Aquatic Kingdom Hearts
Chapter 9: Surf's Up; Kiss the Girl
Day 3
Thatch Household
Eric was sleeping soundly, stirring in his bed as he didn't want to get up this day. He needed the extra sleep for now as yesterday was a little taxing on him. So last night, he had turned off his alarm clock, and was resting peacefully without the annoying radio going off. However, a different alarm clock was about to go off, as the door opened slightly, and a small brown blur ran across the floor. It was none other than the little otter, Dax, as he had woken up early, to start the day off for the kids.
He jumped up on the bed and crawled over to Eric's sleeping form as he stopped at Eric's knees. He stood up and crossed his arms at the human, muttering, "What a lazy fellow." He then scurried over to the boy's radio, and pretended to announce out in a radio talk-show voice, "Hey, good morning, Port Royal. It's now 8:50 AM in the morning at the glorious island community that is Port Royal. It's a clear, bright and sunny day; temperature's a lovely 78 degrees – which is good news for you beach goers – and it looks like it's gonna be a perfect day to may, hey, just lie in bed, sleep in, or simply…KEEP A PROMISE ON GOING TO THE BEACH WITH THE GIRL OF YOUR DREAMS! Get up, Eric!" He then pulled out a fog horn and blew it at Eric, causing him to jump up from bed, wide awake.
Eric looked around, trying to find where the noise came from, looked to his right. He then scowled as he saw Dax with his uncle's fog horn, and growled, "Dax! I was having a nice dream, you know."
Dax crossed his arms as he stated, "There's no time for nice dreams today." He then pointed to outside as he stated, "Didn't you promise a certain redhead that you and she were gonna go out to the beach?"
Eric thought about it for a second, and then remembered as he nearly shouted, "Oh crud! How could I forget?" He then shot out of bed and got his shirt off, as he ran over to the closet to find a clean wet suit. He rummaged through the closet as he asked, "How long has Ariel been up?"
Dax looked at his left paw as he looked at his nails, examining them as he replied, "she woke up around 8 AM, and got ready a lot faster than you did." And then suddenly, Dax was glomped over by Eric's sleeping pants. Dax frantically got them off as he stammered, and then looked to Eric as he shouted, "Buddy! I don't care if those were washed or not…DON'T BE THROWIN' YOUR SLACKS AT ME LIKE THEY WERE A PILLOW!"
Ariel walked up the stairway to see what was taking so long for Dax to get Eric awake. She was wearing a pink short sleeved coat with a hood on it, and what appeared to be a green silk mini-skirt underneath. She had packed a change of fresh clothing and had left it downstairs with Sebastian who was waiting for them downstairs. She was a little worried, if Eric was sick or something from yesterday. But then she heard arguing from Dax in Eric's room, and saw the door opened as she walked and peeked in.
However, she blushed immensely at what she just saw at this moment. Eric was only half-way in getting his wet suit on; his suit was only covering the lower half of his body, while his chest remained exposed. She didn't notice it because of the shirt, but his build was slim, but muscular, but not too much. It was true she had seen some mermen with that exact build, but with Eric…she couldn't tear her eyes away from him, and that her heart seemed to skip a beat. Eric started to turn towards Dax as he shot back, "Well, if you didn't wake me up like that, I wouldn't have to throw them at you like that.", and then turned around, only to see Ariel staring at him, with her face all red.
The two turned away quickly as Eric finished getting his wet suit up. He then stammered, "Um, I'll be done soon, Ariel. I just gotta get my spare clothing all ready." Ariel nodded at that and walked back downstairs, followed with a smirking Dax close behind. The little otter looked to Ariel as he asked, "So…did it help?"
Ariel looked at him confusedly as she raised an eyebrow and asked, 'Did what help with what?'
Dax shrugged, "Did looking at him half-naked fall in love all over again." After hearing that, Ariel just lowered her head in hopelessness, until she finally just sighted in defeat.
Port Royal Cove
The two teens were walking down the sandy beach, both fully dressed for it as they reached the cove. Eric and Ariel walked over on the warm sand, while Dax and Sebastian kept out of range near the water. The duo were gonna meet up with Flounder, and nauseatingly Scuttle, and come up with a scheme to get those two together no matter what. Meanwhile, Ariel was just smiling at this whole thing as she ran ahead of Eric, and crashed on the sandy ground. She just lay there on her back, feeling the warm sand on her body. This was one of the things on the surface she dreamt of doing; just spending a day on the beach, feeling the warm rays of the sun as well as the sand she lie on.
Suddenly, a shadow was cast over her as she opened her eyes. She saw Eric, planting his board next to him, and he looked down at her with a smile. Ariel blushed a little, feeling a little embarrassed, as she sat up and smiled at Eric. Eric just smiled back as he asked, "Having a fun time?" Ariel just nodded as she looked out at the beach. There were so many teens, dressed for swimming and sun-bathing, that she couldn't believe it. But she took notice of the girls, dressed in skimpy and somewhat revealing bikinis.
Ariel tugged on her jacket a little nervous; not really sure if she wanted to show off her bikini bathing suit. She turned to see where Eric was and saw that he was walking over to what appeared to be a board shop. He was currently talking to the store owner, who looked like a fit Hawaiian in his mid forties. Ariel sighed a little, and stood up from the sand. She unzipped her jacket, and then let it fall off her shoulders, revealing her bathing suit underneath. It was an attractive purple bikini; not skimpy and not too revealing, and with it, she had on a green silk wrap mini skirt.
Boys around stopped and just looked right at her, blushing or running into something. Even the girls looked at her with much envy, but some blushed at her with much admiration, silently wishing they could be just like her. She was possibly the cutest, or the most beautiful girl out on the beach. Ariel couldn't help but blush at all the attention she was getting. But then she regretted it as a surfer nearby walked up to her along with his buddies, smiling, "Hey, baby. You're pretty cute. Come hang with us." Unable to speak, she wasn't able to say no.
But then someone shouted, "hey, Ariel!", Eric ran up to her, casing the other surfers to back off, "I got you a board." Ariel looked at the board that Eric had gotten her; it was a traditional board, and painted aqua green with stripes of purple on it. Ariel couldn't help but smile at this as she took the board and ran straight for the water. But before she reached it, she was stopped by Eric; a little surprised by this, she stopped and silently asked Eric why she was stopped. Eric replied, "First, before you surf, we train."
Ariel nodded as she ran for the water, but was stopped by Eric as he pulled the board from her. Ariel raised a slightly confused eyebrow at this as Eric explained, "Not in the water. Follow me." And Ariel did as he asked to as they sat back down to where their spot was. Out of his bag, Eric pulled out a kiwi, and started to slice up some bits. He then looked to Ariel, who was kneeling right beside him, and asked, "Okay, you wanna surf like I do, right?" Ariel nodded, as she let him continue, "Okay, I've got some tests here to figure out your potential.", he then handed her two kiwi slices after he told her.
Ariel looked at the slices, and thought that she was supposed to eat them. But Eric stopped her as he stated, "No, put them on your eyes. Like this." And he showed her as he put two slices over his eyes and sat down while he looked upward. Ariel raised an eyebrow at this, and shrugged as she did the same as he did, 'Okay, on my eyes…like this.' She leaned back a little, but unknown to her, Eric took his off as he looked at Ariel, and just snickered a little. He had tricked her into doing this, to see if she would fall for it, and for how long. He started to eat his slices as he asked her, "Having fun yet?"
Ariel ignored him to stay focused on the test, but wondered, 'What does this have to do with surfing? I thought it was a way for humans to try and become Merpeople.' She then started to see something as she guessed what this might have been, 'Oh, I get it. It must be a spiritual part of the training. I see where he was going with this.' But then she heard snickering coming from next to her, and then she took off her kiwi slices as she looked at Eric, who was snickering, but now he was laughing. She huffed at that as she half-smiled at him, 'That's great. As long as we're having fun, right?', and then playfully pushed him. After he was done laughing, Eric got back up as he responded, "Okay, okay. Let's go to the next exercise."
The next exercise seemed a little stranger than the last one. Eric and Ariel were hanging by a bent Hawaiian tree upside down by their legs, and just gently swinging. But as they were swinging, they were passing to each other a coconut. Ariel didn't understand this one at all, and gave Eric a look saying, 'Can we do some real training, seriously?' Almost as if he could read her, Eric simply replied, "This is training, Ariel. What do you think the kiwi slices were all about?" Ariel just huffed as she mumbled in her head, 'I thought it was some stupid joke you played on me. That or we were acting like nutjobs.' And again, understanding Ariel, Eric nodded as he got off and landed on the ground, "Yeah, good. If you think we're acting like a couple of nutjobs, then you're learning." Ariel got off along with him and looked at him slightly confused by his choice of words.
The third exercise was even stranger than the last two. Ariel was doing her best on it, but it was proving difficult. She was standing on a board that was on top of a rock, and tried to balance it out. But it was a little hard, considering she also had to hold two rocks in each hand. Eric claimed that this exercise would teach her balance and control. He then walked up to her with a bucket of water as he cried out, "And a big set comes in." And then he splashed her with the water, causing her to fall oof the board. He then pointed to her as he chuckled, "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WIPE OUT!" She then shot up and growled at him, 'That's it!', and started to chase after him as he was still smiling.
The final test seemed pretty childish and weird as Ariel looked at Eric like he lost his mind. He had made a wave out of sand, and using a surfing figurine, was playing on it. But he gave full description on every move and showed them to her, "Okay. Big, you know, slow: he does this flip in the air over the top." And after he was done, he gave the figurine to Ariel, "Now you give it a try." Ariel was a little uncertain about this, so she did it anyway. But unlike Eric, who did it with joy, she did it plain like she was planning it out. Eric shook his head as he explained, "No, no. You've got to do it with joy; with fun. That's how it is in surfing; see everyone thinks that surfing's a competitive sport." But then he sat down relaxing as he looked to Ariel, who relaxed a little, "But what surfing really is, to me, Frey, and others…surfing is like freedom and fun on the water."
Ariel looked at Eric for a moment, and then smiled as she forgot about all the goofy things he had her do. He was just playing; having fun like he did with surfing. And she should have done the same, instead of just being serious about it. But then she noticed Eric staring back at the sea, and turned to see where he was looking at. A wave was coming in, and a surfer was surfing into it; the surfer went into the Tube, and back out the other end before it collapsed.
Eric sighed with much enthusiasm and envy as he sighed, "Mmmhmm. That's the best place in the world of surfing to be, in the tube." Ariel raised a confused eyebrow, asking Eric to explain, and he did. He told her that in a surfing contest, the Tube was better than winning a trophy. Tube riding was the ultimate thing in surfing; to ride inside the wave and make it out of it. It was all a surfer would want to do any and every day. The feeling that you got from it was not too many people could experience, it was so special in that sense. Eric sighed, "Once you get inside you never want to get out."
Ariel looked at Eric with much wonder now. This was a whole new side of him that she got to know. This easy going, yet love for the ocean that most never seem to have. She sighed, feeling even more in love with him now more than ever.
Meanwhile, Sebastian and Dax were looking at the two lovebirds as they were sitting next to each other. They had at least expected a kiss from the two, but all they saw was staring out in the sea and horseplay a few minutes ago. At this rate, it would be far too late for those two to kiss. And it only made matters even worse now that there was only three more days left. Flounder had popped up behind the two, with Scuttle flying in for a landing. Flounder asked excitedly, "Have they kissed yet?"
Sebastian shook his head, "No, not yet."
Scuttle frowned at this as he put his hands to his hips, "Well, they better get crackin'."
Dax sighed, "I tell ya, guys. This stinks."
Sebastian nodded, "For once, I agree with you, man. Dose two have been together for at least three days, and they've only got three days left."
Dax sighed as he crossed his arms, and decided, "Okay, fellahs! We've got to get those two to kiss…by any means necessary."
The two teens had been playing at the beach for a while now. It was starting to turn to the evening afternoon, when the sky was peach orange and red as the sun was slowly beginning its setting. Ariel saw this, and decided to try something out that she couldn't do alone. She ran back to their spot, much to Eric's surprise, and brought back with her the surfboard that he had given her. She held it up, and looked to Eric with a pleading smile, hoping he would say yes to what she wanted. Eric looked at her, and looked at the board, and then finally got it as he smiled, "Alright, one wave ride comin' right up."
Near the Forest
Near the edge of the Cove River forest, another pair of eyes was keeping an eye on the teens, and kept themselves well-hidden. It was none other than Maccus and Koleniko as they spied upon Ariel and Eric. They had been ordered by Jones, who was ordered by Ursula to keep an eye on Ariel to prevent her from kissing the boy. So far the past two days were nothing short but zip on the Kiss-O-Meter. Koleniko was giving the report on a small clam shell that opened up and revealed a holo-image of Ursula as he made the report, "So far the boy hasn't made a move thus far. He just keeps getting hugged by the princess."
Ursula snickered, "Excellent. This won't be going anywhere soon. Soon that little mermaid will be mine and…"
"Wait.", Maccus replied as he couldn't believe what he was seeing, "The Princess is going into open water with the boy."
Ursula's eye twitched as she shouted, "What?" Koleniko scooted over to show Ursula what the pirates saw. She saw Ariel and Eric, going into the water on a board together as the boy instructed her on how to use a surf board. They stroked, or dug in this lingo, towards open water with the fresh waves still going. Ursula was pulling her hair out as she frantically told herself and the two, "Is she completely stupid like a human? She can't swim in that form. So why is she risking the chance of drowning?" she then looked at the two pirates furiously as she barked, "You'd better make sure that she stays alive until the sun sets on the sixth day, or Jones will be feeding you to the Kraken." And with that, she hung up.
Maccus looked to his crewmate and said, "C'mon, we're going swimming."
Back with the Teens
Back with the teens, Ariel was a little nervous about this seeing it was her first time surfing. Eric was nervous too, telling her this was the first time he had ever surfed with a second party on his board. Eric was in the back, steering it, while Ariel was up front watching where they were going. But it was going pretty good as Eric stated while they were on their knees and digging their way to an upcoming wave under them, "Now there's a key rule when surfing: don't fight the wave, you let the wave do the work for you. All you've gotta do is ride it." Ariel nodded at that as she mentally noted that, 'Let the wave do the work. Ride the wave, don't fight it.'
And then a huge wave came under them, pulling them upward. Eric nodded, "Okay, time to mount up." And with that, he and Ariel stood up on the board and went forward. However, Ariel gasped as she and Eric were really high up, and then as they pearled forward, went down the wave like it was a roller coaster ride. Ariel backed up into Eric, who wrapped his left arm around her waist, nearly startling her. Ariel was no longer startled by the wave, but by when Eric wrapped his arm around her. She was blushing madly as she turned and smiled at Eric, who shrugged, "Just hang on, I think we're about to get tubed."
Ariel raised an eyebrow as they surfed the wave together, but then saw that the wave was in fact forming a tube all around them as they rode in and out. As they were in it, Ariel was awestruck by the beauty of this. It was like they were in a hallway made entirely out of water and it wasn't falling on them at all. Eric smiled at Ariel's awe-ness, and took her hand, surprising her a little. And then with his hand in hers, they touched the side of the wave together. Ariel's heart was beating so fast at this that she couldn't seem to stand it anymore. She looked over to Eric, who looked at her, and then, without either of them knowing it, they were leaning in towards one another….their lips on the verge of touching.
Then suddenly, the board that they were on began to pearl. And then they capsized into the water, with the wave crashing on them. The force of the wave shoved them into the river section of the beach, incredibly pushing them in further to the lake. Ariel tried to swim up to the surface, but then remembered the first time she was human…she didn't learn how to swim like this.
Eric saw that Ariel was having trouble swimming, so he swam over to her and helped her back to the surface. As soon as they broke it, they both took a deep breath as they swam over to the board. They both got on and sat on it as Eric gasped, "Well…I'd say the first surfing lesson was off to a good start." Ariel nodded as she looked towards Eric, as he stated, "Now we just need to work on your swimming." Ariel chuckled at that as Eric looked around their area. They had been pushed into the swampy river that fed into the ocean. He sighed as he saw they were being pulled in further, "Well I guess we're gonna have to wait it out until we reach shore."
And so they did, as they calmly sat on the board and drifted in the lake. However, they weren't alone, as Sebastian and the group had caught up to them and were keeping an eye on them now. For a moment back there, when they watched at the wave, they were almost sure that the two would kiss, but then something happened that interrupted them. Now they saw the teens moving into the river. Flounder tried to see what was going on, but Scuttle was blocking his view as he said, "Move over. Move your big feathers; I can't see a thing."
Dax just sighed as he looked to Flounder and said, "There's not much to look at right now. Because nothing's happening."
Scuttle's shoulders slumped as he whined out, "She's only got three days left now. And lover boy there hasn't even puckered up once." But then Scuttle had gotten a big idea as he shot up into the air and looked down at the land critters, "Okay, fellas. This calls for a little vocal romantic stimulation." And then flew over a branch that was over Ariel and Eric's head as they drifted nearby. He cleared out his throat and then began to sing; except it wasn't singing, it was the sound a man would make when he was gargling and scratching nine inch steel tiger claws on a chalkboard.
Eric winced from the sound, as did Ariel as they looked over to what was making that racket. Eric looked to Ariel as he shot out, "Oi. Somebody ought to find whatever's making that sound and put it out of his misery." Ariel nodded in agreement to that. But when she looked up, she saw it was Scuttle, as he winked at her, telling her to go for a kiss now. Ariel shook her head as she thought, 'Scuttle….'
Flounder dunked into the water, while Dax and Sebastian were holding their ears from this. Sebastian whined, "Geez, man. I'm surrounded by amateurs."
Dax looked to the crab and shot out, "Okay, well you do something, Mister Smarty-Crab."
Sebastian scolded at Dax as he shot out, "Fine, I will." And then jumped into the water to grab one of the reef sticks. He then swam back up as he told himself, "You want something done right, you've gotta do it yourself." As soon as he was back on the surface with a confused Dax, a couple of ducks with turtles swam by. Sebastian rounded them up as he conducted, "Alright, everyone. First, we've got to create…the mood. Percussion." The ducks nodded as they used the turtles' shells like bongo drums.
Dax raised an eyebrow at this but then got it, "Ah, I see…" he then looked around to see if he could find anything to help. But then he smiled as he spotted a few crickets and grasshoppers nearby as he rounded them up. He then ordered them up as he went along with Sebastian's plan, "Okay, guys. Strings."
Sebastian hopped over to a couple of swamp bamboo sticks, as he orchestrated, "Winds…" he then lightly swam over to Eric and Ariel as he muttered to himself, "And now…Words….", he then began to sing to the two of them, going completely unnoticed,
There you see her, sitting there across the way
She don't got a lot to say, but there's something about her
Ariel turned to look at Eric for a moment, but then saw Sebastian, much to her surprise. And he was singing out as well.
And you don't know why, but you're dyin' to try and wanna
Kiss the girl
Eric shot his head to look around, hearing that mysterious singing. He looked to Ariel as he asked, "Did you hear that? I thought I heard Sebastian singing." Ariel just shrugged, playing a little gullible at this. Sebastian ducked back into the water, and swam back to Dax, and cued him in. Dax, raising an eyebrow, realized that Sebastian needed his help. He shrugged and jumped in with him as the two now sung together in a duet,
Yes, you want her
Look at her, you know you do
Eric looked over to Ariel for a moment; she was slightly fiddling with her hair straightening it out. She then took notice of him looking at her and she just smiled, as did he. Then, they started leaning towards each other, as if the song was placing some sort of spell over the two,
Possible she wants you too, there is one way to ask her
It don't take a word, not a single word
Go on and, kiss the girl
As they got closer to close in a kiss, the two snapped out of it. And with that, they both looked in different directions, feeling adequately embarrassed. Dax snapped his fingers, realizing that they were close. Sebastian smirked and knew it was gonna take a little more. He dunked underwater as he said, "Sing with us now…", and then, not so far away, a chorus of frogs popped up as they sang in unison,
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, My, oh, my
Look like the boy too shy, he ain't gonna...Kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, Ain't taht sad?
Ain't it a shame? Too bad...
He gonna miss the girl….
As they drifted along the river, Eric felt a little twinge of guilt all of a sudden. He looked at Ariel, who didn't seem to have a care in the world, as if she didn't mind that she had given up her voice. He remembered on how she had become human in that she had to give up her voice. He had also promised that someway he would get it back for her. Ariel looked over to Eric, and saw he was a little quiet all of a sudden. She gently nudged his shoulder, getting his attention, and he looked over to her.
He figured he'd have to say it some time or later. Now looked like any better time as he sighed, "Ariel…I'm sorry…" Ariel raised an eyebrow at that as she silently asked him. He looked over to her and explained, "I promised that I'd help you get your voice back." He then scratched the back of his head as he explained, "But I've been spending all this time just goofing off, when I should have been trying to find a way to help you." He then slouched over as he mumbled, "Some friend I turned out to be, if I couldn't help you out."
Ariel looked at him a little surprised as she thought, 'Is that what's been bothering him?' She had thought something had bothered him for a while and this was it. She smiled at her friend's concern for her, and reached for his free hand. Eric felt his right hand being lightly squeezed as he saw Ariel holding his hand, and then leaned in next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She then sighed a little, hoping this made him feel better, 'No, Eric. You've been a great friend for spending all this time with me.' Almost knowing what she was telling him, Eric rested his head on top of hers as he whispered, "Thanks, Ariel." Now the two didn't realize it, but a few fish were swimming around them, sort of stirring them around, as Sebastian and Dax continued their duet,
Now's your moment, floating in a blue lagoon
Boy, you'd better do it soon, not time will be better
She don't say a word, and she won't say a word until ya…
…Kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, Don't be scared
You got the mood prepared,
Go on and…Kiss the girl
And then much to Ariel and Eric's surprise, a school of fireflies flew in, circling them both. And then suddenly, a couple of fish, accompanied with Flounder, shot up and started spouting water out their mouths, like a water fountain in the river. The strange moment, however, created a romantic setting for the two. At that moment, as they still held each other's hand, they looked at each other in the eyes, allowing this romantic moment to linger on.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, Dont stop now
Don't try to hide it how you wanna..
…Kiss the girl
Whoa, Whoa!
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, Float along,
And listen to the song, song say...
…Kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, Music play,
Do what the music say, you gotta...
…Kiss the girl
just then, without anyone of them noticing it, the two teens were slowly but surely leaning towards one another. They didn't realize it yet, but they were drawing into a kiss. They didn't know if it was the song, or if there was some other force at work, but they didn't fight it; they leaned in closer to one another as their lips nearly reached their destination.
Kiss the girl...
Why don't you…Kiss the girl
Go on and…Kiss the girl
Letting the tension and the rush get to them, Dax and Sebastian grabbed Scuttle by the neck, and started ringing his neck as they silently shouted, "Go on and…."
….Kiss the girl
And that was just what Eric was about to do. The two teenagers were about to kiss one another; their kiss of True Love….until something knocked them off the board and into the water, cooling their heads off. All the sea critters and birds that were singing along disappeared as Dax's jaw dropped to the ground. Scuttle looked completely disappointed, while Sebastian slapped his head with his claw.
Eric helped Ariel back on the board as soon as he could, "You okay?" Ariel coughed up a little water, until she nodded 'Okay' to him. The two sat back, feeling a little awkward at that moment. Had they looked a little farther in the water, they would have seen Maccus and Koleniko high-fiving each other on a job well done.
Dax just spaced out at the two teens, as they resumed on their course to wherever this river was taking them. As soon as they were out of sight, he finally shouted, "THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO KISS!", after finally calming down, Dax paced back and forth as he grumbled to himself, "It was so close…those two tripped the finish line. And why is that? WHY…IS…THAT? I'll tell you why…", he then turned in the direction that the river led out to sea, "BECAUSE THAT FAT CEPHALOPOID OF A SEA WITCH IS CHEATING!"
After hearing that, and recovering his strength, Sebastian turned to the otter as he demanded to know what was going on, "What do you mean, the Sea Witch's cheating?"
Dax gulped at that as he simply played dumb, "Uh, sorry…me do not know…" but then he was grabbed by the throat as Sebastian throttled him.
Sebastian was even more cheesed off as he shouted, "Listen, Otter. I've just about had enough of you keeping secrets. What do you know about all this?"
Before Dax could answer that, he suddenly looked at the river. The direction and the plants seemed very familiar…almost as if he had swam here before. It was then; it hit him as he broke Sebastian's hold on him, "Hey! I know where this river leads to." And after that, he scampered towards where Ariel and Eric were heading.
Sebastian followed behind, along with Scuttle and Flounder following suit, as the crab shouted, "Wait! Where are you going?"
Dax simply replied, "To where the kids are going to. To…HER!"
Later On
Swamp Shack
It was only a few minutes ago, before Ariel and Eric had that strange almost-kiss moment, that they saw where the river led them to. It looked like an ancient swamp forest; time itself had completely been stopped here as it gave a little eerie feeling to it. Ariel held Eric's shoulder as she scooted up to him to feel safe from this place. It sort of reminded her of Sea Serpent Pass back at home, but something felt strange about it. Like she felt with Eric…she felt…safe here.
But just before they thought it couldn't get any creepier, Dax popped up on the board with Sebastian on head. Their surprise appearance nearly scared the two teens as Dax quirked, "Man, this place just chills ya to the bones." It was then that they rounded the corner, that Dax pointed out, "But that place….well, words fail me." The teens and critters looked and saw a swamp shack house that was round the corner. It was built behind a couple of aging and eerie trees, and carried with it and eerie and rustic feeling to it. Dax sighed as he sat down between Eric and Ariel, "Ah, home sweet home."
After hearing that, the three looked to one another as Eric asked, "That's where you live?"
Dax chuckled, "Hohoho! No, no, no. That's where I was summoned." Ariel raised an eyebrow at that, remembering that he said he was summoned by a sea goddess. Waving it off, Ariel listened as Dax stated, "In that house, lives the craziest, friendliest, and most well informed voodoo priestess, and most knowledgeable in spells ever to stay hidden on the small portion of the world….Tia Dalma." He then pointed to the hut as he explained, "And she's the one who asked Calypso to summon me forth…to aid you guys." He then pointed out, "And…she can explain what destiny I was talkin' about."
The two teens looked uncertain about this, but they both nodded in silent agreement. Eric wanted to do anything to get Ariel's voice back, and Ariel knew that Eric would try this anyway to help her. Either way, the two would help each other by being at each other's side on this. Sebastian on the other hand, shot a look at Dax as he wasn't sure about this, "Are you sure about dis?"
The board stopped at the ladder that led up to the shack, as Dax hopped up on the steps, "Don't worry, Crabby. Tia Dalma's as harmless as a kitten….", but then paled a little, "When you don't get on her bad side…whenever, however, or whoever…that may happen, occur, or is done on."
Eric grabbed the ladder, and climbed up, as Dax jumped on his shoulder, and reassured the otter, "I'll watch your back."
Dax gulped, "It's our fronts I'm more worried about." He then looked to Ariel as he said, "Mind the board."
Ariel huffed at that; not wanting to be left behind, she followed Eric up, with Sebastian following suit. He looked to Scuttle as he commanded, "Mind the board."
Scuttle flew upward, but looked down towards Flounder as he said, "Mind the board."
Flounder looked around, trying to find anyone to say 'Mind the board' but to no avail. He huffed as he said to himself, "Man, I hate being the guppy."
Inside
As the teens entered inside, they saw the inside of the shack, and it definitely belonged to a voodoo woman. The place was lit up by several candles, nearly melting halfway. All around the room, bottles hung from the ceiling; within them were frightening and bizarre oddities of any kind. And on shelves and tables placed, strange artifacts of mystical properties were held around as well, along with al living yellow boa constrictor slithering up one of the tree trunk support beams.
But as Dax scurried in, both Ariel and Eric saw that at the back end of the house, was where most of the activity took place. Crab claws and bones lay strewn like fortune-telling runes, as someone read the message that the configuration was in at this moment. Who was reading the crab parts and bones, was a mysterious Jamaican woman of unknown young age. She was slim but slender for someone cooped up in a swamp house, with short-long dreadlock hair, black makeup under her eyes, black lipstick, strange dot tattoos under her eyes as well, and dressed in an old worn out Victorian dress. And had around her neck, a strange heart shaped crab medallion. The woman then looked up at the doorway, and saw a familiar otter on the boy's shoulder. She smiled warmly as she stood up and walked over, "Dax, my little bottomless pit."
"Tia!", Dax shouted as he hopped from Eric's shoulder and into Tia's arms. Ariel and Eric looked to each other and to Sebastian, who was on Ariel's shoulder, to confirm this weird scene.
Tia smiled as she held Dax out, "I was wonderin' when the ocean would bring you back in." But when she saw Eric and Ariel, her smile disappeared as she set Dax down for a moment. She then walked over to the teens as she pointed to them both, and then she proclaimed, "You…." Ariel hid behind Eric, not because she was scared, but that if anything happened, she wanted to be with Eric at all costs. Tia then smiled as she was only ten inches from the two, and said, "You two have a touch of…destiny about you….Eric Thatch and Princess Ariel."
The two teens looked to each other in surprise and confusion, and back to Tia Dalma as Eric asked her, "You know us?"
Dax looked a little freaked out as he whimpered, 'Oh no, not this again.' And then scampered over to them.
Tia looked at Eric quite seductively as she traced her finger on his chin. Ariel went wide eyed with surprise as Tia asked seductively, "You want to know me…" but then was stopped by Dax as he shot up between the two.
He then uttered quickly to Tia, "THERE'LL BE NO KNOWING, TIA! He's only sixteen, for sea urchin's sake" as soon as the two were apart, Dax explained, "They just came for help in a small problem, and we're not leaving until you give them help." Tia then walked back to the table, along with Dax, who muttered, "I thought I knew you."
Tia merely shrugged as she sat down, "Not as well as I'd hoped." She then looked to the teens and signaled them to sit at her table. The teens, a little reluctant, and Eric still being a little freaked out that he was being hit on by the Voodoo woman, sat down at her table. She then smiled to them as she asked, "So…what service may I help you all with?"
But then Sebastian, who had jumped on the table, shot out, "So what's the catch, woman? What payment?"
Tia raised her hands in defense as she replied, "This one's free." And so, Eric and the sea critters, who spoke for Ariel's behalf, had told her the whole ordeal. They made sure to fill in every detail and not leave anything out for the lady to know. Tia sat at her table, and thought about it long and hard. She then looked to Ariel as she stated, "I still don't see why you'd do something as silly as sell your voice to that old hag." She then huffed, "You could have gone to me, and I'd give you the gift being human for free." But all jokes aside, she then summarized it as she asked, "So…all that had happened that I predicted came true?"
Before anyone could say yes, they stopped and looked at her as Sebastian bellowed, "You mean you knew all of dis would happen?"
Tia merely smiled as she replied, "Sort of…but I didn't know you'd come to visit me so soon."
Eric shook his head as he asked Tia Dalma, "Well, seeing as how you know, can you help Ariel get her voice back?"
"No.", Tia replied, but before anyone could leave or shout in frustration, Tia pointed to Eric and answered, "But you can, as you were destined to do so…and more for the three Hearts." Eric and Ariel raised an eyebrow at that as she asked, "You don't even know of the prophecy?" Everyone shook their heads as Dax shrugged, "Very well, allow me to explain. The Dutchman sinking ships, Ariel striking a bargain with the Sea Witch, Dax becoming your guardian….it's all happening because of the two of you."
The two teens looked to each other in confusion about this. But then Sebastian shot out, "Oh, so you're blaming them!"
Dax shook his head as he explained, "No, no, no. Not blaming, thanking." Dax scratched the back of his head as he stated, "Ya see, the Sea Goddess, Calypso, right before she disappeared, proclaimed a prophecy. A prophecy that said that two hearts that came from two different worlds, would become one and help the Three Hearts of the Sea unite against a great evil."
The teens and sea critter looked a little confused by all this as Eric asked, "What?"
Tia sighed as she explained, "It is said that a human and a mermaid, who's hearts are as one, will band together the three powers of the sea against the Sea Witch, and restore the order that Calypso intended for there to be."
Ariel and Eric looked at each other, in slight surprise by all this. They never expected to have this big of an adventure thrown at them, much less have the entire fate of the sea in their hands. Nothing this big had ever been thrown into their laps, as they turned to the Voodoo woman in confusion. And then Eric, who was still very surprised by all this, asked, "And…you think that me and Ariel…are the ones to do this?"
Tia merely shrugged as she stated, "You'd better be…I don't see any others matching your relationship."
Feeling like they were getting nowhere with this, Sebastian shot up, "Alright, Alright. It's clear enough that dis woman doesn't know anything that can help." He then hopped off the table and scurried over to the door, "It's time we were going home."
Eric nodded at that as he and Ariel got up, "He's right, it's way past our curfew, and I just remembered we have this field trip up at Port Royal's fortress." In truth, that was what was going to happen at the school. Eric also promised Ariel that he would take her along with him, despite the fact he hadn't thought of how to sign her into the school without his Uncle Milo's help. He still also didn't know how he would explain that he had a mermaid living in their home to him as well.
Tia saw that the teens were gonna need a little time taking this whole thing in. It wasn't everyday for a teenager that the world's future would rest on their shoulders. But before they left, Tia signaled Eric to stop, "If you would, Mister Thatch, I'd like a word alone wit you for a moment." And then she ventured into the back, looking for something, making a lot of noise in the process. She then muttered to herself as she looked, "Such a long time in such a mess."
Eric stopped for a moment, but Ariel tugged at his sleeve, and giving him a pleading look on not to stay. She urged him not to stay in here with her, thinking she was a little crazy. But Eric reassured her as he said to her with a warm smile, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Dax is with me." He looked down at the otter who gave them a V sign, and he looked back to Ariel. She sighed, knowing full well that she his smile always did make things better. She nodded, telling him she believed him, and waited outside with Sebastian at the board.
Then Eric spotted Tia coming back from where she was looking. In her arms was a strange sword-sized object wrapped in a white but aged cloth, and held there by a golden bronze bracelet. The bracelet's design was that of Tia's pendant, except it had a twin swirl design on the heart-shaped crab, and the legs looked like the bracelet arms. Tia then walked up to Eric as she replied, "The terms of Ursula's spell is that Ariel can only be human for six days. It can only be permanent if Ariel can love someone, and that person loved her in equal return by having True Love's Kiss…then she can be human, permanently."
She then handed him the clothed object as she continued, "This bracelet has the power to allow one who walks on land to venture into the sea. And it can allow one who lives in the sea to venture on land. I trust you'll know what to do with it, Mister Thatch." She then pointed out, "Also, I have no doubt that Ursula has the Flying Dutchman under her power somehow. However, there is a loop hole for Ariel's protection. Davy Jones cannot make port; cannot set foot on dry land but once every ten years." She then handed Eric the object in the cloth with the bracelet as she finished, "With you, Ariel is safe…and so she must stay by your side."
Eric looked at the objects that Tia Dalma had given him. Even Dax looked confused by this as the two looked at her in puzzlement. Eric then looked at Tia, and then back at the clothed object and bracelet, and then said in a monotone voice, "A sword. this thing in the cloth is a sword."
Tia nodded, "Yes, but it's a sword that you were destined for."
Tia nodded, "Yes."
Eric looked at the clothed sword, and back at Tia Dalma as he questioned her action, "Is the…special sword going to help in any way?"
Tia Dalma gave the boy a crossed look as she shot back, "If you don't want it, give it back."
Dax clutched the objects and stated, "No."
Tia Dalma's smile returned as she answered, "'Den it helps."
Eric smiled at this and headed right for the door, but not before Tia stopped him one last time, "There is one other thing...that you should know."
Outside
Ariel was waiting patiently for Eric for whatever Tia Dalma needed to talk to him about. She was slightly worried that he was in some sort of danger. After what nearly had happened between her and Eric, she was kind of jealous and worried that Eric could have been taken advantage of. She shook her head as she shouted to herself in her head, 'No, Ariel! Eric's nothing like that; he would never…', but her thoughts were interrupted as she saw Eric walking out.
The first thing that Eric did, after being told a life-changing piece of information, was receiving a hug from Ariel. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly as Eric was a little surprised by this. She broke the hug and looked at Eric, silently asking if he was alright. He nodded as he replied, "Don't worry, Ariel, I'm alright." Ariel looked at him and asked in silent, 'What'd she say to you, Eric?'
But before Eric said anything else, Sebastian whined, "Can we please get out of here? This place is freaking me out just by staying here."
The two teens smirked at this, forgetting the whole destiny talk from Tia Dalma, as well as the spell lasting for six days. For now, they hopped on the board, and 'dug' their way back the way they came. As they were swimming their way back, with Eric helping Ariel on the swimming part, Tia watched their forms leave her home. She then sighed as she silently prayed for them, "A safe journey…to all of you.", and then walked back into her home.
What no one else realized was that Maccus and Koleniko, who both hid when the kids entered, had heard the whole story. The two looked to each other as Koleniko stated, "We've gotta tell Jones and Ursula this."
Next Chapter: The Sparrow Flies In; the Last Chance