Zalo

The anchovy peered upwards from his continuous feeding on the diatoms and dinoflagellates plankton and gained his fish eyed view. His laterally pointed eyes, did not fix their gaze on a single subject like humans do, which completely alters how he perceived all images in his watery world. In his captured vision that day was the resplendent view of the Golden Gate Bridge which overwhelmed his cone shaped vision, but there was a smaller shape, a much smaller form of a human being looking down from the rocky banks of San Francisco Bay into the water. The anchovy’s view of the human profile with his fishlike ultraviolet light capabilities showed a dense dark smokey hue, a dark fluid wavey impression created by the water current. Nonetheless, the defining picture of the human profile showed a black bleakness of emanating emotion, which any species could understand as a picture of near death, and pending self-harm.

The vision of the human form portrayed to the feeding anchovy from the watery depths was suicidal.

This individual adult anchovy was a voracious eater, always on the lookout for small marine creatures to supplement his dining pleasure. He was an opportunistic feeder, consuming other small marine organisms when available, such as tiny crustaceans and marine worms. He was a handsome male northern anchovy with a bluish green on his back and silvery sheen on his belly, with a faint silver stripe along his sides. He possessed a long snout and a large mouth primarily to feed on delicious plankton, both animal and vegetable varieties, which were essential for his growth and wellbeing. He was adept eater employing two feeding methods: filter feeding using his gill rakers to capture plankton and particulate feeding by seizing larger prey with a quick bite of his mouth.

He could see the sad suicidal human figure on the banks of San Fransico Bay, because he found all he could eat in the shallow sunlight zone of the seas and oceans; named the epipelagic zone. Here all his delicious varieties of larvae resided in shallow depths from zero to fifty meters deep. He also had preferences on the water temperatures; between 8°C and 25°C in those shallower depths nearer to the coastline. Nevertheless, the coastal upwelling currents would deliver its most appealing menus from the deeper nutrient rich ocean depths, like a water-based conveyor belt of food, comparable to the land-based delivery of Uber Eats. Except it was a natural phenomenon, and for free!

He wasn’t alone that day. His friends and families were all around, the schools of anchovies were out in their millions. The underwater scene was like a typical fishtank view, but without end - endless. The flashes of sunlight, as the overhead lighting danced, and were distorted in watery elegance. The whole view was covered in large forest of bright green vegetation, the swaying seaweed was visible in the foreground, and the background, everywhere was predominant green, with so many hues. Add to those vistas of blues from dark indigo and the sparkling flashes of sky blue, there was only one constant, and it was the endless fluidity of changing, sparkling colour.

He and his fellow millions of siblings would not stop eating, not even for sex. These small fish had created the fornicating quickie to avoid stopping for lunch or dinner. Sex and eating at the same time, with as many partners as physically possible – anchovies are always aroused, ready and in a rush for all the pleasures of life. The northern anchovies are very promiscuous, with both sexes spawning indiscriminately with multiple partners during the breeding season. Their ability to spawn frequently and produce large numbers of offspring allows them to respond quickly to favorable environmental conditions, which may only last for a short period of time.

So, the fisheye view of the suicidal person had no impact on the appetite of our nonstop eating, oversexed anchovy that day.

Unfortunately, Zalo did! His full name was Zalophus Californianus, a California sea lion.

The previous tranquil scene of the gentle feeding anchovy fish with his many siblings was blasted into memory by sudden appearance of the predator in the sleepy green forest of seaweed vegetation. It was completely destroyed by the appearance bug-eyed and whisked dog face of Zalo, swallowing as many fleeing fish as possible, weaving and contorting his body in all directions to maximize with each opening, grabbing and catching motion of his hungry mouth. The scene transformed from a picture of peaceful mellow tranquility, a watercolour of serenity, into chaotic mayhem, as the school of fish gathered defensively together, and swam as one giant and spectacular wave of mass movement of colour; dark blue, silver and indigo flashed and waved in the crystal water shallows. The huge school of anchovy fish were indistinguishable as a small fish, now the mass of fish formed into many shapes, but with one aim, avoiding death, avoiding being a meal for Zalo. The fleeing fish moved as one, like an aquatic scene from a choreographed Busby Berkeley movie.

It wouldn’t be the fleeing anchovies that became tired by the chase, it would be Zalo, as his stomach was swollen and full, his hunger satiated.

Gradually, the scene of watery tranquility would return to the forest of green waving seaweed, only the aquatic currents, like prevailing underwater winds were a constant reminder and silent witness to previous scenes of death and destruction of the feeding anchovies. The diatoms and dinoflagellates plankton, marine worms and tiny crustaceans were safe for a while, until the brave anchovies returned for their next meal.

Zalo now with a full satisfied stomach sought a land based resting spot, to sunbathe, and hopefully chat and bark about his day with a fellow sealion. Sea lions symbolize joy, community, adaptability, and inner strength, serving as powerful spiritual guides that encourage playfulness and resilience in life.

These animals thrive in groups, demonstrating strong social behaviors and teamwork. They don’t need media or motivation; they are a natural social species. Sea lions demonstratively teach us subconsciously, about spiritually, the importance of community and collaboration, reminding us that we are stronger together and that nurturing relationships enhances our sense of belonging. Something similar to the under siege defensive ploy of the northern anchovy.

More importantly the sea lions remind us to embrace joy and spontaneity in our lives, encouraging us to enjoy the present moment and celebrate small pleasures. Their playful spirit teaches us to let go of worries and connect with our true selves. Nonetheless, it is their adaptability and resilience, and how they can navigate both land and water, which symbolizes their ability to thrive in diverse environments. This quality encourages and embraces change and overcome obstacles, illustrating that flexibility is key to personal growth. The confident demeanor of sea lions serves as a reminder to assert ourselves and express our needs with conviction. Their presence inspires us to face challenges with grace and self-assurance. Sea lions represent intuition and the importance of trusting our gut feelings. Their curious nature encourages us to explore our surroundings and engage with our inner child, fostering creativity and spontaneity.

So, when Zalo caught sight of the profile of the man high above on the Golden Gate bridge, surrounded by bleakness, the darkness of death the sea lion stopped his conversation with his fellow mate basking on top of the rocks in the sunshine. Instead, he focused his attention of the sight of man high above on the bridge emanating death. It was common to see people high on the bridge walkway taking photographs, socializing, with wonderment on their faces taking in the unique vistas of the San Fransico Bay, but the man stood out as he was shrouded in an aurora of death. Death held him tight, and was whispering in his ear, but this was no old man. This human looked like a very young man. Something was wrong.

The man suddenly ran and jumped over the safe rust-coloured railings of the bridge, and his body fell rapidly into the sea below. Zalo barked at his fellow sea lion, and they both dived into the sea.

The sea lions may have been about a mile away resting on the rocks on shore, but they swam vigorously in the direction of the falling body of the man who had jumped from the Golden Gate bridge. The falling body of the man turned in midair during the rapid descent, and crashed into the still waters feet first, but at tremendous speed. His body at that speed would feel like he was hitting concrete, and it would break many parts of his skeletal system. The breaking of the surface water and the violent rush of displaced water as his body like a shot from a cannon descended with force creating a chaos of disrupted waves in the luminosity of the vast depths towards a chilling watery grave.

The limp body would have stayed in the midwaters, as the cold water seeped into the interior organs and passageways of the body. Fortunately, for the young man, the sea lions' navigational radar and bulbous underwater eyesight found the motionless body within seconds of entering the water and started to push the limp body towards the surface. Being fellow mammals, they instinctively knew that the man could not live without air, a typical sea lion can hold its breath around fifteen minutes, but the sea lions both knew the man who fell from the bridge that day needed air within seconds, not minutes.

When they all surfaced the sea lions were still protecting and holding the broken body of the man afloat. Both sea lions were unaware that eyewitnesses had also seen the man jump from the bridge, and the coast guard and emergency services had been alerted. The sea lions waited by the floating body of the man, keeping a lifesaving vigil protecting the man. Nonetheless, when they heard in the distance the sound of the engines of the coastguard boat, and the faraway vibration it created in the water, their part in the care and attention of the prone body of the man was coming to end.

Just before the boat arrived the two sea lions silently submerged from view and left the prostate body floating to be cared for by his own kind.