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 Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:22 pm
After the encounter with the komodo-monster, Thina was reluctant to go out more than necessary. She feared meeting anyone else, especially if they were some kind of ensorcelled creature. Today, however, she wanted to go out and do something.
The woman dressed only in her bottom dress. It was just too hot at this Island for all the layers the traditional costume called for. It was still modest, and covered everything. The hem was especially dirty, for the only cleaning it's had was her primitive washing. Thina went to the cafeteria for some food, and then she decided that she would risk her fear and see more of this strange island.
Her lyre in her hands, Thina looked at the edge of the forest. She figured there would be less people in the wooded area, assuming the habitants would prefer living in the little 'village'.
Some time passed. At first, the woman was wistful of home, in the mountainous lands of Epirus. It was then that she saw the lake. Thina stared, her mouth almost fell to the ground. It was beautiful. The sun reflected off the water as the small breeze formed little waves among the expanse. Something in her wanted to jump in, but she resisted and settled to just have bare feet -after taking off socks and shoes- submerged. Thina looked around, listening to the water and birds.
Eventually, however, her mind saw that it was all just the same, and a little too quiet. Sure, there was the natural music of the forest, but she wanted more.
Thina took out her lyre and hand-trummed a tune. It was an old song, kept alive from Ancient Greece. Originally, it was a song dedicated to Apollo, only it was replaced with God long ago. It spoke of the beautiful things that shined in nature as God smiled down from his heavenly throne.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:48 pm
Cody was returning from another exausting hunting attempt in one of the many rivers. He was getting better at cornering the fish, but still he had trouble grasping them. He had tried using the fabric from one of his old shorts, but it did him little good. It acted more like a sail than a net
But then he heard something that caught his attention. It was a weird sound, distorced by the water, but it sounded familiar... like..... music!!!
It had been ages since he last heard any melodic sounds besides the songs of the birds. It was so alien in this place, but soooo pleasent!
Cody immediatly tried to find the source, his dorsal fin cutting the water like a thick, black blade. When he was close enough the fin disapeared, soon to be followed by the surfacing of a sandy colored head
He was floating a good 20 feet away from the woman, hearing the sounds of the lyre completely delighted. He didn't even pay attention to the scar on her face, so absorved he was in the song
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:00 pm
The song wasn't even close to being completed, but when Thina finally saw the person her voice faltered and her fingers froze. There was someone in the water!
"What are you doing? You'll drown!" she cried out in Greek. In her mind, Thina knew he probably didn't speak Greek, his sandy-blond hair told her that much -unless he dyed it, which was becoming more popular; but in her concern for the apparant-youngster gripped her fear.
Thina stood up and made wide motions as she shouted more Greek words, encouraging him to get out before he died.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:18 pm
Cody was completely surprised by two reason. First, that woman was speaking in a completely weird language. Second, she started making strange motions to him
He didn't really know what to do. Now that he looked at her long enough he could tell she was still completely human and experience told him to stay away from them. But it seemed she was trying to warn him of something in the lake
Cody looked around, trying to see if there was something else in the water, slowly getting closer to the shore. Her message was still unclear, but the panic tone in her voice was not. And that was starting to make him feel uneasy, not of her, but of the deeper waters. Maybe the dolphins came after him to finish the job!?
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:32 pm
Thina was slightly relieved that he was coming to the shore. She hoped she could help him out when the time came. The woman waited, still making motions and yelling out encouragement.
Then, she saw exactly how he came, and Thina could only blink in surprise as she stilled her movement and words. The youngster wasn't swimming like she'd seen people before -granted, she couldn't swim herself. He was much more graceful and with less arm movement.
He was getting closer, and she instinctually took a step back. "How are you swimming like that?" Thina asked, but as her concern lessened she was able to think more clearly. And as such, she thought how he didn't look Greek and probably didn't know the language.
So, Thina tried again, "Your swim... is strange." Meanwhile, she eyed him carefully, clutching her lyre protectively. For one being so old, she sure reverted to childish actions quickly.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:44 pm
Now Cody was really confused. Her behaviour started to change as he was now much closer to the shore, no longer shouting those weird words but acting more defensive and steping back
Until she spoken in english, he looked scared. Something was telling him that she wasn't aware of the reality in the island and would likely get spooked by him. An experience he really didn't want to repeat
"What do you mean?"
He now looked puzzled at her, with a bit of fear still showing. He was swimming the only way he knew, moving his tail up and down. He had forgotten a long time ago to use his arms to propel him. It was inefficient in his case
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:58 pm
Thina thought about how to phrase her words, since she now knew he was definately speaking English. She should have paid more attention to the English-speaking tourists!
She set her lyre by her feet. In order to try to get her meaning across, the woman flailed her arms in an effort to show arm-swimming. "You don't...." more flailing, "...to swim."
With her mind concentrated on trying to her the meaning to her words, Thina was not as worried. Curiosity was starting to get the better of her; for despite it all this newcomer in her life seemed very young and non-threatening. He for sure did not have the sharp teeth of the previous one she met. Maybe the people were not so scary?
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:10 pm
Cody started to relax a bit. It seemed she wasn't really freaked out by him after all. Maybe it was just her trouble in speaking english. He couldn't blame her after hearing that horrid vocabulary
"Ah! no, I don't. I just use my tail"
He decided to give a small demonstration to explain. He glided easily through the water, the dark fin showing again and the water being disturbed where the the flukes nearly broke the water surface
But because of the wind the water was quite muddy and that combined with Cody's dark dolphin skin, it was hard to tell what lied below the surface
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:15 pm
Thina stared in shock, again. "Tail?" she asked, not believing it.... until. What was that? She saw fin peek out, but... maybe that was just a trick of the light? But then how would his ease in the water be explained? That didn't make any sense.
The woman was torn: run away or stay and see what this boy had to offer in ways of the Island's strangeness.
"Tail?" she asked again, her mouth working once more. Thina watched him warily, if he really did have a tail, who knew what else.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:23 pm
Cody mistaken her shock as not knowing the meaning of the word
"Oh, sorry"
He approached the shore as far as he could go and then used his arms to drag himself out a bit, enough to tell most of bottom half. The flippers, the fin and the fluke, all were quite visible and very dolphin like
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:30 pm
Thina watched in surprise, maybe a little bit of horror. With a squeak of surprise, the woman took a step back but tripped on her shoes that were laying there. She fell on her somewhat ample rump with a painful gasp.
As she rubbed her backside to try and chase away the pain, the woman went to think of her own mythical history. It was her mother and grandmother who kept those stories alive, though they were also interspersed with Christian stories as well. Thina mumbled to herself as she went through the myths. The ones that came to her mind were of Triton and Glaucus, two men with the torso's of men but tails of fish.
While their appearance sometimes struck fear and panic in those that saw them, they were not evil or cruel. So, it was their stories -instead of those of flesh-eating mermaids- that Thina recalled, and her fear dispersed. She still did not grasp the island's concept, but she did know her stories and legends.
Finally, Thina went back to English. As she repositioned herself in a more comfortable position, she leaned forward to the dolphin-tailed boy. Even though she was Orthodox, the proof before her of the Ancient gods was too much to ignore. "Which god... changed... you? Poisedon?" Was it possible that the Ancient myths were all true?
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:55 pm
Cody didn't notice the woman falling off until he heard her hitting the ground. He was busy dragging his body to dry land, so her clear shock on her face went unnoticed
He wanted to help her up, but he couldn't move any further in land. It felt like dragging a heavy sack of potatoes just by using his arms. But she didn't seem hurt, though it was hard to tell between the greek mumbling
"Poseidon? Who's that?"
Cody's knowledge of gods was very small. The ones he knew he learned through a couple of movies, but the only ones he could recall was Zeus and Thor. And maybe Mars and Venus, but that was because of the planets
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:01 pm
Thina crept forward, giving up her comfortable position. She had to truly see this for herself. "Poisedon. God of the big sea... or ocean. He had a son, Triton... half antheros -man-, half fish."
Up closer, the woman saw that he wasn't really 'fish'. "Dolphin?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought. Dolphins were Apollo and Dionysus.... not Poisedon. Oh, how she was so confused.
The woman also, after really looking at him, saw that he looked very yound, "How old are you?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:05 pm
"Sorry, doesn't ring a bell"
Cody didn't know what this conversation was about. Why was she talking about gods and stuff?
"Yes. And I'm 10. My name is Cody by the way"
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:11 pm
"A bell?" Thina asked, not understanding the phrase. "No, Triton had a shell, not a bell." Okay, so she really didn't get it. But, it did appear that the boy didn't know what she was talking about. Which means, it probably wasn't one of the gods.... for they liked to make sure one knew about who they were.
With his answer, Thina knew he was part dolphin, not really fish. That was strange, but she still trusted him... not only because he was so young but also because he didn't look like a scary monster. The mermen she knew about were not malicious.
"I am Thina Arlia-Pavlidis. Kalimera Cody. Good day to you." She translated the meaning.
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