Dead fish don’t float to the surface, they sink. But this one didn’t.
So odd, this whole, inert fish, carried on gentle waves day after day and like cooked under the constant sun. Yet no bird, no predator
no fisherman wanted it
confused by its presence, unsettled by it
and distrustful of the illness- or bad omen-carrying fish.
One simple fishing boat, a wooden carcass damaged by time but reliably out to sea every morning, circles it. Cautious, scientific approach. Attentive observation.
Sometimes, a stick
to poke it. But the fish doesn’t move, nor is its flesh damaged by this. It simply
sinks a little lower into the water, but then rises back up, shinier than before under the blazing sun.
Underwater, a mermaid is drawn to the source
of the shadow cast on the ocean floor.
Corals and algae bow down, folding in on themselves.
Even the sea seems to have grown quieter these days,
like reticent to wash
the dead fish up on shore.
It remains there, a guardian of its spot, not to be disturbed.
Soon, the entire ocean
becomes plagued by the presence of this ominous, ever-intact fish. The anomaly displaces
the creatures inhabiting its realm, until a radius of emptiness around the dead fish is formed.
Once no creature can hear it, a crisp sizzling ignites, and the fish begins to disintegrate, an acid burning originating within itself and thoroughly decomposing its every particle into the water. No witness to this but the sun. In seconds, it is gone.
But now, who will return?
About the Author
Nilay works in the film industry as a script supervisor by day and as an English editor by night. She is the Poetry Editor for Paloma Magazine.
About the Artist
Sammy is an artist and writer in Chicago, IL. Born and raised in Troy, MI, she does freelance work as a creative and is reachable via email sammloree@gmail.com. Updates on her work and commission openings can be found on her Instagram @samloreeart.
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