Ludwig
1505 Words
As Ludwig began to regain consciousness, he found himself in a confined space.
His body was curled, unable to stretch, with smooth and delicate surfaces on both sides pressing tightly against him, yet he could feel their unyielding hardness.
The space above his head and below his feet was narrow, shaping a shuttle-like form. More than that, it truly did spin and shuttle like a shuttle.
Ludwig felt as if he had been placed in a washing machine - though he had no knowledge of what a "washing machine" was or how he knew the term, he simply did - he was spinning so vigorously that he felt nauseated, yet he could not bring himself to vomit.
His consciousness was hazy; his mind swayed and dipped, yet he still endeavored to make an effort to steady himself.
He realized, however, that he had no control over his body. It felt as limp as a rag, swaying and bumping within this confined space, numb and unaware of the pain or the powerlessness that encompassed him.
"It's all right," Ludwig sighed inwardly, resigned to his fate. "Let it be."
Go to hell, he thought angrily, but then felt that such a thought didn't align with who he was.
In this world, there was no such thing as "eternal" or "unceasing". Of course, the washing machine didn't stop, but rather spat Ludwig out.
After a forceful impact, Ludwig spun and flew out.
But Ludwig didn't land; he still spun within a whirling current of water, carried forward swiftly.
Yes, he had been submerged in the water, which was salty, acrid, and pungent.
He was disoriented and caught sight of a white and brown object that was wrapped up in the water not far from him - a massive shell, the shell of an ivory clam.
He thought to himself how odd it was. "I don't even know what an ivory clam is," he mused, "yet I know it's the shell of an ivory clam!"
He was washed away by the water and ultimately settled lightly to the bottom, landing on soft white sand. He sighed, but no breath came from his mouth. He wanted to vomit, but he couldn't vomit.
He lay straight as an arrow, his body still numb and unresponsive.
Gradually, his corporeal form seemed to rouse itself from the depths of unconsciousness, slowly aligning with his awakened mind.
First came the headache, a dull and throbbing ache that seemed to penetrate to the core of his being. He pondered whether he might have collided with something earlier, or perhaps it was a lingering aftereffect from a relentless spinning sensation.
Then, a heavy weight settled in his stomach and lungs, leaving him with a profound sense of oppression. He finally comprehended the reason behind his inability to vomit. His body felt engulfed by dense water, infiltrating his nostrils, mouth, esophagus, stomach, trachea, and lungs.
He wasn't breathing at all; even attempts at sighing or vomiting only managed to squeeze out a small portion of the water from his stomach and lungs, quickly refilling them again. It was a futile exercise, save for the brief surge of water escaping through his mouth and nose.
It was akin to brushing one's teeth and rinsing their mouth, with saliva being played around inside, yet remaining trapped within the confines of the mouth, unable to be expelled.
"My brain is awash in water, my blood vessels are flooded, and water courses through my limbs," he later lamented to Elizabeth, his tone brimming with indignation. "I am thoroughly soaked through and through."
But those were the thoughts swirling in his mind at that moment. His body was cold and utterly immobilized, leading him to wonder if he had already crossed over to the other side.
Leaving aside the veracity of this conclusion, the indisputable fact remained that whether he was alive or not, his brain continued to churn and contemplate. This time, he had been wrestling with his predicament for an eternity.
Thus, he shifted his focus to other matters.
Burdened by an immeasurable weight of water, he lay on his back, his eyes unable to penetrate the expanse of liquid surrounding him. This water was frigid, bitter, astringent, and briny.
I must be submerged in the sea, he surmised. Or, to be more precise, he had sunk to the depths of the ocean floor.
But was this truly the sea?
The seabed should be shrouded in darkness, he mused inexplicably. He wasn't sure how he knew this, but perhaps someone had imparted this knowledge to him in the past.
But now, Ludwig could see the clear blue before him. It was a blue so pure, it shouldn't exist.
His vision was too clear, too perfect, making him feel unnatural, abnormal.
Of course, he realized he didn't know what normal was anymore.
A colorful, translucent little fish swam into his field of vision. It was orange-red and he could see its tail swaying clearly, even the bones inside.
He steadied himself as the little fish swam towards his mouth, and he swallowed it along with the seawater. Then he squeezed his stomach, spitting out the little fish with the salty water. When the fish was washed out, Ludwig felt a moment of confusion before it quickly darted away.
Ludwig's chest rose and fell silently, but he was still laughing.
He was bored, and every time a little fish swam past, he would want to play like this.
He followed his thoughts and found that he knew many things he didn't even know he knew, but there were more things he didn't know, like why he knew these things.
He tried hard, but to no avail.
He knew his name was Ludwig.
It seemed like that was all he knew.
......
Ludwig was in no hurry. In situations like this, the average person would panic, but Ludwig was anything but average. Instead, he felt oddly comfortable where he lay, and was content to stay a while longer.
Of course, Ludwig was no ordinary person. Who else could lie lifeless under the sea?
He was in no hurry, and even a bit lazy to move.
He knew someone was waiting for him, and he had slowly regained consciousness, the tactility of his skin returning. He could feel the soft, fine sand beneath him - the graininess was evident, yet not unpleasantly rough. Given a moment more, he would be able to move, but he didn't want to.
Upon waking, he knew he wasn't alone. He didn't know how he knew, but he just did. He knew he should go find them, that they were waiting for him.
But I'm also waiting for someone, Ludwig thought. I don't know who he is, but I know he hasn't woken up yet.
So Ludwig was in no hurry to find the others. If he found them, he would still have to wait.
It would be a long process.
Ludwig thought, so he didn't mind wasting this small moment lying on the beach.
But fate does not fulfill people's wishes.
A fish swam over.
Ludwig had not wanted to move before.
He was afraid to not move now.
The enormous shadow cast by the fish on the beach was dozens of times larger than Ludwig's, its narrow and flat body dancing like silk, accompanied by occasional spikes of electric light.
This was a giant electric eel! Could electric eels be so large? Ludwig thought nervously that electric eels couldn't be so big.
It had discovered Ludwig, slowly enveloping him with its slippery body, rolling him up, and then "popping" a huge electric spark.
Ludwig felt quite comfortable being hit, but he was still very nervous. He was not afraid of the slightly comfortable and itchy feeling, but he was afraid of the rows of uneven pointed teeth that the electric eel was getting close to.
The eel electrocuted him thrice more, but Ludwig's limbs slowly recovered from the shock.
He waited patiently to see if the eel would attack again. It seemed big, yet harmless.
Ludwig pulled out his arm and punched it with an electric torch, causing the big fish to sink limply to the bottom.
Ludwig withdrew and felt that the taste of the grilled electric eel was still a bit fragrant, but his stomach and esophagus were now filled with seawater and he was not hungry at all. He also felt flustered, so no matter how fragrant it was, it was of no use.
He doesn't need to eat anything.
The aroma might attract other sea beasts, Ludwig thought. He patted the sand from his buttocks and rose to leave.
I had hoped to linger on the beach a while longer.
He estimated a general direction and set off. He didn't know how many people were waiting for him or where they were, but he knew there were more than one person waiting for him, and they were all looking for him.
I will meet you again.
But first, I must make it ashore.
- Writer
