In Strike Out Number One, Gage King sat lonely and hungry and watched sediment move around at the bottom of the ocean. He saw an anglerfish one time and then it was gone, bobbing out into the darkness like a lantern. The anglerfish never came back, but such hope only existed for people who were not in desperate positions. Life and death only mattered to the living, and Gage was dying of hunger. Another time, a giant squid neared his cube and he looked up at it in apathy.
Well, I guess those exist now.
But mostly, there were long periods of just waiting and watching. The giant squid came back but did little, seemingly using his cube as a waystation and then leaving again. After the third time, it was gone for good, and the eerie blackness of the ocean filled the void. On one occasion, he heard what sounded like a whale, but he couldn’t be sure. He hoped that it was a kraken, but it never made its way toward him to relieve him of his unhappy life.
One day a giant crab walked up and stared at him and his cube.
“I’m kind of like you, buddy,” Gage said, staring at the crab. “Trapped in a big shell.”
The crab stared back silently.
“I bet you have some delicious meat inside you that would be so great to eat,” said Gage.
And the crab backed away a little.
Gage continued staring at the crab. The crab stared back.
“You look yummy,” Gage said.
And the crab stepped back again.
“Well, if you are so butthurt, why don’t you go find me something to eat? I’m withering away here, and you’re just staring at me for no good reason.”
The crab departed.
Gage stared into the darkness and watched the black tapestry of nothingness that came and went in static rhythms. He had hypnotized himself by watching the dark, and that helped him forget how hungry he was. The stomach pains sometimes rippled their way through his body. It hurt. And it hurt bad sometimes. He felt like laying in a fetal position, but something soothing came over him as he watched the darkness. Death was just around the corner. His starvation. His salvation.
From the darkness, the crab emerged, and with deliberate speed and force, it walked straight through his cube and right up to him. Its claws clicked and clacked and it worked its way as close to him as possible. The cube, it seemed, bent and warbled right around the crab like elastic jelly and snapped back when it was through. The crab did its little waddle walk up to him and not more than a foot away. Gage could tell it had a face, and it was weird looking. But the eyes were so helpless and kind that Gage felt no emotional hindrance. A friend was a friend.
It held out a fish. Gage said nothing. The crab said nothing.
Gage took the fish, ate it, and cried.
