Nah: No, not
Hydrosome: a colony of Hydrozoa, related to jellyfish and corals
Pentachenium: A dry fruit composed of five carpels (female reproductive organs), which are covered by an epigynous calyx (ovary tube, sepal) and separate at maturity
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Shoals of tiny fish flickered above the two divers, molten scales glinting as they grouped into tightly spinning balls before scattering skittishly whenever a larger fish passed nearby. In the glowing effulgence of the early afternoon, these aquatic dogfights resembled the cat-and-mouse antics of fighter plane pilots, dancing amongst the clouds of phytoplankton.
Broad, crepuscular rays of light bathed the divers, who were busy foraging amongst the coral reef, a sprawling mass of fantastical structures and colours, rich as trees made of precious gems. Both hunting for hydrosomes, they were working apart, one delicately plucking polyps from the upper boughs, whilst the other scoured the detritus on the sea floor.
Small waterproof sacks hung from their weighted belts, each full of tiny, tentacled creatures – whose strange whose appearance was almost alien-like. Their thin, sepal like feelers groped wildly in the dark sack, shrinking as they encountered one another, then curiously probing again.
A wobbegong shark suddenly erupted from the sea bed, disturbed by the lower diver’s digging. It flicked itself free of sand then fled through the scattered dirt into the deep blue that framed the reef. Although he knew the bottom-feeder was harmless, the diver felt his heart pounding, adrenaline surging, heavy waves crashing on the shore. He tried to swallow some nervous saliva but with a mouth arid from his air supply, it sat uncomfortably on his tongue instead, thick and viscous.
As the sand slowly started to sink the diver noticed something glinting on the seabed, must have been stirred up by the wobbegong. He glided in for a closer look, a small clown fish hovering over his shoulder. There was a shallow crater where the shark had been nestled, a few inches deep and a couple of feet long. The glinting lay at the bottom of this depression, catching the sunlight that filtered through the turquoise water.
Curious, the diver started slowly scraping the sand aside. A few small shells and polished bits of rock slipped through his hands, but pulling back the silt he could feel his heart starting to race again. Metal, gleaming and unblemished, unveiled itself slowly…and it didn’t seem to stop. Faster now, the diver scrubbed some more sand away, then some more – still more metal. This isn’t possible…nah this absolutely cannot be happening…
The diver knew from the size of the reef that it was hundreds of years old; you didn’t get underwater gardens of Eden appearing overnight, it took time for calcified pentachenium to form and grow, let alone one of this size. But if that was the case, then how the hell did you explain what he had just found…? It would mean that…no, it just wasn’t possible.
Looking up, the diver could see his partner floating among the lofty spires of coral, engrossed in her work. He had to tell her…this was just crazy!
With fingers tingling and heart pounding, he kicked off from the seabed, the metal glinting through sand.
Stories On The Sofa 