Author Note: Godzilla hears Sabina humming a lullaby, and then he gets some shocking news from Sabina. And because of this long update, I'm giving you a Long update bonus in the end of the chapter.
Kirjoittajan Muistio: Godzilla kuulee Sabina hyräilevän kehtolaulua, sitten hän saa järkyttäviä uutisia Sabinalta. Ja koska tämä päivitys on kestänyt niin pitkään, minä annan teille Pitkä päivitys bonuksen tämän luvun lopussa.
Disclaimer: I do not own Godzilla or any of the movie monsters that you may see named here. I also do not own Yonggary from the movie Reptilian (he makes an appearance in the Long update bonus special-thingy).
Erottamislausuma: En omista Godzillaa tai mitään muista elokuvahirviöistä jotka saatat nähdä nimettävän täällä. En myöskään omista Yonggarya elokuvasta Reptilian (hän esiintyy Pitkä päivitys bonus erikois-jutussa).
Claimer: I DO own Sabina, Susan and my Godzilla-like self, Jonna.
Omistuslausuma: Minä OMISTAN Sabinan, Susanin ja minun Godzillamaisen itseni, Jonnan.
Godzilla's bride
Chapter 9: Lullaby
I floated slowly along with the sea current. The cool water tickled between my scales. My stomach was full of fish and other sea creatures.
I felt relaxed and calm in a way that I hadn't experienced in a long time. I tried to remember the last time when I had felt like this. A memory of my childhood came to my mind, but I shooed it away from my mind. It couldn't be that long from the last time.
I started remembering back from the present moment. Sabina and the girls were still an enigma to me. Memories of Junior were always accompanied by a tinge of concern. I skipped the part of my life that involved humans, battles or both.
Finally I remembered. Yes, we had been hunting that morning. Pity just what happened later. It was such a tragic end to such a good person.
I started swimming. And that I say, that who hasn't seen me swimming underwater, has never seen me move. I swam a couple rounds around a pile of rocks and my nose almost touched the tip of my tail. For a moment I envied females and their more flexible spine, which enabled them to even curl up.
I rose towards the surface and the sunshine. At the surface I closed my eyes and rolled on my back, allowing the sun shine on my belly. I heard sounds from my side, so I cracked open an eye and took a glance. Aha, again those humans in their boat. I measured the distance. Damn, I wouldn't reach them without getting closer, so they would live today. That's what being lazy does to you.
I noticed the video camera on the boat's bridge. I smiled and said: "If you're shooting me with that piece of junk, at least shoot my better profile."
The humans turned pale, because they didn't understand what I said. In their opinion I probably looked and sounded angry. I rolled back the right way in the water and felt a light sea breeze on my back before I dove.
I swam towards the shore and saw a group of whales ahead of me. I swam above the group and closed my arms around it, catching three whales. Then I swam to the shore with my prey.
While the water still ran off of my scales I walked home.
Once I got closer to my home I heard something and slowed down. Someone was humming. Because the sound came from my home, I didn't stop.
But when I stepped in to my home, I stopped without daring to disturb the situation (displayed) in front of me. Sabina sat on the ground and held Susan in her arms, humming some sort of lullaby to her sleeping daughter. Junior was sleeping next to Sabina. Jonna sat, as usual, a bit further away from them, staring absentmindedly around herself.
Jonna was the first one to notice me, but she didn't say anything. She just nodded silently. I couldn't get rid of the disturbing feeling, that I had just been given permission to enter my own home.
Sabina noticed me and stopped humming. She stared at me for a moment and turned her attention to the three still living whales in my arms.
"Hey Sabina. I brought a little snack for the children."
"Yes, I can see that." said Sabina and eyed hungrily the whales I was holding.
Jonna woke up from that absentminded trance (in which she appeared to spend most of her time) and said: "I don't need it, I have already eaten."
Sabina looked at Jonna and said: "That was half a day ago! You should eat."
"It only looks like I didn't eat much, because you don't see when I eat or what I eat."
I laughed unintentionally: "That sounds like me."
Susan woke up and stretched. Sabina rubbed her snout against Susan's face for a greeting.
Susan got up and noticed me. Shrieking from joy she ran over to hug my knee.
Junior woke up because of the noise and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and greeted me: "Hi father. What do you have there?"
I smirked: "Whales, a little snack for you children. It's good to eat fruits, but other things are also needed for staying healthy."
Jonna said: "I don't need to eat. Give my share to Sabina, if you want."
Sabina looked at Jonna and asked: "Are absolutely sure?"
"Yes."
Sabina hesitated: "Well, if you say so. I guess you know better than I do when you are hungry…"
For some reason this greatly amused Jonna. When she noticed our wondering looks she explained: "I have to say that same thing to my father every time I visit him."
"Oh," Sabina said and smiled knowingly, "I remember you having mentioned that. I just wish I understood when you have time to visit your father since you are always with us."
Jonna wasn't left speechless: "Time runs differently for me."
"That's what you say, but I don't understand what you mean by that."
Jonna didn't answer. She didn't say anything during the rest of the day. She didn't need to say anything.
Why she felt like that, I don't know, but the feeling was familiar to me too, so I left her in peace.
I gave the whales to Sabina, Susan and Junior. The children ate their whales with good appetite.
Sabina, unlike before, didn't swallow the whale in one piece, but actually bothered to chew it.
I don't know for sure, but I think, that it meant she was about reach the normal state of health.
There were other signs of healing, too. Her injuries had healed, her scales were intact and their colour had brightened. Bones were no longer visible under the skin and muscles.
Even Sabina's behaviour indicated the improvement of her health. She was more alert, more active, more lively and she moved more.
Even though she still was rude at me, suspicious, bitter, occasionally even openly hostile, and she didn't like me at any aspect anyways, she no longer let her suspicions stop her from taking advantage of the situation and my hospitability.
After eating Junior and Susan started playing. I talked with Sabina once she had finished eating. Time passed and evening got closer.
We spoke mostly about the children, until I asked where Sabina planned to live after healing completely. She fell silent and looked thoughtful. But she didn't look like she was thinking for an answer to my question.
Yes. She knew her answer, but didn't know how to say it.
"Well," I said, "spit it out, I'm an adult, I can handle it if you're not going to live right next-door. You have the full right to live anywhere you want on this island."
Sabina looked at the playing Susan and said: "That exactly is the problem. I'm going to leave the island once I have completely recovered."
My heart skipped a couple of beats when I quickly summed up all the factors I knew, everything I knew about Sabina, and I still didn't find a reason to leave the island.
"Why would you leave from an island that has the ideal circumstances to raise your child? Here's enough food and space. Why do you think I still live here, even though other members of our species have not been seen here in a long time?"
Sabina shook her head: "It's not that simple, not for me."
She looked at Susan, who played with sand and small rocks happily ignorant of our conversation.
Then she continued: "You probably understand that my past has been more than just a little tragic. I can not give up, I have to keep searching. The world has changed, but there are still places, where he could be."
My look darkened and I said quietly: "Do you really think you are the only one, who has a tragic past?"
How can such a simple thing, so quietly and softly spoken, slash more painfully than the sharpest blade? How can something like that tear a hole in time, in which a small, painful moment is an eternity filled with agony?
We looked at each other in silence. Finally understanding one of each other's most important motivators.
I waited until Sabina spoke, after all it was her turn to say something: "You haven't told me almost anything about your past. Why?"
I smiled a bit sadly: "For the same reason why I haven't asked about your past, and why you haven't asked about my past. Neither one of us is ready to hear or tell something like that."
Sabina's cheeks suddenly got more colour. She lowered her eyes and whispered: "True, but maybe someday…"
The atmosphere was very awkward. And why to prolong it without a reason, so I said: "Yeah, someday, but just to get back to the previous subject, what are you going to do with the humans when you leave?"
"With the humans? What do you mean?"
Sigh. How ignorant could she be? Or maybe I should form my question more accurately: "If you leave the island, you will encounter humans. And those humans will attack you. What are you going to do then?"
Sabina appeared to understand now. She said: "Oh, you think, that I'm going to go near their cities. Don't worry, I learned my lesson. Humans are no longer those half-developed creatures that I and Susan last saw, outside whose cities one could safely spend a night. Even less the humans are how I first saw them, those hairy apes that ate from carcasses what was last left from the bigger scavengers."
Sabina sighed and shook her head: "Indeed not. Susan was then almost newly hatched. When we went into the dormancy Susan was the same age as she is now. But no more of that issue. The main thing is, that I am not going to go anywhere near the humans' nests, unless I have to. And I don't think it is very likely to happen. If humans leave us alone, we leave them alone."
"That was relieving to hear."
Sabina glanced at the sky: "Yes and… oh, look. I didn't even notice that it's this late already."
I looked up to the sky and noticed she was right.
The sky was almost black, a couple of the first stars shone in its dark blue calmness. In the west only a little red and orange was left after the sunset.
Susan yawned. Sabina called her: "Susan, come here, it is time to go to sleep."
Susan obeyed and fell asleep almost as soon as she curled up next to her mother. I went to my own sleeping place and called Junior.
Junior complained: "But father, I don't want to go to sleep…"
I tried again: "Junior, be reasonable. Who would you play with, since Jonna and Susan are already sleeping?"
Junior yawned, but kept arguing: "You could play with me."
"Junior, we both are tired. Come here now so we can sleep. Tomorrow is a new day."
Junior was going to argue, but Sabina interrupted him: "Junior, do as your father tells you. The sooner you fall asleep, the faster tomorrow comes and you can keep playing."
Finally Junior gave up and came next to me. He barely had time to say good night when he already fell asleep. I looked at Sabina and said: "Thanks, that was helpful."
Sabina tied her tail better around herself and Susan and answered: "It's nothing, I just said it so, that it sounded more pleasant to the boy. Good night."
"Same to you," I answered. I think Sabina fell asleep soon. Or then I fell asleep first. I don't know, the day had been long and I was tired.
In the writer's head, "long update bonus"
Johanna and three of her muses, Godzilla, Sabina and Susan, look at the newest chapter together. Johanna states: "Wow, Godzilla, I didn't know you were that poetic."
Godzilla answers: "Neither did I."
Everyone was nodding. Junior comes and peeks over their shoulders: "Oh, it is ready. Let me read it before publishing."
Without asking permission Junior pushes other muses aside and slides next to Johanna on the chair, squeezing Johanna against the bedpost. Johanna turns blue from lack of oxygen. Godzilla, Sabina and Susan rush to help, pulling Junior off the chair.
"Hey! Let me be!" Junior complains and gets up, hitting his head on the edge of Johanna's bed "Ow! Why does this bed have to be so low?"
Godzilla looks at the bed's upper edge, which is at the height of the top of his head and states: "In my opinion it is quite high, very few beds reach the height of the top of my head even when I've been shrunk to human size."
"Don't worry Junior," Johanna comforts, "even I hit my head on it sometimes, and I'm this short."
Sabina smiles for a moment and says then: "Well, transfer that text to your computer, so you can publish it."
"Yeah, turn on… Ah-atchoo-tchoh!" Johanna sneezes, hits her head on the edge of the table and falls under the table.
"Turn on the computer…" the end of the sentence comes weakly from under the table.
Susan turns on the computer, Sabina wipes the table and Johanna's writing machine. Godzilla and Junior pull Johanna out from under the table. Johanna takes a paper handkerchief from the table and wipes her face.
Godzilla looks at Johanna with a suspicious look on his face: "Did you forget to take your allergy medicines?"
Johanna nods weakly. Godzilla sighs and takes out Johanna's medicine bag: "Here are the allergy pills, here's the allergy nasal spray, do you need allergy eye drops?"
Johanna shakes her head and takes her medicines at the same time as Godzilla studies the contents of her medicine bag.
"Well oh horror of monsters, you have more medicines than a pharmacy. Is there anything in this bag that doesn't have the prefix 'allergy'? Wait a minute, forget that question, I found plasters and sleeping pills. What's this? A sewing kit? What is it doing in here?"
Johanna turns on her chair and says: "Godzilla, you compared the contents of my medicine bag to a pharmacy, but a hospital would closer in comparison."
Johanna gets up quickly and is going to take her writing machine, but goes white and collapses on Junior's and Susan's arms: "Oh, I see stars…"
Sabina squeezes her head between her hands: "No, again some of those 'low blood pressure-seizures'? They're so annoying. Junior, Susan, don't let her faint or fall on the floor. Or else she's going to be pissed off like a, like a… I don't know what, but pissed off she's going to be."
Johanna recovers: "No worries, it passed already… What a nice relaxed feeling it left."
Johanna moves her writing machine in front of the computer and sniffs the air: "All right… Who or what smells like my little brother's socks?"
Everyone looks to the door and find Yonggary, who just walked in.
"Yonggary, I should have guessed. After all you haven't washed up in 220 million years. Go to shower! Now! And use soap!"
Yonggary stops, nods, turns back and goes to shower. Soon the sound of running water is heard from the shower.
Godzilla transfers the text from Johanna's writing machine to the computer. Johanna comes peeking over his shoulder. They exchange seats and prepare the text for publishing.
Sabina, Susan and Junior look at the result. Sabina says: "It's good now. Publish it quickly."
Johanna looks embarrassed: "Yes, but you know what?"
The others look at her curiously. Johanna continues: "I remembered that no-one had reviewed the last chapter in English, but a while back I was reading the reviews that story has gotten and noticed, that oopsie… It has gotten reviews, and I have even read them."
The others stare at her doubtfully. Finally Godzilla asks: "What kind of early Alzheimer's disease do you have?"
Johanna squirms on her chair: "I don't know, but it has to be really early if it is Alzheimer's disease. You see, I'm about 30 years too young to get even the first symptoms."
The others shake their heads.
"Oh you poor human, since your memory is like a sieve: it catches only the useless stuff." Junior states.
Author Note: The lullaby that Sabina is humming in this chapter is a lot like the song Milja by Värttinä. Some of you may also want to check out the pen name Friday Toilet Club. It's a shared fanfic account of me and my two friends, and I'm going to publish the first English chapter of our first fanfic right after this one. All readers, please Review!
Kirjoittajan Muistio: Kehtolaulu, jota Sabina hyräilee tässä luvussa, on paljolti samanlainen kuin laulu Milja yhtyeeltä Värttinä. Jotkut teistä saattavat myös haluta vilkaista kirjailijanimeä Friday Toilet Club. Se on minun ja kahden ystäväni yhteinen fanfic-tili, ja minä aion julkaista ensimmäisenenglanninkielisen luvun ensimmäisestä fanficistämme heti tämän jälkeen. Kaikki lukijat, olkaa hyvä ja Arvostelkaa!
