94 CHAPTER 93 DROWNING

It was cold. 

It was calm. 

Serenity can define it better. 

Yes, that should define it. The peace was alluring and the darkness too insidious to pass without mending the heart with its grace. It stretched through every side, blending with the coolness of nothing. Who could have thought he would attain this peace in this life? The trouble had been overwhelming. They had eaten deep into his soul that for a time; he thought he was going to lose his mind to the evil that had plagued the world. But that was all passed now. He was at peace again. He was at peace. Every part of his body embraced this tranquility, it would have been difficult for it not to. He wants to remain here for as long as he can. He wants to spend the rest of his days in this…Wait, but where am I?

Ham opened his eyes to the blue world. Just then he realized that he was not breathing. Not that he didn't want to, but because the environment was not structured for him to breathe and there was no air. He looked around, but blue water stretched in all sides until they were lost in the far sides, as far as his eyes could see. What had happened and why was he in this place? The thought would not form as hard as he tried. Everything in his head seemed to be blank.

He looked upwards just in time to see a yellow, white glow that had started to blink at the apex of the water. That seemed to propel his feet and his hands as he started reaching for it. The more he swam towards the light, the more it seems as if he would never reach it. The light was moving away from him. But why?

Ham continued to swim towards the light despite the odd. Something in him told him that the light was his only source of survival and that he must reach for it if he wanted to remain alive.

Each stroke kept propelling his body towards the light, but after some time, a burning sensation started heating his body. The coldness of the water that surrounded him did little to the sweltering sensation that was threatening to detach his hands and legs from his body. 

Air. His lungs cried as they contract and retract. His body was failing him and he knew. All his systems seemed to be yelling at him as he continued to push forwards towards that single light at the apex. Try as hard as he could, the light was too far away. Unable to continue, his swimming stroked reduced until they came to an abrupt stop. His feet, too, were too fatigued to kick. Ham struggled, but that was not enough. He gave up trying after what seems to be an eternity. Just then his ascent changed its course to a decent, and he was enveloped in total darkness.

The darkness was welcoming. Their serenity could not pass undetected. The peace and coldness also made him want to wax in its comfort. Yes. He would love to remain here and spend the rest of his life without the pain of the world. His entire body would love to spend the rest of their lives in this peace that had held him in their abode. There were no hurtful feelings here. It was just him and the darkness which stretched into the distance as far as the eyes could see. This place was great…but wait a minute.

Ham opened his eyes. Bubble arose around him as the realization struck his mind that he was still in the water which stretched towards every side. But for the fishes which swam on every side, nothing seemed to have changed in the blue water. A sense of deje vu churned his stomach. This had happened before. He had been in this place before. Something said in the back of his head. 

A rich yellow, white light blinked at the apex of the water and Ham elevated his head towards the light. Without giving thought a stay on his actions, he reached for the light, this time more rapidly and eagerly. No matter how hard he tried, the more he swam, the farther away the light becomes. He was choking again, and his hands and feet were burning. His lungs too.

Ham stretched as the agony enveloped him and carried him into that peaceful darkness. 

It was calm here, and peaceful. The problem of the world was…

Ham opened his eyes. The blue world stretched as far as he could see. Nothing stood for miles, just the face of the water which engulfed him.

What is this place? Ham grunted. Where was he, and why did he keep dying and resurrecting? What was happening to him?

He looked around just in time to see the yellow, white light that was at the apex of the water. He didn't reach for it this time. Instead, he turned his attention away from the apex of the water, and to his surprise, he found a fish staring at him. No, it wasn't a fish. It was a shark, twice the side of a two-story building, with black shades and white strips on the sides and belly. Its eyes were dark and soul-piercing but the teeth were as white as the light of the sun which was shimmering into the waters.

Ham wanted to swallow the fright but restrained himself. He was in the water and one silly mistake could drown him. He had not seen a shark before in his life, aside from the movies. Even though he had dreamt to see one, one day, his current situation was not what he had envisioned the day to be like. It would have been a thing of joy if he had seen the shark while standing on the other side of a beach, taking pictures and smiling with his friends.

Some bubbles swerved around the shark in a friendly manner. It was advancing, making its way towards Ham. The boy tried to swim backward, not knowing exactly what he was going to do since he was unarmed and clueless.

That must have angered the shark. It had narrowed its eyes and was swimming towards him in a magnificent grace. 

Run. A voice screamed in Ham's head. He didn't wait for the voice to repeat itself. Adrenaline was already surging his body as he turned to the opposite end on the water and started swimming with all his might. His lungs were already burning for air, and he knew that it was just a matter of time before he drowns in the water.

Something caught his legs. Something cold and rigid. He turned his attention and was surprised when he noticed that half of his thighs were buried in the mouth of the Shark. Horror and fright filled him as a stinging pain covered his body, swerving blood that blended with the blue waters. He tried to pull free, but the jaws of the shark were just too powerful for him. It will not even bulge.

Ham cried from the pain. He was trapped. There was nowhere to go. His lungs were already collapsing and the teeth of the shark were holding him firmly. Perhaps this was the end, perhaps this was how his life was meant to be.

He struggled again but gave up the idea when water started slipping into his nostril and mouth. They were choking him, taking him back to that darkness that was peaceful and calm.

Nothing stood for miles. Just oblivion. The darkness this time was so thick that they could be cut into two with the sharp edge of a kitchen knife. The peace was an irony. It was as if they were mocking him. Everywhere had that mockery in their voice. 

Ham swallowed, afraid to open his eyes. Afraid to return to the world where he might either be hunted by a shark or drown in the water. He just wanted to remain here. In this useless darkness, that would stop at nothing but to mock him.

Something nudged his nostril. He could say what it was, but horror enveloped his body when he finally opened his eyes. As he had suspected before, he was in the blue water, holding his breath. The light of the sun was still hanging on the apex, and the dark eyes of the shark were still staring at him at the far end. Not wanting to drown or get beaten by a shark. Ham started swimming. He hadn't swum to towards the sun or the shark; he had swum downwards, to the bottom of the sea or ocean.

The shark was hot on his trail, but Ham tried to ignore it. He kept on swimming downwards until he finally reached the dark bottom of the sea. Looking around, he found a small rock seating not too far from him. Without thinking, he reached for the rock, hoping to use it as a defense against the shark that had almost gotten to him.

His hands touched the rock, and he tried to pull it out from the bottom of the ocean. To his dismay, the rock would not bulge. He tried and tried, yet nothing seemed to be happening. It took a moment for him to realize that the red object was not a rock. It was actually some kind of button buried on the floor of the ocean.

Not knowing what else to do. He pushed the red button and a huge vibration echoed through the ocean.