1927: Redemption

Container In Possession

“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”

-Margaret Atwood

22 DECEMBER 2021- SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

You know what scholars said, it was in the deep sea that every swimmer found himself. There was something about getting so far from the world you know that increases our connection to it. Without the distractions, the noise, the pollution, our minds became free to simply dwell on the people and places we love. So here in the briny deep where every sound was so different and the light moved slowly around his outstretched fingers, he felt his connections growing deeper. Every movement of his body became a form of meditation, removing thoughts that were never mine. So when he returned, centred on who he truly was, and he was ready to be the best version of himself he could be.

Far away from the shore, William swam across the ocean in search of the container Adeline desired for. This was one of his several attempts to find the container, but he never found it. There was something about the riddle James said in the letter he was not able to decipher it, it went like this:

“A golden treasure that never stays;

The coin whose face gives wealth to all.

Strands, nuggets, and dust of gold

are all bought with its shining grace...

And all are more precious than any gleaming metal.

What am I?”

Shining… golden… wealth… These were the signs of what?

William was in between the scorching heat of the sun and cold water… but slowly, the water started turning warm when he swam directly under the sun.

Wait!

Sun, it had to be the sun, because it is a sign of wealth, shining golden rays.

It has to be the sun!

Woohoo!

Wasn't he an intelligent specimen?

Okay, why was he thinking in Adeline’s language?

Now that William had made out the answer to the riddle. He had to make out the place where the container was in. It has to be under the area where the sun was overhead.

Floating for a second, he halted for a moment and saw the water shining like crystals a few meters away. He decided to swim across half a distance and then go underwater.

So far down in the ocean, the sunlight was a soft diffuse glow. Those once golden rays from above were only blue in this water; and the deeper he swam the less light could penetrate. The rocks were now silhouettes in the dim. The light from his headlight died quicker than the heat from a winter campfire. From time to time he was surprised by a lone fish, invisible until it entered the feeble beam. It was cold too, colder than he imagined it would be. With the increasing pressure, he began to feel like the water was thicker, like soup. He glanced upward to the surface and his heart rate rose. He had never been this deep before. His desire to explore evaporated, leaving no trace of it ever there. Now he only desired fresh air. Before he could stop himself, he was kicking with quick and powerful strokes. The voice of caution whispered softly not to rise so fast, but it could not break through the scream for unfiltered rays and fresh air…

Now was his third attempt to go down, by every attempt it was getting difficult for him to get deep down.

This deep in the sea, even though his second skin, he could feel the temperature of the water drop. It was not like a winter chill, bringing a shiver to the skin, but more like the welcome coolness of an autumn breeze. He could never get enough of these saline waters or the way everything was cast blue by the filtered light. At one point, it was difficult for him, but on the other, down there he felt free to turn and move as he wished, the ties of gravity faded to nothing.

In the deep, with the brine flowing past his limbs, there was freedom. The sea has so many secrets, so many stories yet to tell and here he was to explore, admire the wonders and learn. Here his body has no weight that means anything, he could glide in any direction without fear of falling. This place, so far from the ordinary world above, was the wonderland of his dreams.

In his third attempt, he could go a little deep and saw underwater dunes called subaqueous dunes. He swam towards them and registered a shining object. Removing the hard dune from its outer layer by applying force, the platinum cylinder became visible to him.

Finally!

But, the task was not finished till now. The imports and difficult ones had to be done yet. It was pulling out the container from the grasp of the oceanic dunes. The force that he applied was the last amount he had left with and with the last pull, the container freed itself from the dune grasp and came into William’s possession.

He instantly kept it inside a small bag around his waist and tied it appropriately.

For him, swimming far from the shore, understanding the riddle, going into the ocean in the third attempt, pulling out the container, and tying it to his wait took a toll on his energy.

Because by now he was tired, extremely tired. If it was not for Adeline he might have given up by now. An errant thought crossed his mind of how James had planned this all across? Like who did he ask to plant the container this deep into the ocean?

Well, of course, trained divers with diving suits, oxygen cylinders, and everything that a diver generally used. But, our beast was tough and could do anything in this world.

Objecting to this egotistical comment, his inner voice questioned- Have you kissed Adeline yet?

Uh…oh!

William did not answer, it was the point of self especially when you know the truth.

Jokes apart, the truth was William was really tired. His legs kept asking him to rest, to find somewhere warm and cosy, to simply enjoy the sunshine and stay right there. His brain felt as if it had been on a treadmill and it wanted so much to press stop. His body needed to feel another body, to cuddle, to feel safe, to feel the warmth of a lover. Everything about him, from the muscular aches to the emotional pull toward lethargy, this fatigue, overwhelms - yet this was a world that has no empathy for such matters.

One thing he learnt from the twenty-first century was all that appeared to count was how much we got paid more than the actual work done or feats achieved. If you got a lot of money clearly you worked hard, if not, no matter how much work you did, clearly, you were lazy. Your body, your brain, your tired soul, could testify that you have worked at full tilt for so very very long. The truth was, in this state, in terms of your biological capacity and energy stores, you could not afford to care about all the things A certain have been caring so very deeply about. It was not kind to run a horse into the ground and it was not kind to do it to a human either.

After twenty- seven minutes of hard work, William was finally able to reach the shore. Adeline came running towards him as he saw him lying on the shore.

Have you ever felt your heart in the pit of your stomach?

Yes….that was the kind of feeling she got when she saw him.

Her heart contracted, elongated, and the process continued till she reached him, sat down and caressed his forehead. But the moment she saw something that she hadn't ever- her breathing halted and sat still.

Meanwhile, a lack of breath was felt throughout his body, that feeling of tiredness and lethargy. For as his lungs work to bring in the much-needed oxygen, even then he felt as if he was drowning in the air. The only way to feel better was to get fresh air, to sit outside even if only for a while. The fresh air was better, cleaner, and in it, he was not drowning anymore. He had a life-ring out here and a gentle tow to shore.

After catching his breath, he found someone sitting beside him and that was none other than Adeline herself whose hand was on his chest, eyes on his face….his face!

Darn it!

What will he do now?

Will he cover it again?

Let us see!