Fondly dedicated to my friend's pool.
"Will Henry, do you think you would be able to swim beneath the bridge and retrieve the body?"
Will Henry bit his lip and shuffled on his feet.
"Well?" The Monstrumologist snapped his fingers. "Am I speaking to you or a wall? Can you do it or not?!"
"I can't swim." Little Will Henry focused his eyes on the ground. Doctor Pellinore Warthop's face softened a little.
"You can't?"
"No."
"Then I guess it is up to me to teach you." Private tutors cost a fortune, and although Warthop had a fortune, he wasn't going to spend it on a 12 year old boy.
It was interesting that a man who had tried to drown himself was charged with a young boy who couldn't swim.
"But not now." Warthop unhooked his suspender straps and started unbuttoning his shirt. "Since you cannot, I shall retrieve the body. Wait here." He tossed his shirt at Will Henry, who caught it and folded it over his arm. The older man unbuttoned and removed his pants. Warthop, stripped to his undergarments, hopped into the river. His assistant watched as the man swam expertly in the glistening water. The sun was setting, giving everything a yellowish hue. It would have been beautiful and peaceful to the young Will Henry, had he not been out there to retrieve a body of a monster who wanted nothing but human flesh.
A few minutes later, Warthop came back, gasping and panting, in his arms the limp, greyish body or a monster that the average man would have run from. He cradled it close to his chest like a baby. His gaunt frame sparkled with water droplets.
"A towel, please, Will Henry." He commanded.
"Yes sir." Will Henry handed him a towel and took the corpse from his master.
"I think you'll like swimming." Warthop wrapped the towel around his black hair and smiled his stiff, unnerving smile.
)))
A few weeks later, the corpse had been shipped to the Society, but not before Warthop could spent hours upon hours examining every single part of it.
Will Henry had forgotten about the swimming incident.
So, when Doctor Warthop said over breakfast, "Today I'm teaching you how to swim." Will Henry nearly spit out his tea.
"Sir?"
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Warthop snapped. "I am teaching you how to swim. Can you understand English, how hard is it for you to comprehend that sentence?"
"I'm just a little shocked sir." Will Henry looked at the mousetrap by his foot.
"Why? Swimming is a vital skill for a monstrumologist to have. If you're being chased by The Afermy, an African species that fears water, how would you escape if you could not swim? Hm?"
Will Henry couldn't see himself continuing Monstrumology after he escaped Harrington Lane and Warthop, but he nodded his head anyway.
"I would need to know how to swim."
"Exactly." The monstrumologist slammed his fist down on the table. "We leave now."
Will Henry and Doctor Warthop went to the beach. Will Henry couldn't help but think that they both looked a little weird in horizontally- striped one piece suits. Warthop looked good nevertheless. Ladies smiled and waved at him.
"The first thing you're going to need to learn is how to float." Doctor Warthop started that dry, lecturing tone as they waded into the water. The ocean was very calm, that was probably why Warthop chose that day for teaching. When Warthop was waist deep, and Will Henry was in to his neck, they stopped. "This is a suitable spot. Now, Will Henry, this is going to be a trust exercise as much as a lesson in swimming. Do you trust me?" The Monstrumologist smiled again, and Will Henry swallowed.
"With my life, sir." And he meant it. The Doctor nodded, and then took a step back.
"I am going to hold you up so you can become used to floating atop the water. I will not allow you to go under. Are you ready?"
Will Henry nodded, and allowed Warthop to gently hold him so he was just breaking the water's thin membrane. "Relax your muscles."
Will Henry tried to obey.
"Why are you so tense? You just said you trusted me with your life, your actions are not supporting your words! Trust me!"
Will Henry closed his eyes and pretended his was dead.
"Good. Very good." The doctor's murmuring voice soothed him. Will Henry could hardly feel Warthop's hands holding him up. "You're a natural, Will Henry." Warthop sounded farther away. Will Henry opened one eye. Warthop wasn't holding him. The young boy panicked.
"I'm gonna drown!" Will Henry could feel the water filling his lungs as his legs flopped uselessly around. Warthop, the bastard! Letting a boy drown for his own amusement!
As soon as the drowning started, it ended. Warthop grabbed Will Henry by the arms and yanked him above the water.
"You were doing fine!" Warthop shouted. "You were in no danger of drowning." He set Will Henry down and watched impassively as the boy coughed and wheezed. "Are you ready to try again?"
"Yes, sir, I think so."
"Either you are or you aren't."
"I am." Will Henry's ears were red and his cheeks were on fire. He puffed his chest.
"Good. Let's try floating again."
This time, Will Henry allowed Doctor Warthop to gently let him go. His body bobbed along with the waves. It was kind of relaxing. He could sleep like this.
"You're getting the hang of that now. Now to get out of that position, pretend you are sitting down into a chair."
Will Henry imagined a chair beneath him, and then pretended to sit in it. He then was submerged.
"You tried." Warthop managed to say upon rescuing the coughing, spitting boy once again.
"What's next?" Will Henry demanded.
"You are going to learn the dog paddle next." Doctor Warthop swam a few yards away. "I am going to show you what it looks like!" He called. Will Henry watched. Doctor Warthop's dog paddle was the above water kind- he was splashing all the way back.
"It is a rather simple form." He panted. "Something even you could master, I think. Here, let me help-" Doctor Warthop guided Will Henry to the right position. "You know, funny thing, your father couldn't swim either. I had to teach him." Warthop laughed a stiff, awkward laugh. "He was like lead. You seem to be the exact opposite. Now, Will Henry, cup your hands so you can push water away. Excellent! Try to swim a few feet. Very good!"
Will Henry smiled to himself as he swam back to Doctor Warthop.
"Very good, Will Henry." Was that pride in the doctor's black eyes. "Since we are in town, how about we go out to eat?"
"That sounds like an excellent idea, sir."
"I am full of excellent ideas. I'm getting cold, let's get out of this water."