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 Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:20 pm
A fierce thunderstorm had raged here last night, and it left the beach transformed. As early as he could manage it, Fish made his way over the dunes and down onto the sand. While he liked nice days and surfing, today's overcast weather and lingering wisps of storm made for good exploring weather.
Almost immediately, he found a long, reedy piece of driftwood. He held it like combination sword and staff as he made his way further along the line of washed up shells, seaweed, and marine creatures, and occasionally paused to poke at the occasional beached sea-jelly or pufferfish.
All the while, he scoured the sand for sharks teeth, bits of glass, and other treasures from the deep. He had never found anything quite as impressive as the nautilus-carved shoulder guard he wore, but it was still always interesting to see what washed up.
His eyes alighted on a small black tooth in the sand. He picked it up, brushed it off, tucked it into the pocket of his swim trunks, and continued on his way. Today would hopefully yield a good find.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:52 pm
Being older had all sorts of advantages, like dexterity, intelligence, and most importantly, freedom. Mari found that since she'd literally grown a foot (maybe something closer to eighteen inches) overnight, the roommates seemed more willing to let her roam around on her own, and even though she knew that Kit was with Chloe somewhere further down the beach collecting samples for a summer project, she couldn't help but feeling on her own for the first time in her life.
It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
Immersed in the rolling waters of the ocean to about her knees, Mari also felt like she had come home for the first time. The briny air tossed her hair in a familiar sort of way, and the waves hugged her legs like a long-lost friend. It sounded crazy, but the whole place almost felt downright cozy to the girl. She wiggled her webbed toes in the sands and decided that, despite whatever silly stories Chloe told her, she liked the beach.
There was a figure walking the beach, and as Mari spied the boy she hesitated, stiffening in place among the soft waves. Not connecting his appearance to the toddler she'd played with a few months ago, she clutched at her bag and waved meekly before continuing her walk, expecting that he would continue his as well. Most walk-by greetings went that way: you acted polite, and then you went on to more interesting things, like chasing the fish that pooled at Mari's feet.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:57 pm
Fish waved to the girl as he passed her, while continuing to poke at the storm debris. It took a moment for him to make the connection, and when he did he turned on the spot to look back at the girl.
"Mari, right?" he asked. He had a good memory for faces, especially if they were connected to people he liked. And how often did you meet a girl with fins for ears?
He pointed to his bare chest. "It's me, Fish," he said. "Remember? We played at Liberty."
He wasn't sure if she would. They'd only been in the same grade for a little bit before he grew.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:31 pm
It took Mari a moment to register that the boy was actually speaking to her, and she blinked as she turned to face him, her expression somewhat confused. The name 'Fish' certainly registered fond memories of mud puddles and monsters, but they didn't seem to match the older boy before her beyond general coloration. She peered intently at his face until recognition dawned on her, her eyes widening and her earfins flaring out in surprise.
"Fish? Like, 'Hey, we're gonna stomp in mud puddles' Fish?" Part of her seemed flabbergasted, while the other seemed excited (though it usually went that way), and through the wild mix of emotions, she offered him a sheepish smile. "Wow, just--wow. You...you look good."
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:48 pm
"Yeah," said Fish, who remembered it pretty well. "That Fish."
He blushed at the complement, not used to anyone paying attention to his appearance. "I... uh... thanks," he said lamely. He took a few steps closer to her.
Aw, man! She was taller than him! His displeasure with this fact registered briefly on his face, and then he was all smiles again. "You too," he said, still lame.
"Whatcha doing here?" he asked.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 4:00 pm
Mari pointed further down the beach, where in the distance two women seemed to be collecting shells. "My mom's out here with a friend, working on a bio project," she said, her voice filled with the confidence of knowing general college-kid lingo. The girl looked down gingerly at her bag, running a hand across the starfish attached to its surface before digging around inside, procuring a large nautilus shell to show the boy.
"I'm helping, too. See?" The find was something Mari was particularly proud of, though the starfish on her bag mentally 'harumphed' in disapproval. He personally liked her far better when she wasn't trying to show off for her friends.
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 4:09 pm
Fish's eyes lit up. "Oh!" he said, looking at the shell. "That's really neat! I've just got some sharks teeth," he said, and reached into his pocket. He withdrew it again and shoved it at Mari, opening it up to show her his find.
"They're sort of small," he said. "I've found big ones before. The morning after a storm is really good for finding stuff."
He put the teeth back in his pocket and pointed to the silver cuff on his shoulder. "I found this after a storm. But stuff like this doesn't wash up very often. Did you ever find anything else out about Dutchmen?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:35 pm
At his last question, Mari's smile faded, and she looked out over the ocean. "Not really, and my mom says that Dutchmen don't exist." She glanced down at one foot, lightly kicking at the water's edge, her demeanor becoming somewhat embarassed about the whole thing. "I mean, I never actually saw one or anything, and she says that it's just kid stuff, so I shouldn't worry about it."
Her eyes lit up, and she turned to him, curious. "Why? Did you find something out?" It was clear that, whatever Kit's intentions might have been, the girl still believed, deep down.
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:48 pm
"No," said Fish, also sounding a bit glum. It was unfortunate that neither of them knew, because it had seemed like a great adventure. "Not about Dutchmen, at least."
He crouched down and poked at the sand, all the while continuing to speak. "I dreamed about Atlantis, though," he said, "It was one of those dreams that might actually have been real? I met a girl who said she was my sister."
He shrugged, dug his fingers down into the sand, and scooped something up. He held it out for her.
"Sand dollar?" he asked.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:54 pm
"Atlantis? Like that movie where everyone had the weird tattoos and rode on mechanical fish?" Mari vaguely imagined that if Fish had gone to that Atlantis, then he would have to be the Milo Thatch of the bunch because of his complexion and his figure. Then again, Milo didn't have scales. But Fish wasn't tan, either. Mari glanced down at her own scaly hand, wondering if that made her some sort of Atlantean opposite.
Her eyes widened with curiosity as she examined the sand dollar, gently plucking it from the boy's hand and bringing it to the light for a closer look. "Wow, I've never found one of these not broken before," she said with a good amount of admiration, tracing along the starry emblem in the center. "You must be really good at this."
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:59 pm
Fish shook his head. "I haven't seen that movie," he said, sounding a bit confused. "The place I dreamed of didn't have any flying mechanical fish, though, and the girl I met didn't have tattoos or anything - just scales, like me?"
He shrugged.
"I'm good at finding stuff," he said. "I don't think it's magic or anything, though. Stuff just washes up here a lot. Have you ever been to this beach before?"
He pointed up towards the dunes. There was a sandy path cut into them, and behind them the upper floor and roof of a wood-shingled cottage was visible. "I live here," he explained proudly, "With my dad and my sister. They're artists."
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:24 pm
"I..." Mari's averted her gaze to the sands, wondering vaguely if she she even should be embarassed about her upcoming confession. "Actually, I've never been to the beach before. Just a bunch of different pools and a water park, once."
Mari's eyes followed the boy's pointer finger to the cottage, and she lowered her hands to get a better look. "That's really cool," said the girl with a nod, wondering what it would be like to live someplace other than a crowded apartment. Or someplace with a sister, for that matter. "Is this the sister with the scales like you?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:32 pm
Fish looked confused for a moment, and then shook his head again. He laughed, realizing his own failure of communication. "No," he said. "Ophelia hasn't got scales. She's just plain human. Like my dad."
Which didn't explain the stars or the magical paintings that turned into doors but he didn't think he needed to mention that right now.
He joined her in the water and began to walk further down the beach, and motioned for her to follow his splashing footsteps. It wasn't a good day for swimming since the waves were still kind of yucky and rough, but walking was fun.
"Are you going to Liberty for school after the summer?" he asked. The real word for 'after the summer' was, apparently, Fall, but he had no experience with that. He'd been born in winter, and certainly remembered spring and summer, but never 'Fall'. It had a funny name.
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 4:12 pm
Mari blinked, curious about having sisters and parents who were human when you weren't but sisters and brothers just like you. She supposed it was something like living with Kit and the others: not the same, but family, nonetheless. The girl smiled as she followed in the boy's footsteps, eyes to the ground where every so often their feet would get covered by the froth of a wave. She was beginning to think she liked this whole 'beach' thing.
She looked up when he spoke again, pausing to think before she answered. "Probably. I mean, I don't know why I wouldn't, unless Kit decides to homeschool me. She might need me at home for research purposes." Mari shrugged, as if it were normal to think of oneself as the subject of some sort of science project. "What about you?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 5:26 pm
"Yeah, I'm definitely going!" said Fish happily. He liked school. He liked seeing his friends and playing sports and if Mari was his friend then he'd like seeing her there, too. "My dad teaches art there," he added. "Sometimes he does stuff with the pre-schoolers. You mighta met him."
He smiled at her, but then thought for a second and found something strange about her earlier statement. "Research?" he asked, suddenly suspicious.
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