Swallowed
July 2nd, 2020
Starring: Jonah (male, 20+)
A living room in the belly of a whale. Everything is a pinkish, fleshy color. Jonah stretches out on a 1950s style couch. The TV, a classic with the crossing antennae, is in front of the couch. Jonah flips through the channels lazily. There’s nothing good on, evidently. He puts the remote down.
JONAH
It was supposed to be three days and three nights. I guess not.
At least it’s cozy. Isn’t it? Once your eyes adjust to the color palette, it’s really quite liveable.
Sure, you get krill, plankton, and the occasional fishing rod that washes through, but I don’t let it get in my way. Plenty of room for everyone, right? Look at the room I’ve got! Four walls, climate control, all the entertainment I could ask for. Inside this hulking, sprawling, beast of a mammal, I’ve found a home. Shelter. Not just from the world, but from myself. The man I had settled on becoming. I was becoming acidic, like stomach juice.
It's a very humbling thing, being digested. It takes patience. It takes guts of all kinds. And it takes risk. Maybe I’m nutrients. Maybe I’m all waste and get flushed. Time will tell.
Whatever I am, it’s alright. I’m part of something bigger now.
Jonah turns off the TV, sprawls out, and closes his eyes. The sound of rushing water echoes him to sleep.