Under The Sea

Under The Sea (300 words)

Underneath the waves, deep within the ocean, a small two-man submarine went ‘plink’ and sprang a leak.

***

‘Give it up,' said Max. ‘I know you’ve been at my biscuits again.’

‘Sorry?’ said Phil, without looking up from the contraption he was tinkering with.

Max slapped the riveted wall of the control room. It echoed with a pang. ‘Right,' he said, running a hand through his greasy brown hair, ‘I’ve told you a million times to stay away from my side of the cupboard. It’s not my fault you forgot to bring biscuits on this research mission. Not. My. Fault.’ He slapped the wall three times more.

‘Please,' said Phil. ‘I’m a bit busy at the moment. If I don’t-’

‘If you don’t shmon’t,' said Max. ‘Show me your hands. I’ll prove it was you. I bet there are crumbs still fresh on your fingers.’

‘Please,' said Phil, fiddling and fumbling with the little contraption.

Thirty days cooped up in a little yellow sub was enough to make any man crack at the seams a bit, which is why Max decided that a wrestling match was an appropriate course of action to settle the dispute. ‘Give it here’ he said. ‘You’re – ouch – not – oi, get off – listening to me.’ In the kerfuffle the little contraption was dropped and stood on and broken beyond repair.

‘Ah-hah!’ said Max. ‘Crumby fingers. Evidence!’ He did a jig up and down the room. ‘What was that thing you were playing with, anyway?’

‘The oxygen valve. It needed some adjustments. There isn’t a spare. Without it we have about ten minutes of breathable air left,' said Phil, scraping the remains of the valve off the bottom of his boot.

‘Oh,' said Max. ‘Bum.’

***

Bubbles leaked from the little yellow submarine as it sunk out of view.