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Thalassic: Relating to the sea.

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I'm sure that at one point of time, be it even for a split second, you must have wondered how we shadows traveled. Obviously so many shadows can't travel on land at a time, we've already seen the outcome of that and clearly none of us wants a replay. Moreover who would want to cover such vast distances on foot?

We can't fly and so many shadows definitely can't bank on the birds, hoping that their destinations might be the same. Well that leaves us with only one option: water.

"Water transport is the cheapest and most efficient means of transport. It is being used since time immemorial". These aren't shadow's words; they're in fact the humans'. I just remember reading them in a school textbook. I sometimes wonder what these human children are made to learn. But anyways, I basically used these lines as they give us a clear picture of how indispensable water transport actually is.

When the humans arrived on this planet, transport through water was the only way in which people from one country could reach another.

Alas, we shadows couldn't make use of the waters as proficiently as the humans. When we shadows traveled by water, we faced some major problems. Firstly, shadows couldn't swim for such long distances! Have pity on our poor arms. And even if we could swim how would we possibly know the direction? It was just blue everywhere. This problem was solved though. For our transport we shadows simply had to swim down to the ocean bed. On reaching the ocean bed, our transportation would be taken care of.

Now the distance between the ocean floor and the horizon is thousands of meters! It takes weeks for a shadow to cover that distance. Even if we were to bank on the support of the aquatic animals it would surely take more than five days. And we can only live without sunlight for 5 days.

Our dilemma was finally solved in 6000 BCE (according to human calendar) by the Turks. They were the first ones to invent the mirror. A simple yet wonderful device it is.

Now sunlight can only penetrate the water up to a distance of thousand meters. So, shadows sketched out fixed routes on the ocean floor as well as checkpoints. A checkpoint was basically a place where we could receive sunlight, even on the ocean floor. This was done by suspending or placing mirrors at a distance of five-hundred meters. Thus, due to the reflection, sunlight touched even the ocean floor. Pretty ingenious if you ask me.

The next question that rose was that of the medium of transport. We obviously couldn't build ships or boats. Luckily the need to do so didn't arise either. We simply depended on the aquatic life forms and their shadows.

The shadows that were appointed to trail the marine life forms had to go through a different training before they were sent out into the open. These shadows were specifically trained to swim and adapt to their fluid environment. And along with trailing these shadows were also appointed with the duty of ferrying.

It took us many decades before this whole system could be working, and a few more decades were also spent in sorting out the mishaps and accidents that used to take place.

Our scientists marked out travel routes such that they coincided with that of the large mammals and fishes such as the whales, sharks, manta ray and other creatures. Subsequently junctions were set up on these routes where shadows used to wait.

Whenever a large fish passed by a junction, the shadow of the fish would detach so that the traveling shadows waiting at the junction could hop on. The ferrying shadow would then swim ahead to catch up with its master. After that its smooth riding till the next junction.

Soon over the centuries as the volume of shadows gradually increased, speed of traveling too had to increase. So now, the shadow didn't detach from its master, instead the shadow himself had to jump on the moving fish or off.

Its actually pretty fun. It is a complete thrill jumping off a moving shadow at such speeds. On some days luck favours you and the your mean of transport lazily glides through the waters. And on other days, when you're not so lucky, well good luck trying to get yourself to your destination in one piece.

You wait there crouched; your eyes trained on your junction or a fish, adrenaline courses through your body. And then all of a sudden you let go. You're weightless as you float through the water. Finally relief fills your body as you feel the gravel of the ocean bed or another shadows onyx body crunch under your feet.

At times, yes, shadows do fall of. Some chicken out before the leap. Others manage to gather the courage to leap, however their courage falls short and they chicken out mid-jump, landing on the ocean bed with a face-full of gravel.

Such sights were rampant during the initial decades. Nowadays, shadows can easily make the transition even when they are asleep! Figuratively speaking that is.

On the eve of the nineteenth-century a new sport evolved in the shadow world. You see, due to the constant development of the human world, new and new shadows were constantly being created. Moreover these architectural developments  were demolished a few years down the line  and  new structures yet again in their place. But of course the shadow once formed can't be demolished. It will live on till it fades away after it has lived its life. There was an abundance of shadows for a while. The problem was no doubt sorted with the population explosion of the humans, but till then what?

It was then that the sport known as 'Thalassic racing' evolved. This sport was for the lionhearted, the brave souls who dared to venture into the wide open sea.

We primarily depended on the slow fishes for transport. Not the sharks and dolphins which swam at speeds of thirty and fifty km/h. Moreover they swam at places which were comparatively near the sea line. But as always there were exceptions. These were shadows who dared to cling to these deep sea creatures. Hence evolved the sport.

It was basically who could hold on to these creatures for the longest period and even succeed in making the transition. So now, some shadows even aspired to be 'Thalassic racers'.

During that period many other sports evolved too, however that is a story for another day.

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After saying goodbye to my parents I dove into the waters, heading towards the ocean floor to where the junction awaited. The first leg of my journey was made easier by the fur seals that inhabited the island, as I headed down towards the floor.

I took help of numerous other fishes too, before I reached, but sadly I can't identify all of them.

Before I knew it I was at the checkpoint eagerly waiting for the 'bus'. I didn't have to wait long as a manta ray swooped passed me and I was pulled on board...

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