The Gladiators of the Sea

 Jellyfish eat crabs. But no one has ever told you how jellyfish eat their crabs.

    It starts with a duel. In the oceanic arenas, duels are the only way to earn true glory in the eyes of the Jellyfish King. He brings the crabs from all other ocean waves who claim to have the thickest shells and mightiest claws. All of the ocean's living creatures come to the arena to see the spectacle. The songs of whales and dolphins herald the entrance of the strongest gladiator. Fish shimmy in terror at the sight of the long frills grazing the ground. Shrimp and plankton cheer for the sight to come. An octopus casually suckles on a morsel of clam, barely interested. As an ally of the Jellyfish King, he knows to attend to show his respect. 

    The jellyfish gladiator raises some frills upward, bringing the arena into a rolling roar. It eyes its food. The crab before him looks magnificent. Its claw would make a fantastic meal.

    Then a vibration ripples around them. Strong enough to knock some smaller snails out of their seats. Everyone scrambles. The Jellyfish King curses the providers of the sea as his guards help him to safety. The crab and jellyfish gaze toward the light, hoping to see anything but-

    The Portuguese Man-of-War. 

    The colony swarms before the crab can raise its claw. Before a single frill from the jellyfish can use its deadly sting.

    The Portuguese Man-of-War eats crabs. Jellyfish too. Just as a pirate always does.

~

    This random piece was inspired by my time at work. Currently, until the 23rd of the month, I am working at a middle school within our inner-city school district. They were learning about the Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish this week and were asked to write a story about it. So -of course- I did too. Figured I would share it with all of you for my blog post this week.