Water
At first the voices were just whispers, but they grew much more louder over the years. Charlottie Meadows was confused and needed to find out who she truly was and why only she could hear these voices. The more she researched the more slippery situations got.
* Prologue *
KEEP RUNNING!
Every muscle in my body screamed in agony. Screaming for me to stop but I know better. I’ve risked too much to give up so easily. Especially with you inside of me, the elders were all wrong about you; about your origin. You’re the only thing that will ever matter to me!
Life! I gave you sweet life!
I can hear your heart beating as fast as mine. You’re uncomfortable bouncing around in that sack of fluids.
DON’T STOP!
The ancient voice screeched in my ears, encouraging me to go on. The voice that only I can hear in water and on land. The goddess!
I could hear the men’s feet stomping the ground at an accelerated speed. I could hear their shouts and the sounds of weapons clinking as they ran.
"She carries the damned!"
"Kill the little blasphemous one and the water wench who nurses her!"
Damned? Blasphemous? WATER WENCH?!
If I was not carrying you and running for our safety I would have turned around and ripped their throats out! I would have maimed them with my teeth and bare hands! I would have brought the wrath of the goddess on them!
But I kept on pushing myself.
It’s cold and dark in the woods. I could taste the earth in the air that was damp with fog. I could smell the Sulphur that burned on the men’s torches.
My bare feet contacted the brown soil with heavy thuds; occasionally stumbling over a root. Thud! Thud! Thud!
My breathing grew heavy; the fog made it harder to inhale. My lungs were deflating slowly and my gills were beginning to burn! I needed the water. Pant! Pant! Pant!
My hazel waist length hair whipped in the wind as I make my way deeper into the forest; sometimes slapping my face and getting into my eyes. Whip! Whip! Whip!
Still, I kept on going.
Brown and grey blurred pass me as I ran. Tree, fog and space, tree, fog and space, tree. The loose white dress that I stole from the fishing village flapped in the cold air as I ran. My tanned legs were flecked with my scales. They shone like gems on a clear summer’s day but thank the goddess’s that I came to shore during fall.
I was barely concentrating on my directions. I was depending wholly on my instincts.
I saw the bushes and didn’t think to stop. I ran through them; scratching my self on the sharp twigs that blocked my way. I was bleeding but I couldn’t stop. No, don’t stop.
I broke out of the bushes and stood in the clearing. Its ground covered with orange and red leaves of the season. The clearing was bright with the autumn sunshine.
LOOK! SAFETY ON YOUR RIGHT!
I looked on my right and true enough there was shelter. It was a small cave opening just enough to crawl in. Hidden behind a bush of wild roses.
Thorns grazed my cheeks and elbows as I crawled into that little dark and damp space. It was small, the further I crawled in I discovered its ceiling grows taller and its walls expanded sideways. I finally got to the back of the cave and laid down curling myself around you.
"KILL THE HAG!"
I heard the feet approach and the crackles of the fire torches. The stomping stopped in the clearing.
My heart raced with panic and my breathing came out in short pants. When I realized I was making to much noise from inhaling, I stopped and held my hand to my mouth. My tears ran and my nose watered up. My gills were burning desperate for water.
I prayed.
"Goddess Baveras, Light of the waters! I pray for your mercy! Ease my fear and give me strength to go on. Do not let them come! Goddess Tara, Light of Protection! I beg you to have mercy! Protect me!"
Something beside me stirred and then I heard a low growl. I could see the creatures’ black eyes reflecting in the dark.
It smelled of rotten fish and blood.
Goddess! Anything but this! I thought to myself.
The creature huffed and took a step towards me. It sniffed the air and then gave out another growl. I could hear the smacking of its upper lips as it curls back to bare its teeth.
I cried harder, the goddess’s have fated me to die here with you still in me.
The sound of the bush rustling caught both the creatures and my attention. The creature snapped its head around to see the intruder. It smelled fire and then the sweat off of the human and roared so loud my ears nearly popped.
It charged out ramming the intruder and snapping his bones. The bush was torn apart as the creature ripped the limbs off the human.
I could see that the creature was big, furry and brown. It was called a bear on land. The Water sprites call them ‘presidios’ originating from the Latin word "Presidium" meaning "Protector"
I thanked the Goddess Tara that she did answer my prayer.
The Presidios slashed the gut of another human who had been swinging the torch at its face. The human screamed as his guts spilled out. The Presidios continued its violence on the other humans who still had their limbs attached to themselves and still agitating the Presidios.
The screaming and the horror stopped after a while; so did my tears. You could hear a few of the humans retreating back over the bush that lined the clearing.
The Presidios squeezed back into the cave and sat beside me licking its paws clean from the blood that tainted it.
I thanked it and lay down beside the creature. Inching closer so I could get some warmth from its fur. It didn’t seem to mind the closeness.
It turned its face to me and blew out a gust of air. As if to say "Go to sleep"
The smell of rust invaded my gills and nostrils but I remained calm and fought the urge to vomit on his fur.
REST MY CHILD. ANEW STARTS TOMORROW.
I wrapped my arms around you. My miracle, my life and my prize. We’re safe now little one. You’re in this sac that will keep you far away from harm. Away from humans and away from the elders who would have caged you in the deepest part of the sea.
Thud!
You kick to tell me that you love me.
"I love you too." I say to my belly and then close my eyes.
I pondered over everything that we have gone through. The elders believe religiously in their myths and will not come to terms with anything new. When they found out about you they went ballistic and condemned you. I ran away when they threatened to feed you to the seals.
So I went to look for your father’s family. On land. They hit me with a broom and chased me out like an animal. That’s when the humans started gathering. I hope they have learned a lesson.
I thought: would you look anything like your father?
You started moving again.
"oh.." I said.
Something broke and blood flowed freely from in between my legs.
Then the excruciating pain started.
KEEP RUNNING!
Every muscle in my body screamed in agony. Screaming for me to stop but I know better. I’ve risked too much to give up so easily. Especially with you inside of me, the elders were all wrong about you; about your origin. You’re the only thing that will ever matter to me!
Life! I gave you sweet life!
I can hear your heart beating as fast as mine. You’re uncomfortable bouncing around in that sack of fluids.
DON’T STOP!
The ancient voice screeched in my ears, encouraging me to go on. The voice that only I can hear in water and on land. The goddess!
I could hear the men’s feet stomping the ground at an accelerated speed. I could hear their shouts and the sounds of weapons clinking as they ran.
"She carries the damned!"
"Kill the little blasphemous one and the water wench who nurses her!"
Damned? Blasphemous? WATER WENCH?!
If I was not carrying you and running for our safety I would have turned around and ripped their throats out! I would have maimed them with my teeth and bare hands! I would have brought the wrath of the goddess on them!
But I kept on pushing myself.
It’s cold and dark in the woods. I could taste the earth in the air that was damp with fog. I could smell the Sulphur that burned on the men’s torches.
My bare feet contacted the brown soil with heavy thuds; occasionally stumbling over a root. Thud! Thud! Thud!
My breathing grew heavy; the fog made it harder to inhale. My lungs were deflating slowly and my gills were beginning to burn! I needed the water. Pant! Pant! Pant!
My hazel waist length hair whipped in the wind as I make my way deeper into the forest; sometimes slapping my face and getting into my eyes. Whip! Whip! Whip!
Still, I kept on going.
Brown and grey blurred pass me as I ran. Tree, fog and space, tree, fog and space, tree. The loose white dress that I stole from the fishing village flapped in the cold air as I ran. My tanned legs were flecked with my scales. They shone like gems on a clear summer’s day but thank the goddess’s that I came to shore during fall.
I was barely concentrating on my directions. I was depending wholly on my instincts.
I saw the bushes and didn’t think to stop. I ran through them; scratching my self on the sharp twigs that blocked my way. I was bleeding but I couldn’t stop. No, don’t stop.
I broke out of the bushes and stood in the clearing. Its ground covered with orange and red leaves of the season. The clearing was bright with the autumn sunshine.
LOOK! SAFETY ON YOUR RIGHT!
I looked on my right and true enough there was shelter. It was a small cave opening just enough to crawl in. Hidden behind a bush of wild roses.
Thorns grazed my cheeks and elbows as I crawled into that little dark and damp space. It was small, the further I crawled in I discovered its ceiling grows taller and its walls expanded sideways. I finally got to the back of the cave and laid down curling myself around you.
"KILL THE HAG!"
I heard the feet approach and the crackles of the fire torches. The stomping stopped in the clearing.
My heart raced with panic and my breathing came out in short pants. When I realized I was making to much noise from inhaling, I stopped and held my hand to my mouth. My tears ran and my nose watered up. My gills were burning desperate for water.
I prayed.
"Goddess Baveras, Light of the waters! I pray for your mercy! Ease my fear and give me strength to go on. Do not let them come! Goddess Tara, Light of Protection! I beg you to have mercy! Protect me!"
Something beside me stirred and then I heard a low growl. I could see the creatures’ black eyes reflecting in the dark.
It smelled of rotten fish and blood.
Goddess! Anything but this! I thought to myself.
The creature huffed and took a step towards me. It sniffed the air and then gave out another growl. I could hear the smacking of its upper lips as it curls back to bare its teeth.
I cried harder, the goddess’s have fated me to die here with you still in me.
The sound of the bush rustling caught both the creatures and my attention. The creature snapped its head around to see the intruder. It smelled fire and then the sweat off of the human and roared so loud my ears nearly popped.
It charged out ramming the intruder and snapping his bones. The bush was torn apart as the creature ripped the limbs off the human.
I could see that the creature was big, furry and brown. It was called a bear on land. The Water sprites call them ‘presidios’ originating from the Latin word "Presidium" meaning "Protector"
I thanked the Goddess Tara that she did answer my prayer.
The Presidios slashed the gut of another human who had been swinging the torch at its face. The human screamed as his guts spilled out. The Presidios continued its violence on the other humans who still had their limbs attached to themselves and still agitating the Presidios.
The screaming and the horror stopped after a while; so did my tears. You could hear a few of the humans retreating back over the bush that lined the clearing.
The Presidios squeezed back into the cave and sat beside me licking its paws clean from the blood that tainted it.
I thanked it and lay down beside the creature. Inching closer so I could get some warmth from its fur. It didn’t seem to mind the closeness.
It turned its face to me and blew out a gust of air. As if to say "Go to sleep"
The smell of rust invaded my gills and nostrils but I remained calm and fought the urge to vomit on his fur.
REST MY CHILD. ANEW STARTS TOMORROW.
I wrapped my arms around you. My miracle, my life and my prize. We’re safe now little one. You’re in this sac that will keep you far away from harm. Away from humans and away from the elders who would have caged you in the deepest part of the sea.
Thud!
You kick to tell me that you love me.
"I love you too." I say to my belly and then close my eyes.
I pondered over everything that we have gone through. The elders believe religiously in their myths and will not come to terms with anything new. When they found out about you they went ballistic and condemned you. I ran away when they threatened to feed you to the seals.
So I went to look for your father’s family. On land. They hit me with a broom and chased me out like an animal. That’s when the humans started gathering. I hope they have learned a lesson.
I thought: would you look anything like your father?
You started moving again.
"oh.." I said.
Something broke and blood flowed freely from in between my legs.
Then the excruciating pain started.
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