estdeus_innobis | (no subject)

I am a serpent, thin-bodied, flashing scaled.

"They gonna try an catch you," she says.

She is a dupe, driven, mask-faced.

"I am in the sea, salt-safe and wet."

And there is the old thin smell of salt and hemp from the nets, and the heavy wet smell of salt from the sea. I carry them carefully, so as not to catch their new-mended mesh on the stones.

There is a woman here, by the edge of the water. I cannot see her face any more than I can know my own, though the reason is different. She has a fine mask, but I think it may be wearing away at what lies beneath.

"Lady," I say by way of greeting. "Does your mask not grow uncomfortable, worn so tight in such rough air?"

I go down with the two women as they walk to the water to cast the net in. I want no part of the fishing, but there is nowhere else to go. Wouldn’t be much help, anyway. All I can seem to do is swallow and shiver. I keep my eye open for a pool that might have clean water in it, though.

There’s another woman, lying in the water there. She’s wearing a mask, too, though she’s a stranger to the woman whose coat I’m wearing. I offer her a hand, since mine are free.

Beyond us, the water ripples against the current.

Walk we do down to the water. There's a woman there, her face as smooth as the first, but hers is a mask, not an absence of a face. Matter they do, these things.

"Come," I say the blonde woman. "Walk into the water with me, for this net is large, and what we catch may heavy be." I take off my shoes and leave them on the shore, and tuck up my skirts. The water is very cold, and surprised I am that the man did not drown because of it.

I do not remember ever casting, but know how to do it I do, looping hemp round my wrist, then making loops from the casting line. Cast smoothly I do, counter-clock turn of my wrist, and the net spreads and sinks.

They are human, soft-limbed, shore-bound.

I am the shore, worn-down, bounding.

I am a serpent, water-bound, sharp-toothed.

There is a net, slow-rotting, ensnaring.

I am a serpent, net-bound, quick-writhing.

I leave my shoes ashore, and wade into the water. It sweeps in and sucks away, and the water slaps my trousers againt my legs and begins wicking through the cloth. But I follow her while the net sweeps out widdershins and sinks, and catch hold of the lines.

The steady draw of the water is interrupted by a sudden jerking, something quick and lithe tangled in the mesh, and I brace myself and pull. The net begins to draw closer, and I catch a hint of the shape inside it, and I do not think it is a fish.

But I want a face again, something to know myself by which was stolen from me, and I do not stop pulling.

CeeCee is excited, bouncing up and down and wriggling her toes in the sand as she yells to the humans. I take her hand and we walk down to where the women wade into the surf, casting out the net. The man who washed up does not seem keen to go too close to the water, and I don't blame him.

We get close enough to see that they have something in the net. "This should be interesting." I say to CeeCee, keeping her hand in mine.

So many masks these humans wear, and I am reminded of the lion one I wore at the All Hallow's Eve party. Speaking of which...

I see the guise my lord wore that evening imposed over the face of another. And more than see, I can feel. I may have been stripped of my power, but not my sense, at least not of Him. It makes me smile and ache at the same time.

Me and Daddy go over to the people from town and watch them try to catch something. Oh! I think they got something. I squeeze Daddy's hand tight standing on my toes to try to see what they got. "Is a Sea Serpent?" I hope it is!

There's a guy here too, he looks wet and cold. I look up at Daddy, he might be able to warm him up like he did for us. He's looking at someone else and I know he feels happy and sad like he does when he tells me about his brothers. "Him". Ooh! I want to meet him! Maybe they'll like Daddy again! "Him who, Daddy," I whisper and tug on his hand. There's only the cold man from town and the lady he's looking at.

They’ve caught something in the net, and my first instinct is to back away, remembering the slide of that huge body beside me. But what they’ve caught doesn’t seem to be anything like that large. If the man beside me is not afraid to bring his little girl closer, then maybe it’s nothing too dangerous. Maybe he knows this beach better than I do.

The little girl looks me over. I know I must be a sight, still wet and in borrowed jacket and makeshift shoes. She whispers something to her father and then looks back at me. Well, if she’s not afraid of sea serpents, she can hardly be afraid of me. “Are you here to fish, sweetheart?” I ask her, thinking her father can hardly take offense at that.

All giddy excitement, my girl, wishing for a sea serpent. If Lilith were here, we could charm it and ride it across the waves----

"Him who, Daddy,"

Celeste's voice cuts through my thoughts, and I look down at her. I forget she can pick things from my head. Not specific's, but emotions. "One of my kin, the one I lov--- valued the most." I answer softly, smoothing some hair from her face. "I can feel his touch nearby, but it's not him." Look to the near drowned man. "Not him either." I say, nodding my head towards the drowned rat. "He would not be here, I suspect."

The man asks if CeeCee is here to fish, and I grin. I can't wait to hear her answer.

"I can feel his touch nearby, but it's not him."

Poor, Daddy. I squeeze his hand and lean into him, almost like a hug. Maybe if they know he's sorry, they'll stop being mad at him! He can't say sorry but I will if I ever get to meet them.

"Not him either. He would not be here, I suspect."

I look at the wet man from town, he's looking at me and asks, “Are you here to fish, sweetheart?”

I giggle cos I've never been allowed to talk to anyone but Mommy and Daddy before and he called me sweetheart and he doesn't even know me! "I want to!" I smile and clap. This is so much fun! "I've never seen a Sea Serpent before, have you?" He's all wet so maybe he did and can tell me about it! I lean closer and whisper, "There aren't many of them anymore." I don't know if its true or not, but I say it quietly cos I want to see one and don't want the other people to stop trying to get one. Daddy is smiling now and that makes me happy too.

I am a serpent, air-borne, sly.

I am a bird, fragile-boned, free.

I am a fish, air-drowned, deep-swimming.

I am a net, wide-cast, tangling.

I am a witch, salt-bound, knowing.

The smug man comes back with his chattering daughter, and well enough that is but we have work to do, and so I nod at them and carry on.

"Caught something we have," I say to my fishing partner, and we begin to haul up the net. It's heavy, so heavy, and I feel my heart in my throat.

I think my arms are bruising inside their skin from the work, and surely nothing so heavy could fight and not tear free, but the net has held. And inside it there is--

"Caught something we have," the woman with the net says, and for a moment I can only watch, unsure of the matter; but we have, and I think that what we have caught understands faces. We drag it up the shallows and onto the beach, and the waves seethe quietly along its track.

"Well," I say softly, rather at a loss for words. I look around, see that the man from the sea has found the other man's daughter, and him as well, and rather hope that is a good omen. And I straighten and walk down to her in the net, and crouch down on my heels to look at her without presuming to stand over her. The stones of the beach sound like a handful of glass beads under my heels.

"Lady," I say (for the third time). "We have caught you and brought you to land. Will you speak with us?"

The way the little girl giggles lightens the air around us, making me think for a minute of something that’s not my thirst or the cold. She leans closer to me, and I crouch down to bring my face level with hers. “I’ve seen more than one, and been glad that one didn’t see me,” I tell her, my eyes wide. Coming out like that, it all sounds like a great adventure. “Do you want to hear a story about a sea monster?” Not promising her a true story, since this’ll be made up of half-memories and wholecloth lies, with a good face on all of it. But if there is no way out of this place, making a little girl laugh seems as good a way as any to spend my time here.

CeeCee tells the man she would like to go fishing and asks if he has seen a sea serpent.

"There aren't many of them anymore." I am tempted to lean in and remind her that there are, but the man plays along. "I’ve seen more than one, and been glad that one didn’t see me. Do you want to hear a story about a sea monster?”

I throw back my head and laugh. "And then you can tell him of a fire serpent you saw once, and a fiery winged lion." I wink at her, glad she is enjoying this at least.

"Caught something we have," I turn around and...

Oh, they caught something indeed. The doll faced woman crouches near the serpent, which may not be, and addresses it as Lady. "We have caught you and brought you to land. Will you speak with us?"

I sense no threat from the man, so I leave CeeCee and walk to the older woman. "In these..." stories, histories "times, names have power, and can be used. If you can find the creature's name, you may be able to command it answer you true."

“I’ve seen more than one, and been glad that one didn’t see me,”

Oohh! He has, he has! Laughing more, I hold his hands and try not to jump too much. Now I'm gonna see one too! I can't wait to see it!

"Lady, We have caught you and brought you to land. Will you speak with us?"

Wait.. Do they have it? I can't really see around the ladies. Can Sea Serpents talk? Maybe its a magical one, I know they can. I look down at the shore... Do Sea Serpents have legs like people? Oooh! Maybe its a Mermaid! Daddy laugh at the guy and tells me I can tell him about GeeGee (he hates it when I call him that) and Daddy's other bodies.

“Do you want to hear a story about a sea monster?”

"YES!YES!" I squeal and then cover my mouth with my hands. "Bye, Daddy!" I wave and then look at the new man," I mean, Yes, please, Wet Man from town," I smile big and wide for him and curtsy like Daddy taught me to. "I would love to hear your story." I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, but Daddy's here and he didn't tell me to stay away from any of them, and this man is really nice!

Syl and I (http://community.livejournal.com/estdeus_innobis/405311.html?thread=10274879#t10274879) pick our way across the beach. It's stony, and I'm glad I didn't lose my shoes in the water, even if they do squelch.

There's a man crouched beside a little girl, and I smile at them, but then I see what the others have dragged into the shallows in a net and feel my heart in my throat.

"In these times, names have power, and can be used. If you can find the creature's name, you may be able to command it answer you true," says a fair haired man, looking down into the net at something that's a serpent that's a fish that's a woman.

I know you. I know you.

"I know her name," I say. I can taste it in my mouth like salt, and I crouch down in the water and whisper it in her ear.

Her father seems to think well enough of me, to laugh and leave her with me, but I guess there’s not anywhere I could take her. He hasn’t gone that far away, anyway, just to see what was actually wrapped up in that net. I can’t tell much of what’s going on when I’m crouched down like this, but nobody seems to be getting eaten.

I have a little girl in front of me waiting impatiently for a story, and calling me wet man from town. Not sure what that’s about. “I’m not from town,” I tell her. “And my name is J—” The name sticks in my throat, but not because of the salt. “My name is a secret. I think your daddy knows, though.” And where that came from, I don’t know, since I don’t know her father from Adam.

There are two more women, as wet as I am, picking their way toward the knot in the shallows. One of them smiles at me, and I nod back but don’t stand. Don’t need to see what’s going on over there to feel like it won’t end well. I turn back to the little girl. “Are you sure you want to hear a story about sea monsters?” I ask, knowing what her answer will be. “You’re not going to be scared?”

“I’m not from town, And my name is J— My name is a secret. I think your daddy knows, though.”

"My name's CeeCee," I whisper, "I'm not from town either. And Daddy is a great knower of things and keeper of... I can't remember!... things," I say, looking Daddy's way real quick. There's two other ladies over there now, one looks like a princess and it looks like they went swimming too. Or maybe they came from the sea! Ooh! I look at the man again... J, and lean back. He said he's not from town, but he doesn't look like a fish... "Did you come from the sea, J? Is that why you've seen Sea Serpents?"

“Are you sure you want to hear a story about sea monsters? You’re not going to be scared?”

"I do, I do! I'm not scared! I'm not a Baby", I say crossing my arms. "I've seen fire snakes and people and lions and I wasn't scared!" My eyes get big so he knows I'm not joking. "Please can I hear the story?"

I’m pretty sure she wants to hear about sea monsters a lot more than she wants to know where I’m from, so I think I can get away with not answering her first question. “If you’ve seen all that, maybe you owe me a story afterward.” I ease myself down to sit cross-legged. My knees and I are still not on good terms.

She’s looking at me with her eyes wide, still half pouting. I’m going to have to make this a very good story. I clear my throat. It’s still parched, but the prospect of telling a story is distracting me from it a bit. “Right, so once upon a time there was a man who had to take a long journey across the sea, so he hired a boat to take him there. But as soon as the boat set out into the open water, a storm blew up, and the rain and the wind nearly sunk the boat.” I’ve told this story before, I think, to another little girl a long time ago. “The sailors kept the boat on course, though, and when the next day came, the storm had cleared, and the day was bright and sunny and very, very still. And the men thanked God that they had come through the storm.”

I think she’s still with me, even though there aren’t any sea monsters yet. “But that day and the next day and the day after that, there was no wind, and so the boat couldn’t go anywhere. So the sailors cried and prayed to God to send wind, and that night the wind came, the breath of God on the sailors, and all of them fell down asleep. While they were asleep, an angel spoke to all of them in a dream and told them that the man who hired the boat was the reason for the trouble they were having.” I can’t do voices, so I’m just telling the thing outright, hopefully with enough flourishes to keep her listening.

“When the sailors woke up, they went to the man and told him what the angel had said, and even though he cried and begged them not to, they bundled him up and threw him over the side of the boat into the deep water. And what do you think happened then?” I look at her expectantly, ready to along with whatever she suggests, but pretty sure that I know what it’s going to be.

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celeste-excolo.livejournal.com - 2011-03-16 09:39 (UTC) - Expand

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jaeresteade.livejournal.com - 2011-03-17 01:08 (UTC) - Expand

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celeste-excolo.livejournal.com - 2011-03-17 03:13 (UTC) - Expand

I am a woman, water-choked, air-breathing.

I am a serpent, low-bellied, wish-seeing.

I am an enchantress, tangle-haired, demon-seeing.

I am a woman, water-choked, true named.

Th'folk 're gathered 'round somethin', tangled'n thrashin' on th'sand. 's Kate'n me get closer, I see'at't's a serpent-creature, woman an' fish an' snake, an'I hiss through m'sharp teeth cuzzi hate seein' anythin'a th'sea netted 'n hauled into th'dry. Th'net 'tself makes me uneasy, an'I keep m'feet away frommit's tangles.

Whoever th'snake is, Kate knows'er. She kneels down, whispers a name inta'er ear, an' th'heavy thrashin'stops. 'er sides heave 's she gulps dry air, an' somethin'....somethin'...

Dunno whatcha wuz messin' wit'is mornin', but sure don't help'n old lady sleep.

there's a cage all 'round us, built out 'a despair like it was chains holdin' us down t'broken glass, and every time we struggle we cut ourselves...

Hey you, you put her down, fuckin' trash, should string you an' that stringy bitch up along with your friend.

Whoa, yeah, somethin'. Somethin' fromma dry time long 'go 'n far 'way. Press m'hand 'gainst m'temples. Th'sun hurts m'eyes. "Reckon we both know'er," I says t'Kate. "Reckon we all three ovvus knew each other, somehow."

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pollyladon.livejournal.com - 2011-03-15 17:46 (UTC) - Expand

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sapphira-ststep.livejournal.com - 2011-03-15 18:36 (UTC) - Expand

They come down, down to the waters, and they got their nets. Gonna try an catch you.

"Lady. Does your mask not grow uncomfortable, worn so tight in such rough air?"

Figure she's talkin to me. Touch the mask again. "It was so pretty when I picked it up," I says, kinda wistful. Her face ain't a mask, and it ain't really a face, either: "That what happened to you?"

Watchin the serpent turnin in the sea. Someone - somethin - should be here. Seashore. "The pelican in her piety," I says, an I don't even know what all that means or where it come from.

"It was so pretty when I picked it up," she says. "That what happened to you?"

"No," I say, and I would touch the space where my face should be, as she has, but my arms are full of net. "Mine was stolen from me. The one you wear is quite pretty," I admit, "and I'm sure it is strong, but I think it doesn't suit you."

"The pelican in her piety," she says, gazing to the sea, and I do not see any such thing, but...

Pelicans bleed themselves to feed their young, don't they? It's a noble thing.

"We are going down to the sea," I say, "and I will try to net a catch, and find a wish, and have my face back. Come down with us?" I think she is a strong one, and that cannot hurt, not now. "Perhaps we can find something to break you free."