Ridge

  Sliding out of bed, I pass along the same groove of mud that I always do. Acknowledging my neighbors and their families can be troublesome at times. It takes effort to poke out of my shell and nod my head as all of the others easily do. They know I'm different, they all can see the way my shell curves and patterns in a unique way. They see the color of the underbelly and the turquoise covering shell. I am alienated from the watershed, I have no family from where I live to the ocean.
Once, Gorduis slurped from his trench and charged me from the left, leaving Bluisip to slowly approach from the back. My reaction to Gorduis and his partner was slow and calculated. They had come in at the same level, about one inch above my shell level. I simply floated upward before they could close in. It was a success.
I spend most of my time floating out near the Lucid cliff.
About forty feet from the edge of the watershed, a shelf of volcanic rock extends into the water. Within the area around the rock, the water seems move in perfect time. I see extensions and bulges in the rock. No one can swim long or fast enough to surprise me here. One thing about my individuality is that I can swim at a faster speed. Compared to predators, of course, I am inferior. But amongst my cousins, I thrive. Life can groove nicely when lived alone. Life can also not groove without communication.
The rock wasn't always in its current place. The earth slid down in a warm and steaming way, piling upon the ocean floor. The nature of the seafloor before the abhorrent earth came was of a pair of cliffs that faced one another other. This was the channel that provided a bridge between the ocean and the watershed. As the rock climbed above the level of the sea, a sense of confusion fell over the community.
Over time, nature proved itself useful. Families were separated, then formed. Ecosystems were interrupted, and reformed. Culture and interaction have experienced new life, and matured. We have recreated the structure needed to efficiently project our thoughts and emotions through something tangible. It is a successful place.
Though this is true, I miss the feeling of family. Oneness with in life is important. It is where joy lives. Life in the lake is adequate for housing my existence, but I long for community.
So I play alone. I swim in curious circles. I bump into the warm rock and understand its grooves. I give life to things that I only imagine could happen beneath the earth. It is the happiest place of my tangible life.
It is hard to sleep in the nest. Neighbors have proven to be unusual at night. Can't have good rest when I'm as curious as the night around me. So I don't usually enjoy sleep.
When I was young, long before the ridge was filled, my shell would fill with imagination at night. I would roll and twist in the cloud of existence. Moment, by moment. I cleared my head and simply existed with myself. It felt as if I was not alone though. I felt as if I was only within. Nothing more. I was within, and without. I existed for the sake of understanding my world.
That was when I had good sleep.
Now I only appear to sleep. I have no one to protect me, so I can't rest. Just as I was full before, I am empty now.
I have decided that I will not sleep in the nest tonight. I am going to nest in the water near the cliff.
Mindfully, I am making my way toward the cliff. I am here. I am going to rest before exploring tomorrow.

I cannot sleep here either! I have risen my head from the shell and heard a noise. Such an unusual sound, the night must always prove itself curious. I have always been interested in night and day, the way the sun balances the moon. But I have gone out of thought path. The sound.
That curious noise. I could swear it is asking for me. Something about the groove of the sound and the way it enters me. I haven't felt this emotion for many years. The sun and moon have juggled many unique days and nights since I crossed paths with this feeling last. It is here now though, as if it had never left. I wonder where it has been.
As I listen, the earth is beginning to shake. Only the new earth in the ridge was trembling. It is going! It is going, and floating!
Where is it going? It is fogging and dissolving. The noise is getting louder.
My shell is vibrating in the moment.
The earth has dissolved.
I now see what the noise is coming from. It is a large black friend. It has decided to come toward me. I am feeling drawn away from him but he is staring directly in me. His glance is calming, and I am now present in front of him. Eye to eye, we are examining one another.
I have examined the body. I am now looking into the eye of my new friend. I can't help but feel some affinity with the reflection. I understand that someone else is looking back at me, I don't feel that in the watershed. My friend has gently released her high noise again and soothed my ears and mind. I have found my friend. Suddenly, I am dancing in my shell. We have decided to swim and dance together for a while.
I think it will prove a good decision to swim curiously in this familiar water.