It was the slightest gleam of metal that drew Marina's attention. Steering toward the spot, it appeared the currents had unearthed the corner of some kind of box. She had dove on shipwrecks in the area so perhaps this was debris from one of them. Or maybe it would just prove to be some heavy cargo thrown or washed overboard in storm. She dug at the sand with her fingers to uncover the object. It turned out to be a small wooden box with a metal frame. The box seemed badly worn despite having been buried and unusually heavy for its small size. Return it to the surface might prove difficult if not impossible. She decieded to open the box to see what was inside. It took a little force, but the box opened to reveal a small gold medallion on a long silver chain.
Marina took the medallion in her hand and looked it over. It looked amazingly pristine and seemed inscribed in a language she did not recognize. When Marina rubbed her thumb across the medallion the box it had been inside suddenly crumbled into dust leaving her with only the strange medallion.
Noticing her air was beginning to run low, Marina kicked off toward the surface still clutching the medallion. She scuba dived for fun, but always looked for some shipwreck or other underwater discovery that might be significant. She loved the ocean, but was also fascinated by old civilizations. She was now on spring break in her second year of college and needed to deciede whether she would major in archeology or oceanography. While many of her friends were partying at some typical beachside spring break destination, Marina hoped this vacation would help her deciede. She had taken up scuba diving because she found swimming underwater to be relaxing, away from all the surface noise. It also reminded her of mermaids, that obsession of her childhood. She had only been scuba diving since she was a teenager, but she had been an avid swimmer since she was a small child. For Christmas, her parents had gotten her a monofin to replace the traditional flippers.
At last, Marina broke the ocean surface and looked for her boat.