~ Chapter 4 : Out in the Backyard ~

After dinner Melody found herself to be too tired to do anything else other than sleep. Tip and Dash had their own arrangements elsewhere, so Melody retired to her (mother's) room and slept soundly the entire night, without visits from dreams nor from nightmares.

The next morning was relatively uneventful for Melody, as her friends decided to teach her how to play bubblestrike in the palace courtyard. What started out as a genuine lesson soon turned into a silly game as they stared purposely hitting the bubble in the most outrageous of methods.

King Triton, who was in the throne room at the time, was drawn to their laughter and despite being filled to the brim with important affairs, and he found a brief respite in going to the window looking over the courtyard to watch his granddaughter play. Sebastian rested on the windowsill and smiled at the king.

"She sure takes after her mother," said Sebastian.

"Yes," sighed Triton. "Things were never the same when Ariel left. But let's not get too attached to her, Sebastian. She has to go back once they find the antidote."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

At that moment, as though sensing she was being watched, Melody turned to look at the window, spotted her grandfather and Sebastian, and waved. Triton and Sebastian waved back, and then they both cringed when the bubble hit Melody squarely in the head. Tip, Dash and Jeremy laughed, while Melody fumed and picked up the bubble with a look of revenge on her face.

"I think we better get back to the discussions," said Triton. He smiled one last time at his granddaughter, then left the windowsill.

Their game was soon interrupted when a small seahorse messenger came to them in the courtyard. "Princess Melody, Lady Aquata has called for your presence in the East Meeting Room. There's been a problem."

A sinking feeling appeared in Melody's stomach, quickly overpowering how great was she was feeling at the moment. Without saying another word the gang gathered up and followed the seahorse to the meeting room. Aquata was in front of the same table, staring at the orb, and she looked up at Melody when she entered.

"The poison experts were ambushed on their way here," said Aquata, dispensing with the greetings. "We don't know where they are, but reports say that the Manta was seen in the area at the time."

Melody's face darkened. "Him again."

Aquata clenched her fists at her side. "There's only one other person we're sure that can help us. Her name's Miasma, but she lives on the other side of the Great Chasm, and there’s no one we can spare to go after her."

"I’ll go!" cried Melody.

"Wait a minute—"

"I came here to help my mother, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do," said Melody firmly. "Great Chasm or not, I’ll find this Miasma."

"And we’re behind you all the way," said Jeremy, speaking for Dash and Tip, who nodded in agreement. Melody looked at them gratefully, and Jeremy ruffled her hair affectionately.

Aquata studied her niece for a moment, and then nodded. She turned around and took a map etched on a thin piece of metal-like rock and showed it to them. "And as for Miasma, well… She’s rather eccentric, but she’s not dangerous or anything. Bring her this sample of the poison for her to study." Aquata took a small see-through vial with a shell as its cover and filled it a bit with the dark smoky substance of the orb. Melody clipped it to her necklace, right next to her seashell locket.

"I’ll hold the map," said Jeremy, taking the map.

Aquata then gave the four a small cone-shaped shell each. "Just for protection," she said. "Smash the shell and a thick cloud will be produced, kinda like a squid’s self-defense system."

Tip, Dash and Jeremy held theirs while Melody kept hers in a pocket on the thin vest she was wearing (she was still not comfortable wearing those shell bikinis the mermaids wore).

"Well then," said Aquata, looking the group up and down. "That’s it. Good luck."

Before pushing off from the palace Tip decided to grab a supply of food from the kitchen and stuffed it all into a bag he conveniently found lying around. "In case we're hungry on the way," he told them.

First they set out over Atlantica, passing over the buildings and streets, and as Jeremy had said the day before, various mermaids and mermen that Melody had never met before in her life waved at her as though they were her best friends. Melody tried to be cordial, but the weight of the poison vial around her neck kept her focus on finding Miasma.

They quickly reached the edge of city, where the buildings stopped but life did not because the coral reefs and wildlife thrived richly around them. Fish of various colours swam around them, a few stopping to greet the gang (but especially Melody) a good day.

"We’re going that way," said Jeremy, pointing somewhere in the distance. "That’s the area they call the Backyard."

As they started out, Melody turned her head and saw a much darker area farther to the left, where the marine life appeared to be more sombre and lacking in cheerfulness and beauty. It was almost like a forest where even the sun refused to touch the seafloor. "Where’s that?" she asked.

"That’s the Wilderness," said Tip. "Nothing but bad stuff over there. Not that I'm afraid of it, of course."

Dash nodded in agreement. "Even King Triton avoids going there after dark."

Melody fell silent, but the wheels turned in her head. Then that would be the perfect place for the Manta to hide… She didn’t say anything aloud, but just followed Jeremy as they set out into the Backyard.

After a while the scenery started to lose its beauty, and it all became rocky and sandy terrain.

"You ever heard of Miasma before, Jeremy?" asked Dash.

"I know she knows a lot about medicines and stuff," said Jeremy. "Sometimes if anyone’s really sick in Atlantica they send someone out to get a cure from her. I've never met her or anything."

"Not a social seacreature, eh?" said Tip.

Melody hugged herself as she looked around the desolate landscape nervously. Jeremy nudged her with his shoulder, grinning broadly. "Not getting scared now, Princess?"

"Me? Of course not!" she replied. "I laugh in the face of danger."

"While running right up to it and poking it in the stomach," added Jeremy.

"She's got nothing to be scared off when Tip and Dash are on duty!" announced Tip, who clambered onto Melody's head and began scouting the area. "No baddies that I can see. Not to worry, Melody, we gotcha covered."

"Why do they call it the Great Chasm?" asked Melody.

Jeremy pointed. "That’s why."

It was a giant scar in the seafloor. It was terribly long, and disappeared into the distance as though it never ended. Within the chasm was a sharp drop of dangerous cliffs, falling into absolutely darkness. But, luckily, although the chasm was as long as the eye could see, it was not thick, as the chasm was only about fifteen feet wide.

Melody peered over the side. The water was colder over the chasm, and she thought she heard soft whispering somewhere deep down inside it.

"Let me guess," said Melody, "They say it has no bottom?"

"How’d you know?" asked Jeremy.

"Wild guess." She took a breath. "At least we can swim across it, so that’s no problem." She started to swim across it when the coldness suddenly hit her. It was like an icy wind suddenly swept over, around and even through her body with an angry determination. Melody gasped in shock and would have fallen in had not Jeremy and Dash each grabbed an arm and pulled her back.

"There’s that, too," said Jeremy. "Sorry, I should have warned you."

Melody’s teeth chattered. "Cold."

"We can handle that," said Tip. "Ol blubberface here can handle the coldest of the cold."

"Don’t forget yourself, Tip," said Dash. "C’mon, Melody." Carefully, Melody climbed onto Dash’s back, keeping her eyes shut as she struggled against the cold. Jeremy climbed onto a spot right next to her, and gently held her by the waist with one arm to keep her from falling. Tip held the rear in case either one of them fell off.

The small troupe began to move across the Chasm. For a moment even Tip and Dash were overwhelmed with the freezing water, but quickly recovered and moved slowly but surely across.

Melody held her head tightly against Dash’s warm blubbery back, and when she opened her eyes she was alarmed to see how close her face was to Jeremy’s. He was frowning down at her, obviously worried for her own safety. She managed a smile, and he smiled in return. Don’t blush, Melody, for goodness sake don’t blush! Melody told herself. She did blush anyway, but luckily Jeremy mistook it for her body warming itself up against the cold.

They reached the other side not a moment too soon. Melody sunk onto the seafloor, rubbing her arms to get rid of the tingly cold sensations. Tip and Dash swam about a bit to get their body heat back to their normal temperature. Jeremy settled for shaking a bit and patting his cheeks.

"Are we ready to move on?" he asked after a while.

"Aye-aye!" said Tip.

"We head that a-way," Jeremy announced after looking at the map.

Miasma’s home was not scary, as Melody had thought it would be. It actually looked quite cosy, and was something of an underwater equivalent of a grannie’s cottage, made of planks from shipwrecks, piled up stones and bits of dead coral. It looked small and cosy, and had one window with weed curtains and a heavy wooden door.

"Should we knock?" asked Dash.

"I guess," said Melody, and she tapped on the door gently.

After a while the door was struck heavily from the other side. Another heavy thump followed and the wood groaned in protest, as though something big and scary was struggling to get out. On an unspoken agreement, the four started to back away, all tense and ready to swim at the slightest sign of danger. A few more angry thumps followed, and then the door flung open.

They stared.

Miasma turned out to be an elderly shrunken mermaid with grey and white streaked hair tied back in a sharp bun, a grey-green tail and a squint that looked as though she was trying to curse her own nose. And she was half Melody’s height.

"Stupid door!" she cursed, waving a fist at the door. "I just had ye fixed, and ya already wants to give me trouble, issit?" Then she looked at the group. "What ya want?"

Melody started to speak when Miasma swam up to Dash with surprising speed and poked him a few times in the stomach. "Walrus, brown, thick blubber," said Miasma, talking to herself. "But not be needing walrus today!" Then she went to Tip, grabbed a wing and peered closely at it. "Penguin, short, not much muscle. But good fibre. Yup, yup, I’m short on penguin hide, I’ll take this one!"

"Excuse me!" yelped Tip, and swam frantically to hide behind Dash. "I’m not for sale, lady!"

"Too much attitude, not good for penguin," said Miasma. She swam up to Jeremy and squinted up at him. "Merman, eighteen, blonde, blue eyes, blue-green tail, good physique, healthy tan, but you’re too blur when it comes to noticing the important stuff."

"Huh?" managed Jeremy.

And then Miasma came to Melody. "Mermaid, sixteen, raven hair, blue-grey eyes, a bit skinny, red tail…" Her voice drifted off, and suddenly her eyes came into focus as she looked into Melody’s own eyes. "My, my, my…" Miasma grinned. "Never thought I’d live to see the day."

"What day?" Melody asked.

Miasma ignored that as her eyes focused on the vial with the poison sample that hung from Melody's necklace. She grabbed it and without another word disappeared into her cottage. Melody was stunned for a moment, unsure of what to do, when Miasma appeared again in the doorway and gestured for them to follow.

The inside of Miasma’s cottage was like a warehouse of the strangest items they had ever seen. Some were human, some were Atlantican, but most of it was completely unrecognisable. It was all basically one big room, a tiny bed in one corner, a glowing light jewel at another corner, a table in the middle and Miasma was at a small desk, bent over an orb slightly larger than the one Aquata had, and she poured the sample poison into it.

"Interesting. You!" she pointed at Jeremy, "get me a pen and paper!"

Jeremy quickly found a squid pen and paper on a table and gave it Miasma, who took the items and began writing furiously. Every now and then she’d mutter something under her breath and scratch her chin.

After a while she turned around. "Everybody sit down!"

Their bodies obeyed the command even before their brains received it. As it were, there were five chairs around the table, and Miasma floated over to the fifth one and sat down, reading what she had written.

"Was a dart used for the poison?" she asked.

"Yes," said Melody.

"Who received it?" Miasma asked, still not taking her eyes off the paper.

"My mother, Ariel."

Miasma’s left eye twitched, she turned to look at Melody. "Was she in human form or mermaid form at the time?"

"Human."

"Gak! Kabish kabish ptui!" Miasma continued to mutter and then, to the surprise of everyone, bit off a bit of the paper and began chewing it furiously. After swallowing it she barked loudly, "Walrus! Get that bowl and set it on the table! Boy! Get those bowls and spoons from the counter!" They quickly did as they were told.

There was a strong smell emanating from the large black bowl that was larger than Dash’s head. Miasma stared a bit more at the paper before finally saying, "Now eat up!"

"What?" Melody choked in surprise.

"That’s my famous gumbo, you lot!" Miasma snapped. "You be tired after swimming from Atlantica, and passing that chasm. Eat up, it’ll warm your bellies."

Quietly, they filled up their bowls with the thick brown-black gumbo and began to eat. Miasma took a whiff of the strong smell of the stuff and sighed with satisfaction before reading up the paper again.

The gumbo tasted horrid while in the mouth region but once it was swallowed down, a comforting warmth spread through their bodies, rejuvenating their limbs. It was pretty strong stuff, and most of them were unable to finish more than half a bowl, except Dash who cheerfully took two more helpings before deciding he’d had enough.

"Good appetite," said Miasma, pointing her chin at Dash.

Dash smiled shyly. "I’m a growing walrus, need my nutrients."

"Wise words," said Miasma.

"Said the mad little medicine mermaid," muttered Tip under his breath.

Miasma shot Tip a look, and he feigned innocence with a wide grin. Then she turned her attention to Melody.

"The right is a list of items in the poison," she said, passing Melody the paper. "On the left is a list of items to be used in the antidote. It’s tough stuff, though, and at the back here—" she showed further writing on the other side of the paper "—is detailed instructions on how to make the antidote. Do it right, and your mum’s all right."

"That’s it?" asked Melody.

"A thank you would be nice," muttered Miasma, who stood up and opened the door. "Now off with you lot! I’ve got important things to do!"

On the way out, Melody gave Miasma a hug, totally on impulse. "Thank you, Miasma," she said.

Miasma froze for a moment, then brushed Melody's hair in a maternal manner. Then suddenly she pulled away sharply, entered her cottage without another word and slammed the door shut.

"Yup, I think eccentric would be the word," said Tip. "Better than raving loony."

"Tip!" said Melody, knocking Tip on the head gently with her fist. "She's helped us a great deal. With this list we'll get the antidote ready in no time."

Things were certainly looking up. Melody couldn't stop smiling as they began their journey back to Atlantica. The image of her sick mother was already fading like a horrid nightmare, and her hands were actually shaking with excitement. Oh, how worried her father must be. She herself didn't recognise most of the items on the list, but Aunt Aquata would be sure to know where to find all of them, and the antidote would be ready, and then she'd bring it back to her mother and then...

"Take good care of that paper," said Jeremy. "We're reaching the Great Chasm."

Melody nodded and started to roll the paper carefully into a hard tube when somebody, with a silky and strangely attractive but perfectly villainous voice, chuckled behind them. The smile disappeared from Melody's face. Slowly, dreading what she would see, Melody turned around. And she gasped.

"Hello, Princess Melody," said the Manta. He was lounging, his pupil-less eyes focused most clearly on Melody. "I don't believe we've met properly."

"You!" cried Melody. "You poisoned my mother!"

"Aah, yes, the fair maiden Ariel," said the Manta. "And I believe right there in your hand is a list of items to be used in the antidote, am I right? Oh silly me, I completely forgot about Miasma when I sent out to remove all the experts that could help you. But no matter. You will give that list to me, right now."

"And what makes you think I'll do that?" Melody was slowly but carefully backing toward the Great Chasm, Tip and Jeremy were on her right, Dash to her left, all ready to move when the moment called for it. "I'm not stupid, you know."

"Don't I know it," said the Manta. "I just wanted to see how you'd react. Oh, you are so like your mother. She would be so proud of you. And birdie, don't think I can't see you sneaking off to the side there!"

Tip froze and raised his flippers in a surrender gesture. "Not doin' nothing!"

When Melody felt the cold water rush up her back, she knew she had reached the edge of the Chasm. She clenched and unclenched her fists, quickly running through the possibilities. Then her bravado evaporated sharply and she felt weak in her belly when the Manta unfurled himself and loomed over them, eyes glowing, tail twitching, mouth all a-grinnin'.

"Now we see how brave you really are," he sneered.
 
 

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