“Zestal’s Landing” is a story about an underwater city struggling to maintain it’s old dome structure. The dome’s unique hexagon panels have become difficult and expensive to replace. Eleonora, a member of the Dome’s maintenance team, hopes to save the dome by securing a government grant for repairs. To do this, Eleonora has to convince an advance team to make Zestal’s Landing a stop on Princess Juliana’s upcoming tour of the region.
(The story takes inspiration from the Netherland’s Monarchy and is the underwater city is loosely set in the Dutch Caribbean. The name Zestal comes from the Dutch word for “sixth”. Zestal’s Landing was the sixth underwater structure built in the region. The name also plays off the six sides of the dome’s hexagon panels.)
“Zestal’s Landing” was published in an anthology, Denizens of the Deep, co-authored by members of The Writing Journey (2022).
Denizens of the Deep is an anthology that explores what may be living – or hiding – in the darkness of deep water. Stories range from historical fiction to fantasy and science fiction.
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Excerpt
Eleonora lay on the couch against the wall, with her head resting on her boyfriend Alec’s lap. Alec absent-mindedly twirled his fingers through her hair with one hand while he texted on his phone with the other.
The mood in the room was calm as the quarterly maintenance was two days away and there was little left to do. Almost all the preparations had been made. And over the last few weeks, the team had talked through each section of the dome and discussed what urgently needed repair and where to allocate the stockpile of recently repaired panels. They even had a 3D model of the underwater dome pulled up on the smart boards that lined the front room. Each panel of the dome on the 3D model was labeled with its number and color-coded based on its age/condition. The team was thoroughly ready for the upcoming maintenance.
The team members chatted, enjoyed a cup of coffee, or played on their phones while they waited for Niels, head of maintenance, to give them their assignments for the day.
Zestal’s Landing
Gertrude Daly 