here i am;

out in the deep sea.

idle dusty waves curl inward;

similar to torn edges of grainy paper.

the night stars refuse to guide the way;

somehow causing the pitch-black water to appear even darker. 

and salt metastasizes throughout the chilly air;

rushing strands of tawny-colored hair in front of my shoulders.

i shakingly stand on the bow of a boat;

desperately peering into the eerie gray. 

suddenly, the various ships anchor themselves in the lifeless body of water;

as their passengers’ empathetic stares smolder my skin.

rays cast by the vessels gradually cease gliding along the murky surface;

landing on a particular area in the ocean.

anguish smothers my face,

as i painfully suffocate from the inside out. 

i glance down at the kid-size captain’s hat dangling from my hand;

and then i shift my focus to the tiny body bobbing along the slight ripples of water.

my eyes widen,

as the hat falls from my grasp;

there he is;

my brother.