Sea Lion Lake

They were just finishing the short demonstration on the faux-bouldered shore of Sea Lion Lake.  The leftover herring splashed in scattered handfuls as the keepers emptied their pails.  Fur glistened over smooth muscle and the animals dove into the water, where they became gliding shadows under the surface.

The turquoise water gleamed beside the dark wet cement. So beautiful, the man thought.  Looks like something that belonged to some exotic destination like Hawaii, or the Florida Keys.  He'd never been.  

A few last minute questions were called out and answered, but the crowd was dispersing and the man pushed his way through until he was pressed against the rail.  The animals were lazily gliding back and forth across the long pool, pausing to frolic here and there.  He could just see the underwater viewing tunnel at the far end of the clear waters.  Beneath the surface, Millie and Roscoe danced to the delight of children with their faces pressed against the glass and adults dutifully documenting the experience with their smartphones.  The water looked so cool.  It called to him, and he found himself answering as if commanded.

He left his shoes and cap there on the ground.  He felt a clarity and lightness in his movements and was pleased. It was a feeling of purpose that had been rare lately.  There was a moment just before he stepped off the edge where no one noticed him.  The sun was hot on his skin, but he was cool in his secret knowledge. Soon everyone would see, he thought.  But I knew first.

Water like a cool silk sheet in summer rippled on his skin, enveloping him in filtered reality. The busy noises of a crowded public place ceased.  Blue and green light shimmered around him as he opened his eyes.  He had been a swimmer in high school and sometimes held his breath for a long time before noticing, internal alarms blaring, reminding him to breathe.  There was still time.  The habitat had been sculpted to resemble stony ocean shallows, and it was gorgeous in its simplicity as it passed beneath him.  He took in the view as he swam. The people in the tunnel were surprised to see him.  The children pressed harder, the adults scrambled in their pockets ad backpacks if they weren't already recording.  Millie and Roscoe came around to see the visitor and the man reflected that the animals seemed much larger under the water.  

His lungs burned and the warning bells rang, but he clung to the seascape replica.  Up there was not for him anymore.   He kicked away into the blue green aurora, a shadow with grace.  This is where he was meant to be.  Taking a breath wasn't as hard as he thought it would be.