The man that was once blooming with life mere minutes ago, now drowns with anguish as he desperately flails his arms to the gentle waves below him. Unable to look back he continues onwards, taking shelter to one his biggest fears, the ocean.

”How could this have happened!?,” he thought to himself. But alas the screams of his most trusted could be heard from the distance, as he paddles into anywhere but where wanted. The man kept paddling, without an ounce of humility or sorrow for them and his decision. The only thing he had was fear and paranoia of it coming for him. Knowing that it will eventually come for him.The only moment of shame or grief he felt during that time, was the final scream he heard, but it wasn't a scream for help nor was it filled with suffering. It was a shout of malice towards the man, and though this shout could barely be heard and mixed in with the rest of the screams, he knew it was for him. It was then silent, but thankfully the only sounds that could be heard were his thoughts, the continuous paddling, and the consuming waves beneath him.

The man continued onward without looking back for a couple hours, unable to shake the feeling that they’re still looking for him. Eventually his fear of them couldn’t match the weight of his continuous drizzling sleep that he wanted. And so he fell asleep while paddling from everything. After some time, the man woke up only looking at the sky above him. Seemingly he had forgotten everything that had happened, but that was short lived as the one the waves gently slapped his face. He finally grasped himself, but not enough as he started to panic for he dropped his paddles into the sea.

Now he floats, as the waves next to him steer his course. The man cursed out loud to himself as if it was native language. He desperately looks around his shabby little boat, but to no avail he couldn’t find his two saviors. He then looked at the ocean, now noticing it for the first time. As he tried to study the ocean for the paddles, he understood what he had now done.

The man gets sick, and almost throws up. He tenses at his situation. He now has to deal with one problem after another. Another problem that he put in… again. But as the coward he is, he decides that ignoring it will fix it. And so the man lies down on the wooden boat, barley fitting it, and looks at the sky that is above him. So he decides to not deal with anything, including his hunger, his thirst, his lack of a plan, and his survival. He does this for a couple of hours until the sky that was once below him, is now under him. He shuts his eyes for a split second as if all his fear were gone in that split second.

Then when his eyes opened, all his fears flushed right back at him. The waves had now consumed the sky. And not only that, the sounds of IT were being heard by the man. And so the man had to choose which fear wanted to confront or rather to get imbibed by. He decides that he deserves worse to happen to himself because of his own lack of decision created by fear. So the man allowed the most hellish distress to happen to him. And so he drowned.

(Author: hoped you somewhat enjoy it, this was quite literally the first story I’ve ever made)