I stood with my toes curled over the edge of the boat and a caged propellor held tightly in my arms as I prepared myself to jump. I scanned my eyes across the wide mouth of the river to the far side of the bank, which was connected to the other by a red, steel bridge built high overhead. Above that, the sky was shining with a stunning blue color without a single cloud in sight. It was a perfect day.
One by one, my friends joined me on the edge of the bow, and then dove into the water below us. I took a deep breath, trying to contain the excitement rising in the pit of my stomach, and jumped in after them with the propellor protected against my chest. The warm river water surrounded me and as I popped up to the surface, I was overcome with anticipation for the task at hand.
I inhaled another deep breath and submerged myself underwater once again, this time using my legs to kick my way to the bottom. When I reached the rocks along the sand, I propped the propellor forward and clicked the switch to turn it on. The fans began to rotate quicker and quicker, and as they did, the sand and small pebbles began to churn up from the floor. The motion caused the smaller particles to burst into little fireworks of dust, but eventually, the fans moved fast enough to lift a few of the larger pebbles, and that's when the true fun began.
With each palm-sized rock that stirred from its place, the propellor tossed them so that the pieces began to shift within them. Before my eyes, I saw one particular rock spinning wildly as it floated upwards, and then transform its smooth surface into five granular legs. Starfish- the rocks were transforming into starfish.
Immediately, I flipped the 'off' switch and reached my hand out to catch my gentle creation. With my lungs now aching for air, I pushed my feet against the sand and shot myself back up to the surface.
"It works! I did it! The propellor works!" I screamed in frantic excitement.
I passed my starfish to each of my surprised friends. They marveled at the unexplainable feat, and then begged for their own chance to try. I passed the propellor off to my right, and dove to the bottom again to watch my friends each take their own turns.
With the fans set to high power, the rocks morphed into starfish in incredible numbers. Soon, the bottom of the river was virtually covered with the spiny blue-green creatures. I had never seen such a captivating sight before. It was breathtaking. A hypnotic transformation, like a magic trick.
We spent hours that day diving to the bottom of the river, and each time, more and more starfish were born from the tiny rocks below us. Then, as the sun began to set, the propellor began to run out of power, and we had to head back to the boat for the night. Though it was a bit of a disappointment to have to end the fun, my friends and I were still able to experience an unforgettable sense of pride that day after being able to accomplish making such beautiful creations. The river was now filled with a lovely community of little baby starfish, and they seemed overjoyed to have found their new homes under the big, red bridge on such a perfect day.
