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 Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:14 pm
 Pearl was heartbroken that Portia had made them leave. She loved Portia, loved her brothers and sisters that had come with her out of the pond! And now they were all so far away, and she'd never see any of them again!
The forlorn little tadpole swam her way down the river, looking for someplace to call home. Portia said they'd go back to normal once they found a mother or a father to take care of them. Pearl wasn't sure she wanted a mother or a father who wasn't Portia. Nobody could replace her!
She'd be crying little tadpole tears if she could. She'd reached a big open space now. It was like the pond, but bigger. She could call this home, she decided. It wouldn't be the same, but it reminded her of where she'd come from. She looked down and saw tiny figures swimming around near the bottom. Maybe they were more tadpoles. Maybe she could be part of a tadpole family!
Curious, she swam down, down, down. Only as she swam down, the tadpoles started to get bigger and bigger. When she finally reached the bottom, she realized that they weren't tadpoles at all! They were huge pae! Grown-up pae, like Portia! Only they had tails!
I HAVE A TAIL TOO! she thought excitedly.
Maybe this was what Portia was talking about. Maybe her perfect mother or father was down here. Maybe they'd be even better than Portia!
She caught sight of a pretty pink one and followed it, swimming with all her might to keep up. She was bright in color and had curly brown hair. Maybe she'd be her mother! Pearl darted in a little cave behind her and tried to listen to her talk. Tadpole hearing wasn't super good. She was talking to herself, it appeared. Portia did that all the time. This was the perfect mother for her!
Suddenly, another grown-up appeared. Oh, but this one was even more beautiful! She was pale pink like roses and her hair flowed around her as she swam. Pearl was transfixed!
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:29 pm
 Kelebek was getting on in years, but nothing escaped her sharp eyes, especially when it came to her children and, lately, her grandchildren.
"Xoana, look!" she said excitedly, swimming over to her. "Look what's followed you home! You have some of your mother's gift in you." She beamed at her great-granddaughter.
"Come, little tadpole, don't be afraid. You're a long way from home, aren't you? Little river tadpoles don't usually come this deep into the lake." She cupped her hands around the tadpole. It wasn't trying to dart away, which was strange behavior for any little kind of fish."I think it likes you, Nan," said Xoana, who at this stage in her life was more interested in boys than fishes. The tadpole would've delighted her at a younger age. Now? Not so much."Of course it does," said Kelebek, encouraging the little thing to swim in her hair. "It knows a safe Pae when it sees one."
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:43 pm
Pearl wriggled into the grown-up Pae's hair. It was soft and nice, and she felt safe. She closed her eyes and relaxed, realizing how tired she was from her journey.
She didn't realize she'd gone back to normal until she heard the grown-up pae'il exclaim in surprise.
Xoana gasped. "Nan! The tadpole! It....changed?!"
Kelebek fished the little one that had been the tadpole out of her hair. Her cheeks flushed even more pink. "By the waters, it's a child!" Quickly she got over her surprise and put on her best smile. She didn't want to frighten the wee thing, after all.
"How are you so calm about this?" demanded Xoana, whose eyes were still huge. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Tadpoles didn't just....turn into children! This was bonkers.
Kelebek chuckled. "This child is a gift from the Water itself! Only a great magic could have changed her before our eyes like this." She shifted her attention to the child, who blinked up at her with large brown eyes. "Do you have a name, little one?"
"I'm Pearl," said Pearl. She snuggled into the pink one's grasp. "Are you my mother?" She certainly hoped so. She wasn't sure she had the energy to find another one. And this mother had such kind eyes.
Kelebek's heart practically sang. She had been "Gran" or "Nan" for so long...but she longed to be a mother again. Since Turin had taken his leave of her, she'd thought that was but a dream. But the Waters had blessed her with another child!
"Yes, little one," she said, dropping a kiss on Pearl's forehead. "I am."
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