Chapter 2
Steve
Steve was bored.
Not that he has ever had much to do anyway. All that is there to do is eat, sleep, swim and occasionally hide. Swim away from colder climates and storms. Avoid water poisoned with various things. Only instincts are needed. But when he is in the middle of deep sea where there is hardly any living thing there is nothing to get occupied with.
The thing about Steve is that he is one of a kind. He really doesn't know what Steve means either. Is that what he is? It's just a sound ?Word (actually he doesn't know any words) he associate himself with since his early days. As far as he can remember he was swimming in the ocean. He is like all the others in the sea in that matter. Except there is no other fish that's quite like him.
He is sure he has swam longer distances than any other fish. He has gone so far that he keeps coming across similar landscapes again and again. But he never saw something similar to him.
Of course his tail end is like just any other fish tapering down to a pair of fins. But his front is whole another story. His front limbs ?hands are not even optimal for swimming and are very long. Most different thing is his head as he has seen in his reflection.
He is very big too. Big enough that most predators hardly make any attempt to catch him. May be he doesn't look edible. He could never know.
Steve doesn't know why he is the only one. Maybe the rest are all dead. He is not very bothered by being alone all the time as he hardly stays at one place for a long time anyway.
Wherever he goes the humans dwelling on the land always interest him. Steve has had closer looks to enough alive and dead humans that he knows their upper body is very much like Steve. Of course he has gills, large flattened ears and webs between fingers. Humans also have a very rich diversity. Still the resemblance is always there. Time to time Steve spots ones that are so similar up to the colour and length of hair he might as well be looking at a reflection.
So humans make him curious. They are easy to find. They cluster around coastlines in warm season swimming and diving. They also get on those vessels that go across the water or fly above. Most things they do are very fascinating to see.
Only thing you need to be careful about when watching humans is keeping the distance. Avoiding them if they are here for killing fish or each other. Getting caught in a fishnet is a mistake you make only ones. But getting burned or injured trying to pull humans out of things is something Steve tends to repeat. Not that there is anybody to point that out.
But right now Steve is in the middle of deep sea where hardly anything happens and is very very bored. That's when he spotted a very big vessel going who knows where. It's the kind that carries a lot of humans that always cluster at its edge watching sea. Steve knows from experience. So he let go of the lethargy and made a run/swim towards it.
Stevewas staying under water as it was still daytime. He can't go to the surface or he'll be spotted. You never get spotted or humans inevitably start screaming.
Things going on were the usual. It seems even humans are now failing to impress him. So Steve kept circling it listening to nonstop chatter coming from above. Then he noticed a round of light below the level of water; not something very common. He could see the interior which was brightly lit and full of colours.
There was the strangest thing inside it. He first thought it was a dead human. Then no; one of those inanimate objects humans craft to resemble themselves?. No again. It's actually alive real human even though he was so still and pale. Eyes not focused anywhere. Barely breathing.
The man was sitting sideways, most of his face is covered in hair and shadows. Only eyes visible. Eyes big and of the colour of the sky but lifeless. Steve had the strangest urge to get a closer look. Without even thinking he has gone towards the window and was pressing his palms to it looking at the human.
He was so careless he made the mistake of getting spotted again.
Or may be not. The man's eyes flickered ones but he didn't do anything to think he had seen Steve. Maybe he can't see outside. He simply kept still.
But Steve can't be too careful so he backed off and went away. He can investigate later.