Chapter 29: Rainy Day
Atarah smiled as she waded in the crystal clear waters of her river under the darkness of the night sky. A few balls of glowing flames illuminated the air like small, magical lanterns as she bathed in the cool of the water. She raised her arms up slowly as she gazed up at the half moon, while inhaling her raspy voice.
The water around her began to rise, leaving the river and levitating up into the air and rippling around her in swirling tendrils. The water flew and sailed in thin veils around her as she sewn her magic into the water as well as the air.
She senses something big is coming, so she is requesting clarification from that of the moon.
The mobile water swam through the air, and into the Will-O-The-Wisps in order to douse them for their light. The floating water started glowing as it extinguished the wisps and bringing their faint illumination up.
Atarah held her hands out and held them open as she moved them up to the moon, while elevating the glowing water up to her view of the moon. From her point of view, the glowing water rose up and reformed on the dark-side of the moon, as if filling the moon in the sky with its missing space, and forming the complete white orb.
Atarah closed her eyes as she drank in both the light of the moon and the light of the water-wisps. Her whole head felt a pleasant chill as coolness washed into her senses from her exposure of the lunar glow. She suddenly tensed and grunted as she let the water splash right back down into the river. The river itself gave off a faint glow, before the luminescence gradually gathered into individual clusters of light, and slowly rising out of the river without disturbing the surface of the water, reforming into Will-O-Wisps again.
"... A storm ees coming..." She mumbled. She duck into the water, and swam back towards the hut, where she pulled herself onto the wood-plank dock, dangling her legs over it, still dripping wet.
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VVVVVVRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMM
Adam's motorbike rode under the old bronze seahorses at the entrance of the pier. As he rode, he noticed that the place is completely deserted. None of the shops are open, there's no one walking on the docks, every window and door is clasped shut closed down with heavy metal bars and panels.
"Hmmm... Where is everybody?" Adam wondered to himself in the loud motorcycle rumbling.
It's currently overcast -- the sky is excessively thick with grey clouds. It's still 9 in the morning, but it still looks a little dark out.
He rode up to the Fish House, and dismounted his vehicle to examine the huge chain links that had sealed the doors shut, tightly.
"Even the Captain's gone?" Adam asked as he felt at the heavy lock, "What's going on? It'd be nice if he would figure out email and such."
"Adahm?" Adam turned his head to see Belinda walking up to him, wearing a drafty blouse and her usual accessory collection of bait tackle for jewelry, "I tought I heard your motacycul coming."
"Hey Belinda. Hey, you have any idea why the pier is so empty today? We're like, literally the only ones out here."
"A hurrycane es coming," She said, "A beeg one."
"A hurricane? This is the first I've heard of it."
"Do you not observe teh human news, Adahm??" She said as she lightly smacked his head, "Herald watches et every sun for teh weader. Dey say a beeg storm is coming!"
"So then, what are YOU doing here?" He asked.
"I am sealing my spot so no wata and weend get in dere and mess tings up..." Belinda pondered for a moment, then looked back up at Adam, "Adahm, do you know what ees a Sea Spot? Your Merreck said it once last week."
"It's something he made up for his sister," Adam answered, "One time, his sister was trying to take a bag full of shells with her before they left, but when she couldn't lift it, he made up the Sea Spot; I small place where a merperson resides in, bring in stuff they collect around the migration and stuff; kinda like your little space in the rocks, or a human's bedroom," He explained, "It was something to say to keep her from crying."
"Makes sense," Belinda said.
"Well if a storm's headed over here, I better head home. You need a ride back to Herald's place?"
"No, I no need ride. I need sealing my spot now."
"Alright. See you later," Adam said as he put on his helmet, mounted his motorbike, and rumbled away from the Fish House while Belinda walked over to the rocks.
~~~~~~
"Hhgghh!" Jamal grunted as he carried a box into an apartment building. Nicholas walked out a door, and smiling as he looked at Jamal's behind in those tight jeans while he walked. The Latino went to the moving truck, and went to retrieve another box. Jamal came up behind him, and slapped Nick in the tush. He giggled as he felt that strong hand grope him.
"You sure you don't wanna move in with me?" Nick said as he faced the black man, "Kinda got used to... Paying rent for you~" He said with a wink. Jamal smirked as he ground his crotch with the other.
"Naw, I gotta stick with Adam. But I can visit, yo. I can visit a lot." Both men grinned as they continued to pick up the boxes, and take them into the new apartment.
The wind is really kicking up at them.
~~~~~~
Yuri smiles as everyone on the plane got up, and began to shuffle for their luggage, before proceeding to file out.
She probably shouldn't have gone on vacation like this. What with being a medical student as well as an intern, taking a week and a half to go to Japan with her parents just seems so extravagant. Heck, she's been in America for so long, she wonders if her Japanese is still good -- she's lived there for so long, she doesn't really have an accent, while her parents still retain a bit of pronunciation of their heritage.
"[Yuri, let's go.]" Yuri's father said. She nodded and started to get up.
"Hai, papa," She said as she got up, and took her old white and gold koi duffle. Yuri, and her mother and father steadily made it off the plane, and took the rest of their luggage, before looking for a certain old couple.
Yuri's dark eyes lit up, as she tugged at her mom's sleeve, "[Mom, there they are. Grandmother! Grandfather! Over here!]" She called out to them. They looked, and exchanged formal greetings.
Yuri dug in her duffle, and withdrew two, very beautiful shells -- she had asked Merrick to find some small, exotic shells to give as a present to her grandparents went they arrived. They looked in awe at the glittering seashells, before going into a car, and driving off from the airport.
