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“Why did she have to be captured? Why not someone else? It’s so unfair.” Kee-dee exploded to her friend Kady as they moved across the ocean floor back to Kee-dee’s home. She ignored the curious glances of crabs that scurried past them. “We decorator crabs already try so hard to disguise ourselves. I hate those fishermen. I hate all humans. I hate our Crea—“

“Be quiet, Kee-dee! You mustn’t hate anyone. Much less, our Creator. You’ve got to accept the bad things.”

“Ha—that’s easy for you to say. You’ve only lost your sister. Me, everyone.”

“You know that’s a lie,” hurt was creeping up her voice. “One death hurts as much as four.”

Kee-dee’s regretted her words, but her pride kept her from apologizing.
The night was a difficult one for Kee-dee. It was a night of twisting, turning, and troubled thoughts and when Kee-dee finally fell asleep, it was twilight. An hour later, she heard a sound that seemed like someone was scraping off the paint off a china cup.

“It’s me, Kady! Are you ready yet?”

“For what?” Kee-dee feigned ignorance.

“I thought you were coming along to find shelters for the crabs…as always.”

“Oh, that! Well you know, I’m not really in the mood today.”

“Huh – what do you mean? You’ve always gone. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to talk about it!”

Kady stared at her. “Alright,” she whispered. “I’m thinking of you.”

With icy eyes, Kee-dee watched Kady grow smaller and smaller as she rose to the surface of the ocean. She muttered, “Have fun. I’m not going to risk my life for anyone anymore. This has—“

“…Kee-dee! Kee-dee!” a voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned. Her eyes squinted then widened. “Cousin Keesha! Is that you? How did you get here?”
“Can we talk inside?”

When they settled down, Keesha spoke first. “My father and mother have been captured.”

“No…no.”

“Which leaves me to myself. ”

“I’m so sorry.”

“But our Creator is good. I came to ask if I could live with you since I know no one else. You don’t have a family either so maybe you could sympathize with me more. I do feel sorry for you. Your mother, your father, your brother, your sister…I loved them. They were truly the nicest people I’ve ever met. I am sorry –“

Kee-dee cut her short. “…Keesha, I don’t want to be rude, but please don’t mention my family again. I don’t want your sympathy.” Her voice grew cold. “You may stay. But I want to warn you that I am not the same crab I was. I have just decided that I will search for a better place to live and when I do, I will no longer go out to the outside world.”

Keesha opened her mouth.

“Don’t interrupt!”

Keesha closed it.

“Last night I decided that same fate that every crab encounters with, will not come to me. I will live in a place where no one will find me, no one will tell me how to live; what to believe. That way, when I prosper—no one else, only I can take credit for any good thing that has come to me. I will not be captured. I will not be threatened. I will live how I please. I, Kee-dee, a decorator crab—“ Her voice triumphed. “…will never die!”

All this time Keesha was observing her with mournful eyes.

“Well then. Will you live with me?”

“No. I’ve changed my mind. I won’t.”

“Fine,” Kee-dee spat. “Don’t try new things. You don’t know what you’ll be missing unless you try. Who says you can’t walk away later?”

If you peered closely at Keesha’s eyes, you would have seen a great battle between what is right and wrong. Kee-dee saw this and suddenly she realized that she yearned for someone to be on her side. So she persuaded her even further. “Ahh…you’re afraid of risks. But you know what? Risks, my dear, are what your father and mother didn’t take. They, like us, and many others are not taking any risks. We are simply living the normal life. Do you like disguising yourself making yourself so dirty to hide from predators – and that doesn’t even work? What is it that stops you? Why else are your father and mother dead?”

Kee-dee had struck her point. She knew it. Keesha knew it.

“Alright, I’ll go.”

A month later found Kee-dee and Keesha in a faraway remote place. But dear reader, you must realize that these months were full of regret.

Kee-dee grumbled, “Good friends we had back there, hmm? We haven’t even received one visit.”

“How is one going to visit if they don’t know where to go?” Keesha shot back. “It’s your fault.”

“Didn’t you follow me here?” Kee-dee sneered.

“You persuaded me. I’m tired of living like this.”

“Wonderful, loving Creator we have here,” muttered Kee-dee under her breath, but loud enough for Keesha to hear.

“Kee-dee!” she exclaimed, horrified. “Our Creator is always good! What’s wrong with you?”

“I don’t believe He’s good anymore,” she struggled to control her voice. “I actually don’t believe He’s real. He’s definitely not loving. How can He—He allowed my family to die.”

“Stop it. Not one word is true!”

“I hate Him. I hate my life!”

“KEE-DEE!”

“Don’t ever, ever mention Him again to me. Do you hear?”

Keesha shook with sobs. “I can’t! I can’t! My Creator, our Creator is real. Can’t you see that? T-there’s this peace and joy if you believe He’s real.”

“Don’t be a fool, Keesha. Your family is dead. No Creator would bring you such pain.”

“If he isn’t real, you wouldn’t be here. He gives and takes away. How you handle pain is your choice. I’ve chosen to claim his provision of joy in every single bad. Where else does genuine joy come from? I’m sorry it has to come down to this, but I can’t live like this anymore. Good-bye.”

“What? You can’t leave. It took us a month to find this. I won’t let you leave!”

“I’m sorry,” she took one step closer to the entrance.

Kee-dee raced to the entrance, blocking it, and changed her tactics.

“Keesha, if you leave, what will become of me? You’re my only friend. Please stay, please. Just for me? You love me, right?”

Keesha only shook her head. “I love you, Keesha. I love you, I love you, our Creator loves you.”

So with her head bowed, she put out the cries of her foolish friend and went home.

*****
Five years later…

“All I do is eat and sleep,” Kee-dee complained. “But at least I only serve myself. But even that gets dull. I wonder…”here she stopped at a strange feeling.

The water seemed to be pushing down on her. “What’s going on?”

She rushed out of the cave. She looked up. A massive ship loomed over her. “Is it dropping closer to me…or are my eyes failing me?” Then she screamed. The ship was sinking and if she didn’t move, it would crush her.

There was nothing to do except swim for her life.

She swam past her cave, along a path, past a volcano, then—

BOOM!

The ground shook like a chandelier does when an earthquake occurs and so did she. Then everything hushed. Kee-dee turned around and to her right was the ship. Motionless bodies of men and boys were scattered everywhere on the ocean floor and even more were still continuing to drop. The ship read in bold letters: Titantic.

“Kee-dee?” a voice spoke.

Kee-dee jumped and spun around, recognizing the voice. “Kady! KADY!”

“Ohhh, it’s so nice to see you!” Kady giggled, rushing towards her.

“What—how did find me?” Kee-dee didn’t know whether to feel angry or glad.

Kady sobered, “Keesha. I don’t know how to tell you this…but, she’s dying.
“Dying?”

“A human’s net…wrong place in the wrong time…injured…” Kee-dee could only hear snatches. Then—

“Kee-dee, you must come home.”

“Me? Ha—she’s, she’s the one who deserted me.”

“Kee-dee. She begs for you. There’s no time to waste. You must.”

Kee-dee sensed the urgency. “Alright, alright. I’ll go. But I’m coming back here after she, oh never mind!”

“Is this your home?” she pointed to the ship.

“No, no. It just sank. Let me go get some things—wait,” she paused in horror. “Surely it didn’t land on my cave!” she raced towards and saw her cave crushed flat as paper. “No…no.” she shook her head and burst into tears.

“I don’t think you can come back anymore,” Kady said slowly.

“I think I know that already,” Kee-dee snapped. She continued in a hoarse voice, “Let’s go.”

They began scurrying towards home.

“Kee-dee?” Kady asked.

“What?”

“Why’d you go without saying goodbye?”

Kee-dee crawled faster to avoid looking into Kady’s eyes. “It was easier that way. That’s all.”

“Did, did,” Kady hesitated. “you miss us?”

Kee-dee scoffed. “Nobody missed me!”

“I did.”

“I didn’t receive a single visit.”

“We would have all came if we knew where you were,” Kady whispered.

“I’m sorry nobody asked. I want you to know what I’ve decided that
there’s no Creator, or else I wouldn’t have had to live such a hard life.”

“Keesha told me.”

“She’s probably told you a lot then, I’m sure.”

They hurried on for a few hours in silence.

“Have you been still searching for homes for the crabs that don’t have them?” Kee-dee broke the silence.

“No. I’ve moved on to other things.”

“Good.”

“I couldn’t do it without you.”

“Really? I wasn’t that much of a help?”

“You were. You were. Sammy, Fred, and Virginia—I couldn’t help them when they lost their home again. No one was willing to risk their life in the beach with me.” She changed subjects. “Looks like we’re here.”

A crowd of crabs appeared, stared, and then shouted in joy and welcome.

“You’re back!”

“We missed you!"

“Welcome back.”

Kady calmed them, “This can wait for later. Where’s Keesha?”

Like an orchestra conductor that signals for the musicians to end the piece, everyone hushed. They led Kady and Kee-dee into a cave a few yards away.

“Kee-dee, you first.”

Kee-dee crawled slowly inside. She saw a motionless crab lying in the corner. Around her the dirt walls were scratched with these words.

Kee-dee, you’ll be too late. I’m sorry for my anger and accusations when we last saw each other. Our Creator has forgiven me. He will forgive you too. You can never be dirty to be clean again. Don’t keep your bitterness inside. Claim the joy.

I love you, I love you, Our Creator loves you.

Goodbye forever,
Keesha

Kee-dee’s eyes spilled with tears. Her nose stung. Wailing, she called Kady, “She’s gone! How can you both live so victoriously and joyfully? I want to know!”