Chapter 1
"Boop boop ditem datem watem, chu
Boop boop ditem datem watem, chu
And they swam and they swam and they swam and they swam …"
The childlike ditty wafts along a breeze, kissing the surface of an ocean that sparkles a brilliant topaz under the hot sun.
The ocean is vast and deep and full.
A rumble rolls across the sky in the distance and the wind picks up causing white peaks to form on the roughening water.
The ocean starts to boil and toss turning the peaks into waves. The sun continues to blaze down like fire in the sky while below the storming sea darkens to a deep deep sapphire.
"Stop' said the mama fishie, 'or you will get lost'
The three little fishies didn't wanna be bossed
The three little fishies went off on a spree
And they swam and they swam right out to the sea
Boop boop ditem datum watem, chu …"
Lydia lays in her hospital bed, her eyes staring out the window seemingly unaware of her surroundings, quietly singing.
Natalie gazes down at her daughter, her vibrant Lydia usually a force of nature now a pale fragile little girl. A tear slips from her eye as she looks up with longing into the doctor's worried face.
"Doctor, what's wrong with her? How much longer will she be like this?"
"I'm sorry Mrs. Martin, we still don't know what's wrong with your daughter." He looks down at Lydia's chart," Physically she seems much improved since she was first brought in but we can't find anything that would have caused her current state." He looks back up at Natalie with sorrow in his eyes, "I don't know that there is much more we can do for Lydia here. I'm going to bring in a psychiatric consult to have a look at your daughter and I think we might want to consider transferring her to a facility better equipped to deal with this type of trauma."
Natalie stifles a sob as she looks back at her precious little girl; she seems so faded, how are we going to bring back your light my baby? She reaches down and gently brushes her fingers across Lydia's forehead and through her hair just like she used to when her little girl was in bed sick as a small child. At the touch Lydia turns her face to look up at her mother but her eyes don't seem to quite focus on Natalie when she speaks in a soft little girls voice, "The waves are talking, the fishies know what's coming, tell the birds to put the kettle on …"
Lydia turns her head back towards the window and starts softly singing again, "Boop boop ditem datem watem, chu; Boop boop ditem datem watem, chu; Till all of a sudden they saw a shark …"
[The lyrics are taken from an old song called 'Three Little Fishies by Saxie Dowell. Unfortunately the link function didn't work for me but if you youtube search 'Three Little Fishies I recommend the version by the Smoothies starting 0:40 in, or the fun version by The Muppets]