But like that which remains still, you too must remain still.”
“Then how will I get anywhere?” she asked anxiously, “especially to the Deep Blue?”
“Yes, yes,” the jellyfish floated upwards. “You must learn patience. Wait for your answers while you search for your goal. I see all is coming to you. Yes. You must wait. You’ll see.”
“Some help you are,” she said let down. She watched the jellyfish floating above and heard in the distant, “Yes, you will see the sea when you are willing to see. For now, you will go onto the seamount. Yes of course, it goes on and on, and on and on…” the jellyfish’s voice trailed off and so too did she as she disappeared once again.
She climbed the seamount and it did go on and on. And when she reached its top, it then went down on and on. As she made her way down the slope, she saw a shadow in the distant murk. Slowly, the dark body came towards her and slowly, the dark body emerged as a long grey shark.
“Ahh. A little one. A loner. A rover like me,” he grew in size as he smoothly moved closer to her. “You are alone. Drifting. Moving,” he circled around her. “Always moving. Never stopping. Just keeps moving. You must be a restless one? A bit impatient I figure? You know, I get antsy as well. Especially when I get hungry,” he said with a wide grin, showing all his sharp teeth. “So what’s an itty-bitty little morsel like yourself doing all the way out here anyhow?”
She shivered with fear. She wasn’t really sure what she should say. All she could hear was her heart pounding. She just wanted to run away as fast as she could. But, she surprised herself when she heard herself say, “I am looking for the Deep Blue.” Impressed, she found herself continuing, “I was told that it should lie beyond this seamount.”
Again the shark smiled and said looking around, “As you can see, there is no Deep Blue here or beyond. The only Deep Blue is the one that you imagine,” he squished his face up against hers, looking at her eye to eye. “Your Deep Blue is in the deepness of your mind,” he then returned to his circling around her. “Once you start down that path, you will find that it only goes on and on. Your search is from this hope. This hope is what you believe. Being alone can cause us to believe in anything.”
Scared, confused and feeling trapped, she remained frozen in front of this great big predator. “I d-don’t b-believe you,” she answered back.
“Of course you don’t. And why should you? After all, who am I to you,” he grinned again his menacing grin. She shuddered. “But you should be asking yourself this more important question: who are you to me?”
Suddenly, his jaws opened wide as he jumped at her. And just as he sunk his sharp teeth tightly together, somehow she slipped away. She quickly scurried off, pulling as fast as her flippers could. Now, the shark realizing he didn’t get his bite, darted forward in pursuit of his little prey. He chased after her but she was too quick for him. She dashed this way and darted that way, leaving only a trail of bubbles for him to find. She dared to take a quick look back and saw that he was getting closer. She felt herself slowing down. She was getting tired. And then, when the shark was just about to fall upon her with one last finishing bite, something came out and crashed into him.
She stopped and saw a blue dolphin ramming into him. The dolphin was beating him with her head, hitting him with her tail, until the shark ran off. After she chased him away, she swam next to the girl.
“He-eh-eh-eh,” the dolphin giggled as dolphins do. “You alright there?”
“Yes. Thank you,” she huffed out of breath.
“Wow. You know you remind me of myself. Did you know that?”
She nodded her head no.
The dolphin continued, "Actually you are so totally like me. Venturing out on your own. Living on the edge. Swimming against the stream. I mean, taking on a shark all by yourself?! Right on! But like, you know, if it wasn’t for me exploring out here so far you’d probably have ended up as shark bate. You really are quite the lucky girl. Or maybe it was a coincidence, you know? So, what are you doing out here anyway?"
“I’m not sure anymore,” she said a bit baffled. "I have been swimming and swimming and yet still I haven't got even close to where I'm going," she turned away frustrated. "I'm beginning to feel that I'll never get there."
"Don't worry. With a stroke of luck, I'm certain you'll get there. And you're not out of luck just yet, right?" The dolphin then realized something. "So, um, where exactly is there you are trying to get to?"
"The Deep Blue," she starred off into space for a second. "But it's pointless," she moaned, "the farther I go out, the further it seems to get."
"The sea speaks to everyone of us," the dolphin whispered lost in reverie.
" Excuse me?" she said confused
"There, there," the dolphin snapped out of it. "What will be, will be. There is no need for despair. Let us think. Don’t you think? I mean, two heads are better than one. I think? And with your one, and my one, we end up with two. Wouldn't you think?" Again she giggled, as dolphins regularly do. "Now the Deep Blue. The Deep Blue." A long silence followed as the dolphin was thinking really hard. Then, with an abrupt change of expression, "You know? Actually, you should look to the clams. Like, oh my gosh, that's it! The clams below us, govern our conditions, you know? As below, so above, you see? It's all written in the clams, their position and their alignment in the blue, right? If you look down, you'll see upward. So, when I look for answers I go to them. Say, what constellation are you anyhow?"
"What what am I?" she said caught off guard.
"Like, you know, what sign are you? Aquarius, Libra, Cancer?"
"I don't know. I'm just a turtle."
"Oh, I don't know that one. Maybe that's why you are so lucky. I'm a Pisces, you know? Funny thing too, considering I like to eat fish." She giggled again and then continued, "No matter. I'm sure all you need to do is follow the clams and they will without doubt /surely/certainly lead you on your path and to your destiny."
"Okay. So how do I get to them?"
"Well, you know, it's not like they are in the sky or anything," she chortled. "They lay amongst the ocean bed of course silly. There you will find spread out innumerable clams amongst the sand. Seek their light and all your answers will appear /follow." With a quick laugh, and a quicker flip of her fins, the dolphin swung around and dashed off.
She dove down and made her descent to the bottom floor. There, she came upon thousands of twinkling points scattered across sand and rocks. As she drew nearer these flickering lights she made out the beds of clams clustered together snuggling side by side. Amazed at their sight, she continued following their glow/afterglow, uncertain what to expect. As she came closer to the next clump of clams, she saw in the middle a great big one slowly opening its top shell.
“Ahh, child, you are here." said the old giant clam. "Finally, you made it. I have been waiting for you to arrive for quite some time and now I can finally ask you: so, what took you so long?”
She gave the giant clam a perplexed eye while saying, “I’m not exactly sure what you’re talking about?”
“Sure you are sure, my dear." His cupped valve fluttered up and down as he continued, "Just as sure enough you’re standing here before me as we speak. You must be sure or surely you wouldn’t be sure of not being sure. But me thinks you must be really tired, my child. Me's without a doubt that you came such a long way without a riddle on your back. You look as if you have been carrying this enormous weight on your shoulders. What is weighing you down? Out with it you be, or without it be on,” he insisted.
“The Deep Blue. Have you heard of it? Could you please tell me where it is?”
“Ahh yes,” he said and then recited:
The Deep Blue. Or is it the Blue Deep.
A color so rich, none other so steep.
If you rise above, it goes up and up.
If you sink below, it goes down and down.
And if you turn to its side, it goes round and round.
For it is vast and wide and twice as long.
And once you go towards it, it just goes on and on.
“I don't understand. What ever are you blabbering about?”
“Your Deep Blue. This one thing you are looking for. Well, me thinks you yourself must certainly have an idea of what it might be?”
“Actually, no. I do not.”
“Now, now, my dear. Now is no hour to clam up.” His lip closed tightly shut.
“But I’ve asked everyone I’ve met so far.”
“And what have you found?” little by little his shell reopened.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "I mean, I thought I knew, but…" She then recounted her story and how she left the beach and went into the ocean meeting all these different creatures along the way. She explained how each one had their own ideas about where the Deep Blue was and how each of them sent her in different directions, further away and deeper out from finding her true destination.
“Well I’ll be!" his lips shuddered and when they reopened she noticed a blue pearl laying inside radiating with a warm glow. "No wonder you are all confused. Listen my child, I am not one for any pearl of wisdom but me and you are much alike. Hard as a shell and soft as a mollusk. No, wait, that’s not it. No pearl has got its worth, but every pearl has its oyster. Nope. That one not be it either. But me really do likes the sound of it. Hmmm, me thinks it’s rather more like this. There is not much about you from the outside, but you hold something of great value from within. You see, all appears dull and meaningless when closed, but when opened, the world suddenly is your oyster and there in lies your precious pearl.”
“So how is all that supposed to help me find the Deep Blue?”
“Don’t you see little one. You are going about this the whole wrong way. To search from without is not the same as to search from within. You've been searching for something you already found. Stop following your tail. Start leading with your head. Just look around you. You are already here. But of course, what do I know? I’m just in a clam’s shell.” Gently, and for the last time, his valve shut tight.
All was quiet. She was left alone. She began to think about everything that had happened to her and what to do next. She slowly drifted further away from the clam bed and slowly further out into the depths of the open water. The fullness of the deep blue was soon was all around her./quickly engulfed her. There was a calming quietness that stretched out with open arms. A soothing current brushed by her and she then noticed how vast and wide the ocean became. She quickly came to realize how much of the world has to offer and how she has her own place within it.
Then, out of the blue/all of a sudden, she heard a familiar voice, "I knew you would find your way."
Startled, she jumped back. She turned around and saw herself gazing at a smiling sea turtle. A moment passed and with a flash of recognition she said, "Hey, wait a second/do you know what? You look just like me."
Moishe Pipik
© 2011
Some serious work... tribute to a few of my inspirations: Edward Gorey and Chris Riddell.
One of the days, while I was outside a village out in the countryside, this little fellow popped up, and ever since, every now and awhile, he kept coming back... let me know what you think!?
Any thoughts on a name...? so far, I've been calling him my little "cochundo".
