The Sentinels gayatri

she is unperturbed by the brine that enters through her nostrils, and she has trained herself to withstand — no, revel in — the sting of salt that comes to her eyes.  as beautiful as she feels on land she feels tenfold in the water as she moves through it, floating, weightless, legs never touching the bottom.  her nose shifts across the seafloor to uncover its beauties; the serrated seashells, glistening seaglass.  

but she can only hold her breath for so long, and the sound of govinda's laughter pulls her back to the surface.  there is a whole world under there, just as beautiful as the one inland, she delivers breathlessly.  look, she beckons before disappearing once more beneath the churning waves.