Grace whipped out a can of Lychee from the kitchen cabinet, and offered the fruit to the family. All of us were eager to dig into the can that had been sitting unopened for nearly three days. It truly took us that long to find a can opener.
My sister snagged a fork from the silverware, and plopped down on the couch. The can was passed around for bit, all of us stuffing our faces.
It seemed like a good idea at the time to use my hands rather than a utensil, but hindsight is 20-20. Suddenly, the base of my right middle finger slide across the cold, and rigid top of the container, opening up my skin like a zipper.
I rushed up, and tore a paper towel from the roll, clasping it against a cut that was now bleeding profusely. Mom refused to look. Quickly I scanned it over. It was unnervingly deep.
That determined the next four hours- binging on youtube videos in the emergency room, while clamping a scrap of cotton against the open wound.
“You’re not going to be able to swim for about two weeks.” The doctor said, wrapping the bandages about the scar.
Four stitches, and my own personal finger splint was what I walked out with that day. It was excruciating. Each day, I was forced to stay on land, while my siblings snorkeled out in the water.
Although I can’t complain. It’s been gorgeous, sunny, and warm. The stitches have started to make me appreciate the beach rather than just the sea, and it’s nice to unwind sometimes.
Joshua and Grace seem to be having a blast as well. They saw an octopus while snorkeling, and claimed to have seen it camouflage.
After twelve days, the stitches were off- done by the handy work of fingernail clippers.
As my first swim, us and a few friends set out for a scuba diving trip. We went night diving at a local reef called fisheye- with these huge dips in the sand. The dips are called Piti Bomb Holes, which may or not have been caused by bombs during WWII. The cause is still under debate.
Fun fact- a barracuda used to live around this reef, but there were accounts of it biting fingers off, so the authorities had to put it down.
The dive was eerie, the water was black, and the only illumination was the projection of our flashlights, and the shimmer of the moon. Everything felt more alive than it does in the day. Plankton, and shrimp, swarmed like clouds in the water. Coral displayed their fans swaying in the sea, as they feed off of passing food. Creatures that are hard to find in the day, swiftly dart from the beam of our lights.
By the start of the dive, we saw a solitary lionfish, resting in the open sand.
During the swim, there were long spiked sea snakes tangling their way through the coral, moving leisurely with each pulse of the body. We found a tiny puffer fish hiding in the coral.
We were nearing the end, and preparing for our ascent, when through the dark, a flashlight was strobing back and forth. We jetted forward to see what the diver had found. Hard to find, but present, was a Moray Eel, weaving seamlessly in and out of the reefs crevices. You could see it’s back- dark, dark green, speckled black.
It stuck out it’s head for just a fleeting moment, checking us out, and then flashed back into the rocks.
On our walk through the shallows, a Snowflake Eel popped out at us, not the least bit shy and swam towards. It was small, and white (hence the name).
As we were coming up on shore, we turned around as saw the other diving group.
“There were four octopuses!” They shouted.
Stitches by lychee can – that’s a new one! Glad your sea exile is finally over and you still have all of the fingers you left here with. Love hearing about your night dives they sound so fun!
I should start a Greene House blog to keep you updated. It wouldn’t be as exciting though, sadly. I did have to turn off an alarm clock in the boys’ room the other day. That was a little unnerving as I hadn’t heard it go off any other time. Stay tuned for more ghostly adventures!
Glad the errant finger healed , I suppose there’s a lesson there, but what the heck, boldly go for it. Since I’ve never tasted a lychee I don’t know if it was worth it. Glad you’re back with the fun activities. We do follow the action even if we don’t comment a lot. We’ve cooled off to the low 90’s now, so winter is coming! Love you all.
bloodthirsty for lychee!
now you know how I feel! two on the head and just cut my finger!
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Love your stories. Night diving sounds fun.
Glad your finger is still on place.
Sure do miss you all.
Love your stories. Night diving sounds fun.
Glad your finger is still in place.
Sure do miss you all.