We know not why.
The water was warmer than usual that day. The shark swam in a deliberate manner in search of some form of sustenance. The beast darted up and down through the depths moving towards hums and vibrations ahead. It did not hesitate in its drive to achieve this simple task. Only this task is not so simple to some. This task requires a kill. The destruction and consumption of one’s cells, to sustain another being.
It was only moments before the shark had arrived in a target rich environment. The muffled conversations and din above became louder as it moved closer and closer to a kill. The water, murky with the kicked up sand from movement and foot traffic, became shallower. Shards of refracted light fell upon the rough gray skin of the shark, detectable for only milliseconds. An easy kill this would be.
Ahead, a quarry found. The shark straightened its course and moved to the ambush. The shark felt the ground scrape his underbelly, but it was too late. There was too much speed. The ocean used its momentum and forced the shark from its home, and withdrew in an instant, leaving the shark in an untenable environment.
The oppressive sun beat on the sharks exposed skin, evaporating water in an instant. The beast flailed as it tried to free itself from this unfamiliar and hazardous environment. Exhausted, the shark paused and sat still for a moment. In this moment, it came to realize the din and vibrations become louder and clearer. From its limited perspective, the shark saw the crowd of potential targets gather. Minutes passed, long minutes.
The conversation surrounding the shark sounded a bit frantic, and it began flailing once again in fear. The shark felt a cold familiar sensation poured over it’s body. In its peripherals the shark watched as the crowd moved around with buckets of water. The splashes of cold water provided a welcome reprieve from the unfamiliar intensity of the hot summer sun. Bucket after bucket of cold ocean water reminded the shark of its home, only feet away.
The crowd dug channels into the sand around the shark, placing themselves close to its deadly teeth. The ocean crashed on the shore and shot up these channels. The water surrounded the shark’s belly with this element so necessary for its survival.
Despite these efforts, this shark’s heart gave out its last beat on the ocean soaked beach. On this beach a predator lay surrounded by prey attempting to save it. The attempts to save this beast would not benefit these attempted rescuers. To the contrary, it would have returned to its ocean home, on the hunt for flesh again. For a moment, these souls acted without thinking of this. They acted without calculating what was the most beneficial outcome for them. They acted to save the life of a beast whose former goal was to kill them.
The news stories flickered across local televisions, depicting the shark and the efforts made to save it. The news anchors captured the event, and displayed it to the masses. In their efforts to draw us into the story, to captivate our minds and keep us hungry for the next story, they missed something profound.
