Eron shot through the rippling water.

He kicked and propelled himself downward. The sun above beaming thinning tendril rays towards him through the water as he dove towards the floor.

The pressure built in his ears and nostrils, the air in his lungs seeming to gain weight as he approached the blue sand.  As he moved closer to the rocks and coral, the sand puffed up in micro-bursts and Eron caught glimpses of gold and silver in the dust as the weakened light caught floating flecks.

Sea grass waved languidly at him, and schools of tiny fish burst from hidden crevices and coral covered hideaways.  Eron scanned for non-native items while mildly curious crabs watched him from atop slimy-looking rocks.

A hint of purple caught his eye, and Eron glided slowly towards it, careful not to overshoot his mark. The pressure built inside of him, and Eron knew his time below the surface must soon conclude.

Eron brushed sand from around the purple item, uncovering the rest of the object.  He grasped it in his hand as several errant bubbles escaped his lips.

Eron turned, positioning his feet on the cool blue sand.  He bent his knees, then shot upwards towards the wavy pale ball above.

He broke the surface, and inhaled deeply.  He tread, head barely above the surface, then swiveled, seeking the shore.

Once Eron found his bearings, he swam vigorously towards the sun-scorched sand.

Erons feet sloshed through the ankle deep memories of great waves, then his feet left ghostly imprints on cool wet sand, before closing the distance on a small bag sitting next to a metal pail painted with seashells.

Eron tossed the purple object into the bucket, then retrieved a water bottle from the bag.  He took a long drink from bottle, exhaling a satisfied “ah” as the draught quenched his thirst.

Eron placed the bottle back in the bag, then turned back towards the waves.

On his next scavenge, Eron found nothing.  When the air in his lungs was exhuasted, he returned to the beach, pausing only long enough to replenish the oxygen.  He did not drink from the bottle, feeling that he had not earned the refreshment.

His next dive yielded better results. His prize this time, was of a curious yellow color, which found its way to the pail after he surfaced.

His subsequent dives were successful as well, and soon Eron found the pail filling with colorful trinkets.

Eron lunched when the pail was half full, rewarding his treasure hunting efforts with an apple and more fresh water from the bottle.

Eron found his energy waning with each subsequent dive afterwards.  He found that he stayed beneath for slightly less time each dive, and also that his success rates in recovering treasure, diminished.

When three consecutive dives yielded nothing, Eron knew the days dives were complete.

He strode back to the bag and pail, the baking sun almost instantly evaporating the beads of water on his back as he walked.

Eron sat, then looked into the bucket, satisfied with his work as he smiled at the colorful rings, confident that he had retrieved them all.

Humbly Yours,

J