Tuesday, April 26, 2016

In the Middle of the Night

Last night I did something I rarely do. I got up in the middle of the night to make a meal. To do that meant getting the flashlight and going down the long path through the mangroves to get to the porch to get to the fridge to get to the food that I wanted to eat. Like that. Because I'm not together enough yet to have my cooler thing going on. And that's okay. 



Outside on the deck, I realized the tide was still full moon high. So high that I only felt safe sitting down on the deck and slipping onto the dock. The boards of the path were almost even with the water but my feet weren't getting wet. The flashlight with its bright LED lights kept me where I needed to be, and I could also see into the water. There, what was that? Inches from my foot. That movement, that...puffer fish, swimming in a tight circle, in bare inches of water? The brain doesn't compute these things sometimes. 


Until I saw the moray eel, mouth wide open and closing in. The puffer wasn't swimming, he was being swirled in the eddy of the moray, who apparently also was feeling a bit peckish for a midnight snack. 


Just in case you've never been near an open-mouthed moray eel inches from your foot
in the middle of the night? It FEELS like this for about a second.
Then the wonder strikes.
Because above is a giant moray and it wasn't really like this at all.
Except to the puffer fish, it was pretty much like this. Yeah.
The light disturbed them, breaking up the dance. Zooming away in different directions it was suddenly still again and I made my way to where I was originally going to do what I originally set out to do. But my mind was far from practicals, it was caught up in the sort of swampy ethereal world we live in, where things are going on all of the time while we sleep or dream or work or play, things we have no idea about. Moments uncaptured by pixels, this one left to roam around in my brain as a solitary night wonder. 



In the middle of the night. 


Have a tell your tale Tuesday. Do something transformative.

11 comments:

  1. Damn girl! That mangrove walkway is scary enough at low tide with the sun shining. Were you self prescribing a cardiac stress test? I guess you passed it. My encounter with a Moray eel was in the Caymans. Snorkeling down about 20' when the Moray came out of a hole in the coral, straight towards my face. I sucked in water and thought I was going to drown before I got to the surface. It gives me shivers to even look at a photo of a Moray.

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    1. Right? But it was a momrnt that had to be obeyed. I had my own encounter with one on my fishing line that wasnt quite as tramautic as yours but scary enough that seeing this one sent a definite 'oh no!!' through my spinal cord. Gald you didn't lose your face.

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  2. So how was your snack? Eel on toast?

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    1. Yes. Eel on toast with a side of puffer delight. Not ehat I planned but one must go with the god's gifts!

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  3. Sorry for all of the typos. Doing this on a phone is much less forgiving

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  4. Ah yes, Puffer Delight! A light and airy snack perfect for midnight rations on the island. I wouldn't know really, but I can imagine it, with a tot of rum to wash down the prickly parts. Perfect with friends !

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  5. That was so beautifully written...described. You do wonders to my mind and imagination. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks, Jackie. Sometimes it just takes amoray!

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  6. What part of the island do you live on?. Just name the beach you're closest to if that's alright. I'm guessing by Manzanilla

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    1. I'm actually very mid-island, leaning closer to town, but not near any beach actually (unless I'm near every beach, depending on how you look at it!).

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    2. As small as it is, ur blocks away from a beach. I spent a couple weeks at Kokomo. Wasn't êxpecting the commotion at 6 am. Keep up the updates. I'm enjoying the memories

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