Prompt: Road to Atlantis

Sherry sat in the Sunfish, bobbing gently on the surface now that the breeze had calmed. She looked around, debating the wisdom of going in alone. Well, she knew the answer, but she was still annoyed enough with Gary for blowing her off that she planned to do it anyway.

The water changed color several times a day, and right now it was Coke bottle green, clear to the bottom. The rocks that stretched out below her in a half-mile line revealed the ley line she felt thrumming through her bones. Every time she came out here to dive, the Earth’s energy filled her until she felt like she was buzzing, vibrating with power. It was as addictive as any drug, lasting for days on end, fueling her massive street murals and late night marathon studio sessions that left models falling sleep as they posed.

Sherry loved being the water anywhere around Bimini. She had come here twenty years ago as a tourist and went home only long enough to quit her ad design job and sell her place before returning for good. She lived simply and earned enough for beers and conch fritters at Ebb’s on Friday nights when there was music and dancing until way past her bedtime. Once she tapped into the ley lines’ energy, her art productivity soared, and she was sought after by the highest caliber studios in New York, Paris, Shanghai, and more. Her favorite art works were the murals she was painting throughout the streets of Alice Town and on the homes of any resident who asked for “a little color”. Her photo essays, Bimini Colors, outsold the coffee table classic, Monet Water Lillies.

She wasn’t really worried about safety. She had the Sunfish anchored, and a diver’s notice ball to float near it so any people who came along would know she was under. An experienced diver, she had plenty of face time with the occasional reef sharks and barracuda that cruised by, and she knew better than to bother any of the eels or other denizens of the area. She used her deep breathing exercises to blow out the last of her irritation; she didn’t want to amplify any negative energy when she was down there.

Pulling on her long fins and tossing the diver’s ball over the side to announce her presence, Sherry leaned backwards into the easy roll she preferred to enter the water. It was cool enough to shock her system into full alertness, but she could already feel the buzz of energy warming her skin and muscles. Treading water, she settled her mask and snorkel before her usual three deep breaths and folding into a deep dive.

She had spent months working her way along the ley lines. The power seemed concentrated over the celebrated “Road to Atlantis”, the shaped stones that many considered a road or wall from a long-buried civilization. Sherry found the energy changed tone almost as much as the water changed color. In fact, as she leveled out over the broad stones, she slapped her head with the realization that they must be connected. Of course!

Trying to grasp the implications of that understanding, Sherry missed the first shift in the energy’s current. She looked around through the aqua water—

Wait, it had been green just a moment ago. She had never seen it change in an instant like that. She glanced down at the algae-covered stones and recoiled upward. They were gleaming white, sharp-edged, fit together perfectly as far as she could see through the water. Sherry spun around, trying to orient herself. Where was her fluorescent orange anchor line? She looked up, and her Sunfish was nowhere to be seen. Panic flooded her system with adrenaline, draining her oxygen reserves. She tilted upright, preparing to push herself toward the surface when she saw him.

TBC perhaps (I know, I’m such a tease :)

Dogs in house:	Houdini
Music:	Miloš Karadaglić, Pasión
Time writing:	~40 minutes, interrupted
May word count:	15,191