Such Commotion For One Dead Lady

I watched her as she sank underneath the water’s surface. She looked pretty again, not so flat as just after her fall. She had looked very much like something that needed unfolding then. Now, she was a blooming flower, the pink petals of her afternoon dress opening up around her dot of a head as the dress’s weight dragged her deeper. It was the most beautiful sight in some time. The gloom of the winter had governed the last weeks on board and I was glad I finally was allowed to see something so serene and colourful. Only now, looking at the waves, I realised the water’s colour seemed different. It had changed from inky blackness of home to almost turquoise. That was why she was allowed to glow in the depth of the sea with such intensity making me jealous and pining for a similar dramatic exit from this life. Not now of course, but some day.

Suddenly, the serenity of the moment was broken. “Man over board,“ the shout seemed to come out of nowhere. The alarm startled me. I had not expected such commotion over one dead lady. For, I was certain of her condition. I was pushed aside as more people joined the growing crowd on deck. I still tried to tell them that they would not find her. My voice ineffectively small against the agitated babbling. Adults, how clueless they were. I wished I would not have to grow into one of them. Several men had bound ropes around their waists and were jumping in behind her. But she was beyond their reach now. The sea had become restless all of a sudden and I was undoubtedly sure I had seen her body swallowed by a worm of the deep. Good for it, I thought, it deserved such a treat from time to time. I went to the other side, settled on a spot where I would not be disturbed and began observing the storm clouds gathering in the distance.