The Emissary of Agony
I didn’t know pain until I walked that beach in Australia one fateful evening. I thought I did. Everyone experiences a great amount of pain at one point in their life. Never did I expect to feel one that overshadows everything.
The sun was just setting and I was taking a stroll, enjoying the warm wind and silence. The loudest noise were the waves going back and forth and a light breeze blowing through my hair. I was barefoot because I liked to feel the structure of the sand, which still held the heat of the sunny day.
As I walked a bit into the water, I suddenly felt it. The pain. At first, I thought that I had stepped into a plastic bag that had been caught in some sharp rocks, but I quickly realized that it wasn’t the case. Oh no. I had stepped into a jellyfish. A box jellyfish.
I had known the danger, but I never expected it to happen to me. Why would I? Creatures like these are always good for a scary story, but nobody really expects to be the victim of a jellyfish. Then again, box jellyfish aren’t ordinary jellyfish. They don’t just let themselves be moved by the currents of the ocean. They hunt. They have eyes.
And their poison can lead to cramps and death.
I don’t remember what happened next, my memories continue in a hospital. They told me that someone had found me on the ground, almost drowning in the waves. They had called an ambulance and I had been treated quickly.
They told me I could have died. That I had been lucky.
I didn’t feel lucky, because the pain was still excruciating. I glimpsed at my foot to see that it and a big part of my leg were swollen and covered in read streaks and blisters.
It took many days till I was able to walk again and I’ve been afraid of beaches since. There are so many more dangerous animals inhabiting the sea, and they’re great at hiding themselves. And even if they don’t hide, the box jellyfish has tentacles that can be up to 3 meters long.
Try to see those when swimming in the ocean.
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction that includes actual facts about box jellyfish.
Read more about box jellyfish here:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/group/box-jellyfish/
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/box-jellyfish.html
https://www.livescience.com/6353-deadly-box-jellyfish.html
Picture Credit: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Avispa_marina_cropped.png
Oh gosh, that would be a horrible thing to happen! Good warning to people vacationing at the beach.
You should always inform yourself about which animals to expect at the beach, especially in warm climates. Incidents like the one above can usually be avoided when following the safety instructions of the locals. :)
From what I've heard on the Internet if you are in Australia you should expect death from literally any creature there.
The story was originally set in California, but I wanted to avoid conflict. Australians are used to people saying everything there kills.
How are you awake at this hour..
wait how am I awake at this hour...
I forced myself into a sleep schedule that includes my alarm going off at 6:30. I started waking up 15 minutes earlier by myself.
I wish I could control my sleep still, nowadays its basically wait til you get really really tired before you can fall asleep.
Doesn't help that the most exciting posts come out during U.S timezones either.
Well, you need to force yourself to sleep too. Set a specific time and you will go to bed at that time every day. Set a time to wake up to every day. Do that even on weekends. Takes about 2-3 weeks and you're used to it.