Submarine Story
Found this in an old folder. Think I wanted to add some more, but it is a bit late by now.
I’m trying to write a story a week according to these prompts. This is my short story for week 13, based on the following prompt:
“A story that takes place entirely within a vehicle.”
Sarah pressed her forehead against the window and closed her eyes, holding onto a big gulp of breath for for as long as she could. Sometimes, right when it started to hurt too much, right before her body made her let go, she could see the little shimmers of blue and green that reminded her of those iridescent scales she almost thought she’d seen last week. Back then, they were still on track and could see the sky fine. Then they had found these weird rocks which weren’t like anything on the map, and they had been so many birds that they’d bustled Sarah down into her room and hadn’t let her back up to the deck for the last four days.
Yesterday, they’d gone a bit deeper. It was still shallow enough for light to illuminate the plants and animals that surrounded them, but Sarah could see that the seaweed was closer now, and the sun farther away. Jake had refused to answer her questions when he brought her dinner yesterday, and seemed so upset that she hadn’t bothered to ask today.
Sarah shifted uncomfortably. She’d opted for underwear today, rather than boxers, because this made her more comfortable and looked better with her dress, but girls’ underwear never quite fit right. Today felt... important, though, and she felt the need to look nice for whatever events lay ahead.
In the distance, something caught the light, and Sarah leaned forward. She had to be sure. Yes, there were the bright blues and greens that she had seen several days ago, the soft browns and- yes. As Sarah watched, a hand appeared on the other side of the window, and she jumped. She put her pale, small hand up against the window, and she jumped. She put her pale, small hand up against the elegant one on the other side of the glass, and soon a face appeared to match those long fingers and smooth river-stone nails. The face was smooth as well, little rivulet creases coursing down around the eyes and sinking into little tidepool shadows around the forehead and the corners of the mouth.
The eyes were like a cat’s eyes, one slitted pupil surrounded by flecks.
Sarah watched the hair (white puffs of the tiniest curls she could imagine) swish to one side, then the other as the face through the window turned one way, then the next.
The purple lips opened, and no bubbles came out, as if maybe this being had never seen air at all. The lips shaped words, but Sarah couldn’t hear her, and couldn’t make out the shapes on those lips well enough to recognize the words. She frowned.
“What did you say?”
The face on the other side of the glass froze for a moment, then began to speak again, frantically. Here and there, Sarah could make out a muffled sound, but never a word. The hand smashed against the glass once, twice, three times, and corresponding frustration washed over the creature’s facial features. Frowning, Sarah decided to help. After all, she desperately wanted to know what this majestic creature was trying to tell her.
The submarine wasn’t really fit to submerge, and Sarah had overheard some of the debate, when they set out, about whether it was even suitable for a surface-level voyage. They had sunk a little deeper throughout the day, and Sarah remembered that the conversation back on land had been all about the windows breaking. Maybe now...
Grabbing her little reading chair from its spot in the corner of the room, Sarah pulled it quickly over to the window. On the other side of the glass, the creature silently watched as Sarah hoisted the chair up over her head, then darted away in fear as Sarah threw the chair hard against the window. Sarah rushed to the window. A few yards away,her brown and blue friend was shimmering nervously, inching tentatively back. Knowing that the chair would scare the creature just as much the second time, Sarah threw it against the window again, this time getting a little more force behind it.
The window cracked.
It cracked like a spiderweb, and Sarah let the chair lie where it fell, opting instead to hit the window with her fists once, twice, three times, trying to open up a space to talk. The creature came closer and watched. When Sarah pulled back in pain from a sliver of glass in her hand, the creature on the other side pushed clear through the glass.
Sarah jumped a little bit, but then ran forward. The creature appeared to be gone but she couldn’t quite see through the water rushing in. She spun around as the door banged open behind her. It was Jake.
“Sarah, what the hell?” he exclaimed, shocked for a moment in the doorway. For a few seconds, Sarah just stood, watching the water soak into her blankets, her books, and her dress.
Maybe this was a bad idea.
Then Jake scooped her up and carried her out of the room, with no protests from Sarah.
“There was a- there was a...” she started, but she couldn’t describe the shimmer-blue scales in any way that excused the water still rushing around Jake’s shoes as they rushed through the hallway. He didn’t respond to her attempted statement; rather, he put her down on the steps at the other end of the hall and rushed back toward her room. Without Jake there, the sound of water in the dark hall was overwhelming. Sarah poked her toe into the water as it crept up the steps in inches, and suddenly it seemed that she could hear hundreds of voices singing the strangest song she’d ever heard.
And the ship went down and the ship went down and the ship-
She pulled her foot away from the water again, and the only sounds she could hear were the rushing of water, and Jake struggling with something in her room.
Sarah put her feet solidly in the water. The sound washed over her, loud and close.
And the ship went down and the ship went down and the ship went down (come home!)
And the ship went down and the ship went down and the ship went down (come play with me!)
And the ship went down and the ship went down and the ship went down (we’re hungry!)
And the ship went down and the ship went down and the ship went down (to the bottom) to the bottom of the sea.