I was swimming alone through a peaceful channel on a clear summer's day. Not a wave could come and shatter my calm countenance, not a cold wind could blow me down, not a turbulant tempest could thunder away my bliss. I struggled to swim in the salty seas, for my arms were failing and their frailty frightened me.
I was saved at last by the burnt remains of a broken boat. The pitch and roll of the giant hull made my stomach scream with apprehension. I longed for the solidity of shore, and each day, it seemed, passed more slowly than the last.
The crew had long abandoned the ghost of a boat, but their spirits remained in the cabins and compartments that no longer exist. They had surely burned, or maybe braved the wakeless waters. My days were spent dreaming up the dire fate in those last few days. Visions of pirates and plunders danced through my lazy dreams as I drifted along the drowsy sea.
I landed soon on some sandy shore, and my shattered ship crashed and crackled on the coral reef. The palm trees bowed and bent with the wind as if to say "Halloo!" Everything of this island screamed of peace and joy, but little did I know of the dangers awaiting. The creatures of the island, the crabs and crustaceans, the gulls and gliders, the trees and turf, came together to crown me their king.
I ruled in riches for many years as their mighty lord. I found myself to be bored by bigamy, and repulsed by the perverse pleasures of the world. I watched the sun set and felt no profound sense of mortality wash over me, as do the tides sweep into my perilous paradise day after monotonous day. Numbness beat at my chest and held my helpless heart hostage. Pain pulled my arms and hung heavily from my shirttails as I worked harder every day to find bliss in my life.
I searched daily for some deeper meaning to my dreadful existence. I knew it could be found only one place, but still I searched for something to hold onto. Oh, I should have climbed aboard some clumsy cloud and floated far above the treetops. No, I should have shed my crown and thrown out my cane. Oh God, should I have denied my rule and returned to simplicity? I died alone on that island, chasing riches and finding regret. Oh, I died alone. My love, it's true, I died alone. |
Submission Name: Rampant Royalty
