The Abysmal Plane
As he passed, the small calf herd giggled, his name among the young ones' few scarce words, causing Ecco to about and confront the nuisance.
"What?" he asked, circling the group, and amid their stifled laughter came the explanation.
"Thuis said you're afraid of the mothers," a female answered bashfully. Not quite old enough to be considered mature, yet so close, being consigned with other calves was humiliating. She was still addressing an adult, despite his fears.
"So what if I am?" Ecco replied, swimming at a slight angle so as to keep her in sight. Until the last couple of months, she had been his playmate, "Haven't you ever seen Suike take on one of the hungry ones?"
The sudden chittering awe that overcame the herd almost made him laugh. Nevertheless, he allowed himself to be goaded by the youngsters into telling the story of Suike and the shark.
oO0Oo
"Oh no, I know the routine, bud," if the retailer knew better, he might have done something. Instead, he simply watched as the woman continued to harass his patron. "You drop a line and try to make me think you don't want me to follow it," of course, his patron seemed not the harassed kind, and calmly ignored her, "but you really just want something else, an… uh… like an interview, or something, before you're willing to spill the dirt."
"This guy here, he probably knows the routine, too," the reporter tried to tie the young man behind the counter to her side, "You know, right? Fishing, and all?"
"I think you want the bait shop across the street, Miss."
"It's fine," the older man smiled to the shop's keeper, signing the form and taking his leave. The keeper thankfully noticed that the woman left as well.
Once they were alone in the town's one narrow street, the oceanographer turned to face his harpy.
"You won't be satisfied until you've uncovered whatever little conspiracy it is that you're deluded mind has created, will you?"
"Who said anything about a conspiracy?" she asked, a false innocence revealed in posture only as her hawkish eyes continued their unabated search for the slightest thing to play on.
"What's in the water, 'doc'?" the words reflected those of the community. Unlike the community, she could not have cared past the story.
"Why don't you go for a swim and find out?" Losing his patience, the man turned away, to face the sun setting. From the hill, he could see the last light sinking below the ocean.
"Oh? Maybe I will, seeing how you said it wasn't dangerous."
"I said it wasn't a threat to the public, not that it wasn't dangerous."
Silence. The quaint town lit up under electricity and stars. Practiced eyes sought out the stars Sualocin, Venator, and Deneb Dulfim… and were drawn, almost heedless, to the distant sun that so long ago inspired terror.
It was in their interest to be forgotten. The old man closed his eyes… he could hear them, the child stealers, their harsh voice echoing the vast reaches of time….
"What is it?" For once, the impatient disruption was for the better.
"A nightmare."
oO0Oo
Morning came, and so did a feeding. Together with his pod, the young dolphin herded a school of fish to the surface, where they could not flee. Not one thought of the implications of the feeding, it was just the way it was done.
This feeding, however, was interrupted by one frantic dolphin. The pod crowded around, some fortunate to be close as the matriarchs, and now even the Dyad, assessed the situation.
Ecco listened in as the poor creature, Sesuiikee, was urged to tell his news. His mate had gone missing, and, in a panic, that was all he could speak. As Suike comforted her son, the Dyad Rruai sent some of the more spirited adolescents to search for the missing dolphin, Ecco among them.
Eventually, his search took him to the end of the pier, to the metal whale that rested there and sang its odd metallic song. The humans were setting out to sea for the first time in days, and would make the great beast carry them.
The foreboding of yesterday came back to him in a rush. Swiftly, he made to warn the whale, and whistled songs of warning in vain as she sat and continued to allow the humans to come and go from her back. Hurt that she would not listen, he altered his warning to a more desperate pitch.
A few of the humans noticed him, and he shifted his pleas to them. If they would only allow the whale to remain safely in her harbor, away from the danger, and not risk her to the madness that had afflicted the others!
Discouraged, he only watched as they gestured to him, shook their heads or smiled, clearly not understanding him any more than he did them.
oO0Oo
"Check out th' 'phin!" the fishermen took a few moments to watch the dolphin, but that was all before they continued to load the scientist's equipment on board the Seastar.
The oceanographer took more notice, kneeling on the dock and reaching towards the water.
"I know, young one," he whispered as the dolphin cooed in unhappily, "If only I could do otherwise."
"Hey now," the man continued, noticing the faint white-on-gray pattern over the dolphin's forehead, "I've never seen one like you… maybe you're here for my luck, hmm?"
Engrossed with the dolphin, he didn't notice his stalker as she let herself on board the fishing vessel.
oO0Oo
Ecco trilled. The human couldn't possibly have understood him, yet still felt ill at ease.
The dolphin dipped beneath the water. Beyond the pier was the tainted water, even darker today than it was the day before.
The thought struck him. What if Sesuiikee's mate had wandered beyond?
Yet, it seemed intuitive no dolphin was lacked the wits to venture into whatever danger lie there… But what if she had been pulled?
