by M. Schaefer
“Yes, Sir,” he said politely, bowing grandly. “I admit that was part of my motivation.” Destiny saw Kincade turn to her, but she tried to ignore him. The horror!
“May I assist you out, Princess?” he asked formally, reaching his hand into the egg.
She muttered a garbled response-- her tongue seemed to forget how to form any words--but she took his hand anyway, secretly pleased. So much for being immune to his irritating charm! She was happy her aunt Oceanna wasn’t here to see her downfall.
Kincade pulled her out of the egg with one swift motion, leaned close, and whispered in her ear. “It looks like you’re getting along well. In fact, .. I barely recognized you with your hair that way. Perhaps you would feel more like yourself with this,” he said, pulling out her lucky cap from under his shirt. “You forgot it….again.”
Before she had a chance to get excited, Kincade plunked it on top of her head unceremoniously and pulled the rim over her eyes.
“Hey! Thanks a lot,” she exclaimed, moving it to its proper position. She tried to be irritated, but couldn’t hide her pleasure at seeing her hat…or Kincade, for that matter.
It took a moment longer for King Dolphinum to dislodge himself from the egg seat, because his jolly belly was held up a bit longer by the steering wheel. He had to wiggle from side to side until he was finally free.
“Come along, now,” he demanded, as if Destiny and Kincade were holding him up. He swam past them toward the entrance tunnel without even a glance.
They followed behind him through the narrow tunnel. Destiny stroked hard with her arms and kicked her legs, struggling miserably to keep up. Her grandfather’s size certainly didn’t slow him down in the water! His short, plump tail propelled him along like a motorized ball.
She knew Kincade had been politely lagging behind, but he finally swooped up with a great burst from his tail, grabbed her hand and speeded them up so close to the king’s tail that she could feel the water rush against her face with each stroke.
“Sorry, Princess, but you are slower than a frozen sea slug,” he said impatiently.
“Well, I haven’t had the time to figure out how my tail works, yet,” Destiny complained, with a shrug.
They arrived at a large metal door, and Kincade dropped her hand and rushed past her. “Please, allow me sir,” he said politely.
He put his finger in the finger key lock. The door clicked open, then swung inward. He waved them through and the door closed shut behind them with a small rush of water.
They swam into an empty, round hallway with glass doors and windows scattered on each side, enabling them to peer into the classrooms as they passed. Each room was lined with desks carved from sandstone. A giant white, flat-rock face was mounted at the head of the class, where Destiny would have expected a chalkboard to be. In one room, Destiny saw a life-size skeleton similar to the one they had in her science class, with the exception that the topside one had bones of two legs and this one came down to a single point where a tail would be. Interesting.
“Kincade? Do you go to school in one of these classes?” she asked curiously.
“Sometimes, but I am usually too busy with sample collecting while classes are being held. Professor Seamore or one of the other teachers usually ends up tutoring me privately,” he said with a shrug.
Destiny grimaced and thought about the English papers that Mrs. Dilts always assigned her to write. “Yuk! Having a tutor is not a lot of fun,” she answered, her nose wrinkling in distaste.
“It’s not so bad. Professor Seamore is a brilliant merman, though a little eccentric,” Kincade replied.
“What do you mean?” Destiny asked, intrigued.
“Well, he refuses to leave the building, for one.”
King Dolphinum interjected before she could enquire further. “Seamore is by far the most intelligent merman in Mertopia. I entrusted him with the care of my only daughter. No more needs to be said,” he ordered, dismissing any more conversation with a wave of his hand. “Where is the old coot, anyway?”
There was no need for Kincade to answer as an odd-looking merman came rushing toward them in the hall. He wore oversized, round rimmed glasses that magnified his eyeballs at least twice their normal size. They bulged and seemed to flit nervously in his eye sockets, giving him a frog-like quality. But his warm smile put Destiny at ease instantly.
“Hello, Sir,” the professor respectfully addressed King Dolphinum. He then turned to Destiny and reached out a long, thin hand. “Ahh…. Princess… Destiny….. we….meet….again,” he said, as if each word took a breath of its own. “You…have…. grown into a…spiffy…young merwoman.”
Spiffy? She wasn’t quite sure what to say to that!
“Well…Thank you, Professor Seamore. I think you look really…smart,” she stammered, and then followed it up with a beaming smile for good measure.
Professor Seamore nodded, seeming amused.
She saw Kincade out of the corner of her eye. He was acting like he was yawning, a lousy cover for his lopsided grin.
“Okay, Seamore…You can disperse with all the pleasantries,” King Dolphinum demanded. “You will have plenty of time to get to know my granddaughter, but right now we have serious work to do, and we have all been waiting thirteen long years to do it!”
Then King Dolphinum suddenly slapped him on the back affectionately, looking suddenly nervous and very, very hopeful.
“As always… you don’t mince…words, ..old friend,” Professor Seamore said, with a knowing nod.
He turned to Destiny, “We will…continue our…proper introductions…later …my dear. Let us go see…your mother.”
They continued down what seemed like an endless hall. King Dolphinum and the Professor paired up and quietly discussed unfreezing theories between themselves. Destiny and Kincade followed closely behind in wordless excitement. It was so strange to think that each stroke took her a small bit closer to her mother. It seemed like a wild dream. She could sense that they were getting closer with each beat of her heart. Destiny felt her presence. The water seemed electrified, as though it literally held the anticipation of thirteen, long years of hope.
The hall veered sharply to the right. A huge sign read: Restricted Area-Authorized Merpeople Only, in lighted, red letters that lit up the entire end of the hall. Professor Seamore inserted his finger into the lock, causing a green button to light up in the rock wall. He pressed the button and turned to the King.
“There is a distinct possibility… that it would be best…. if we took more than one trip…. on the airavator,” Professor Seamore said in his choppy manner, glancing discreetly at the rotund midsection of the King.
“Nonsense, Seamore! There is plenty of room and no time to waste,” King Dolphinum demanded as if willing it so.
“Airavator? Or elevator?” she whispered to Kincade.
“Air-a-vator…You will see,” he answered, quietly.
When the door opened, Destiny and Kincade chanced a quick, disbelieving look at each other. Destiny thought it would be really hard for her grandfather to fit in this contraption by himself. Of course, out of respect, no one pointed out that obvious fact. They just followed Professor Seamore into the tiny airavator.
It was a round glass cylinder with a grated metal floor and ceiling, allowing water or air to flow freely through as it raised or lowered. Professor Seamore rushed in first, quickly pressing the button with the up arrow. She figured he realized that it would be his only chance. After the rest of them squeezed in, there was no way he would have been able to move at all.
Her grandfather strolled into the next one, turning a bit until he nearly completely filled up the remaining space. Kincade and Destiny had to squish in around him and flatten themselves up against the glass wall. She had to suck in her stomach in order for the glass door to close. She felt like they were stuffed into a giant drinking glass.
“I told you we would fit,” King Dolphinum said, with an ‘I told you so’ tone.
; Destiny let all the water from her lungs and held her breath so she could turn enough to peek at Kincade. One cheek, most of his nose and half of his lips were smashed onto the glass, making his handsome face appear squashed and lopsided. Destiny wanted to laugh, but there was no room. All she could muster was a toothy smirk at his discomfort.
He looked like he was trying to grin back, but it was hard to tell.
With a jolt of displeasure, the tiny airavator slowly started to creep upward. Suddenly airavator bubble music burst from some unknown place below, showering them with bubbles popping in tune. She was sure it sounded like pop goes the weasel, but before she could be sure, the water started to rush from the grate at the bottom. As it dropped to her waist, Destiny had the extreme feeling of heaviness in her upper body. It made her want to sit down. She sputtered a moment and took a deep breath of air. Her lungs felt amazingly light, but it took a moment for her to fully adjust. She coughed slightly, and then accidentally power spit a mouthful of water on the glass door. How lovely! She darted her eyes around to see if anyone had noticed. Luckily, they were too polite to say anything if they had.
The trip up seemed to take forever and as the airavator halted she was prepared to sprint. As the door finally opened, she and Kincade bolted out at the same instant, crashing into each other and falling into a dripping heap on the stone floor.
“Oh! Pardon me! Destiny,” Kincade shot out first, trying to untangle his long legs from her tiny braids. He then sprung to his feet. He gallantly offered his hand to help her up from the floor.
She looked up at him in shock! He had actually used her first name! She liked the way it rolled from his mouth when he least expected it. She let him help her up, though it seemed silly. She was more than capable up getting up by herself and probably knocking him down! It had to be the shock.
“If you are quite finished knocking each other about, I suggest we move to the dryer,” King Dolphinum suggested directly, with a pointed finger.
Both Destiny and Kincade snapped to attention.
“This way….please,” Professor Seamore said, stepping in front of them and walking ahead. Destiny followed behind Kincade, noticing at how his normally wild black hair had become completely flattened from the airavator like a wet towel, when Professor Seamore stopped abruptly. Kincade, close on his heels, barely missed knocking him over when Destiny plowed right into his back.
“Sorry,” she whispered, embarrassed, yet again.
Destiny sneaked a quick look back at her grandfather. He was hurrying to catch up and reminded her of a penguin running at full speed. He shook his head, but didn’t say anything.
The carved granite walls of the small corridor glistened cleanly and looked completely bare. Destiny didn’t see anything that looked like a dryer.
“Stand….here…please,” said the Professor. “Better… spread out a bit.”
Kincade looked just as perplexed as Destiny felt. They both fidgeted, nervously looking around, than moving to an arm’s length apart. The professor pressed a round button on the wall that blended so perfectly that she had not noticed it before. Part of the ceiling suddenly started to shift above them, opening up to expose a long airshaft.
A howling, whistling noise started far above them, followed by an intense air stream of salty, warm air. It circulated through the entire room like a miniature tornado, whipping Destiny’s long braids around like the blades on a helicopter until they were wrapped around her head like a tight, coiled rope. Out of the small cracks between the braids that covered her eyes, she watched the water drop to the floor like scattering beads dissipating almost instantly. It only took a matter of seconds until they were completely dry. The Professor pressed the button again, closing the shaft.
Destiny, feeling like she was in a stranglehold, twirled quickly in the opposite direction, faster and faster until at last her braids unclenched and fanned out, setting her free. Flooded with dizziness, she flailed her arms about and staggered to the wall. Her legs felt like limp noodles and wouldn’t obey her. She was aiming for one wall and ended up at the opposite, fumbling over her feet like a drunken sailor. As her hand felt the hard surface of the stone wall, she belted out, “Yahoo!!” in her best cowgirl imitation. The victory deserved it!
She was still smiling as her eyes focused on three sets of eyes staring at her oddly, mouths open, heads slightly cocked, each sporting a hairdo that that swirled into a point like whip cream topping.
“Did you hit your head?” her grandfather asked, sounding concerned.
“Of course not!” Destiny said, flashing him a beaming smile and skipping ahead.
She realized they weren’t following and glanced back. They seemed to be dazed and stood there looking at each other. “Coming?” she threw over her shoulder, with an impish grin.
They left the drying room and entered a short hallway that led directly to a formidable steel door. It reminded her of the door to the vault at the bank where her dad had an account for the marina. The bank kept it open behind velvet ropes during the day and she always tried to peek inside to glimpse its secretive contents.
Suddenly, an unexplained chill ran down Destiny’s spine. She instinctively knew that her mother was the treasure behind this door. She could feel her nearness in each step forward. It seemed as if they were walking in silent, slow motion. She had to will each breath into her lungs.
Chapter 9
Face to Face
The huge door had several different finger keyholes, unlike the doors Destiny had seen in the Palace. She realized it was like a combination keypad, as she watched Professor Seamore slip different fingers into the keyholes in sequence until the door made a series of clicking noises and released its hidden locks. No one spoke as he pushed the heavy door open. A strange, steamy waft of warm salty air hit Destiny’s nose, causing her to catch her breath. Professor Seamore and her grandfather entered first, but she hesitated a moment at the threshold. She knew if she took one more step her life would be forever changed. It terrified her.
She felt Kincade put his warm hand on her back. “Don’t be scared, Destiny,” he whispered. The moment felt surreal, like she wasn’t really here but watching from some far-off place. She closed her eyes as she took a step forward, and then slowly opened them again when she knew she was all the way inside. The room appeared to have been formed by hallowing out the core of a colossal rock. The result was an impregnable cocoon whose sole purpose was to keep its precious contents safe from the outside world.
Destiny’s eyes were instantly drawn to the center, where a strange blue light emanated from a round glass containment pod, which was placed on top of a series of stairs like a pedestal. Inside was the small, shadowy form of a motionless merwoman.
Her grandfather and the professor stepped aside to let Destiny by. She wanted to run up to her and wake her from her sleep, but concern held her back.
“Professor? Has my mother had the vaccine? Will she be okay if she wakes up?” she asked, her eyes so blue and filled with turmoil that it was as if the ocean currents washed through them.
“Princess Shelleen .. has been….treated, …but .. Destiny,” he said, placing his hand on her shoulder as if to hold her back. “There is no way… to know ..how she will… react after so… long. I don’t… know if she..will survive the unfreezing.”
“I understand,” she choked, realizing the full weight of his words. These could be the only moments she and her mother may ever have together. But still… it was more than she ever dreamed of… She had found the truth and there still was a chance…
Destiny looked at her grandfather who’s face contorted with the anxiety of living many years in fear and hope. She dared not even take a breath because she felt as if she might break like a twig under such strained anticipation. She could feel their eyes boring into her back as she slowly walked to the glass. She had waited a lifetime for this moment.
Her heart pounded in her chest, pumping pure terror through her veins. It was as if every emotio
n she had ever felt was washing over her in one instant, a mixture of elation, terror, relief and sadness; never had she felt so utterly alone.
She could see her mother more clearly, now. Through the haze of a strange blue light, she looked ethereal, like a frozen angel trapped in an aquarium. Destiny touched the cold, smooth glass with her palm and the room seemed to fade into the far-off distance. It seemed as though she was alone, here with her mother, lost in this moment.
She stared at her beautiful, stoic face, so similar to her own and was struck by the expression of haunting sadness. Destiny’s own heart ached for her. She wanted nothing more than to know her, to be a part of her life and let her know that everything was all right. Silent tears traced her cheeks, splattering on the stone floor. There were so many moments they never shared …so many years that her dad had been without her.
Destiny’s heart beat with a heavy thud in her chest, weighted down by the thought of the great sacrifice her mother had made so many years ago. She had given up everything! And all for love of others! Destiny became instantly angry, but at the same time her heart swelled. She was infinitely proud of her mother and very proud to be her daughter.
Suddenly her fear started to ebb away, replaced with sheer determination. She had to help her! She needed to make things right…the way they should have been. It was long past time for her mother to continue her life.
The stone, as though sensing her readiness, began glowing in the same stormy blue as the resolve in Destiny’s eyes. She tingled all over, like electricity was pumping through her body. Her tears of a moment ago had ceased along with any rational thought. She now felt what to do. She took a long, slow breath …and raised both palms together over her head.
The light instantly encompassed her whole body, cocooning her in an intense glow as if she was encased in an ember of a blue fire. Destiny lowered her fingers lightly to her lips and blew a single hope-filled kiss to her mother.