Chapter Nine Conquest of Chimera

Chapter Nine

Conquest of Chimera

 

   Swooping down toward Penelope with just a touch of dramatic flair, Kian fluttered ten feet above the tween mermaid, making a point to show off his ‘human traits’- his wings. Kia however decided to do him one better. Slicing through the air, she retracted her wings, stretched out her hands and dove into the sea. Water splashed all over Kian. Penelope fell back in the water laughing hysterically.

  “Oh you think that’s funny,” He said pulling in his wings and belly flopping into the sea. Water gushed up and came crashing down all over the mermaid. Of course, he could not see her grin as she threw back her arms letting the sparkling spray rain down on her. New water now covered him, water that had much to teach him about this new Earth and his new body…

  Coolness engulfed him. His skin quivered with tuning fork intensity as he plowed deep into the shimmering sun streaked blueness. It penetrated every pore of his skin, coursed through his flesh oxygenating every cell in his body as it exited his lower extremities propelling him through the water like a torpedo.

  ‘Too fast too fast…’ sliding up, he lifted his head and his hands slowing his body and gaining control of yet another ‘gift’.

   Kia hovered in the shimmering distance. He reached out to her and much to his amazement instantly felt her presence deep inside.

  ‘I’m here…’ her words settled in his mind like falling leaves....'inside you....we are together...this is...wonderous...here water is air and mind and who knows what else it might be....

     '...now we know each other Kia...but then we always did, but not like this...makes sense...perfect sense...this is incredible...what sort of world is this...'

     '...what kind of people brought us here...'

' ...good people...smart people...'

  'we can hope they are now Kian...we can hope they are...'  

   He pulled up floating vertically in the cool strange water. Sweetness suddenly tantalized his taste buds.

 ‘this is good, really good Kia…not supposed to to be but it is…’

  ‘...the water...yes it is sweet...we can drink it...it seems here in this world wherever we are...we are at home…Kian,maybe this is heaven…Penelope…’Kia reached out to her, but only after she spotted her swimming behind Kian did she find her…  ‘She cannot hear us…strange...sad...’  

  …’good…’ the word escaped Kian’s mind. He could not call it back.

  …’honesty…you could not help it… she did not come from you as I did…that must be why she can't hear me...’

  Kian shrugged. A sheepish grin met Kia as she sliced through the water and sidled up to his bare chest and into his open arms. He was still thinking good.

   A few seconds later Penelope curved up to them. “You are Gods. Gods that can do anything,” she said but not with her mouth. The fearless child was somehow able to make words with only her vocal chords. Her delicate blue green throat vibrated every syllable against the water, which carried them straight into their ears. She need not transmit her thoughts.

     Kian tried to speak with just his throat but the most he could manage was unintelligible grunts and growls. He pointed toward the surface. Penelope nodded and they all shimmied skyward.

  “Except talk underwater,” Kian winked at Kia as he replied to Penelope's statement, “The water tastes really good, doesn’t it?” Kian continued eager to change the subject and keep their little secret, “It is good to drink isn’t it?””

  Penelope nodded yes, “Everything on Chimera is good. If it is green or wet, it is food or drink. Moreover, the forest and fields are heavy with all kinds of fruits and grains, so  I have been taught. I have never seen it." She hesitated. "We are never hungry or thirsty.”

  “Sounds good, really good,”Kian replied,  his tone light with relief, “too bad this potable sea water doesn’t taste like coffee,” He quipped.

  “Coff, ee,” Penelope broke the word into trying to pronounce it, “another new word, it is not like lea ther, is it?”

  “No, swee, sorry I mean  Penelope, no it comes from a coffee bean,” he suddenly stopped talking as he licked his lips, “I’m tasting coffee now, weird, huh let me try something,” he dipped his fingertip in the water then dabbed it on his tongue as he thought cola. “Cola, I taste cola now, grape juice,” he threw up his hands, “and now I taste grape juice. This place just keeps on getting better. Maybe this is heaven. Can you do that?”   

  “Do what?” Penelope shook her head, her face an adorable pale blue question mark.

  “Make the water taste like anything you want it to taste like,” Kian answered just before cupping up a big mouth-full with both hands.

   Penelope never stopped shaking her head. “What are you talking about? I have never heard of such a thing.”

   “I can do it too,” Kia said, licking her fingers, “milk it taste like milk." Kia suddenly rose out of the water like a cork. Scanning the mile wide apron of grass bordering the southern three quarters of the sea, she spread her arms taking in all she could. Lifting her gaze, her eyes smiled at the distant tree fringed ridge hugging the sea and rising against the blue like the mighty walls of a fortress. Everything was green. Everything was food. “Chimera must be your word for Heaven.” She said spinning toward Penelope as she spoke.

   “No it is our word for home. What is Hea, ven?”

    Kia swam to her and gently cupped her face and peered into her gleaming emerald eyes. “This place knows no hurt, does it?”

   “No,” Penelope eyes narrowed until hardly any emerald showed, “no, not for a long time, not until you came dying and wearing the dead.”

   Kia sank away, “I’m sorry so sorry.” She dropped out of sight. A short time later, her head popped up then her hand, tightly clenching her leather garments. She tossed them behind her.

  “No more death,” Kia proclaimed her chin tapping the choppy waves. “Find me something suitable Penelope, something that won’t defile this beautiful world.”

  “Your hair is long but it does not move and you have no scales,” Penelope face shifted from blue to green. She was blushing. “Yes you do need something.” With that, she disappeared beneath the waves.

  

  

 

 

 

   

 

  

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