A stupid human boy stayed on the ground. Marina was next to me trembling of cold water. She was, beyond all doubts, worried about her boyfriend. I ordered her to be quite not to draw talp's attention. I hoped he would be too noisy and the undead take interest in him but not in Juni, who was standing stiff as a dead bone holding her spear. She would probably attack him or even wound, yet that's not enough to kill him. She can't summon forest spirits: we are too close to the human city, and she can't force this creature to leave us. It is the undead, not the naturally born one.
No choice is left. I gulped and looked nervously at Marina. She stood so close, and I could swear I was trembling too, though it was not because of the chilling pond. I have no wish to throw my "sheepskin" like that. I shook my head to get rid of all thoughts, so as to focus on my aura. I tried to feel it on my finger tips, lips, tongue.
"Hey! Look at me monster! I'm here! Don't look at her, look at me!" That imbecile was waving his hands and screaming at the talp. What is he up to?
The undead slowly turned his head toward him, well, we all turned toward him. Me mostly in disbelieve (beware of your own wishes, mermaid!), Juni in overwhelming anger red in the face: I could swear I heard her gritting her teeth. Marina clutched at my hand; her palm was sweaty cold. She distracted me, and I lost the aura concentration. No one has ever been able to do so. Then so be it: we are safe in my water, let the beast eat him, who cares! Yet I sincerely worried about Marina: that might lead to psychological trauma. I looked at her pale shocked face; she'll find consolation in my arms, and soon she won't even remember his name. I shook my head to chase away sick wishes.
A human was standing nice and tall; his watery blue eyes were sparkling. He looked more hero than I at that moment, in that situation: he let his woman find a safe place and started helping a mere stranger with her spear.
A sudden explosion, that caused the wail of sirens and alarm installations at the distance, made us all start. The undead was not an exception: it growled, folded his "lips" like a pinkish sea anemone, and disappeared behind the unseasonably bare shrubbery. I sighed with relief and looked at Juni: she was mad. "I know, I know" my expression spoke for itself, "our indiscretions broke a few laws of magic society."
"Marina, get out of the water, quick. It might return any moment! Marina?" he offered a hand as I had done before. She hesitated still holding my hand. I squeezed it tightly. We stood speechless maybe for a second when she decided to obey her man. He helped her: took off her drenched jacket and gave her his. Marina was not Thumbelina, but in his autumn coat she seemed lost and diminutive.
"I'll call an Uber. If we stay here any longer, you're going to get a pneumonia or worse," he said it, squeezing out the folds of her jacket.
Не firmly hold her of the shoulders and compelled slowly but steadily towards the road, leaving her no chance to stay or turn.
I wanted to call her back but changed my mind seeing how wet and miserable she looked. He is a human too; he knows all her needs, and he could bring her home. And I, I'm just a nude stranger.
The sounds of the accident could still be heard from the remotest road. Amazingly how someone's disaster could change everything for us. Juni was not anywhere around as well as the fairy's smashed body, only some honeydew drops of her blood on the ground. The dryad took the body with her, probably, to return her home. I hoped my friend would come here or talk to me again, for she was definitely pissed.
I poked around and only then stepped on the shore. I focused my aura in fingers and fixed my eyes on the pond making a long water scarf running to my fingers, winding around them, and fall on the dirty ground washing away fairy's blood. Nobody would probably notice it, but I decided not to leave any evidence of our unfortunate presence.
When I appeared from the water for the first time, everything seemed so beautiful, so charming. The races didn't betray or exterminate each other; in the countryside or towns one might find anything or anyone in taverns, streets, at the fair. It was so easy to buy a potion for good luck or two bubbles of life and death water from a local herbalist witch; to bargain with a transmarine merchant for moth-eaten magic tablecloth.
Wandering in forests, fields and dolce meadows, I saw adorable flower fairies like the late one, or cocky harvest faes with no wings, they saddled mice and traveled along fields and gardens causing a great deal of resentment from peasants. In small rivulets and great oceans I encountered pelagic fairies; almost transparent they swam around me ready to chat. Sometimes they clung to my hair with their seahorse tails to travel along. I have not seen them for centuries. Many creatures or undeads disappeared. The decision was taken: after the Great Oblivion Spell, humans forgot about us creatures for good, and for good of our safety, of course. Surprisingly, having no powers, humans were very good at killing or enslaving us.
I washed away not only blood but also created a huge puddle while reminiscing. Marina aroused something in me; something I have not felt for many years, as though I was on the shore of crystal waters and was looking around for the first time ever, breathing in for the first time ever, not painfully like a newborn baby, but with a sweet, happy sensation and anticipation.
I reached siblings apartment in no time. There was nobody in. I lingered in the hall kicking off my shoes and hurried to the kitchen barefooted between runic traps for uninvited guests. They called it "kitchen" but in fact it was a witch's lab where they cook or keep magic stuff. There were three different chunky, purring fridges; various shelves with whimsical trinkets and jars; drawers full of strangely looking equipment and rows of tiny bottles; boxes that resembled bubbling fish tanks or terrariums with warm light. Bottles, bottles, bottles, bottles were everywhere! Without hesitation I pulled one of the drawers with faded letters "pursuit" and got a blue bubbly looking phial bottle.
I swallowed up the contents of the bubble and leaned over a round table, thinking of Marina. I had drunk "pursuit" stuff a couple of times before, mostly for fun, but now I was worried about the result. It worked. I sighed with relief, taking a firm grip on myself.
The love potion was in my pocket.
"She would be mine no matter what. She would be better with me; I could make her happy and take care of her. The potion won't harm Marina just point her in the right direction," I said, convincing myself in the correctness of decision.
***
"So what did I see? A monster and two disguised girls? The monster was a fake, of course. You and I were the witnesses and direct participants of mass psychosis," he rubbed his neck.
"You are unbelievable, Syl! You told me yesterday you believed me!" I stopped. He cocked his eyebrow and folded his arms: he thought I went nuts.
"I'm tired and want to stay alone."
I might have changed the subject rapidly: probably, Sylvester expected me, his poor little besty, to make long, crazy speeches, for he looked puzzled:
"Are you sure? You don't look..."
"I don't look what? Sane? Stable?"
"I just wanted to say that you might be tired and nervous because of all your jobless problems and today's situation threw you off the balance." He talked to me as if I was an imaginative naughty child. I glanced at him all sullen, my voice was angry:
"I saw something that neither you nor I can explain. I am sure it was not a trick of imagination, an optical illusion or a mass hysteria. The girl in the pond was the mermaid from my dream or rusalka or naiad but definitely not a human being. I saw her. And you saw her too." I clenched my fists as if physically ready to defend my obvious arguments.
"It was just a mermaid body art and a Halloween elf costume," he insisted, but his voice wavered.
"Go away!" No arguments were left, and I found nothing better than show him the door. He stood for a while eying me, but I didn't move. He shrugged his shoulders and left with an indifferent face.
"Idiot!" I snapped, when he was already out.
I was so mad at myself. I should have stayed with the mermaid and talk to her, but fled again. Stop, where is my coin? I was petrified like I have lost my family heirloom. No panic, I had put it in my denim jacket, but Sylvester took it from me and gave me his dry coat. Did he leave it in the wood or on the back seat of Uber? I don't even remember the way home; it was like walking in a misty dream. I saw him squeezing the jacket, and it could have slipped out and fallen in grass or... damn... water. I grabbed my head.
I was about to rush back in my drenched cold culottes and wet slurping shoes when I heard the doorbell. It must be Sylvester with my jacket. He can't stay too mad at me.
"Ready to talk about magic?" I asked spitefully, while opening the door.
"Certainly ready." I heard the familiar voice.
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