Holiday Fun
The following day was spent quietly due to not getting to bed till three that morning. For Tram, Buster and Val it brought a chance to spent some time with a few others male dogs.
Smarting themselves up that night Val, Tramp, Tara, Buster and Tam headed to the pier, to the Queens theatre. Slipping in they sat down to enjoy a musical comedy set in and around a corner shop that had them all in stitches.
"That was great loved the bit where the man got hit on the head with a fry pan" Val laughed as they walked out.
"No best bit was when his boss's parrot knocked a candle over and set his wife's clean washing alight" Tramp replied.
Laughing the group hitched a ride on a tram that took them the long way home, all enjoying the view. Reaching the hotel the group walked in quietly so not to disturb any of the sleepers.
The following morning the group walked down to the harbour, chatting to other dogs as they went.
"We should take a boat ride out to sea" Tam said as they walked.
"We could try and sneak on, how about that one?" Tramp said pointing to a large boat where a young man with black hair was standing next to the railing, watching as passengers got on.
"Let's go on this one" Orfeo replied running up to the boat and jumping on.
"Well it appears we have some dog passengers" the man said smiling at the dogs.
"Well good morning my name is Eric and I will be taking you out to sea. Now I have to remind you to please put your life jackets on and not to lean out to far."
"What kind of animals will be see?" asked a pretty little girl of seven.
"All sort, dolphins, seals, whales, plenty of birds, now the trip will last about an hour and a half. Please fell free to take picture and ask any questions about the animals we see, any questions?"
"Will we see sharks?" asked a boy of twelve.
"Possible, if we do I advise you not to get close, nasty temper."
"Is it true there are mermaids here?" asked a four year old girl.
"Yes there are they live far out but yes we may be very luck."
"Oh please mermaids do not exist" scoffed a boy of fifteen.
"Don't they? Well if that is what you think, but my Grandfather was once saved by a mermaid fifty years ago." Eric replied as the boat set off.
"What happened to him" asked the seven year old girl.
"Yes it sounds like a thrilling tale" her mother said.
"Well no one really knows for sure. My Grandfather was coming back from a fishing trip in a terrible storm. The rest of the crew managed to get into lifeboats, but he was thrown from the boat. This we know as my Great Uncle Larry can tell us. According to my Grandfather he was saved by a mermaid with a dark pink tail and long brown hair with hazel eyes. She then took him to cave in the cliffs and healed his cuts. She song a beautiful song and he fell to sleep. The next morning she arrived back and they saw to shore. He said her name was Pearl and that she was beautiful. Well my Grandmother got a shock when he walked through the door, she feared him dead."
"Did he ever see Pearl again?"
"As a matter of fact he did. It was about four years later he was out in his rowing boat and he saw her on the rocks. She swam over and he thanked her, but this time he was not alone, my Father was with him."
"Wow it was true."
"Oh yes Pearl gave my Grandfather a mermaid made from a Pearl, he carried till the day he died" Eric replied holding up a pearl mermaid on a long shell covered cord.
"DOLPHINS" running to the side the group gasped in delight as a pod of dolphins leapt graceful out of the water.
The passengers watched as the dolphins leaped out of the water swimming alongside the boat. As they passed a series of rock island they saw seals laid there with many more swimming, some even coming up to the boat and looking up at the passengers.
"Lovely day" said one seal to Tramp as he dived for some fish.
"Sure is" Tramp replied as the humans took photographs.
An hour later as lunch time arrived the boat pulled back into the harbour where they saw women with bright red hair watching for them, holding a young baby.
"Ariel it is wonderful to see you, this is my wife Ariel" Eric said stepping off the boat and hugging her.
"Did you have a good morning?" she asked as the passengers left.
"We did, how did you and Arista get on" he asked taking his daughter.
"Fine we were helping my Mother at the café" Ariel replied as the dogs got off.
Walking along to the beach the group dived in off some rocks as a smart looking seagull landed near by.
"Morning all" the bird called.
"Morning Scuttle" Tam called walking over to him.
"About time for lunch I say, care to join me?" Scuttle asked.
"Love to, haven't seen you in a couple of days" Orfeo replied.
"Well I've a family to feed, nice to meet Aurelia's family by the way" he replied as they reached The Atlantica Pub.
Glancing up at the sign Tramp saw it had a silver underwater city on it with a mermaid swimming near by.
"Scuttle you know about the sea, we just went on a boat trip and our guide told us his grandfather was saved by a mermaid. Do they really exist?" Tam asked as they ate stake and ale pie.
"EXIST! Of course they do, one my closest friends is one, honestly I though all dogs knew that and humans for that matter."
"We are live in land Scuttle" Tramp said.
"Yes you do mores the pity."
"Would we be able to meet her?"
"Of course you could, she would love to meet you all. In fact I am meeting her tonight at Dolphins Point, you could come along."
"Wow that would be great" Tam replied.
"Then it's a date, we'll see you then Scuttle" Tam replied saying goodbye.
That night the group stood on the beach at Dolphins Point with Scuttle waiting for his friend. Then their came a load splash and a mermaid with long dark brown hair and a midnight blue fin and bikini top appeared.
"Hi Scuttle, are these dogs friends of yours?" she asked swimming to a near by rock and sitting on it.
"Yes Tramp, Valentine, Tamora and their parents Orfeo and Colette."
"It's nice to meet you all, my name is Vanessa."
"Wow I never believed you were real" Tam replied walking closer.
"We are but we have little contact with humans."
"Why?" Colette asked.
"It is forbidden unless they are followers of The Old Ways, those who practice magic we can talk to. Only when a human life is in danger can we go near them, and then afterwards we can speak to that person."
"Then how come more humans do not realise you exist?" Tramp asked.
"Many of us do not stay with the human, many just leave them on a beach and swim away" Vanessa replied as she placed six glowing stones on the rocks, all giving of a brilliant white light.
The light allowed the dogs to see her more clearly showing her to be pale skinned that stood out against the dark blue of her tail and her blue eyes. Looking at her neck they saw a golden shell necklace, with a silver and shell tiara in her hair.
"Are you a princess Vanessa?" Tam asked pointing to the tiara.
"Yes I am, I am my parent's first born and so heir to the Kingdom."
"Wow that is amazing, how come you are allowed to talk to us?"
"You are animals we can talk to land animals and come to the surface so long as we are careful."
"Your home sounds an amazing place to live" Colette said a while later as Vanessa finished a description of the Kingdoms capital city.
"Well if you I could take you down there, my mother is an enchantress as am I. I know a very simple spell that allows land creatures to breath under water" she replied stroking Tam's soft fur.
"You could really do that?" Val asked in utter amazement.
"I could, so how about it?"
"You won't get in trouble will you?" Tramp asked.
"I would if you were humans, once when my Father was a teenager he once brought an escaped circus lion home with him."
"Seriously?" Tramp asked in amazement.
"Seriously my Grandpa hit the roof when he saw them, the lion stayed for two nights then went home. Trust me they will be happy to have you, they have said I can bring animal friends home as long as they are not dangerous."
"Well we are not to dangerous, alright then we will come with you" Orfeo said as the rest nodded.
Casting a spell over the dogs Vanessa watched as they dived into the water to join her, before leading them under water. As they swam down the dogs gasped at the world they saw. A few moments later the dolphins that gave the area its name came up to great them, with one swimming up to Vanessa.
"This is my friend Melody."
"Hi we do not often get dogs swimming here" the dolphin said.
"This is weird for us, we have just come to this area on vacation" Tam replied.
"Come on, we have to get back to my home, it is getting late and my parents will be starting to worry."
"You are right it is rather late" Colette said as she swam next to a dolphin.
Saying their goodbyes the group swam through the open sea till they reached a sprawling city that glistened white.
"This is my home city of Atlanta, come on."
"We've never seen a city so big before" Tramp said as they swam towards the palace.
Reaching the palace they found a mermaid with the same hair as Vanessa with a purple tail waiting at the entrance.
"Vanessa at last we were beginning to get concerned" the mermaid said hugging her.
"Sorry Mother I lost track of time with it being summer, I didn't worry you to much did I?"
"No you are eighteen after all, we were just wondered what you were doing, oh I see why you were late" the mermaid said looking at the dogs.
"These are my new friends Orfeo, Colette and their pups Tramp, Cosma, Valentine and Tamora, they will be staying the night."
"That is fine with me, you had best get you bed you look tired."
"I am, night Mother."
"Night sweetie."
Swimming up through the palace Vanessa showed them into a large room with three beds.
"You can sleep in here tonight, it is one of guest rooms, mine is the next floor up."
"It is a wonderful room, sleep well" Colette said smiling.
"You to" Vanessa replied leaving.
"The folks back home are never going to believe this" Val said setting down.
"Not in a million years, I am having trouble believing we are here myself" Cosma said.
"Buster and the rest are not going to believe us, never mind our folks back home" Orfeo replied yawning.
"Yeh we are going to have to explain tonight, but now I am tired" Tramp said as the group fell to sleep.
The following morning the group swam with Vanessa down to breakfast, there meeting her father and younger brother and sister. As they ate the dogs told of their life on land, in return hearing about life under the sea.
Leaving the table a while later Vanessa took them out into the city, all enjoying themselves at the morning market. After spending an hour there they left city swimming till Vanessa led them to a reef where they met Melody and a group of sea lions. A game of hide and seek ensued with the dogs trying their hardest to beet the seals. Swimming through a hole in the rocks Tramp watched as a shoal of silver fish passed him, before darting into a cave.
As the day and afternoon passed into evening the group headed back to the surface, surfacing at a beach near town. The sun was just beginning to set, turning the sky a mixture of pink, yellow and orange.
"It has been wonderful to meet you all, I hope you come back some time" Vanessa said sitting next to them on the beach.
"I hope so to, it was amazing to see your home" Tam said.
"We will not forget you Vanessa, goodbye" Orfeo said as the group left the beach.
Arriving back at the hotel they found that Scuttle had informed Buster and the rest of the group's underwater visit.
"We have been here a week now, we cannot stay much longer" said Colette the next morning as they played on the beach.
"Your right a week is a long time to be away, give it a couple more days" Trudy said watching as Tramp, Buster, Val and Pirate raced each other.
"Valentine" looking round they saw Rita walking up to them with her owns.
"Rita hi" Val replied running over.
"I'm going home tonight, I enjoyed meeting you Valentine."
"I am so glad I met you Rita."
"Goodbye Valentine you are a really nice dog."
"Bye Rita" Val said licking her cheek before she left.
"You alright Val?" Tramp asked.
"Me? Yeh I'm fine it's not like I knew her well, only met a week ago."
"Sometimes that's all it takes to fall for someone."
"It wouldn't have worked she lives in New York City."
"You could go with her, if you love her really lover her then go with her" Tramp replied as Rita played with her owners.
"I couldn't"
"You could."
"No Tramp my place is with my family and friends, besides she's a house pet."
That night the group dinned on fish and chips followed by ice cream, before heading to the pier to watch a show.
Two days later the group stood at the train station with Aurelia and her daughter Renata.
"It has been good to have you all here, Orfeo I am glad you are happy" Aurelia said.
"I am glad you are happy, Renata you have grown into a wonderful dog."
"It was good to see you Uncle Orfeo."
"I do not suppose there is any chance of you coming to visit?"
"No Orfeo there is not, my life is here now, I will never go back."
"Uncle Orfeo this place is my home I hardly remember where you live, I was only young when we fled. I have my life here with my husband and pups."
"It is a shame you feel like that, but given what happened I cannot blame you."
"I am glad you understand, goodbye" Aurelia said as the train pulled out of the station.
"They are happy here Orfeo" Colette whispered.
"I know Lette, I am glad of that, I hope I an see them again one day."
"I am sure we will" Colette replied as they watched the world go by.