In Case You've Wondered

My blog is where my wandering thoughts are interspersed with stuff I made up. So, if while reading you find yourself confused about the context, don't feel alone. I get confused, too.

If you're here for the stories, I started another blog: scratchingforchange.blogspot.com

One other thing: sometimes I write words you refuse to use in front of children, or polite company, unless you have a flat tire, or hit your thumb with a hammer.

I don't use them to offend; I use them to embellish.

jescordwaineratgmail.com

Thursday, September 29, 2011

The Object

It was around 7:30 pm on a summer evening. I had made my first rounds of the evening and was headed back to the shop to work on safety equipment. The wind was light out of the southeast and the Gulf was a tranquil emerald green.

As I walked across the catwalk, movement in the south caught my eye. I stopped, spent some time examining what caught my attention, and within moments, felt the hair stand on the back of my neck. Whatever it was, it was big and moving under the surface towards the platform.

The circular object appeared to be around a hundred feet in diameter and was a silvery gold that shimmered in the late evening sun. Since it was right beneath the surface, the small waves prevented me from seeing any detail. One thing I did know: it was moving fast and would be at the platform shortly.

As I examined the object, I tried to determine what it could be. Was it a some type of secret military submarine, or was it extraterrestrial?  My curiosity turned to apprehension and then to fear. I thought of trying to alert the crew, but soon realized there wasn't enough time. I stayed where I was and waited. It was moments away.

When it arrived, I braced myself by tightly grasping the handrail on the catwalk.  It passed between the platforms, so I had a ringside view. It was fish. A huge school of moon fish that swam in a chaotic ball of motion, which kept predators at a distance. They passed silently through the water right below the surface. In less than a minute, they moved to where the light couldn't catch their silvery scales and were gone.

That was the only time I saw moon fish. I don't know if that was a migration, or a rare occurrence. I do know that I was in the perfect place to see the school as they passed. If they had passed a few hundred feet on either side, my tale would have a different ending.

3 comments:

  1. We used to go to Seaworld almost every other week. Never could see it all in one day. So when I found one of the indoor aquarium displays with this HUGE school of herring (I think they were herring), all swimming in a ball.... I sat down on the bench right in front of them and the next thing I knew, H was jiggling my shoulder, telling me it had been 4 hours already and he was ready for dinner.
    I wish I'd seen the moonfish.

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  2. I miss the nature part of working offshore. I saw schools of leopard rays, some huge sharks and was really upset when I missed the whale a helicoptor pilot spotted. He said it was only a few miles south of the living quarters, and I probably would have been able to see it.

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  3. "USO"? Unidentified Swimming Object? Cool story!

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