Robert’s Mirror,
Chapter 32, by J.M. Stevenson, www.jeannesbottle.com
During the progression of seasons that forwarded above, I
sat in wait. I remained tucked into a
crater beneath the great expanse of
I began to loose heart after a couple of years. There was only so much to view surrounding me below. Large fish would pass and on occasion, gawk at the reflective lens catching the sunlight from the many layers above. I wonder if anyone realizes how repulsive it is to be kissed by a fish. Although I began to talk to the creatures, they didn't seem too interested in becoming friends.
It was rather lonely below and I began to anticipate the warmer months when boats would pass from above and swimmers would dive from the expensive yachts. I held out hope that eventually a diver with great tanks bubbling from behind would take notice and pluck me to the surface above. Again, no such luck.
Storms that hit the lake seemed to have two degrees, severe and horrific. Flashes of light moved in abstract streams overhead, reminding me of the elaborate spindles of tree roots. The thunder, was earth trembling and powerful; the wind current obvious by the slices of water capping overhead. The water currents at that time became strong and uncertain...a force similar to a liquid bulldozer. I concentrated with everything I could muster. If only I could float a few inches upward, the snare of my entrapment would release and I'd feel some fraction of hope.
No matter how I wriggled, no matter how I shifted, no matter what vision I chose to focus upon...Lizzy or not...nothing worked. I was cemented to the frame of the glasses and it might as well have been a pair of shackles holding me there.
I often thought of Lucas and the expression on his face as I flipped myself into the wind and dove for the lake below. I had beaten him in that particular battle, but in the end, he managed to win the war. As a result I was a prisoner, trapped below for the term of eternity without parole.
Around the fourth or fifth round of seasons, a boat became visible circling the area overhead. The humans floating above were a noisy bunch, playing loud music and laughing well into the night. Fragments of conversation carried throughout the water.
"You need to practice setting that anchor!" A man commanded. Women giggled in the background as the double sided J plunged into the depths not too far from my position.
"Do it again, until you get it right." The authoritative voice demanded from above.
Over and over again, the anchor plunged brushing the bottom.
"Practice makes perfect." The deep voice encouraged.
"How will I know I have it right?" The woman asked in a mousy tone.
"You'll just know, okay?"
The boat had drifted and was now directly above. The bottom reminded me of a gigantic whale except there was a tiny logo painted on the base. From my perspective it resembled an eye, as if a magical eye were viewing the interesting seascape below.
In a blink, the anchor was headed directly for me. It twirled as it submerged...forty five feet, thirty five feet, twenty five feet, fifteen feet, five feet...I soon realized it was about to crash into me.
A spark shot forward at the point of impact. To my confusion, the boat full of dwellers from above became riled and excited.
"We have contact!" The man shouted above the gleeful screams.
As I was being led upwards music filtered in throughout my surroundings.
In the cold mirror of
a glass
I see my reflection
pass
I see the dark shades
of what I used to be
I see the purple of
her eyes
The scarlet of my lies
Love
rescue me.
I was nearing the surface as the deck and faces shifted into view. One man stood among a crowd of bathing suit beauties. It wasn't until I was dangling above the water, that I realized the magnitude of my predicament.
And the sun in the sky
makes a shadow of you and I
Stretching out as the
sun sinks in the sea
I'm hanging by my
thumbs
I'm ready for whatever
comes
Love
rescue me.
Lucas began to chuckle...."You really didn't think I'd give up, now did you?"
My being felt a chill unlike I had ever experienced before. The intense cold was not from anything weather or water related, but the knowing that my presence was soon to be extinguished once and for all.
"Mister Wright, you seem a bit out of words! I'd think someone who was trapped for a few years below would at least show a bit of gratitude for such a brilliant rescue?"
"Carlie, would you grab a lava bottle from over there. A number four should work fine enough."
Another woman inched the rope upwards, it wasn't long before I neared the proximity of the deck. Lucas twisted the bottle open just below the narrow neck on some sort of a pivoted hinge.
"Yes this will work perfectly." Lucas said gazing at me.
"I'll only offer this opportunity once. Since you've shown yourself to be a formidable opponent..." Lucas chuckled. "Using the wind to dive from the plane above...pretty good, if you don't mind the compliment." Lucas paused full of himself.
"I'd like to offer you a position on my team!"
"Never!" I said in my most determined voice.
"Ah... I didn't think so, but I felt obligated to put the offer on the table..."
"Pull him up here and let's get this thing over with! We have a party to attend in your honor Mr. Wright. A bottle toss at the Sizzle House Nightclub is something everyone here is looking forward to. Sorry you won't be able to enjoy the festivities like the rest of us, but then again, you are the guest of honor."
"Rubber gloves?" Lucas snapped as a young woman approached placing the gloves on his well manicured human formed hands.
"Music?" Lucas snapped his fingers. "Where's the appropriate music?"
The beat began to rumble the boat as the crowd of female
demons began to sing along. Another one bites the dust...and another one
gone and another one gone, another one bites the dust...hey..
"They're playing my song!" Lucas commented through a sinister chuckle.
"How did you manage to find me?" I asked hoping to stall for a moment.
"The anchor is magnetic. It just took a bit of time and a whole lot of patience!"
Lucas clutched the rope above and began swinging the anchor towards the deck. I didn't understand the reason for the sudden look of surprise falling across the evil team; I didn't understand the way the entire ship fell into an immediate silence. At incredible speed, a large blur surfaced from below. A mouth snatched the arm of the sunglasses...the mouth belonging to what I guessed to be a fish.
"NO" echoed throughout the night as Lucas screamed in defeat. The fish pulled me away from the magnetic force. As we hit the water in a splash, my future became uncertain and the water faded black.