Short Story by S Cu' Anam Policar
S Cu' Anam Policar
The storm raged
outside. She'd watched the thunderheads roll in since sunrise. She
shook her head in dismay and dove back into the now dark depths of
the sea, her tail a rapid blur as she dove deeper and deeper to the
safety of her territory.
Delphina was rarity
in her neck of the woods. Fortuna, the wisest of the pod had told the
others upon Delphina's birth that she was special. That never stopped
the others from making fun of her. Delphina took it all with a grain
of salt so to speak. Fortuna had not been joking though. Delphina
could tell things just from the way the sky looked; and today, today
it spoke of death.
Reaching a large cave just off the coast of her pod's territory, Delphina quickly made her way inside. Something in her mind had nagged at her for days to check the old writings on the walls of the ancient cave. This place served all the dolphins, such as this strange one as a sort of library, a place to gain knowledge. Combined with the writings and her innate ability to read the sky, Delphina had never been wrong, though no one in the pod knew this. She had not once ever revealed anything she knew to anyone except Fortuna.
Reaching a large cave just off the coast of her pod's territory, Delphina quickly made her way inside. Something in her mind had nagged at her for days to check the old writings on the walls of the ancient cave. This place served all the dolphins, such as this strange one as a sort of library, a place to gain knowledge. Combined with the writings and her innate ability to read the sky, Delphina had never been wrong, though no one in the pod knew this. She had not once ever revealed anything she knew to anyone except Fortuna.
Like all times when
the "Martyr" clouds rolled in, the library told Delphina
who would be Neptune's tribute that year. This year, however, the
writings refused to divulge any of their secrets. Frustration creased
every normally smooth feature on Delphina's face as she scanned and
rescanned the writings on every wall, but the name of the tribute was
nowhere to be seen.
Feeling her lungs
about to burst, she rocketed up to the surface. She told herself it
was just to see how much time remained. After all, she hadn't been
down there long enough to need air yet. Had she? A cant of her head
as she surfaced lost in her thought of time.
A loud clap of
thunder drew her from her thoughts before she had learned the answer.
Her steel grey pools widened in fear. The time was much closer than
she had thought it would it be!
She dove back into
the water and as fast as her flippers could carry her, she sped
toward Fortuna's spot in the territory.
"Fortuna! It's
Martyr Clouds! Neptune is early for his tribute!" Delphina
squeaked.
Fortuna nodded her
head in acknowledgement. "I know. Have you learned who the
tribute will be this year?"
Delphina shook her
head in misery. "No. The wall wouldn't tell me."
A sad smile crossed
Fortuna's face. "Perhaps then, not all things are meant to be
known. You should go back up to the surface. I'll accompany you.
Perhaps together we'll find out who Neptune has chosen to grace his
court this year."
Delphina could only
nod in compliance. She knew better than to argue with Fortuna, even
if she knew that from the surface, they would be the last to know who
Neptune had chosen.
As the two swam at a
steady pace to the surface, Delphina's mind roamed. She never
understood why Fortuna considered the yearly martyr clouds to be a
good thing. Or why she always said that whoever was taken was chosen
to sit at Neptune's court. If it was not for the fact that the clouds
only came once a year and that when they came one of them died, she
would not even believe Neptune existed! But, she held no love for the
Patron God of her people. How could she possibly love or respect a
god that took her friends and family away one by one every year, even
if they were not sick?
The two dolphins
crested the surface and looked to the skies.
A soft sigh left
Delphina. "It'll be soon won't it Fortuna?"
Fortuna nodded
solemnly. "Yes. It's too bad the library refused to tell you who
would be next. It can be very fickle sometimes."
Delphina looked to
Fortuna quizzically. "How can a wall in the cave be fickle? It
isn't alive!"
Fortuna chuckled.
"My dear Delphina! So much you don't know! The Library, while a
cave, is very much alive. Have you never noticed the writings are
different every time? How it knows the exact information you need as
soon as you walk in?"
"Of course I
have. I just figured that's how it got its name..." Delphina
said a bit sheepishly before asking. "Where did it come from?"
Fortuna with her
steely gaze on the vast expanse of the incoming storm spoke softly.
"No one knows. The Library has been here far longer than any of
us have been. It has always been there to teach and guide us."
Before Delphina
could ask another question, and Neptune knows she had about a million
of them, the storm clouds parted, save for a strip of them which
trailed like tendrils stopping a few feet from Delphina and Fortuna's
positions as they bobbed in the water.
Delphina's depths
widened as the cloak figure walked along the cloud carpet. "W-What
is that?"
"That is the
Undertaker...Death himself. Humans call him the Grim Reaper. The one
who claims Neptune's chosen tribute." Fortuna answered without a
trace of fear.
The undertaker's
face was well concealed within the confines of the robes ebon hood,
not even his eyes visible to either of the dolphins. His voice was a
deep, low baritone as he spoke. "Delphina, it is time."
Delphina's mind
raced. "No it can't be! I'm too young! I don't want to go!"
Everything became ethereal as she was lifted from the water. Her fins
and tail flailing futilely. "Fortuna! Don't let him take me!"
"It is
Neptune's will Delphina. I'll join you soon." Fortuna replied as
she slowly sank back under the water.
Delphina
felt betrayed. Fortuna had known it was her all along and had not
told her. Now it was over, she was too young to die!
As the world around her became more and more ethereal, she felt her body tingle. Whether she liked it or not, she would join the tributes that had come before her as part of Neptune's court. Her last thought was, "At least it's painless", before her body burst into millions of specs of water, which were quickly gathered up by the Martyr clouds.
As the world around her became more and more ethereal, she felt her body tingle. Whether she liked it or not, she would join the tributes that had come before her as part of Neptune's court. Her last thought was, "At least it's painless", before her body burst into millions of specs of water, which were quickly gathered up by the Martyr clouds.
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Love these stories you write Cu. WHERE do you come up with these ideas??
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by. Good luck on winning, and come back tomorrow for a new author.
DeleteLOL I have no idea where they come from Bridgette they just tend to pop up in my head
DeleteThank you so much Cu for being on the blog. Love the story. It was a treat to read.
ReplyDeleteThank you for having me!
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