A Plastic Bag

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         I couldn't breathe from the utter beauty of it all. As a small girl I had always wanted to visit the ocean and I had finally scrapped enough together to go. From the small window of my hotel I could see it. I could see the sun glinting off the waves in liquid gold. I could see sailboats on the horizon, sailing with only the wind at their backs. I couldn't help but let a smile creep up my face as I ran for the ocean. 

          My swimsuit was donned and it's bright pink colors contrasted against the clear blue waters. I ran to the front desk as a quick pit stop before I could engulfed myself in the waters. The man at the desk quickly gave me some flippers and diving goggles. And with that, I jumped in a boat, and headed towards the sea. 

         I was a swimmer in high school so I was ready to jump in. Though I wasn't expecting the cold. It rushed through my veins and made my very being embrace the ice. I started swimming towards a stingray grouping. 

          Once I was close enough I dove. I dove and dove and dove and then finally opened my eyes. It was beyond disappointing. Everywhere I looked there were pieces of trash. Everything from plastic bottles to old cigarette cartons and plastic rings from beer cans of old. 

          Even with the goggles suctioned to my face, I could feel the tears surfacing. Is this what I had paid to see? An ocean that had been decimated by an uncaring humanity? The stingrays below me swam around, barely avoiding the trash. My lungs began to burn with a need for oxygen, so I breached the surface. 

          I took in large gulps of air and looked around again. To my left I saw the stingrays disappearing and to my right I noticed something more menacing approaching. It was a shark. Based on what I knew from watching Shark Week it had to have been an unknown species. Or something much bigger. 

          Carefully as I could, I dove back under to get a closer look. I clasped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming and losing all of my air. It was a Megalodon in all it's prehistoric glory. The giant was swimming past when I noticed what was attached to him. Hundreds of pieces of filth clung to the beast's underside. 

          This was an enormous historical find...and it was covered in garbage. The captain of the boat and the other passengers were too distracted with other things to notice. I turned my head ever so slightly to be looking into the shark's eyes. I could only see one thing. 

          Help. Help us. Help me. A call for help from a creature as old as the ocean itself. Help us!