I'll Die. For Now.

An immortal sinks to the bottom of the ocean.

I’LL DIE,

FOR NOW

 

I’ve died before, but this one looks to be bad.

The sun on the water fades above me. A half-ton stone chained around my throat pulls me down into the depths of the ocean.

Getting shot was easy compared to this. Took a bullet to the head in ‘57, woke up in ’65 and continued on my way.

Took six months to recover from a blade through the heart. That was back in Jesus’ time.

Died sixteen times telling people the kind of man he really was, for I met him. The church they built upon his name doesn’t find its foundations in the divine Son of God, but in a smart man and con artist.

Painful were my deaths at the hands of religious zealots, but not as painful as the thought of the eternity I would spend upon the floor of this ocean.

Fish food.

Perhaps I shall become an endless source of food to some fortunate sea dweller. Perhaps that species shall evolve around my presence. For evolution exists, I have seen it. I was a tall man once, but now I find myself with a kink in my neck looking up at the majority.

I’ve drowned before but once the oxygen found its way back into my system, I awoke again.

I dread the lack of air at the pit of my descent. Must I wait for some future explorer to stumble across me, lifeless in my chains and bring me to the surface? Or shall I wait for the oceans of Earth to dry up and spit me out.

The pressure on my lungs is immense. All the oxygen I have left escapes me in a torrent of bubbles. Not long left.

I have seen Man flourish. I have seen him rape, murder, cheat and lie to materialize his will. Each generation I passed had those who believed that he would come to his senses in some future time. Learn compassion.

But I know better, because I’ve seen worse.

As long as one man can beat another man into submission, there will be the yang of human nature.

The pressure of infinite tons of water crushes upon me and everything goes black. Not the black of the unexplored ocean, but the blackness of my life taking leave once more.

I’ve contemplated that it must be some ancient cosmic blunder that forces my body to reclaim its soul upon revival. Where in another may die and they become part of the universe, my spirit is tortured to wander the cosmos until it can find its home again.

The body is temporary and the spirit is eternal.

My body disagrees. 

I open my eyes and cough up a lung full of ocean. I’ve awoken in a puddle of water no bigger than two fallen horses. My eyes adjust to the blinding desert around me.

There are no trees, no foliage, just the towering bones of old sea giants.

I wonder, are there any humans left? 

Author's Note

Would love to know anyone's thoughts on sentence structure and overall ease of the read.

Reviews

[Woody]

I like this story a lot, Firas. I enjoyed the read tremendously.
structure-like, it looked perfect to me except for a tiny little thing: I have seen mankind flourish. I have seen him (?) rape, murder... perhaps you meant I have seen Man murder?

[FirasJanabi]

Thanks Woody. I actually did that intentionally as not to repeat the word 'man' to closely. Does it come across as a mistake however? I thought to use 'him' as the universal 'him'

[Woody]

I see what you mean. it just stopped me for a second as grammaticaly, him should replace mankind in your sentences. to my mind, him would be fine if you used the word Man first. so how about changing mankind into Man? just a thought. again this is wonderful writing.

[FirasJanabi]

That's actually a good idea. I will implement it. Thanks you!

[Woody]

pleasure :)