Chapter Twenty-four: Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

With visible respires in the chilly but calmer, mountainous air, the young woman stood on the porch of the cabin with her eyelids forcefully closed.

"Can I open dem yet, Mo?" she called out, rubbing sunny-yellow coated arms.

"Hmm-hmm... not, not yet, Joy," chuckled her giddy friend who was just as eager.

His black boots ungracefully took him through the front door with a hand clasping the handle of a refreshed lantern. Though there was still some late afternoon light remaining, the forest sky was cloudy as always. Therefore, Moreau needed light for this reveal.

"C'mon, Mo. I wanna see my present!"

The fish-man continued to chortle while Joy tramped her little sneakers without going anywhere. Normally, his springy friend was very tolerant. But apparently, this wasn't the case when it came to receiving gifts. He had requested to give her his birthday gift to her first, and the anticipating woman agreed on the spot.

"Pleeeaaassseee, can I open my eyes, now?!"

Moreau had slowly trudged through the vast frost which seemed a bit easier to move in. Presently, he was positioning the lantern on top of a small, makeshift snow mound.

"Patience is a virtue," he playfully retorted, his hunched back leaning forth more so as he readjusted the lamp and its captive flame.

Joy shrugged. "Umm, I don't think Im'a...'virtue', 'cause I don't got any patience."

"He-hee-hee hee-hee-hee!"

Moreau paused his work to gather his bearings. Joy laughed too, mainly because her best friend just sounded very amused.

"But please, Mo... Now...?"

The fish-man returned to his arched, upward stance; Joy's enthusiasm must've been contagious because he could not close his ashen lips nor stop them from curving.

"Yes, Joy! ...Now!"

The woman fluttered her eyes and instantly, her mouth went agape.

"Sur, surprise!" declared Moreau with wild, wiggly hands signaling to the still figure beside him...

A five-foot-tall construction, consisting of gathered snow.

"Oh... my... goodness!" Joy slowly squeaked out, carefully leaving the little snowy pine porch to get a better discernment of her birthday present.

Now, she understood why her friend wanted to bring out the lantern with him. Its brightness made the sculpted shape sparkle, akin to droplets of morning dew on roses. Joy's marveled sights soaked up every detail. From the serene expression on the smooth face down to the curling feetless lower half which appeared to shimmer like crystal.

The woman's lifted cheekbones arose higher from a blooming, pearly white beam and Moreau's wrinkled countenance was nothing short of pride. The frozen statue was an attempt to replicate the Moreau Family Mark. Albeit, it was crooked in places, the etched hair wasn't nearly as wavy as the original emblem, and a broken, crooked tree branch had been used as the arm. Nevertheless, to Joy, the icy art was perfection.

"It's a mermaid-! Wait..." Joy pondered for a moment. "A snowmaid!"

"Hmm-hmm-hmm! Yes, Joy! And, and it is a snowmaid... Hee-hee-hee!"

"Dis isn't just a regular snowperson made out'a three snowballs. 'cause dis snowmaid is how I think a real mermaid would look like!" Joy fronted Moreau. "How on flat earth did'ja make dis?!"

Moreau grinned, happy that his friend was so dazzled and that he passed on knowledge about the shape of their world.

Wiggling excited spindly fingers, he viewed the white mythical form as well.

"Snow is soft, so I was able to mold it. I used my special doctor tools for... uhhh... little trims... I made sure to take my time..."

The fish-man made a short shudder, not from being out in the hated brisk air, but because of the revisiting retrospect that his old physician apparatuses resembled small versions of the kitchen's large carving knife. He felt more cautious than ever handling them. Never was he so glad to be a retired doctor.

Joy nodded, recalling the mentioned doctor kit that lay under their comfy couch. Her friend had beseeched her to neither look nor touch, for the contained surgical tools were sharp... Sharp like knives. The young woman had no qualms with the request... Apart from blunt butter knives, she wasn't supposed to handle piercing utensils, nor did she care for them... at all!

"Are ya cold, Mo?" She held up her hands. "Ya wanna borrow my mittens?"

Though he felt chilled to the bone, Moreau dismissed the query with a light wave of the hand.

"Don't worry, Joy. This part-merman is used to this dang cold. And Joy needs the mittens more than Mo does."

Humbled by the courtesy, Joy resumed admiring the snowmaid. Its long, colorless hair appeared to be flowing through unattainable water. And the woody arm was out in front of its snowy person as if it was pirouetting its finned tail to imperceptible music.

The enamored woman eased her upper torso forth, being very cautious not to accidently touch the snowmaid. It looked so fragile, and she dared not to break any of her friend's creative labor.

"Mo's a doctor and an artist."

The fish-man raised his large head a tad higher and puffed out his flat chest a bit forward. For the first ever in his mutated existence, Moreau felt extremely successful with his work! And who knew stupid snow could be so useful?!

Joy's scanning sights twinkled commendably. "She's beautiful."

Moreau fell silent for several seconds, rubbing a wide, craned neck.

"She's... She's Joy..."

"...What?"

The woman was startled by the low-voiced statement. With elevated eyebrows, she blinked deeply at Moreau, gesturing to her coated chest.

"Me?"

Clearing his big larynx, Moreau tottered forward until he was standing closely behind his surprised friend.

"Well... Joy likes to swim like a mermaid... And if Joy was a mermaid... this, this is how I think Joy would look like."

The young woman refocused on the figure. Tilting her head, she noticed the snowmaid's profile on where the eye would be.

"Is dat an olive, Mo?"

Moreau let out a short, embarrassed chuckle. "Y-yes... It was the only green circle I could find for the eyeball."

Joy veered where she stood; cottony, yellow mittens to her bosom.

"I love it!"

The pair of milky white eyes enlarged in a millisecond.

"J-Joy, Joy... ...loves... it? The ol-olive?"

It wasn't that the stammering fish-man was jumbled by the avowal but rather, its one-worded description.

"I love da snowmaid very much," stated his smiling friend.

And before Moreau could breathe out another surprise gasp, small and mighty, comforting arms wrapped his sides with hands clung over his shoulder blades.

"Thank you, Mo, so, so, much."

After the happy whisper, Moreau returned the hug. His eyes slid closed when he felt lush lashes tickle his bulbous jawline which trembled during the butterfly kiss.

"Joy... J-Joy is most, most welcome."

Wriggling to the fish-man's side, Joy put his hand in hers, and she nodded understandingly.

"You're right, ya don't need my mittens. Mo's hands're warm."

With enthrallment, Moreau gazed to his right. They are now.

Standing in surrounded snow, with coupled palms, the best friends tranquilly appreciated the petite, iridescent sculpture.

"Dat musta taken forever ta build my snowmaid," Joy commented as she jumped and hooked the hood of her wintry apparel onto the tall wooden coat rack.

Sitting on his favorite couch cushion, Moreau smiled delightedly. Because his friend referred to the snowmaid as hers. She truly did love her gift.

"Longer than that," he mused back, pulling down his hood and patting ragtag uneven brown hair, glad to be inside once more.

Following the removal of her little footwear, Joy walked up to Moreau and kneeled, taking his boots off for him.

"No wonder ya had so much warm pea soup and asked for bath-time yesterday."

The fish-man shut his eyes with a sigh, reminiscing of enjoying another soothing wash. He reopened his sights when Joy giggled.

"I'm super glad dat I was so busy working on your birthday present 'cause I didn't know ya were outside. Tee-hee, Da snowmaid was such a nice surprise."

"Hmm-hmm-hmm... Yes, yes, Mo snuck outside when Joy wasn't looking."

The young woman stood up, slowly shaking her head. "Sneaky weaky!"

Sniggering, Moreau's mouth-line elevated more while showing his palms. Joy smirked knowingly.

"I know what Mo's waiting for..." She squeaked with a hop. "Tee-hee! Wait here, please!"

The giggling fish-man rubbed his hands together as Joy skipped near the bed, bent down to unzip her bright blue backpack, and pulled out a small flat item that had been encased in aluminum foil.

The woman trotted back and stood in front of her sitting, waggling friend with the shiny gift close to her ocean-blue sweater.

"I was kinda sneaky weaky myself. I put your present behind da big dresser so it could sit up in dare air without ya seeing it."

Moreau stilled his excited shaking with a befuddled hum.

"But Joy? Why did my present need to... sit in the air?"

"Tee-hee! See for yourself..." Beaming, Joy held out the shiny rectangle. "Happy Birthday, bestie!"

Moreau became more eager than ever. Although this was his first ever, known birthday gift, he remembered presents were freed from pretty paper, thanks to television shows.

Gently grabbing the thin parcel, Moreau cautiously yet rapidly peeled away the layered tinfoil as his best friend bounced with her cupped hands underneath a concealed little collarbone.

Holding up the revealed gift, Moreau gawped in pure amazement.

"Surprise!" exclaimed Joy, still hopping with excited delight.

The present between his long fingers was an eight by ten canvas, freshly painted and perfectly dry.

With sock-covered feet finally planted, the woman sat next to her marveled friend.

"I like ta keep some art stuff in my backpack. Just in case I gotta... paint something. And yesterday was definitely a gotta-paint kinda day." She glanced at her hands. "Tee-hee, I had ta wash my rainbow fingers right away so ya wouldn't know dat I was painting for ya."

Moreau continued to observe the colorful artwork. There were pleasing shades of indigo and aureate and several small white v-shaped animals... Seagulls. It was the beach; not overly detailed but everything was even, creative, and quite enthralling. The fish-man's wistful mind swore that he could perceive the rolling tides and culling birds cutting through the clear sky. Though again, he wasn't definite on how he could recall the shoreline sounds so lucidly.

Moreau turned his wide sights to his beaming friend.

"That's why Joy was 'at the beach' when we played... uhh, Charades!"

Joy canted her view with a wink. "Ya seem ta like how I talk about where I came from, and I wanted ta give ya a wittle piece'a my home for our home."

The creases around Moreau's eyes and mouth blissfully deepened from hearing his precious person's explanation.

Joy didn't say lodge. She said our home...

"So..." The woman twiddled her thumbs. "...Do ya like it?"

Moreau regarded the little painted scenery again before blinking his moist vision clear.

"I... ...l-lo-lov-love it, Joy. Thank you."

His exultant, artistic friend straightened her small shoulders. "Mo is most welcome!"

The fish-man got to his bare feet and hobbled toward the brick fireplace to center the precious painting atop the little pine mantel. He nodded firmly.

"There... Perfect!"

Indeed, it was the perfect place to be in the cabin. This way, he could view the seashore as he drifted off at night. And perhaps, it would induce dreams of living in such a warm and sunny nirvana.

Moreau fronted Joy with an assertive yet merry smile. Because it was time for his secret surprise.

"Joy deserves another birthday present."

The young woman gasped, taken back by the announcement.

"Awe, Mo! Ya don't have ta give me another pres-"

"I already have it," was the happy interjection.

Joy shot up. "Welp, since Mo already has it..." Grinning, she put out wiggling fingers. "Gimme, gimme!"

Moreau chortled at his gift-adoring friend. "Okay, okay! But first, I need Joy's eyeballs closed."

Joy made a downturn pucker. "Ohhh... again?"

"Hmm-hmm, yes, just one more time... And please cover them with... one hand."

The impatient woman groaned lightly. "But I promise I won't be a peeky weeky, Mo!"

"Please, Joy... for Mo... all right?"

Smiling, Joy relented a sigh. "Alright... for Mo..."

As requested, she shielded her eyes and the fish-man waddled up and flashed a wrinkly palm in front of her face to be certain she could not see. When there was no reaction, he gradually took Joy's right hand and proceeded with the gift-giving. It was a tad tricky with his claws, but he was determined.

Another minute passed and Moreau took a couple of steps back.

"All right... Joy can look now."

When the woman's eyelids and hand granted her sight again, a gasp caught in her throat. She was peering at a familiar trinket of beads, pebbles, and a silver fishbone charm...

It was Moreau's sailor bracelet. However, it had been clasped to her wrist, instead.

Joy's large pupils flicked to her beaming friend as he held up waving hands.

"Surprise!"

Bright green orbs shimmered with utter appreciation but also with deep concern.

"Oh my goodness! ...Mo..! Ya don't have ta-!"

"I want to," he lightly cut in, taking two paces closer.

Joy cupped the decorated sterling wire with her other hand. "But Mo, dis is your special charm dat ya found! I can tell ya love it so much!"

Moreau swallowed, trying to ignore the profound thudding within his chest.

"Not-Not as much as giving it to Joy."

He put her hand in both of his, squeezing imploringly.

"Keep it, keep it, Joy! Please! Please! It, it would make me... happier!"

Her eyes still glistening, the young woman looked down once more, and Moreau released his hold. She lifted her arm to her eye level, beholding each bead and small stone as if she were discerning a tiny constellation of another world.

Moreau tapped his fingertips together. "Does... does Joy... U'hem ...love it?"

Joy wiped her teary sights then brought the bracelet to rosy lips, eliciting a gasp from her surprised friend.

"Yes, Joy loves it." She sniffed, gazing at him with a grateful, rising mouth-line. "Mo really is my best bestie. Thank you... so much."

By now, the fish-man's own vision was becoming blurry. He rubbed his face with his leather sleeve.

"J-Joy... is m-most welcome."

The woman returned her attention to the treasured gift, but remained quiet, as if she was in heavy contemplation. Moreau slightly leaned his head to the side.

"Joy?"

Speedily, his friend blinked her eyes. "Ummm... I'd like ta give Mo one more present. Before we enjoy our birthday cake."

Moreau grinned. "Oh? A uh, uh, surprise present?"

"Uh-huh. But dis time, you have ta close your eyes, alright?"

Moreau bobbed his head happily. "All right, Joy!"

Tightening his lids, he held out open hands, awaiting his gift. However, Moreau's eyes promptly snapped open... from the click and light pressure on his left cheek.

With a stunned mien, he stared at the tint-faced woman who was smiling ever so brightly.

"Wh-What... what was that?"

"A birthday kiss," peeped Joy, averting her sights fleetingly. "Was... was Mo surprised?"

All the dumbfounded fish-man could answer with was a slow, dazed nod.

Joy's small shoulders bounced, giggling at seeing her gaping friend's expression.

"Oh, good! Tee-hee-hee!" She headed for the right entry of the kitchen, waving Moreau on. "C'mon! Let's eat our birthday cake."

Eventually, Moreau tailed his striding friend into the small eatery. As he did so, his thin fingertips patted the side of his ruddy face with a very profound smile.

That was not the favorite butterfly kiss. However, Moreau surprised himself that he would adore another gesture so much more.