The view from a diving bell

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Photo prompt © Ayr/Gray

The view from a diving bell

Dear Edward,

I’ve been reading about hearts. I’ve got time for reading now. Since you left. Did you know that the blue whale’s heart is as big as a small room? That worms have eleven hearts? That single-cell bacteria have none, just fluid, sloshing around? Inside, we’re all churning.

But I haven’t just sat around reading and moping about how you brought me here to this god-forsaken place and then left. You’d be surprised how I’m getting on with things. Who’d have thought I’d end up here, twenty metres underwater? 

No, don’t worry, this isn’t a suicide letter. I decided to try something new. And underwater salvage operations are proving to be a wonderful distraction from the disappointments of life. 

Being down below gives a whole new perspective on things. Trust, for instance—I have to trust this lump of metal to protect me. Teamwork for instance—we have to work things out together. Loyalty, for instance—we look after one another.

And then there’s the octopus. We watch him through the plexiglass. He hovers nearby and we know he’s also watching us. Working out if we’re friend or foe. Did you know octopuses have three hearts? And a brain in each tentacle? Did you know they can prise open containers to build shelters and escape confinement?

I imagine our octopus prising open this capsule, wrapping its tentacles around me, squeezing until my heart explodes.

Not that this could happen. Of course not.

Yours from a cold, dark place,

Evelyn

***

This is my 250 word story for The Unicorn Challenge, hosted by Jenne Gray and C.E. Ayr. 

Like my MC, I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, and finding many things to ooh and aah about. Hearts and diving bells and octopuses – fascinating. I must say that the essay ‘Joyas Voladoras’ by Brian Doyle is worth filing away and revisiting. Beautiful language, beautiful ideas. The concept of us all ‘churning inside’ is his. I stole it. So now I’m acknowledging it.

And yes, I checked. The plural of octopus is not octopi. It’s octopuses, or for the etymology pedants among us – octopodes, as per its Greek origins. Also, while I’m thinking of cephalopods, there’s this little miracle. I think calamari might be off my menu from now on.

Below is a little video about diving bells. Did you know they were first described by Aristotle in the 4th century BC? I read that, too.

15 thoughts on “The view from a diving bell”

    • I’m more knowledgeable about the angst part than the scientific part I must confess. I was fascinated myself by what I learned as I googled around with this. And not too much angst, mind you, probably about as much as the rest of the human race. I’m so glad you liked this, C.E. Thank you.

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  3. Perfectly played out, Margaret.

    Your timing is perfect as well. We just watched a documentary about octopuses. What fascinating creatures! Over time, they began to trust the people filming them and eventually became friends, inviting them to their secret places and allowing physical contact. It was lovely.

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  4. hokey smoke!

    nothing like a killer opening.

    And…and! its not just the art of brevity. (A skill I have filed under: Someday. Maybe)

    It’s the internal rhythm of the first three sentae* damn!

    while the books on how to write good love to talk about keeping it brief, like music, I suspect some have ‘an ear’ for this quality of words.

    I was stopped.

    (And it’s the best kind of ‘stop’… not a surprise stop where you look around for something you overlooked, its more, a stop that allows meaning, perhaps pushed to the back as we Readers think we got it figured out, that then reveals itself, gaining volume and strength as we connect to parts of ourselfs

    this level of writing is where I hope to get to someday

    *not a ‘real’ word

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    • Oh, Clark. What a wonderful response. I’m blown away. Sometimes the words just come together, it seems, all by themselves.

      I’m like you, trying to take on board all the advice of the ones who know ‘stuff’ about writing, and to put it into practice. Every now and then you pick up a tip that helps, because something about it resonates with the way you think or like to write. It’s all a bit mysterious, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it just doesn’t, sadly. So when it does, it’s just lovely to have feedback such as your comment here. Thank you.

      And ‘sentae’? Great word. 😊

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  5. This is just brilliant, Margaret.
    I have a very satisfying mental picture of ‘Edward’ squirming as she delivers blow after understated blow.
    A story of pain and hurt and survival all seamlessly wrapped up in information about the octopus.
    Beautifully and expertly done, Margaret.

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    • Yes – Edward. Long may he squirm. I was considering reversing the genders in this, just to be non-sexist and because I was wary of the ‘woman wronged by a selfish man’ cliche. But I just don’t think it would have worked. Hopefully by putting her in a diving bell I balanced the sexism. Haha. 

      Anyway, thank you for your great comment. So glad you liked it. And aren’t octopuses amazing? I never knew until I started googling around as I worked on this story.

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