Authors: Rajnar Vajra

Her Scales Shine Like Music (5 page)

It eased into the lake so gently it seemed to melt, and the lake's water level rose just a little. A minute of rumble then total silence.

Maybe peak experiences always leave a hangover in their wake. A padded sledgehammer of exhaustion hit me, along with a dull headache. I staggered up to my shelter and did something I never do: take a daytime nap.

The sun hadn't yet surrendered when I awoke, but was getting discouraged. I slurped some lukewarm improvised soup, and still feeling groggy, ambled down to my favorite and only chair. I waitedÂ â¦

*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *

A second moon ascends, painting extra sheen on the lake's wavelets. Should I give up and call it a night?

One of the great bubbles rises and I hold my breath, waiting. Yes! The motion is seconded by an even larger bubble and my heart leaps. She is here! Her lights flash briefly as if in greeting as she glides to the shore.

“How do you do that?” I ask casually, hearing the joy in my own voice. “Must be useful for hunting at great depths, right? Glad you could make it, but I sure wish you could let me know why you returned. Mind if I tell myself you came back for me?”

Her only reply is to reach out with those delicate tentacles until a handful rest so gently against my legs, a few drape across my shoulders. I'd seen how strong her tendrils are, but they comfort me. Unbidden, that poem I'd begun days ago, when I'd lost inspiration after the first line, comes to me, already complete and polished. A nub of a poem, and it rhymes, but it feelsÂ â¦ just right. At this moment, I am content.

Her scales shine like music,

Her heart beats like thunder,

Her breath howls like grieving,

Her eyes pierce like wonder.

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