“What is it?” Sarah peered over, craning her neck out over the open sea.

“Oh my God…”

“Is that a…?”

They all gazed through the glassy waters, knowing what they saw to be true - but refusing to accept the spectacle that was right below them.

 

Earlier that day, they had all agreed to go out on the sailboat that Sarah’s father had lent her for the weekend. She was a beautiful young woman, adored by many. Her strawberry blonde hair was cut in a neat little bob style, beginning to grow back down to her shoulders. She often smelled of vanilla “as a young woman should”, she’d always say. She regularly knew how to get her way when it came to her father and his finances. She would just look up at him through her abundant gathering of lashes, bat them a few times, and pierce his soul with her hazel eyes. One simply could not look away from such gorgeous pools of color, golden honey blended with a hint of green, combined to create the perfect storm of getting anything she wanted. 

 

That day, she strolled up to her father - already in her cherry red bathing suit - and sweetly asked to borrow his boat.  The “yes” would’ve come much sooner and without any need of convincing had she left out the mention of boys. Among those mentioned were her boyfriend, Ryan, and his two friends, Noah and Oliver. Ryan had met Sarah’s father a handful of times and the two had grown to like each other. Ryan was the type of man that Sarah’s father had always wanted her to be with. He was a cliché pretty boy, from his golden locks to his chiseled features. His brilliant, toothy smile could light up a room and drop Sarah’s skirt- a detail her father would be better off not knowing. He had an abundant income, and he was classically chivalrous. He would never let Sarah’s hand touch a doorknob, as if the slightest touch would cause her to drop dead, the same went for chairs at the dinner table and car doors. 

 

When it came to his pals, Noah and Oliver, quite the opposite could be said about their personalities. They were a couple of trouble makers, quite immature for their age of 22. Worse yet, they were twins. This meant they simultaneously bounced off the others chaotic energy and created a constant cycle of disorder. Their hair, a wild mess of red curls, warned others like a “danger” sign. Freckles were peppered evenly across both of their faces, accenting their button noses. Noah and Oliver were the kind of company that Ryan enjoyed being around because of their goofy nature. His sophistication was a pleasant balance in the group of boys, they could all fool around and still have a level of maturity with Ryan being the constant voice of reason.

 

The boys were on their way to Sarah’s house, or mansion as others may call it. “Alright, now you guys can’t be acting like total jackasses around Sarah’s dad, you understand? He isn’t that type of man and he won’t deal with your shit, I mean it.” Ryan leaned his head back a few inches as if this would help his voice reach the twins sitting directly behind him.

“Hey, no worries man! Have we ever caused trouble before?” Oliver cackled. 

Ryan thought of the numerous occasions where they had, in fact, caused plenty of trouble.  He glared at them in the rearview mirror to confirm their understanding of the situation. He wasn’t a father but at times it sure felt like he was.

They pulled into the drive-way to find the boat ready to go, all he had to do was hitch it up. Ryan’s worst fears came true as Noah and Oliver’s eyes grew twice their size. They hopped out of the car, gawking at the boat the entire time. 

“Would you get a load of this thing?! I think that might be the biggest damn boat I’ve ever seen!” Shouted Noah. 

Oliver responded, “Dude, just picture the parties we could have on that thing! We could fit like 30 people!”

“I was told there would only be four attendees this evening.” Sarah’s father came around from one end of the boat, putting a halt on the boys’ excitement. Ryan got out of the car and shot them another glare. 

“That’s correct sir, it’s just gonna be the four of us, but I can make it two if you let me push some men overboard”.  The man laughed, grabbed Ryan’s hand, and it shook it firmly. 

“Ah, I have faith in you to take care of things today. Sarah will be out in just a minute, you all have a good time today.” The man went back inside and Ryan let out a sigh of relief, knowing he had restored the trust her father had in the group after the twins' childish outbursts. 

Sarah opened the front door and strode out gleefully. “You boys ready to get wet?” she playfully asked, followed by a wink. She planted a kiss on Ryan and jumped into the front seat. The boys hitched up the boat with a few grunts and profanity, and promptly headed to the ocean. 

 

Before long, the boat was in the water being pulled along by the winds. The waves were present but gentle, guiding the boat up and down along the surface. The sun’s rays shone through the crystal clear water and danced on the sand at the bottom of the ocean. The day seemed to be going just as planned, everything was perfect, until they saw the buoy. 

 

“Hey check it out!” Ryan pulled the sail’s ropes, turning it away from the wind. The boat slowed and circled around a rusted buoy. It bobbed and swayed with the ocean, the bell hollowly dinging with each passing wave.

“Go get on top of it, I’ll take a picture!” Sarah pulled out her polaroid. She loved capturing moments in time to look back at later. She described it as a hobby that not many appreciated in the moment, but would value later on in life. Oliver leapt off the boat and onto the unexpectedly delicate buoy, almost toppling over a few times before getting his balance. Sarah snapped the photo and eagerly watched the film emerge from the camera slot. Oliver did a less than impressive backflip into the water and swam back to the boat. Noah and Sarah leaned over, each grabbing an arm to haul him back aboard, but as they looked down they noticed something swaying below him. They quickly yanked him out of the water, more concerned with investigating the object than possibly dislocating Oliver’s arms. 

“Damn! You guys are savages, almost pulled my arms right outta the sockets! What’s the deal?” 

The two remained, squinting through the sea’s ripples. Oliver and Ryan leaned over the side of the boat, shadowing the others. 

“What is it?” Sarah peered over, craning her neck out over the open sea.

“Oh my God…”

“Is that a…?”

They all gazed through the glassy waters, knowing what they saw to be true - but refusing to accept the spectacle that was right below them. Tangled in the buoy’s chain, a checkered necktie. Most pieces of clothing would flow loosely, billowing in slow motion with the tides, but not this piece of fabric. Rather, it was taut - pulled by the man attached to it.

 

The four looked down at the man in dismay. The current kept his lifeless body in a constant state of motion, as if it were trying to wake him from a  slumber he’d never rouse from. His neck, fixed in an everlasting state of discomfort that no longer bothered him. His skin was pale, discolored by the unforgiving nature of the sea. The only visible color in his flesh was that of a sickly bluish-green, common for a corpse that had been submerged underwater. Parts of his facial tissue had been unwillingly nibbled away by eager fish, exposing his teeth and an involuntary grimace. The rest of his torso was protected by a lavish suit, which had gone through a deterioration of its own, ravaged by the salt water. 

 

Sarah leaned back into the boat, rooted in her own thoughts, only able to stare aimlessly into the vast horizon. 

“Holy shit”, the only thing either of the four could mutter, along with “fuck” and “damn”. They collectively wondered how the man got into the position he did. Why was he wearing a full suit? Where could he have come from? How did he end up here? Why was he swimming below the buoy? All questions they could never ask the man beneath them. 

 

“What should we do?” Noah asked, turning to Ryan. For once, he didn’t have the answer. He had never been in a situation like this, none of them had.
“Should we...get him out?” Oliver suggested. They all traded glances, pondering for a second. 

“No. I don’t think coming back with a dead body will look good on any of us.” Ryan said.

“I think we should just  report this to the police...” All the boys turned back to look at Sarah who was still staring off into the distance. 

“She’s right.” 

They all agreed and headed back to the shore. 

 

They all sat in silence on the ride back, nauseated and forever changed by what they had seen. The images of the man’s body lingered in all of their minds, refusing to leave. As they pulled into the driveway of Sarah’s house, her father stepped out with a big grin on his face; glad to see everyone had gotten home safe, including his boat. 

“How was it?” He asked, not ready for the response he’d soon get.

“We…” Sarah started, but her voice drifted into the same endlessness her mind was lost in.

“Sir,” Ryan began “We...well- we found a body…”

Sarah’s father stood there for a moment, not sure how to respond. 

“What? Is this a joke?” He looked at his daughter and realized it couldn’t be, based on her distraught body language. 

“I want you boys to show me. Now.”

They all looked at eachother tensely. They didn’t want to go back, but they did want to hand the responsibility off to an adult. The four men got in the car and sent Sarah inside to calm herself. They once again drove in complete silence.

 

Soon, they were back in the open waters, searching for the buoy they wished they had never found to begin with. An hour went by, then two. The sun was beginning to set and if they were having trouble finding it now, the lack of light definitely wouldn’t help. They continued to search until the darkness swallowed them entirely. 

“Sir, I-I don’t know-”

“We’ll look again tomorrow. For now, we’ll file a report with the police”. 

The four headed back, feeling discouraged. Sarah’s father would go on to report the body but have no useful information as to where it was: “Under a buoy, somewhere in the ocean”.

 

Ryan, Oliver, Noah, and Sarah knew the man would reside under that buoy, waiting to be found again. He would continue to sway with the currents, waiting to be withdrawn and reunited with the land. The group would go on with their lives, thinking about the man every day but never speaking or hearing about him again. His presence would linger in their nightmares and taunt them when they lay most vulnerable, their own thoughts an unsafe place. 

 

The man’s story would never be known to anyone but himself; and even he didn’t know it at this point. The only company he’d ever have were the parades of fish, only using him for their own nourishment. One day, he would be gone. He had lost his soul and parts of his flesh, but one day he would be nothing but bones and the fancy suit and tie that had taken his life.