One is Come

by C. H. MacLean

  Chapter 6

  Fish Wink

  Haylwen ran. Her knees hurt, her thighs chafed, her belly and boobs jiggled out of control. Stupid bras were either hideous or didn’t do anything, she thought. She hated running, and still she ran faster. The pain in her knees and thighs distracted her from thinking about how sad she felt. Moving again! I wouldn't even get to tell Kim goodbye! So she ran, and didn’t care how she looked holding her chest.

  She ran from her stupid parents telling her they were going to move again, knowing it was all her fault this time. She ran from the fear she would never have any friends. She ran away from her creepy doll, and the fact that it didn’t matter that Cadarn’s present was confiscated, it was still so much better. She couldn’t even really see where she was going, but still she ran. She left the road and took to a hiking trail.

  Maybe I’d never go back. Maybe I'd get so lost that I couldn’t go back. That would teach them. Stupid brother would probably be happier without me there. She finally slowed to a walk when she realized she really had no idea where she was. She looked back, and around. Where did the hiking trail go? Surrounded by trees, she heard water trickling nearby. This must be the woods on the other side of the old train tracks. She didn’t remember crossing train tracks. She went a bit further, then stopped where the little creek came out of a small lake. Looking back, it wasn’t really a trail, just happened to be where there were fewer bushes and ferns, where the tree leaves had collected randomly. She could be the first one who had ever been here. Struck by a feeling of loneliness that overwhelmed the last of her anger, she fell to her knees and cried.

  Something in the lake came up to investigate. As it got closer, it took the form of a giant catfish. It swam closer to where Haylwen’s tears were falling on the creek bank. It hesitated for a second, its long antennae slowly waving. Then it swam up to Haylwen and poked its head up out of the water.

  Haylwen heard the soft sound of the big fish’s head coming out of the water and sat up, her tears suddenly stopping. “Crap!” she blurted, startled.

  The fish didn’t move, just slowly waved its long antennae.

  Haylwen choked out a laugh of a sort. “Or, carp?”

  The fish just floated there. Somehow its wide mouth and whiskers made it look solemn.

  Haylwen looked back. “Um, hello?”

  Nothing. But it didn’t swim away. That’s weird, she thought. Or maybe I’ve gone crazy.

  “Sorry if I am disturbing you, Mr. Fish,” she said. Oh, for sure, she was crazy, talking to a fish. Not that she cared, at this point. Apparently, she was desperate enough for a friend that even a fish would do, never mind if it wasn’t a very attentive fish. So, she started talking. Softly, starting with how she was going to have to move and that it was her fault, somehow. Soon, she was crying, telling about all the times she had lost friends… well… kids who could have been friends if she stayed anywhere long enough. About how lonely it felt to have no friends, and how maybe it would be better if she just didn’t exist. She had never really said that out loud, never really even thought it out loud before. She just sat there and sobbed, the tears pouring down her face.

  Her sobs slowed, then stopped. She looked up, and was somehow not surprised to see the fish was still there, antennae waving calmly. She wiped the tears from her face, shaking them off her hands with a flick. She saw the tears hit the fish right between the eyes, heard the soft splat.

  The fish blinked in surprise.

  “Oh, sorry, Mr. Fish,” she said. “But it's water, right?”

  The fish seemed to smile. I am crazy, Haylwen thought. Fish don’t smile. They can’t. They can’t blink, either, she thought. Well, I don’t think they can blink. I saw it blink, didn't I?

  The fish turned and swam underwater, disappearing. Haylwen looked for it for a moment, and was rewarded with a rapidly growing spot coming toward her in the water. The catfish poked its head up, then spun around. With a quick flip of its big tail, so quickly Haylwen could do nothing other than gasp, the fish splashed water directly on her face. A lot of cold water.

  Stunned, she felt it slide down over her chin and seem to settle at the hollow of her neck. She sat up, and tried to wipe her face off somewhat, and looked at the fish in shock. She may be crazy, but that was not her imagination.

  The fish smiled, or whatever it was, again. It tucked its antennae back against its head, giving it a pleased expression.

  Haylwen sat there for another moment, then laughed. “It’s only water, right?” She couldn’t help herself. She laughed again, laughed some more, laughed until she was crying again. She purposely flicked those laugh-tears at the fish, but missed every time. The whole situation was so ridiculous, her emotions were so out of control that she could do nothing but laugh.

  When she finally stopped laughing, the fish started swimming in circles, slowly heading back to the center of the pond. At the point nearest Haylwen, it poked its head up.

  She got up and brushed herself off. “Yeah, I guess I should get home too.”

  The fish winked and slipped away under the water.

  Haylwen shook her head. Even if she had friends, they would think she was crazy if she told them. She touched that spot on her neck that was still cool and promised herself she would get her mother to go bra shopping when she got home. Whenever that was. And look up if fish can wink. She got up and started walking back, not even feeling a gentle touch on her mind.

  By the time she got home, she was exhausted and starving. She went to the bathroom, then into the kitchen to get a snack. Her father was there, making a cup of tea.

  “Hey, Hayl.”

  Haylwen attempted to ignore her father. She didn't expect him to let her get away with it, and he didn't.

  As she stood there with the door to the fridge open, he stepped in front of her. “I said, Hey, Hayl. And you say...” He had a small smile on his face, but his eyes were searching hers.

  Haylwen closed the door, trying to squish her father into the fridge. “Excuse me,” she said.

  Abrennin stepped out of the fridge and looked at her again. “Where did you get that necklace?” he asked quietly.

  “Necklace?” Haylwen said, touching her neck. The spot that had stayed cool, the spot where the water had collected now held something there. Had it always been there? She could feel a cool metal necklace around her neck, with a small round ball dangling in the hollow of her throat. Part of her would have sworn it had not been there two seconds ago. But somehow it felt like it had been there since she could remember…

  Her father raised an eyebrow. “Yes, necklace.”

  “Oh, this one. Um-mm...” Haylwen had the urge to say she had no idea, but that made no sense. “I've had this for a while. I found it. Outside. Away from everything. Um, in the gutter. I found it a while ago.” She was not a good liar, but didn't have any other choice if she wanted to keep it.

  “May I see it?” her father asked. Haylwen scowled, and tried to think of a protest. She unclasped it and watched the necklace lift away in her father’s hand. It was her first look at it, even though she felt like she had seen it a million times. She only got a glimpse, but she remembered it clearly, a single large pearl on a silver chain.

  “Seems odd to end up in the gutter completely intact,” Abrennin said, looking at Haylwen over his glasses. “Found it? You sure someone didn't give this to you?”

  She still said nothing, but nodded. What could she say at this point?

  “It looks expensive. I'll bet someone is looking for this. You wouldn't want to keep something someone was looking for, would you?” His eyes had taken on that look when he was trying to teach her something. She hated that look, and his questions.

  “No, but...”

  “I didn't think so. I will take the necessary steps to make sure the rightful owner gets this.” He tucked the chain into his pocked and picked up his tea.

  “If no one claims it, I can have it back, right?” She fought past the feeling of be
ing in a lie, and focused on getting the necklace back.

  “Sure,” he said. “Don't eat too much, dinner is in a little while,” he said, walking to the study.

  Haylwen didn't notice her mother follow him in and close the door behind them. She didn't see the contents of the fridge, either. The rest of the night sped into a blur, with only brief images of the necklace echoing in her mind's eye as she fell into a dream-filled sleep.