The Dragon

Cheito anchored the rowboat over the expanse of white sand along the edge of the shallow reef. He put on his snorkeling gear, jumped into the water, and reached into the boat for his spear gun. The reef here was mostly bare, having been long ago picked clean by previous visitors, a few small clusters of coral here and there. Few fish swam about, all too small to spear. As he kicked along, he spotted a flash of color retreating under the sharp edge of an outcrop of bare rock. He took three deep breaths and dived ten feet down to the bottom, dropped his spear gun, and grabbed the rocky ledge with gloved hands. He pulled himself further, head down, held still and waited. Very slowly, the small eel came out of its lair. Cheito and the dragon moray regarded each other curiously, the one, attired for his brief, wonderful forays into the liquid world, the other, attired in the bright, gaudy vestments of its kind, both retreating to their familiar worlds after the brief encounter of unfamiliar beings.

Jose M. Caldas, October 9, 2013.