Lovesick Little Page 10

  “Well, we can figure it all out later,” he said. “Would you like to stay for the party this evening?” In an instant, her face went from pitifully lost to bursting with joy. A real human party! She nodded a very enthusiastic Yes! Yes! Yes!, and bit her lower lip, not in a trying-to-be-sexy way, but to keep her mouth from smiling so big that it could swallow her entire face. Happily, she spun and twirled in the yellow dress, dancing before the mirror, dying with excitement for the party. She felt like the loveliest girl to ever walk upon two legs. Just then, they heard a big crash and clamor just outside the living room window and they all ran out to see what happened.

  Cliff O’Faolain, along with his bike, tackle box, fishing rod and a basket full of live seafood, had just crashed into a wheelbarrow full of garden weeds. Cliff was the patriarch of this family, a sincere and kindly man, who was an avid fisherman and lived for his wife and his kids. As he scrambled to his feet, his wheels still spun and the now-loose crabs were making a play for the ocean. When he stood up, he found his wife Lucia choking back her laughter. “Are you alright, honey? How many times have I warned you to be careful when flying around this corner?” she asked him. “Even the kids know better!”

  He smiled, embarrassed but not hurt, and dusted himself off. “I know I know honey. But as I passed the window, I swore I saw Dagmara in there with Gabe.” He propped his bike up on its kickstand and began collecting all of the oysters that had tumbled out across the grass.

  “I thought that too!” replied his wife, beckoning the young girl to step forward. “This morning, Gabriel was walking the pugs on the beach and found this poor girl lying out there unconscious! She was a little dehydrated and we had Dr. Twiddy over to see her and thankfully, she seems to be just fine. She’s mute, though, and so far we haven’t had any luck figuring out where she came from.”

  The mermaid curtsied and bowed for Cliff, who appeared to be the king of this fine home. Amused, he bowed back with flare. “Well it’s very nice having you over, but won’t your family be wondering where you are?”

  A frown crept across her porcelain face. Her family would be worrying about her by now, and her father would be sending search parties to every corner of the ocean. She worried he would blame the humans for her disappearance and wreak stormy vengeance upon the coasts.

  “Well perhaps you can stay for the night and we can figure everything out in the morning?” suggested Cliff.

  “A lovely idea,” said Lucia. “I’ve got to get back to the kitchen. Gabriel-- perhaps you could take her for a walk?” she said as she gestured towards the far end of the beach. “You never know; a few more clues may have washed up with the flotsam.”

  Gabriel turned to the girl. “Do you want to go for a walk with me?” he asked. She nodded; there was nothing she wanted more than to be alone with him again.

  Lucia waited until her son and his mystery girl were out of earshot before filling Cliff in on the rest of the story. “The poor thing was naked when he found her. She had suffered a bit of sunstroke, so he carried her into the house and we fed and clothed her, and now she appears to be in perfect health!”

  “Naked? This beach is becoming a real commune…” said Cliff as his neck noodled his head back to face the beach.

  “No, no, it wasn’t like she was out there sunbathing; it was like she had washed up. Didn’t you see the tangles of pearls and seaweed in her hair?”

  “Yes and what about that necklace she’s wearing! It looks like pirate treasure!” said Cliff excitedly like a kid describing a fieldtrip. Cliff had had a lifelong obsession with pirates. (Buccaneers, specifically, for he wasn’t fond of all pirates - for instance, the ones currently terrifying seafarers off the coast of Somalia.) He had a pirate hat that he wore around the house sometimes when no one else was around and sometimes he called his wife ‘wench’, but only ever in the bedroom. And he really liked spiced rum.

  “Anyway, much too much to do!” said Lucia, running back into the house leaving Cliff to park his bike.

  Ava woke up that morning from a dream in which she was a warrior princess defending her dark castle. The skies were black over her medieval yet space-age kingdom, and her knuckles were white as she gripped the silver reins of her armored rhinoceros. The sword hanging from her belt was heavy and pulled her down its right side, and with every step they took, the scales of her metallic sheath clinked together loudly. The enemy was closing in on her army from all angles, and she could see that they were gaining in numbers as they assembled on the horizon, their intergalactic gunships flying in slowly from behind them, blotting out what slivers were left of the evening sun. As her archers took their places and set their aim upon the enemy, she could see that her war was already lost. The words of defiance she had spit against the new world emperor had brought herself and her army of mere mortals up against him and his mighty machines. The gunships closed in and as she screamed her final CHARGE!, she pulled out her heavy sword and pointed it at the dark sky. Her rhino bellowed and reared, and she tumbled in slow motion off its back and down to the ground as the enemy infantry rode in to finish her and claim her throne . . .

  THUD. She fell out of bed. Again. Ava, Gabriel’s eldest sister, was a very deep sleeper, and the most active dreamer in the family. It was not at all uncommon for her to fall out of bed and that is why before she went to sleep, (having learned a hard lesson after spraining her wrist one time) she was in the habit of scattering her impressive collection of throw pillows on the floor beside her bed to break her fall. Annoyed at having woken up in this unpleasant fashion once again, she climbed back into bed, congratulated herself on having been prepared for the fall and rolled over to look out to the ocean through the small gap between her heavy white drapes. Scanning the horizon for invaders, she saw nothing but blue sky and water. Her first night back in the Tofino house every year was always a very heavy sleep; her dad had always insisted it had something to do with the pure ocean air. Still in warrior mode but groggy, she smelled the bacon steam wafting up the stairs and got up to go down for breakfast.

  As she walked down the stairs sleepily tying on her silk robe, she was surprised to see a strange, pretty girl dancing in front of the living room mirror while her mother, father and brother watched, spellbound. Her guard immediately went back up and she was as prepared as ever to defend her kingdom against invaders. “Who is this?” she asked in her signature bitchy, deadpan voice. As she looked the little mermaid up and down, a twinge of jealousy flowed through her. She was never a good dancer, so she always hated when people pranced about, boasting their grace when she didn’t seem to have a rhythmic bone in her body.

  “Gabriel found her on the beach this morning, the poor thing,” answered Lucia, getting up to greet her daughter. “She was unconscious and wasn’t wearing any clothes--”

  “--And that is our problem how?” interrupted Ava, unimpressed. The girl turned to her and smiled, then dipped into a low curtsy for her. Ava never trusted anyone that seemed happy for no reason. She sneered at her.

  “Well of course we had to bring her in out of the sun and get her some medical attention; she was passed out!” answered Lucia. “And did I mention she was naked?!” Suspiciously, Ava eyed the strange girl in her living room as she bounced around perusing the family’s picture collection, stopping to take close looks at all of them, balancing from one foot to the other, effortlessly standing on her tippy toes.

  Ava narrowed her eyes defensively. “Where did you come from and why were you naked on our beach, you dirty hippy?” she spat.

  “Ava, heel!” hissed her mother. “Anyway, she can’t speak; we’ve already asked her all those questions.”

  “Well what are we supposed to do with her?” asked Ava, even bitchier than before. “We can’t just adopt every naked mute that washes up on our beach, you know.”

  Cliff, a gentle mediator, interjected. “I think the ideal everyone here is shooting for is that we should endeavor to help people who appear to be in need, Ava.” Ava rolled her e
yes. The girl was now standing in front of the window, running her curious little fingers up and down the smooth window pane, then pressing her face to the shiny glass.

  “What do we even know about her?” asked Ava with unwarranted suspicion. “How do we know she’s not a shady pirate hooker looking to rob us?”

  “You’re ridiculous,” said Gabriel, shaking his head at his paranoid sister.

  “What’s with the pearls and the weeds in her hair? Is she some kind of sea-nymph or something?” The mermaid was now looking at a vase on the side table, admiring its colors and the way light reflected through it, definitely not paying any mind to the hostility being directed at her. “Look!” exclaimed Ava angrily. “She’s casing the joint right now, and she’s doing it in Dagmara’s favorite sundress! Who gave her that?” she demanded.

  “Well I did, of course,” said Lucia. “What’s the problem? Did you call dibs on it?”

  Ava huffed. “I didn’t know our sister’s things were up for grabs to complete strangers.”

  “Ava, she had nothing to wear,” said Gabriel, trying to incite some sympathy in his hard sister.

  “Riiight,” hissed Ava. “Great plan, actually . . . just show up at people’s houses naked and they’re sure to offer you their dead sister’s most treasured things. And all for free!” She glared at the stranger in her house. “It’ genius; I applaud you.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” remarked Gabriel sarcastically. “This was probably all just an elaborate scheme to get her hands on a used sundress.”

  “Don’t sass me, Gay-briel!” shot Ava.

  “From zero to Rottweiler in 2.3 seconds,” said Gabriel with a chuckle. “I don’t know why I am ever surprised by your hostility.”

  “Pull it back, kids . . .” interjected Cliff, feeling the argument reaching new heights.

  “Well you all are so dumb and welcoming,” she countered, “I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if you invited a total psycho to come bunk with Demetra.”

  Gabriel sighed. “Ava, are you actually taking aim at the fact that we took in a naked, possible shipwreck survivor, or did you just wake up from yet another bad dream?”

  The family all knew about Ava’s active dreaming because she had been jarring the house with bloodcurdling screams ever since she was little, and was famous for waking up on the wrong side of the bed after having fallen out of it. “Gabriel, shut your face,” she replied. “Why don’t you go trolling for more vagabonds, and take that little stray out with you.”

  “Okay sis, and while I’m out ‘vagabond trolling,’” he replied with a smirk, “why don’t you go smoke something and chill out? It’s too early to act like a steroid freak in traffic.” But before Ava could counter with another venomous statement, everyone’s attention shifted to the aquarium in the middle of the room. Their little houseguest had ceased dancing and was standing perfectly still in front of it with the palms of her hands pressed firmly against the glass. Her eyes looked far away and blurry as if she was concentrating on something none of them had the slightest idea about.

  Feeling the rhythm of the water and the way the little plastic pump mimicked the ocean’s undulation inside the tiny glass box, the girl, unbeknownst to all present, was communicating with the octopuses who lived inside. One was orange and one was black, and they had been silently watching over the family for years. It was curious how they had never tried to escape, even though it would have been easy since there wasn’t even a lid on their tank. They told her they liked the family, and that they had no desire to return to the ocean. “Me too,” she told them. “And me neither.”

  With her palms still pressed to the glass, the little mermaid turned and locked her eyes boldly into Ava’s mean stare. Her glaring face was so hateful it felt like it could burn a pinhole straight through her retinas and out the back of her head, but she didn’t flinch or look away. The mermaid was defiant, yet at the same time, sweet and unassuming, and when she pulled her hands away from the tank seconds later, everyone could see that both of the little octopuses in the tank had affixed their bodies to the glass, stretching and contorting to mirror the very shape of her hands. Ava’s eyes widened as her stare shifted from mean to bewildered, and the strange girl in her living room just smiled at her sweetly, and, with barely a sound, took Gabriel gently by the hand and led him towards the door to go for their walk.

  Once they had disappeared through it, Ava turned and without another word, walked quietly upstairs to her room and closed her door gently behind her. Cliff and Lucia, now alone in the living room, stared at the aquarium and then at each other, trying to make sense of the odd exchange that had just taken place. Boggled, they both just shrugged their shoulders and went back into the kitchen to return to their party prep.

  Walking down to the beach with his new little friend on his arm, Gabriel stopped dead in his tracks and gasped. “What is that?” he asked, squinting his eyes towards the rows of starfish that had washed onto the sands in front of their place. There had to be at least a hundred of them, scattered across the beach, piling up as each wave carried in a few more. When he got closer, he noticed that the shallow waters were chock-a-block with small fish and the bigger fish that were feeding on them, and a few gulls still picked at the water but most were fat full from the rich meal they’d just enjoyed. “That’s incredible,” he remarked, scratching his head. “I’ve never seen so many fish in there! I wonder what’s brought them all in so close.” He never would have imagined they were pulled in by the gravity of the girl standing next to him, who began kneeling down to pick them up, being very careful not to let her toes get too close to the water. She was flinging them back in, lest they dry out in the sun like she nearly did. Seeing what she was doing, Gabriel lent a hand tossing them back in as well.

  Once they’d finished, they resumed their beach walk and brought along the family’s five pugs, Brutus, Isabel, Mabel, Olive and Honeybutter. As the dogs weaved through their feet and each other sniffing and peeing on stuff along the way, Gabriel noticed how remarkably the family pets all seemed to love and accept her right away. Then again, he remembered, pugs, by nature, do have a tendency to like pretty much everyone.

  Every time he glanced at the girl, her deep blue eyes readily met his, as if she was willing his to meet hers, always one step ahead. At first, he found the one-sided conversing with the pretty little mute to be a bit awkward so he overcompensated with his own rambling, but by the time they were back from their stroll, all was well and a bit of silence was oddly comfortable. He half-expected to see rescue boats and patrollers out in the water searching for her, but there were none, and she didn’t seem to be in any rush to be anywhere else but there with him. He didn’t know anything about her yet, but he could tell she was very different kind of creature than anyone he’d ever met.

  “So she was just lying unconscious out in the sun with no clothes on?” asked Demetra, who had just arrived home from boarding school. She sat out on the balcony with her big sister Ava, who was helping her to remove the chipped glittery nail polish from her fingers, and the ridiculous temporary tattoos that littered her arms. After last class on the last day of school every year, it was a tradition for Demetra and her little dorm friends to wild out and wear the make-up, accessories and civvies clothing that were otherwise forbidden all year at Maeve Primrose while they packed up their things for the summer.

  “That is correct;” answered Ava, “which isn’t entirely out of the ordinary out here, considering some our neighbors and their penchant for day-drunkenness coupled with nude tanning.”

  “Yeah really!” concurred Demetra. “They just bake out there half-dead, clutching their bloody Caesars!” Both sisters laughed at the all-too common image. “So Gabe is out walking with her now?”

  “Yep, he is,” answered Ava. “And I really don’t know about her . . . she’s a weird one, Meaty. It’s like she’s from another planet; she can’t talk but she seems to somehow understand us, and I swear she was having a silent conversa
tion with Druid and Poodle.”

  Demetra giggled. “Dad’s aptly-named pet octopi?”

  “Yup. They were communicating through the glass; don’t ask. Suffice it to say, it was incredibly bizarre. I don’t know what to make of her just yet, but I definitely don’t trust her.”

  Demetra thought for a moment. “Imagine she’s just a chick from town that Gabe doesn’t know, but who knows Gabe and wants his body . . .”

  “ . . . Like every other sad local girl . . .” said Ava.

  “Right! And maybe she just ditched her clothes and sprawled herself out on our beach to get his attention!” Both girls contemplated the probability. Both sisters bore the very same expression while pondering mysterious matters.

  “I’ve never liked a guy that much.” said Ava.

  “Nor I,” said Demetra, “and I hope I never do.” But as soon as the words escaped her lips, she reconsidered them. “Actually, on second thought,” she said, “I hope so much that I do someday!”

  Ava grinned at her dreamy young sibling. “Yeah well, as your older sister, it’ll be my duty to ensure you don’t look like an exhibitionistic hussy while you hatch your desperate schemes!”

  “Thanks Ava you’re a pal.” Just then, they spotted their brother and the girl in question heading towards them from down the beach. Demetra stood up to get a closer look and was taken aback to see that there was something strangely familiar about her. As they came closer, she was better able to make out the girl’s face, and gasped in disbelief. “Weird, but from here, the hussy kind of looks like Dagmara!”

  Ava darkened. “Please don’t ever say that again,” she muttered as her sister jumped up and ran out to greet them.

  Demetra didn’t stop running until she was jumping up into her brother’s arms, letting him lift her up over his head. “Getting meatier, Meaty!” he said with a huff as he set his baby sister back down on her feet. “What are they feeding you out there? You’re like a foot taller than you were at Christmas!”