THE LOBSTER

It was incredibly foggy outside last night, the perfect weather in my humble opinion and I decided to go for a late-night stroll. 

My newest show is now on its final day of performance. I'm in the midst of deciding what’s next, and before I know it I’m standing before a pillar in the middle of Carmen’s Way. Normally it’s just a distressed old way marker to help people navigate the city, but there’s something awfully strange about it tonight. 

I found myself locked eye to eye with a deep red lobster. 

Someone had placed this unfortunate creature on top of this post and left him here. I am not certain why, but I feel as if it was fate. Our paths crossing in the middle of the night surrounded by all of this fog and silence was nothing short of… magical. 

I can’t recall how long I stood there staring at it. I felt for this creature, its claws were still forced shut with a band so it had felt no freedom even in its final moments, desperate for water, feeling the small amounts in the misty air and wishing for more. 

I don’t know if lobsters can think this deeply, I choose to believe they can. That’s why in my mind I had come to a decision, it may not have been the most rational one, but it made sense to me. I had to give him a proper burial. I could feel him stuck, needing escape, and I was going to give it to him. 

The lobster was surprisingly fresh, as if it had only been here a few hours. It held its shape as I picked it up and held it in my arms as if it were my own child. I became attached, thinking of what life I could have given this beautiful creature, and then I was reminded of the unfortunate reality of the situation, and resumed my duty. 

I was only a few kilometres from the waterfront, so lobster in arms I wandered, thinking about what I would do with him, what he might want. 

There are a few small rivers and streams leading into the Saint Mary’s, most of them were unsurprisingly full of filth. Dark muddy waters that house god knows what. Those weren’t sufficient for this creature. I couldn’t put him to rest somewhere so disgusting. 

I continued towards the boardwalk, there I would get a better visual of what’s to come. The fog was getting thicker and heavier with each passing minute, smothering out any light. 

There was a small clear sandy spot at the edge of the Saint Mary’s River, this is where I decided his home to be. I looked around for anything I could use to make a mausoleum for my shelled friend. I used a flat rock to dig a hole in the earth for him to rest in before finding some lovely stones to use to cover up the opening. 

I once again stared at the lobster, I had placed him on a rock to watch the tide flow in and out. It felt incredibly peaceful. 

I removed the rubber bands from his claws, finally giving him that freedom he deserved and placed him within the hole. The rocks left a small opening for him to watch the waves. I hope he can rest easy now, no one deserves a death like that.  

I sat there thinking for a second, about everything I just did. The water, the town, the strange lobster related occurrence, and then with a burst of inspiration I was finally able to have a breakthrough, both psychologically and philosophically. 

Rest easy little guy, I’ll see you later.