Chapter 1 #2
The odd man turned and Foster could have sworn
he saw something flashing in the guy’s eyes, before they turned
back to that magnificent emerald green. “Yes?”
Swallowing and then clearing his throat, Foster
asked, “Why haven’t I seen you on the ship before? It isn’t that
big a one.”
Smiling, Zotol replied, “Because I didn’t join
on until the lighthouse. Now hurry up, or you might miss the shark
feeding.”
Foster gasped, “Really? I didn’t know we were
doing that. I thought we were going to fish.”
“Well, there is fishing and there is
fishing. The Captain figured that since you didn’t care if
you caught anything and expressed such a great interest in seeing
some sharks, we figured that it might be nice to toss some fish in
and see what we could see.” Zotol said, then left the room.
Not wanting to miss anything, especially if it
entailed sharks, Foster rushed into his bathroom and did his
business, then after washing his hands, he quickly made his way to
the deck. Sure enough, the two hands Foster had met when he first
got on board were shoveling what looked like a bucket of bloody
water with chunks in it off the side of the boat.
“Hey, Jimmy. Hey, Nick, is that chum? Are you
guys chumming the water?” Foster asked excitedly.
Nodding, Jimmy turned and smiled. “That we are,
young Foster. You asked to see sharks and we are here to bring them
to you.”
Foster rushed to the side of the boat and looked
down. The chum gave splotches of a reddish hue to the waves, and
more was added as Nick dumped what was left of the bucket into the
sea. The Captain calling out, “Coming from the stern. Sharks
ahead.”
Foster immediately turned to look at the water
at the back of the boat, and sure enough, there were three fins
coming their way. “Oh wow,” Foster whispered in awe.
It didn’t take long for the sharks to get to
their prize and begin eating their treat. Foster smiled, “That one
with the long pectoral fins... you see it. It’s a blue shark. They
call it that because of the deep-blue color on top and the lighter
blue sides.” Pointing at another, he said, “And that one there. The
metallic blue one with the elongated tail is a short fin mako. Oh
wow, they are absolutely beautiful.”
Foster was so engrossed in what he was doing, he
didn’t notice when Zotol came to his side and spoke, “Simply
gorgeous.”
“Yeah they are. I can’t believe I’m getting to
see them so close up.” Foster said, not taking his eyes off the
sharks, especially since three more had arrived to feed.
“I meant you, Foster. That smile and the way
your entire life force lights up... you are simply one of the most
gorgeous men I’ve ever come across.” Zotol said, and when Foster
felt his face heat, the man quickly said, “Don’t get me wrong. I am
a very happily married man. I just was making an observation. You
really are enthralled with these animals.”
Nodding, Foster replied, “They are amazing
creatures and such an important part of our ecosystem. Without them
out there cleaning the waters and keeping things like sea turtles
from overpopulating the ocean, it would be a disaster. To imagine
something so alone in the world to have such purpose in life...
well, let’s just say I wish I could be that important to just one
person, let alone an entire world.”
Zotol raised a brow, asking, “Really?”
Nodding, Foster watched as some of the sharks
disappeared, softly saying, “Did you know that sharks have survived
over five mass extinctions?”
“No, I didn’t.” Zotol replied.
Foster continued. “Well, they did. They even
survived the one that killed the dinosaurs, yet because of man
wanting them for soup, destroying our environment, and so many
other factors many shark species are highly threatened with
extinction. The sad thing is that people don’t understand just how
important a shark is to all of us. Not just because they keep our
oceans clean, but because of everything we’ve gained from them
being in existence to begin with.”
“Is that so?” Zotol asked, sounding
interested.
“Oh yes. Sharks have helped man design cars,
water crafts and other things, but not just that. Did you know that
sharks bring in over three hundred million dollars a year to those
that live on land and have created over ten thousand jobs? Take
this charter boat we’re on. People like me go to them just to get
closer to the sharks, and then you have locations that offer people
the opportunity to swim with sharks and just observe them.” Foster
replied, knowing he sounded wistful, but couldn’t hide the fact
that he really wished he could be one of those that got to go deep
in the ocean and flow next to such a powerful beast.
“This is your greatest wish? You fantasize of
this often?” Zotol asked.
There was nothing else Foster could do, but nod
as he watched the last of the sharks disappear.
“Your wish is my command.” Zotol said as he
raised his hands.
Foster turned in question to Zotol, seeing how
the man stood there with his arms held high and eyes closed,
muttering something he couldn’t hear. The skies turned dark and the
waves grew high. The Captain shouted out, “Foster get below!”
As Foster went to do as the Captain asked, he
heard the Captain over the loudspeaker, “All hands on deck! All
hands on deck!”
A large wave that had to be at least fifteen
feet, hit the boat and knocked Foster down. When the water started
receding, Foster felt himself being pulled back and did what he
could to hold onto anything around him, but there wasn’t anything
stable enough for him to grip. Another large wave hit and covered
Foster, pulling him further to the edge. Foster gripped the side of
the boat as hard as he could, but the next wave lifted him from the
boat and pulled him deep into the churning waters. Holy shit! He
was overboard!