A Day at the Beach: Part 3 Mermaids

Posted on Mon Apr 23rd, 2018 @ 1:29pm by

Mission: Mission 6 - Azzia
Timeline: MD 3 1300
2212 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

After they had finished gorging themselves on Lorenzo's incredible food they all collapsed taking a collective nap. On the warm white sands, they slept in beach chairs on blankets in blissfully slumber until Deacon and Yad gently woke everyone up.

"Come on guys," Deacon said, "Time to meet the mermaids."

Lhaes opened a single eye. Though he had given the impression of being asleep, a skill he had nurtured ever since attending the academy, he really had not been asleep. "Mermaids?" he queried, mimicking sleep-drunkenness.

"That's right," Deacon said elevating this arms, "Mermaids! I promised your daughters that they could shake hands and feed these beautiful creatures." He said clapping this hands together, "So everyone grab some gear, we've a short boat ride and a little bit of spelunking ahead of us."

"You expect small children to go spelunking?" the Romulan asked quietly, face draining of colour at the very idea of getting on a wobbly boat.

Before Deacon could answer Mina spoke up, "You are a horrible, horrible person, Deacon-baba!" Mina said waggling her finger at the Rigellian,as if she was scolding a petulant child. Sighing heavily, she turned to Lhaes, "Please forgive him Good Doctor, I keep telling him to have children so at least he'd stop being so childish. He's trying to turn a little treat my husband and I planned into some 'high adventure.'" Her eyes then shifted to her husband with a look that communicated volumes.

"It is perfectly safe, Good Doctor." Yad explained, "We will be taking a wide flat bottomed boat up a little inlet to a cave grotto not far away. The only danger is bumping your head at the entrance. We usually have people lay down to avoid this."

"And doc," Deacon chime in feeling guilty, "The water's no more than a couple feet deep where we are going in." Looking at at the kids trying on all the different helmets they'd piled up he added, "I would never put your kid in danger, I swear."

"I'm sure you wouldn't," Lhaes argued feebly, "there is just no way I am getting in a boat."

Deacon felt like an idiot as the pieces of the day fell into place. Looking at the Doc he quickly winked "Mina come on, You can't be serious?!?!" Deacon yelled at Yad's wife attracting the attention of all the children.

"Oh Deacon-Babba, I was never more serious in my life!" Mina replied unsure where this was going.

"Hey Kids guess what? Your mom," Deacon said then glancing at both Evaste and Liviana added, "Your Aunty Mina," which made them giggle, "Is jealous that these two get to feed and shake hands with the mermaid's first! She bet me five sliver scalas that she could run to the grotto before we could row there"

"And if I get there first I get to feed the mermaid's first." Mina said sticking her tough out at Evaste and Liviana. TO Lhas' regret the kids stuck their tongues out at her.

"Hmmm," Deacon thought, "No, No, No this won't work. You cheated last time." He said accusingly at Mina,

"I did not!" Mina replied folding her arms indignantly

"Yes you did Mama!" her children replied in unison.

"Well I think we need impartial judges." Deacon said looking at Lhaes, "What do you think Doc? Can you hike up to the grotto with Mina to make sure she doesn't cheat?"

"Under the condition that someone stays behind with Galan here on the beach and you personally take responsibility for my girls," the Romulan answered reluctantly.

"From now and always, my good Doctor," Deacon said with all seriousness, "I will treat them as if they were my own. How about you chef? Want to go for a hike or a boat ride?"

"I always find that a good walk and fine food go well together." Lorenzo smiled "I will meet you at this grotto you speak of."

"I will not go on a boat so I will hike," Lhaes said.

As group disappeared down the path Mina could see the worried look on Lhaes face, “Oh my wonderous Doctor, who I am now hugging with my mind, fear not,” She said in the most matronly tone, “My dear Deek-baba has started loving you and your children as if you were his own. No harm shall ever come to them as he breathes.” She smiled sadly then and added, “and you will grow to love him ever so much for it. He has that effect on those he chooses to call friends.”

The saddest disappeared, replaced by one of mischief, “Come now my treasure guests, we may take young Master Galan with us.” She assured him, “The stairs to the bluff are just own this path and there is an even easier sloping one cut into the rock back down to the grotto."

Lorenzo followed them along the path. "Perhaps in return Mina, you could tell us about this area, I would love to know some of the history of this area."

"Well, Yad would be able to tell you more than I ever could, his family's owned the bluff for generations," Mina explained to both of the men's surprised gaze, "Oh did not Deek-Baba tell you? We own this area down to the the flags over there." her added pointing to the tiny flags down where the park and shorefront bars and shops stated. "THe topsoil on the bluff is thin and poor, but the caverns underneath are ideal for our herds. We keep the dairy ones here, and our beef-stock further down the coast."

"Herds? What kind of herds?" Suddenly the Romulan's attention was peaqued as grazing stock was mentioned. "My family are goat farmers on Betazed. I grew up breeding goats."

Mina’s face to on a look of contemplation, “I have seen pictures of these animals,” she replied, seeing a new layer of complexity in the doctor she did not suspect, “The chechus we raise are similar to your goats in that they provide us with much of our dairy, as well as meat and hide. Like your goats, they have been domesticated since time immemorial, but in other ways they are very different.”

As they reached the top of the bluff both of the Rosie’s were surprised to see a nest of activity as groups of Azzians were busy setting up tables with others digging a shallow charcoal pit in the grassy soil.

“Ah gentlemen, you have spoiled another of our surprises, while you were napping after your wonderful meal, my glorious chef, Yad and I decided that you and the rest of your crew could use a home cooked meal of your own.” Mina explained, “But we must press on, so our children are not waiting too long.”

Mina went on waving at the people setting up the charcoal pit, reminding them of her stringent expectations. They continued on until they came to a doorway in a small knoll. After entering the three descended along a curving pathway cut right into the sandstone. When they exited they were greeted to a view that could only be described as breathtaking.

It was a vast vault, where everything gleamed and shimmered in the air. The water below was like a blue-burning fire, lighting up the whole space near a beach of soft sand. The powerful sunshine outside threw a reflected light upon the floor of the grotto, streaming in like fire through the blue water, seemed to change it into burning spirit. Everything gave back the reflection: the rocky walls and ceiling—all seemed as if formed of consolidated air, and to dissolve away into it. It was a fairy world.

In the darkened water where the azure light faded a mermaid tails disappeared into the mirk, scared from the screeches of joy from the children as the flat-bottom boat touched shore, “We won! we won!” they exclaimed. Upon seeing their father , his daughters broke away from the others and ran towards him jumping and laughing.

“I told you, kids,” Deacon said laughter and joy pouring from his eyes, “Mermaids! Come on quick so we can feed them and say hello. You too doc, you're not going to believe this.”

Relief washed over the Romulan's face as he hugged the girls to his chest. "Mermaids," he answered, "no I do not believe this at all. Can we see them from closer by?"

Deacon and all the Nadi’s looked at each other with grins bursting with equal parts mischief and joy. “We are thinking that this will not be much of a problem for our good doctor and his marvelous family,” Mina said with a toothy grin

“Now remember what Deek-Baba told you about our mermaids, my good doctor’s fine children.” Yad added with mock seriousness, “They may not be as pretty as the sirens of bedtime stories, but they are very, very sensitive and gentle. Too gentle and always very, very shy so you must be gentle to them.”

Then winking to the children, the tall Azzian picked up a metal bucket and tapped it on the side with a wooden spoon “Haya Yee, Haya Yee, tuk-tuk-tuk” he called out in a sign song voice. “Haya Yee, Haya Yee,” he called again, “tuk-tuk-tuk, come, come come.”

From the murk something swam by close to the light, more than one something. Another mermaids tail flashed into the azure water and back into the gloom. From the darkness they all heard the somethings break the surface of the water and found three sets of bright glowing eyes staring at them out of the black. Another something, a big something broke the water. A new set of eyes stared at them, these ones were larger than the others, hovering a good 50 – 60 cm above the other three pairs.

Then a deep thrumming could be heard followed by clicking that followed the same cadence as Yad’s sing-song call. Then as quickly as they appeared the glowing eyes vanished in a splash. It seemed so anticlimactic. Frowns appeared on both Liviana’s and Evaste’s but only to be replaced by ones of wonder and delight as three Azzurian 'mermaids' glided out into the light.

The children saw the truth that these were not the sirens of storybooks. The looked more like oversized, overused and over loved stuffed animals, brought to life. Through the crystal-clear water, their faces looked like sad puppy dogs with button eyes, though without the ears and without any fur except for a curious bristled moustache on the end of their bulbous snouts. As they approached the shore their true size and mass became apparent. They a little over two meters long and looked to weigh in excess of 300 Kg.

One of the largest ones broke the water a good ten feet from shore and yawned, showing its bristled moustache to actually be a shortened trunk and revealing a mouth with the small flattened teeth of dedicated herbivore. Then the smallest one poke it’s head out of the water a few feet from shore, where Rahdha, Yad’s and Mina’s oldest daughter coaxed it the rest of the way in until it’s front flippers found themselves on the dry cool sand of the beach.

The ‘Mermaid’ seemed to thrum in joy as Rahdha rubbed its sides with a soft bristle brush. Raaha then beaconed to Liviana and Evaste. “It is all right,” she said to them, “This is Snooty and she is very, very gentle. Liviana, she would love for you to be the first to shake hands.” nodding to the animals trunk,” And then Evaste, Snooty would be more than overjoyed if you could hand her some vegetables from that bucket over there.”

Lorenzo grinned at the children. They seemed to be enjoying themselves very much. Lorenzo picked up the previously mentioned bucket and held it out to the children. "Take some, its alright, the bucket won't bite" he laughed at his own joke. "Come now, take some of the vegetables and feed them, as Rahdha says, they will love you for it"

The girls eagerly did as they were bid despite their father holding his breath as they went close to the water. The chechus helped alleviate Lhse's fears as it wobbled its way further into the beach thrumming in joy as it seemed to plead with the children for more food and chin rubs. Both Evaste and Liviana screeched in delight as Snooty rolled on his back clapping his flippers together.

It was a heartwarming scene, Deacon couldn't help but smile. He walked over to Lhaes and handed him to sliver scalas. One of the older kids knocked a hole in each coin and ran a string through it making a pair of necklaces, "Here Doc, Figured you should be the one to give them their reward, "He said grinning ear to ear.'

"And if I didn't say it before."Decon added, "You're one hell of a dad taking your kids swimming." Even if you didn't tell me you were hydrophobic, you beautiful SOB Deacon didn't say.



#OFF#

Deacon Kane
Engineering Contractor
D&T Engineering

Lhaes Sommers
Senior Medic
& family

Lorenzo Di Julio
Chef
SS Mary Rose