Suffocation - By Zane van der Linde

Written By: Zane van der Linde

Category: Short Story

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Zane van der Linde offers a profound exploration of the human psyche in the short story "Suffocation," submitted to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This entry, under the Short Story category, delves deeply into the theme of mental health, using the metaphor of drowning to illustrate the overwhelming nature of depression. Zane's work invites readers to embark on a journey through the turbulent waters of the mind, capturing the essence of struggle and resilience.

About the Work

"Suffocation" employs rich metaphorical language to depict the experience of battling depression. The story's mood is reflective and intense, with vivid imagery of an endless ocean, a small raft, and lurking monsters symbolizing the weighty thoughts that can consume an individual. Zane's narrative style is both engaging and thought-provoking, encouraging readers to consider the inner battles that often go unseen. The message is one of perseverance, urging a fight against internal demons to find peace and strength.

Suffocation

Original Submission by Zane van der Linde

Suffocation/Drowning

I am drowning, yet I learned to swim. Our thoughts get heavy and our soul feels empty.We often feel like we are underneath the waters, but still we are able to breathe. So what is the real meaning of drowning after all?

Carrying the weight of depression is much more complicated than most people make it out to be. Think of the world as a vast ocean, no land and no support, but a small raft and a paddle. That raft is your life, you need to protect it against the monsters underneath. That paddle is your token of hope, to use that to sail forward further into the ocean to seek for land.

The land you seek for is a way out of this ocean,one long and hard journey. The monsters are not what you think, they are not underneath you, they are living inside you, feeding on your soul and weighing you down. When you fall off that raft , you panic. Your thoughts get heavier and that’s when the monsters feed. One thought after another like a never ending cycle. Like your stuck in a loop hole of living the same day with the same monsters in your head. When the weight of those thoughts get too heavy, your raft will sink. When you sink, the thoughts will drag you down deeper and deeper and the deeper you go, the more you drown. You start to wonder when will you reach the bottom? But there is no bottom, you keep going deeper into a void you will never escape. But the plot twist is that you wake up again on the same raft with the same paddle and monsters in your head, but this time with the damage of the depth.

Scared of what will happen when you sink deeper. After all the sinking and sailing we eventually learn to swim in the waters and that there are bits of land. The land is like pit stops, to fix your raft and build a stronger paddle or even one day to build a ship to properly sail the ocean.

On this land you find new things to keep those thoughts away, even if for just a while. One might be so deep below the surface that it feels impossible to get back up, but one must just keep swimming and sailing, because eventually a new island may appear that could possibly be your new home and therefore a permanent way out of the water.

One must keep in mind that it’s not the water that was drowning you, it was simply just the thoughts weighing you down. So keep fighting off the monsters and eventually you will e strong enough to fend them off from your raft and get rid of the weight on your soul. As a wise man once said:”A calm ocean doesn’t create a great sailor.”

So keep swimming and paddeling and someday you will find your destination.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, hosted by Hashtag Kalakar, is a prestigious event celebrating the imaginative power of writers worldwide. It serves as a platform for participants to share their unique voices and stories, fostering a global community of creativity and expression. The competition showcases a diverse range of talents and perspectives, highlighting the importance of storytelling in today's world.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Zane van der Linde for sharing the evocative short story "Suffocation" with us. It is a powerful contribution to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, offering insight into the complexities of the human condition. We look forward to more of Zane's thought-provoking work in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.