Part 20 (2/2)
”Yes, you may, Geode, if you want to. Anytime you want to. I will let you do it by yourself.”
Hesitantly he embraced her in the water. Her body was slick and wonderful. He moved his face toward hers, afraid she would turn away, but she waited for him. His lips touched hers. She neither helped nor hindered his effort. He withdrew.
”You never did that before,” she said. ”With anyone.”
He nodded. The touch of their lips had been almost unreal, but now his pulse was accelerating. He had actually done it, as she said, by himself!
”You think that I may be like an animal, not really doing this, according to others.”
”Yes.”
”So we won't tell anyone else.”
”Yes.” He was relieved.
”Do you know about the little mermaid?”
”Who?”
”Then I will tell you. A simplified version, because it isn't my own story. A little young mermaid was following a s.h.i.+p, when a handsome prince fell off. No one saw him; he had been walking the deck alone at night. He couldn't swim, and was drowning, so the little mermaid went to rescue him. He was unconscious, so she held his head up so he could breathe. He looked so wonderful that she fell in love with him. She couldn't climb up on the s.h.i.+p, so she bore him away across the sea and toward the nearest beach. But she lacked the strength to bring him all the way there. She begged the lord of the sea for strength to do it, and he granted it, but he set a condition: she would die the day the prince married anyone else but her.
”She brought him to the beach, near a great palace, and pushed him up on it, but she could not follow. So she left him there, and watched, and saw a lovely princess come down and find him there and wake him. Naturally he thought she was the one who had saved him, so in due course he married her, and the little mermaid perished, her deed unknown.”
”She died?” he asked, upset.
”It is the fate of those who love foolishly.”
”But if the prince had known-”
”It is ironic,” she agreed. ”But sometimes they do know, and still they do not treat their nymphs well.”
”I would never do that!” he protested.
”Today ordinary folk deny that mermaids ever existed. They say that they are confusions of sightings of manatees. So any little mermaids who love mortal men do so at their own risk.”
He gazed at her, almost seeing her as a mermaid, with the st.u.r.dy tail of a fish. He embraced her again, and kissed her, and this time she responded.
”You are learning how,” she said.
”I want to.”
”I want you to.” Then she bounced off his lap. ”But I must show you how to swim!”
He joined her in deeper water. ”Now first let's try the dead man's float,” she said. ”Toward the shallows, so you can always put your feet down and stand. Watch me.” She took a breath, held it, shut her eyes, stretched her arms up over her head, fell forward, and kicked her feet vigorously. Her body did not sink; it floated slowly toward the edge of the pool. When her outstretched hands touched the wall, she put down her feet, lifted her head, and took a breath.
”Now you try it,” she said. ”If you sink to the bottom, we'll try something else.”
Geode copied her exactly. In a moment he was facedown in the water, kicking his feet, going nowhere. But then he felt the pool wall. Surprised, he put down his feet and lifted his head. He had traveled the same distance she had!
”You did it!” she said excitedly. ”For that the mermaid gives you a kiss!” She splashed into him and delivered it.
”But all I did was float,” he protested, pleased.
”That's halfway there.” She waded out again, standing breast-deep. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s floated. ”Next lesson: same as before, only this time move your arms.” She demonstrated, a.s.suming the same pose. She fell forward, kicked her feet in the dead man's float-but then stroked with her arms, first one and then the other lifting out of the water and cutting down through it. This time she moved forward much faster, and had to stop after just a few strokes.
He waded out and tried it. His effort was clumsy, but he did do it.
”And so you swam,” she said. ”Of course, it takes longer to learn to breathe while you do it, but you have the essence. Here, let me hold you while you try.”
They set up chest-deep, and she put her arms around his torso, holding him up and in place while he tried kicking and moving. His left arm kept banging into hers, but his right worked effectively.
”Maybe backstroke is better,” she said. ”Try this.” She demonstrated an easy float on her back, only kicking her feet. He tried it, and again it worked. He was amazed.
”So now you can swim,” she said. ”We'll practice more, of course, but you can see how easy it will be.”
”Yes.” He had never imagined that it could be so easy!
Now, thoroughly cooled oft”, they resumed their scrubbing of the pool. Geode climbed out and worked with the long-handled brush, while none continued around the upper section with the hand brush.
When they had it done, they practiced swimming again. Geode was glad to do it, but also glad for the chance to be naked in her arms without the need to try for s.e.xual expression. It was much easier to enjoy her company and her embraces when no further performance was expected of him.
At last they emerged, and dried, and dressed. It had been a wonderful midday!
Geode looked at the clock and blinked. An hour and a half had pa.s.sed, when he thought it was half an hour! He was late for his rounds.
none came up beside him. ”Did I hold you too long? I'm sorry.”
”No, it was great! But-”
”I understand. You can make your rounds twice as fast without me, and now you need to.”
”Yes.”
'Then you had better go alone this time. Next time I'll be more careful. It was just so nice being with you, I didn't think of the time.”
”Yes,” he said gratefully. ”Uh-”
”You don't have to ask, Geode,” she said, stepping into his arms and lifting her face.
He kissed her. This, too, was a continuing amazement. Today he could swim, and kiss her, and he wasn't sure which was the more significant accomplishment.
”I'll make it back as soon as I can,” he said. ”And, when, tonight, uh-”
”Anything you want, Geode; you know that.”
”I mean, would you tell another story?”
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