by Andrew Gates
Grey awoke to the sound of his daughters snoring.
After what felt like hours of sleep, the teacher moved his dreary head, looking around. Everyone was awake except for his girls and for some reason, everything seemed a bit brighter now. After traveling through the black void of the water, it seemed they had now entered a brighter world. A sliver of yellow light was now visible, shining from above through the window before them. Grey stared intently as the group gathered around the glass, smiling.
With every meter they rose, Grey found himself swallowing more and more to fix the change in pressure. It seemed like they were gaining speed, most likely pulled into some sort of current. As they rose higher and higher, the sliver of light grew larger and larger. The sea was no longer black, but decorated by an unusual faint color. It reminded him of Iris’s eyes, almost like a colorless void but still full of beauty.
“What is that?” Grey asked.
“Ah, you’re awake!” Iris said, turning around to greet him.
“It’s light coming from the sun,” Dan explained. “It’s making the water brighter.”
“It’s daytime?”
Iris nodded.
“Don’t worry. You’re not the only one who fell asleep. You guys were all out at one point,” Dan explained. “I stayed up and watched you.”
“No, I meant, what is that color?” Grey asked. Whatever it was, the color grew stronger and stronger as the light grew brighter and brighter.
“What do you mean?” Dan replied.
He studied it carefully.
“It’s not black. It’s… it’s something else. Something emptier, yet prettier.”
“It’s blue,” Iris answered. Apparently her hearing had improved slightly after a brief night’s rest.
“What?” Grey asked. He had never heard that word before. Apparently others had not either. Everyone still awake perked up, seemingly eager to hear more.
Iris turned around and faced her audience.
“We don’t have that color in the station,” she explained. “Everything in the station is dark, shadowy, black. We never saw it, so the word died along with it. But on the surface, people would see this every day.” She turned towards the window again. “It’s called blue, the color of water and sky.”
Suddenly things appeared differently. Up until now, the water outside looked like a dense immobile space. Now, Grey could actually see the water itself, swirling with color and light. It was as if the water formed some sort of wall and the escape pod was heading right for it.
“What’s happening?” Selena asked nervously, clearly noticing the same thing Grey saw. The escape pod began to shake heavily.
“This is it, isn’t it?” Dan asked with excitement.
The kids both woke up and started to panic. They shouted almost immediately. Grey waved to them to quiet down. They both did, though they remained scared.
“This is it!” Iris replied.
“What is happening?” Selena asked again, worried.
Grey knew what was happening, though he could hardly believe it was really true. He held on tightly to his shaky chair and looked out the glass. He did not want to miss this part.
Water splashed against the escape pod window and before they knew it, everything disappeared. Everything was quieter, calmer and brighter. For the first time in his entire life, Grey stared up at the sea above the water.
Blue, Grey thought, the color of water and sky. It’s beautiful.
For years darkness was all he ever knew. But now he saw only light.
ANDREW GATES WAS BORN AND raised in Wilmington, Delaware. He now resides in northern Virginia, but frequently revisits his hometown.
Andrew has enjoyed writing since high school, but did not start writing seriously until college. He enjoys writing anything from short stories to full-length novels. His favorite novel is The Lord of the Rings.
When he is not writing, Andrew is also an avid runner. He works for a local Virginia-based running company and participates in a variety of races from 5Ks to Marathons.
He hopes to one day share his love of running with his future dog, yet to be named.