Cover art and design by Quinton Veal.
“You cold?” the young woman shook her head. “Are you finished eating?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Annabelle pushed her chair back from the table, rose and walked back out into the hallway, Sonya followed. They stood before the door. “Don’t ever try to open this door or any of the doors in this by yourself. Understand?”
Sonya nodded impatiently, now in a hurry to be off. “Cle-Menti, she’s ready,” called Annabelle.
The words were barely out of her mouth, before he blurred alongside her. “You wish to go out princess?”
“Uh-huh,” Sonya stammered. Boy, I sound brain dead. But he is so fine!
He took her hand and they faced the door. “We wish to go to the beach,” he commanded. It swung open, to reveal golden sands and foaming turquoise waters; under an unbelievably bright orange-blue sky.
They strolled around the corner of the mansion, to find the two centaurs now racing each other up and down the sand; one Bronze, with green eyes, reddish-brown hair that curled about her shoulders, and a dark red mare’s hindquarters. The other was Amber with slanted, almond eyes, and black hair that flowed to her waist—a waist that ended in black horse’s body. Each wore silver brassieres covering their torsos.
“Can I get a closer look?”
Cle-Menti smiled indulgently, “Of course!” He shouted in a booming voice that echoed along the beach: “This is Sonya and she’d like to play with you; but behave yourselves! None of your
tricks—you hear?”
Sonya approached the centaurs slowly, twisting her hands in front of her like a child. “Hi…” she said softly.
They regarded her with open curiosity. “I’m Lui and this is Juliana,” the Amber centaur lisped. “Would you like a ride?”
“Oh yes!” Sonya breathed.
“Well, climb on my back then! We’re going to race!”
“And I’m going to win!” Juliana pronounced.
“Hold on tight!” Lui warned. She galloped down the beach—with Sonya holding on for dear life— then back again. The Indigo girl glanced over her shoulder, and glimpsed mermen and women looking on with great interest.
A crowd of aquatic folk had gathered near the ocean’s edge, and were bobbing up and down in the waves, smiling and pointing: waiting for their chance to play with this newcomer.
As Sonya slid off Lui’s back, she whispered: “You would make a lovely centaur! Wouldn’t you like to be one of us?”
Sonya frowned “Oh no!”
“And why not?” Juliana chipped in petulantly. “Are we not beautiful?” Beside her Lui pouted.
Sonya’s face split in a wide grin, flattered beyond measure that these magical equines wanted her to join their family. “You’re the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!” Mollified they smiled back.
“Well?” said Lui expectantly.
“I have a family,” Sonya explained. “If I stayed with you, they’d miss me.”
For a moment Juliana and Lui seemed to seriously consider. “We could be your family,” Juliana offered, smiling openly as if this solved everything.
Sonya looked distressed. I don’t want to make them mad! “But I’d miss them too!” she stammered, “I love them!”
“What is… love?” asked Lui, looking confused.
Sonya’s jaw dropped. “You miss a person when they’re gone,” she groped for words, “you don’t ever want to be without them; and when they hurt, you hurt too.”
They listened intently. “Oh. . .!” said Juliana nodding; beside her Lui bobbed her head in agreement.
But it was obvious they still didn’t understand. Another small almost imperceptible shiver of fear coursed through Sonya. “Could we ride to the water?” she asked.
“Oh yes!” Lui smiled brightly, “We can do whatever we want!”
“Ride me this time!” chirped Juliana.
At the ocean’s edge Sonya scrambled off the centaur’s back—thankful to be rid of them—and into the warm water. She swam into the mere folks’ midst, marveling at their lustrous emerald, golden, brown, ebony, purple, sepia and pinks skins; and joined them in a game of tag.
Sonya began diving under the waves with them. A purple mermaid, with long ropy hair to match her skin, laughed at how playful the girl was; and pulled Sonya under the water, swimming alongside her. At this, they took turns dragging her down with them. Sonya couldn’t remember when she’d had so much fun.
She paddled into the depths marveling at the sea blooms and geometric coral; and at how long she was holding her breath. A slender, pink-skinned merman with golden hair, sea green eyes, and a matching tail, bobbed alongside her grinning. Without warning, he reached out and pulled her into his arms; his body even warmer than the sea.
How do they do it? thought Sonya, Like us?
The merman bubbled laughter in her ear, as if he could hear her thoughts, and pressed himself even more tightly against her. She could feel the maleness hidden beneath his scales.
They swam deeper and deeper still entering cobalt blue waters, bedded by stalks of coral growing from an unseen ocean floor. He paused with Sonya still in his arms and kissed her, pushing his strange bumpy tongue into her mouth. And she wondered how it would feel to have him take her right there, beneath the oceans depths.
“ENOUGH!” Cle-Menti’s booming voice echoed beneath the waves. “BRING HER BACK DEMETRI!”
Demetri lifted his mouth from hers. Frowning, he stared up; then swam to the surface, holding her in his arms. They burst above the foam, and for an instant she couldn’t breathe.
I’ve been breathing water –!
It passed. Her lungs accepted the air, and Demetri was moving to the shallows to release her. Sonya stood in thigh length water… and felt a curious longing. He held her eyes, his lips curving upward in a smile as if they shared a secret. With a flip of his tail he was gone.
Cle-Menti was sitting on the beach waiting for her. “Time to go princess.”
Sonya pouted. “Why’d you make me come back? I was having fun!”
He rose, his full lips spreading into a smile. “Not so innocent after all,” he said, almost to himself, and Sonya blushed. He put an arm about her shoulder guiding her to the door. “You couldn’t breathe when you first came out of the water,” the Indigo man said. “Don’t you wonder why?” Sonya nodded.
“Demetri changed you because he wanted you.” There was no trace of humor in Cle-Menti’s voice now. “If you’d made love to him, you would have become a creature of the sea. And you would have to stay here. Forever.”
He dipped his head toward the beach. “Many of them were human once,” he continued, “but once transformed, they forgot all about their past lives.” Now his gaze was direct, penetrating. Looking into those eyes, Sonya felt nauseous with fear. “They wouldn’t make suitable playmates, you see, if they missed their families.”
The door swung open and she rushed past him, back to the safety of the castle.
Copyright 2010, 2014 Valjeanne Jeffers
Available at www.vjeffersandqveal.com
