~ Chapter 6 : Some Other World ~

They were whispering in hushed voices. And there were a lot of them. And they were all around her. And they were really insistent. It didn't help that her body was aching from head to toe from the fall. And then Melody realised that her eyes were shut. In the absolute darkness when she had been falling she hadn't been able to tell whether her eyes were open or not.

And so she opened her eyes. The whispering hushed dramatically and there was a sound like a chorus of, "Ooooooh..."

There was a low ceiling of rock above her, which was lit by a soft glow from a light source somewhere outside her line of sight. Melody tried to turn but the aching in her back was unbearable. She groaned.

Then she felt something prickly move up her arm to her neck, and she found herself looking at a small creature with two bulging eyes on stalks, a body no bigger than a crab but with a green-white shell that glowed, pincers far too big for its body and tiny little legs under the shell rather than on the side. It touched her nose with a pincer.

Melody sneezed. There was another chorus of "Ooooooh..."

The crab-like creature studied her critically, touching her face with its pincers. Melody tried not to move.

And then it said, "Where are you from, strange creature?"

Before Melody could reply another voice spoke up. "How do you know it speaks our language? It could be a stupid being. You know what they say, the bigger they are the dumber they are."

"I understand your language," said Melody, trying to sound diplomatic.

The whispering was raised into a chattering as more of the creatures - Melody guessed, because she still couldn't see while lying on her back - discussed this. The creature on her neck then asked her, "Then where are you from?"

"I'm from Atlantica," answered Melody.

"Atlantica..." the other creatures chorused.

"Ah, we've heard of Atlantica," said the creature on her neck. "It is... up there." It pointed a pincer straight upward.

Melody nodded. So she had indeed fallen down the Great Chasm. She had hoped that that had been a bad dream. "May I know where I am now?"

Another creature, with slightly different markings on its shell than the first one, climbed onto her neck next to the other one. "You are in our city of Croo. We are the Croo. You are a mercreature. There have been others that have fallen from the high waters, although none with long... what is it called? Hair. Yes, hair, such as yours."

"I am the female of my species," she said. "We tend to have longer hair."

"Aaaah, yes that explains it," said the first creature as the chattering started up again. "My name is Lir, I am the Leader Son of the Croo. And this is the High Advisor, Nom." Nom nodded.

"I am Melody," she said. "I am very pleased to meet you." Melody cringed, and hoped it didn't sound as weird coming out of her mouth as it did in her head. She had seen only a handful of her father's diplomatic missions in action firsthand, and this was her first time meeting a completely new species on her own.

"What are you doing here, Ma-loh-dee?" asked Nom, his voice sounding a bit suspicious around the edges.

"I fell in by accident," she told him.

Lir nodded. "Ah yes, you were pulled in by the cold water barrier. It covers all the Kingdom of Lower Sea. The Croo are only one city in many. You will love to see it."

"Yes, I would," said Melody, eyes widening with interest, the pain in her back and shoulders momentarily forgotten as her instinctive curiosity took over all her other thoughts (another trait inherited from her mother).

Nom knocked Lir on the head. "She must see the Leader King first!" Her then looked at Melody, with something of a smile on his strange little face. "Our Leader King had been told of your arrival, and he is an old and wise Croo that has seen mercreatures fall into our city before. He told us that you would be brought to the court as soon as you awoke."

"How... How long have I been here unconscious?" Melody asked carefully.

"Less than a cycle," said Lir. "Not long."

Melody was about to ask them how long a cycle was when she realised that they would have no concept of day or night at the bottom of the Great Chasm. Instead she tried to get up, and groaned heavily under the pain.

"Your fall has weakened you," said Lir. "Naa, come help. Naa is our Healer. All the rest of you, leave now!"

Nom sighed. "Curious, the lot of them," he told her. "Most of the younger ones have never seen a mercreature before. You are a rare sight indeed in Croo."

Then Melody remembered. "Were there any others? That fell down, I mean. Am I the only one? Where did you find me?"

"So many questions!" laughed Nom. "No, there were no others. Yes, you were the only one. And it was some farmers on the outskirts of our city that had found you. We think you had landed on rock much higher up in the cold barrier and somehow rolled down unconscious. It was lucky you did not fall in the city, or many buildings would have been destroyed!" He laughed.

Melody did not share the sentiment. Had she dreamed that Jeremy and Dash had fallen in after her? Even if they hadn't, they would now be trying to find a way to find her. But then the Manta could have gotten them. She hoped Tip had gotten the list back to Atlantica. So many possibilities! And she didn't even know how long she had been unconscious...

"You look worried, Mahlody," observed Lir. "You are thinking of your home, yes?"

Nom knocked Lir on the head again to tell him to be quiet and gestured for Naa to hurry up. "We will get some food into you and then you will see our Leader King. He is most anxious to meet you."

Melody nodded, but her thoughts were on Jeremy and Dash.

*****

"Any sign of her?" whispered Dash.

"Nope," answered Jeremy. The pair were hiding in the midst of some strange red seaweed, with Dash keeping low to the ground while Jeremy was peering up in the hopes of spotting something useful. "These little creatures are everywhere, though. They'll see us if we're not careful."

"There are only two of us and hundreds of them! Maybe thousands!" said Dash, trying to shout in a whisper.

"We'll figure something out," said Jeremy. "And I say if there's anywhere they would be keeping her, it would be near the city, right there." He pointed. "There seems to be some hustle and bustle going on now. I wish we could get a better look."

Dash looked at the near empty food bag and then listened to the growling of his stomach. "What are we going to do for food, Jeremy? The bag's almost empty. Once we find Melody we'll need strength to get out of here." They had saved as much as they could for Melody, but it was still not that much in the way of nourishment.

"Right now our priority is getting Melody out. They could be holding her prisoner, torturing her for all we know!"

"That's terrible!" exclaimed Dash.

Jeremy grabbed Dash by his shoulder - or where his shoulder would have been - and said, "They're coming this way, we have to hide! Cmon!"

Dash didn't have to be told twice, and swam off with Jeremy. "Poor poor Melody... I hope she's okay."

*****

Melody finished the bowl eagerly. She had no idea what was in it, but she was hungry enough not to care. "That was really great!" she exclaimed, patting her full stomach.

"Your apetite rivals ours, Melody," said Lir appreciatively. "But now we must go visit my father. He's waiting."

"Of course," said Melody, and obediently followed Lir and Nom out of the small cave. She had been worried that everything would be too small for her to move, but although she was right on that account, the Croo had accomodated her very well. They were remarkably strong for their size, and the few she met such as Lir, Nom and Naa were all friendly and curious about her. The cave Melody had been in was used for storage during the cold seasons, as she was told by Nom.

Melody swam out of the cave, and was awash with awe. It was like she had been transported to another planet. The city of Croo was indeed a thriving Metropolis, built into the stone of the valley (at the bottom of the Great Chasm) all lit up by tiny glowing fungae that the Croo had grown on their walls and floor. The carvings were remarkably intricate, and Melody was afraid to touch anything in fear she'd spoil it. The Croo all gaped and pointed at her, whispering to themselves as she swam following Lir and Nom.

"Do not be fooled by the small appearance of our city," said Lir. "Most of it is built deep into the rock, where all the true beauty of Croo lies. It is a pity you cannot see them."

"This is beautiful enough," said Melody, and she meant it. Then she realised that the water was normal temperature down there. The cold water blanket must be higher up, and Atlantica even higher up. She'd figure out how to get back later.

The palace court was built in a large cave hidden within the rock, and they entered it via a tunnel just big enough for Melody to swim in. By Croo standards the court was humoungous, and by Melody's standards it was merely very big. The Leader King was waiting there, and he looked very much like Lir except he was definitely older and had a tiny crown on his hed.

"Welcome, mercreature," said the Leader King. "The Croo are glad to have you as our guest."

"As I am glad to be your guest," answered Melody. Various other Croo - probably the royal court - nodded at Melody's diplomatic reply. Already Melody felt quite proud of herself.

The Leader King then said, "We shall make your stay as comfortable as we can. There is a lot we wish to know about Atlantica, and now that you are here, you will be able to enlighten us. My Leader Son Lir is particularly interested in your culture. Lir, you will see to it that our mercreature friend is comfortable, yes?"

"Yes, father," said Lir. "I will show her around today, if you will permit me."

"Of course, of course," said the Leader King. They were excused and off Melody went with Lir, gratified at all the attention she was getting. The court then started chattering up again.

Nom swam up the Leader King and stood next to him. "This is a good omen, sire," he said. "We have been blessed with the arrival of such a smart and wise mercreature during these troubling times. And it is a mercreature..." The silence was filled with an understanding of a shared unspoken thought.

The Leader King nodded. "Make her feel as much as home as possible. It has been so long since I last saw a mercreature, I am curious to know what changes have occured up there. And have the storage cave converted into a room for her. She is an important guest in Croo!" The court cheered in agreement.

*****

Melody herself was having a marvellous time, having decided to feel guilty about enjoying herself later on. After she had seen the sights of Croo, Lir had taken her to a place that was something like a garden, consisting of colourful plants that swayed in the water as though they themselves were alive. The plants, which were colourful and most of them glowed fluorescent, encircled a small flat stone on which Melody was now sitting, with an audience of Lir and some other young Croo who were asking her all sorts of questions.

"Do all of you have tails of red?" asked one. This question seemed to be far more important than anything else, and suddenly all the Croo were staring at her as though their lives (or her life) depended on it.

"No," answered Melody. "There are many different colours. Purple, green, blue, orange. And our hair colour is different as well. I guess it's a way of telling us apart, like the markings on your back."

"Aaaaaaaah..." they chorused, pleased with her answer.

"I heard there is a king in Atlantica," one young creature said. "Is this true?"

"Yes, his name's King Triton," said Melody. "He is a wise and kind ruler."

"Like my father," said Lir proudly.

"Oh, I'm sure," agreed Melody. "King Triton is getting old now, but he's still very strong, and I love him very much. He's my grandfather, you know."

"You're of the royal family!" exclaimed one of the Croo, putting two and two together. "Princess of Atlantica!"

Lir realised it, too, and bowed. "You are even greater a guest that I'd imagined, Mahlodee. Why didn't you say you were a princess?"

"Oh, I didn't think it was important," said Melody.

The young Croo chittered amongst themselves. Lir beamed at her. "As humble as you are intelligent," he said.

"I wouldn't say that!" said Melody, blushing with embarassment. "There are many others in my family. My mother is King Triton's youngest daughter of seven. I'm not that important, really."

"I find that hard to believe. You have an air that... That cannot be explained in words," said Lir. Melody didn't believe that for one minute, as was about to say so when Lir spoke first. "It is almost mealtime. There is to be a feast in your honour, and all of the Croo are invited. We must get going."

"A feast? For me?" Melody asked. "Thank you so much!"

"You are most welcome. Now, let us be off."

*****

"I can't see a thing!" exclaimed Jeremy, pushing Dash's flipper off his face. "This cave may not have been the best idea for a hideout."

Dash had been forced to fold himself up, and had been pushed back against the hard stone wall inside the small excuse for a cave. "You can say that again."

Jeremy blew a patch of thin yellow weeds away from his face. The cave was hidden from outside view by a bush of plants, which helped in disguising them from being found. Jeremy peered out. "There's a lot of commotion in the main... um... street - whatever it is - and they all look very interested in something."

"Is it Melody?" asked Dash.

"Ssh, there are some of the creatures coming close," said Jeremy. "I think I can hear what they're saying."

Sure enough three of the small glowing crab-like creatures walked right in front of the yellow bush. One of them said, "So it is true, what they are saying about the mercreature with the red tail." He punctuated the word red.

"Yes," said another. "A feast is being held in her honour. We need to hurry."

"They are saying they will have it killed next cycle. The Big Fish will be most pleased and we shall have great harvest this year."

Dash gasped, much more loudly than Jeremy would have liked.

"What was that? Did you hear something?" asked one of the creatures.

"Wait..."

And at that instant one of the creatures swept aside the topmost plants and came eye to eye with Jeremy.

"Hi - bye!" Jeremy started to swim away but he was at a disadvantage by being squeezed into the cave. The crab-like creature seized his nose with a pincer and twisted it almost to the point of breaking. Dash tried to wrench out to help Jeremy, but another creature had climbed onto his stomach and with a flourish, raised a hidden third pincer from his back that functioned as a stunner and poked him. Dash passed out. Jeremy only managed to look at his friend in alarm before being stunned himself.

"Well, well," the creature said. "Two more mercreatures. We shall have a great harvest, indeed."

*****

The feast was absolutely fantastic. Melody didn't even start to think about what was in the food, but it all tasted great and so far her stomach wasn't complaining, so she figured there was no point to turn down the meal. She had been given her own place to sit in the palace court, not far from the Leader King, Lir and Nom, and she happily chatted way with them.

While she exchanged information about Atlantica, she learned a lot about the Croo as well. Like they lived off the harvest of deep sea mushrooms on the outskirts of the city, and that the actual city that was built deep into the rock was much larger than she could have imagined. She felt a pang of disappointment that she wouldn't be able to see all of it, what with her size and all.

"My son tells me you are Atlantican royalty," said the Leader King. "You should have said so earlier, I am truly honoured to have you here as a guest."

"I don't know why I didn't mention it, it really slipped my mind," Melody said honestly. "Being a princess was never really... I don't know how to say it, it's just not a big deal to me."

"But it is!" exclaimed Lir. "You have responsibilities, your people respect you. How can it not be a big deal?"

Melody struggled to find the words to explain it. "I don't know... Being a princess kinda restrained myself from being who I am. I was... too... binded, yes that's the word, binded, by rules."

Leader King nodded. "Ah, you are still young, that is understandable. But when you grow older you will see how important you are being a princess, no matter if you have many kin older than you. Lir here, went through that stage, but he grew out of it."

Lir pretended to whisper to Melody, "So my father thinks." And they all laughed.

Talking about being a princess brought Melody's mind back to her mother. "Leader King, I mean no disrespect, since you have been more than kind to me... But, do you know, is there a way for me to return to Atlantica?"

The Leader King paused for a moment. "It is difficult to say, Princess Mey-lo-dy. We shall do everything in our power to help you, of course, but there is much difficulty."

"Then there is a way up?" Melody asked eagerly.

The Leader King laughed. "Yes, Princess, no need to be so distressed. It is a difficult way, but it is there if you are willing to try. We shall discuss it next cycle, in the early, after you wake from a restful sleep. It has a been an adventure for you arriving in Croo, and you must be tired."

And so the topic was dropped, with Melody feeling much better. As she continued to joke and exchange stories with the Croo she reviewed the past few days as something of a manic rollercoaster. Wonderful, horrid, extremely happy, extremely sad, at peace, terrified. Her emotions were definitely wearing her out, and she knew at the back of her mind that since she was at the moment swimming along a wave of feeling utterly great, the bad stuff was waiting right behind an inconspicous rock, ready to slam right into her face.

But that could wait for later.
 
 

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