True or False

by Deanndra Kidd (Jamaica)

A leap into the unknown Jamaica

The snick of a lock. The sound of flip-flops on sandstone tiles. Nothing…and then the sound of the waves. I threw a wary and incredulous glance over my shoulder as I ran across the sand. 17 years spent wearing the shackles of overprotectiveness: now I’d shaken them off. With exultance I raced towards the sea, stopping short when the surf kissed my toes. My last-minute trepidation wanted to have its say. I furiously chanted to myself, “The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.” I geared up with my eyes fixated unwaveringly on the horizon, then dove into the water…… and came face to face with a sea snake. I choked down a scream and swiftly retreated. I continued my explorations and happened upon a red pulsating disk on the ground. Which as I neared it, it slowly moved away. Intrigued, and in a moment of glorious stupidity, I unhesitatingly dove for it with my bare hands. I tentatively clutched the gelatinous creature then swiftly released my grasp when my arm began to tingle, watching as it slowly swam back to where it was before: it was a jellyfish. I came up for air bearing an enormous grin, finally, I’d seen something incredible. Suddenly a flash of red exploded out of the water and arced past my face flying high into the air. Fear stunned me and my eyes darted up to follow its path… to a fishing rod. There was a pavilion perched above the sea and a tourist, belied by his American accent, peevishly waved at me with a snapper at the end of his line. I felt like a mermaid and though holding a conversation with my neck constantly craned back whilst treading water to remain afloat wasn’t ideal the novelty compensated greatly: I had a completely captivated audience of one. Then…. I came across the deadlands where the sand was like tar, and protruding from it were dead fish with sightless eyes and a lamprey with its mouth open as if in a silent scream, with its body still contorted from its violent final throes. I exploded out of water gasping and spluttering for air, horrified by what I saw. I didn’t want to return, not after that… “ Don’t be a coward’” I nervously chuckled to myself “ it’s only dead fish, you eat it all the time!” With my heart clenched in the fist of an iron maiden, I dove under. The currents had grown stronger and so I desperately clung to the rope mooring the buoys to the seafloor for stability. I garnered a nasty scratch on my foot from the coral and yet I still didn’t want to leave. I waited, and then one meter away from me a manta ray slowly rose out of the sand: incredible. Near to shore, I stumbled upon a curious character by the name of SmokeyJoe. He was a local who partially made a living by selling shells he free-dived for to tourists. The hotel was private property but he explained that he’d swum from his village and underneath their barrier… It was a genius enterprise, as long he didn’t leave the water the security guards couldn’t distinguish him from the rest of the guests. I was the captivated audience this time as he regaled me with stories of diving in the open sea, seeing sharks in the distance. “Deanndra!” my father yelled from the shore. I internally winced, they’d finally found me. With the biggest smile plastered on my face, I slowly turned around and swam towards him. Eying the snorkelling gear in his hands, I looked into his rage-filled eyes, slowly pointed towards the horizon and said: “You want to see what I found?” Some of the best conversations to be had are while floating in the middle of the sea: True. I advise you to pet random jellyfish: False (really, please don’t). I suffered no more than a tingling right arm, an inevitable cold, bruised foot, and gods-awful hair: True. I’m completely brave and fearless: False. The Caribbean Sea is never the same each time you enter it: True. I was never the same after I left it: True.