By: Roman Chen

Silence. It’s all I hear as I dive in the ocean. I’m making my way down to the very bottom. As I continue, the sunlight starts to disappear. Various fish swim past me, and soon, the darkness swallows me entirely. I turn my headlight on, illuminating the area around myself. I only have 3 hours of oxygen, so I shouldn’t waste any time.

I make my way to the sea’s floor, and that’s when I start searching. A slight current pushes me, making me sway. The seafloor is covered with little marine plants and jagged rocks pointing up from the ground. I’m searching for something priceless, some hidden treasure from long ago. As I continue scanning the ocean, I see something glistening in the sand. I quickly dash towards the object, only to find a rusted can. I sigh, but still keep it on me in case it’s worth anything. The silence around me is deafening. Everything is still, and nothing appeals to me. Honestly, I’d be happy if I found a bottle cap at this point.

As I round the corner, my head slams into something. As I look around in confusion, I realize that I bumped into the mast of a ship. It isn’t a big one, but there must be a few valuables inside. I swim through an opening on the side of the ship. Almost everything is gone, and the remaining items are all worn out and of no value.

Then, I notice a small chest in the corner of the room. Picking it up, I realize there’s nothing inside. With nothing inside the ship, I look around outside for anything that might have fallen from it. I find a box of cards, a chair, and even a skeleton. But they’re too heavy to lift, so I pick up the box of cards. I start digging around in the sand, with similar luck. With nothing important to bring up and only 20 minutes of oxygen left, I swim back feeling defeated. Then, the rusty can I found earlier slips away, and as I try to grab it, a small gold medallion falls out. I reach for it, and take a quick glance to make sure that it’s real. When I know it’s legitimate, I beam, knowing that this made all of this time searching worth it. With pride, I make my way to the surface, feeling accomplished.