Olly, Olly, Oxen Frey

by Paul Manchester

  He wished Jack was here to see this. It was like a moment from one of the tree-house stories they’d make up. Not knowing what had happened to Jack created a deep hole in his heart. Jack was the writer for Finn’s drawings. Jack was the words to Finn’s story. He hadn’t ever realized how much he depended on Jack. He’d always been there. And now he wasn’t.

  Finn scouted for berries or nuts. Kids in adventure books always found berries and nuts to survive on. Didn’t they? How did that work? How do you know that a berry isn’t going to kill you?

  Well, even with a flashlight he couldn’t find a damn thing in the dark that looked remotely edible.

  Finn trudged back to their spot. He found some redwood sorrel by the side of the trail – which is a little bit like a tart salad-green. After the Redwood Sorrel he coughed down a more of the mugwort because he was hungry, but it hadn’t improved in flavor.

  His mother was nestled on the pond bank among the rushes. She was tired. What would it be like to be trapped inside a sick body? It would be awful. And frightening. He was still nervous about the lesions all over his legs. He was starting to fear it was not a normal disease and that it might be something else far scarier.

  But, the air was soothing and comfortable. Finn imagined that Hawaii would be like this. He knew he shouldn’t fall asleep as there could be danger. He leaned back against the rock of the cavern entrance to keep watch... he wasn’t that sleepy...

  * * * *

  Finn’s dreams were strange. The images kept shifting. Jenny was trapped in a deep hole and he couldn’t reach her.

  Then the hole was a cave and his foster parents were calling him in to dinner, but Jack wasn’t invited and Finn decided he’d rather eat with Jack – and his parents hugged each other and melted into one creature. A Sea Chimp! It was Meryth – who kept trying to hug Finn. But Finn thought she was disgusting and pushed her back till she became a gooey bloody pool with gooey arms that stretched out to grab Jack. She pulled Jack into her bloody depths, and Finn couldn’t reach Jack’s hand. Jack’s hand disappeared into the blood! Because of Finn.

  Finn dove headfirst into the pool of blood but he couldn’t see Jack, he couldn’t see anything but blood. He couldn’t find the surface and didn’t know which way was up or down. Finn couldn’t breathe! He was drowning! And then he wasn’t! It was no longer blood around him – but water! Good clear water that enfolded his body and swirled around it, and he could breathe! And he could swim! He was naked! He was gloriously free! He was a merman!

  * * * *

  Finn woke up. He was in the pond. Underwater.

  “AHHHHHH!” Finn’s head broke the surface of the pond as he screamed.

  Finn looked down. Not only was he naked, each of his legs had turned into long green fishy frog-legs! Iridescent scales started on his thighs just below his hip and ended in horrible fin-feet.

  “AHHHHH!” he started screaming again and scooted out of the water. There was a hint of dawn in the eastern sky. But the moon was still bright.

  Finn had to be dreaming.

  “What’s wrong?!” Meryth rolled over – still half asleep despite his outbursts.

  “I’m a... uh... MY LEGS! They’re AAAAH!” Mid-scream, he suddenly realized that he was naked! “Ohh!” Finn jumped back into the privacy of waist-deep water.

  “OH!” yawned Meryth. “Wonderful. Your heritage is finally showing.”

  “What! NO!! This is not wonderful! It’s FREAKSVILLE! My legs! They’re monster legs!”

  “Oh pooh. It’s a little weird that you have two tails instead of one, but that’s just your human bits confusing things. You should be able to walk around still. You don’t need to be quite so dramatic about it.” Meryth rolled over to go back to sleep.

  “But, WHY?” shouted Finn.

  She sat up again and considered. “Well, it might have been the mugwort. I did tell you it would give you unusual dreams, and you are in Frey now. Frey is made of dreams.”

  “Do you mean every dream, every nightmare will become real when I wake up?”

  “No, no, no. Not every dream. Mugwort sometimes unlocks things...”

  Finn’s jaw dropped. “You knew!” Finn accused her. “You knew!”

  Meryth thrust her little jaw in the air and sniffed. “Of course I didn’t know... I thought maybe of course. But, I didn’t know.”

  “Oh my god! I can’t believe this! I’m a freak now!” A sudden thought occurred to Finn. “Wait! Can I un-dream this?”

  “I don’t think so,” giggled his mother. It was an irritating sound. “This is who you are! You just never believed it was possible when you grew up, so your body didn’t develop... like it should have. You’re half mer! The dreams simply let you become yourself. Didn’t you ever suspect that you might be different?”

  “I might have wondered if I was gay! But I never thought I would turn into a frog!”

  “You’re not a frog! Frogs wear bow-ties and inappropriate hats. Most of them at least. You have merfolk blood in you. That’s a great honor!”

  An honor? It was a complete disaster.

  Finn was silent. The scales that had been showing up on his hips and thighs... they were why he’d stopped swimming at the Y. Crap! What would his foster parents think when he got home? They hated anything unusual.

  Meryth stifled another yawn. “I’m going back to sleep. Wake me when it’s light.”

  Finn looked over at his mother. She seemed to be asleep again. He had to try walking – but he didn’t want to flash her when he stepped out of the water.

  He climbed up the bank and stood up. His legs did seem to be legs – they bent at the knee like they used to, and his feet – though enormous – still worked like feet are supposed to. Though it was hard to get used to their size. He’d never fit into his favorite Reboks again. He had Creature From The Black Lagoon feet. They’d never let him on a swim team now. He’d get stuck in a government lab if he ever went home again.

  Jack will freak out when he sees this! Assuming they could find Jack. Of course they would! He couldn’t think differently. But Jack might be totally creeped out by monster feet!

  Maybe, he could get an overcoat? He could hide it!

  The light was increasing with the coming dawn. Fortunately it wasn’t cold. But with the sun Finn could see that his skin was even whiter than before! Crap! Looked like he’d never get a tan now. So much for that fantasy!

  He tried to see his reflection in the pool but that was pretty hopeless. He felt his face with his fingers and it still felt the same, but there was something like closed gills along the side of his neck.

  Finn checked out his guy-parts. They still looked normal. No additional balls or fins down there. His butt had the beginnings of the white scales that grew dominant and bluer on his thighs. His butt still felt like his butt.

  But then the true weirdness began, his legs were like two fish tails... if fish tails had knees. He had long fins on the back of his thighs and his calves. What were they called? dorsal fins? He wasn’t paying attention that day in biology. He never thought it would be important! HA!

  The scales were more teal than the green they appeared under the pond water. They sparkled like the inside of an oyster shell and that coloring continued all the way to his feet – though it did get a bit deeper in tone. It was kind of beautiful in a freaky, I-can’t-believe-I’m-monster sort of way.

  Clothes! Where were they?

  Finn ran up the bank to where he’d fallen asleep. His t-shirt was crumpled up next to a bush. It was disgustingly dirty from dirt and sweat. The green pullover was dry but stiff from the murky water of that cavern. His shoes were there, but useless with his monster feet. As were the socks. His muddy jeans were completely split open, and his thoroughly ripped Hawaiian print boxers were strewn across a branch near the water.

  He grabbed his boxers and pulled them on but th
ey were too ripped to stay up. He grabbed his ripped muddy jeans and quickly realized that they wouldn’t fit over his dorsal fins.

  “Those aren’t going to fit,” commented his mother.

  Finn whirled around and clutched himself for modesty.

  Meryth laughed. “You’ll be more comfortable going without all that. No one here cares much.”

  “Well, I care!” Heat flooded his entire being.

  Ultimately he had to settle for just the Hawaiian print boxers. They had little Hula dancers and palm trees on them. He wrapped his belt around his waist and folded the top band under and over it to created a Tarzan like loin cloth – with little Hula dancers.

  As the sun rose, Finn folded up the rest of the clothes and stashed them inside his bag just in case they might be salvageable at some point. He hoped.

  Feeling a little bit like an albino ape-man from a horror flick, Finn held his head high and said,“Let’s get going.”

  He gently picked up his mother and started down the path from the night before. His new feet were actually pretty sturdy. He didn’t have to tiptoe carefully lest he step on a rock. They were tough. He didn’t understand why the Creature From The Black Lagoon always staggered around like he was constipated. The new feet worked fine. But, it was really strange to be walking around mostly naked.

  * * * *

  They were halfway down the slope when Meryth cried out.

  “There! At the bottom of the hill!”

  Finn stopped. “What?” He saw a sort of forested hillock at the side of a river.

  “The Cottage-By-The-Sea! That’s the cottage your father and I built,” she said excitedly. “We’re almost there!”

  Chapter 37

  The Island of

  Lost Merfolk

  There was a celebration when Jenny, Footbe, and the crew climbed aboard the pirate ship. The Wishermans were quite relieved. They’d been convinced that something terrible had happened. Jenny had become like one of their own children – even though she was twice their height.

  “Three cheers fer Jenny!” shouted Gibbie. He was still flabbergasted that they hadn’t been eaten by the giant tree.“Ya saved us from bein’ a tree’s dinner!”

  “I never were be thinkin’ that good manners was more pow’ful than a sharp sword, but she done it!” cheered Nibs.

  “Capt’n Jenny! Jenny de Pleasant!” shouted a pirate in the back.

  “Jenny de Polite!” came another voice in back.

  And of course that got a big laugh.

  “Cap’n Blind jest called de tree names and shouted ‘Unhand me ye damn tree! De stupid git!” laughed another.

  ‘Unhanded right inta dat giant maw.” guffawed Nibs.

  It was strange. No one missed Captain Billy Blind.

  No one missed having to speak in verse either. Apparently the curse had been connected to the Captain and his past behavior.

  Jenny raised her hand to get permission to speak.

  There was sudden quiet.

  “Okay,” Jenny stammered. “I guess, I could be your captain for a bit.”

  She knew Jenny the Pleasant wouldn’t strike terror in the heart of battle. But then again, she was revising her notion of what pirates should be about. Even the skull on the Jolly Roger that rippled from the top mast could look a lot friendlier. She put it on her “to do” list.

  After much celebrating, everyone collapsed in their beds as the sun rose on the horizon. It had been a long and stressful night.

  By mid-afternoon, Pirate Jenny stood on the quarterdeck in her cloak and her big pirate hat. She looked down on her assembled crew, the Wishermans, and Footbe in the back. “My hearties! Uhm, thanks for making me your captain! I thought I knew all about pirates, but I now know I don’t know much at all about being a pirate – especially about being a pirate captain. But, I do have to say that pillaging doesn’t seem very nice – now that I’ve been up close.”

  “Y’ar right, Jenny!” shouted Gibbie. “Taint nice at’all.”

  The pirates laughed and mumbled in agreement with that core assessment.

  “The only fun place ta pillage is Loot’s End, ‘cuz the Nixies lets us do it!” offered Nibs. “Little Birdle loves gettin’ pillaged!”

  There were catcalls and shouts of “Aye, she do!”

  Jenny was not exactly sure what they were talking about, but it was clear that she needed to take control of the meeting before she heard adult things she didn’t want to hear.

  “Attention!” she shouted. “ATTENTION!”

  But the pirates didn’t pay any attention and were as noisy as ever.

  “SILENCE!” roared Footbe the phooka.

  And there was silence.

  Footbe growled, “Pay respect ta y’ar capt’n! She’s wot saved all yer lousy lives from gettin’ eaten by a tree! Ah don’t know ‘bout you, but ah’m a curious ‘bout wot yer pirate queen has ta say.”

  Every eye turned to the seven year old girl who nervously stood above them on the quarter deck.

  “Thanks Footbe.” Jenny started quietly, but then gained confidence with all the friendly faces in front of her. “Well, I was thinking, maybe we could be nice pirates? Why do all pirates have to be bad and mean? We could do fun stuff instead! Like... every night we could have a tea party before dinner?”

  The brownies cheered. Tea parties were good. No one ever got stabbed at a tea party.

  With the brownies still smiling below her, Jenny felt it was safe to continue.

  “And, well, I’ll have to go home to my parents eventually, as they must be getting awful worried about me. But before that I’ve gotta help Papy and Mamy Wisherman get their kids back. They were taken by the Blue Queen.”

  All the brownies shuddered as one.

  “It will probably be really dangerous but seein’ as you’re all brave pirates you won’t be afraid to help?”

  The brownies silently looked anywhere but at their captain. They liked the tea party idea much better.

  The phooka spoke up, “Ah’ll help ya Jenny! With yer stock o’ wishes, and yer natural ‘ffin’ty wi’ ‘em, those l’il ones be good as rescued!” He glared at the brownie crew. “An’ if we stop at a cert’n island on the way, I can get ‘nother secret bit o’ magic ta fight the Queen.”

  At that, the crowd burst into smiles! A stock of wishes! A secret weapon! Well, that made all the difference in the world! The brownies all cheered! They’d be happy to help!

  * * * *

  Jenny could see that the Wishermans’ opinion of the phooka had improved a great deal with Footbe’s offer to help rescue their children, but they still were a bit suspicious.

  “We can’t be fergettin’ that he’s a phooka! They’re deceptive critters!” cautioned Mamy when she and Papy were alone with Jenny on the forecastle.

  “Phookas have a chang’ble nature – inside and out. They can look and act like whatever suits ‘em! He still might be an agent o’ the Queen.” warned Papy.

  Jenny was inclined to defend him. “Well, Footbe said he can’t change into nothing else.”

  Papy shook his head. “Well, then he be lyin’! That just makes no gosh darn sense. All phookas be shapeshifters! Some of ‘em even got other surprisin’ magic! Yer haf ta be careful wi’ this ‘un.”

  With that Mamy and Papy went down below to help prepare the tea party, for as Mamy put it, “Brownies ain’t never part o’ no tea party that ah’s ever hear’d of!”

  * * * *

  The ship was still anchored in the harbor. The sky was blue with gentle breezes which gave no hint of the storm that had driven them to that coast just a day and a half earlier.

  Jenny could hear that the tea party was a hit with the brownies. Mamy was mighty surprised at how easily the pirates took to good manners and pleasant table conversation. Except for when the brownies started t
alking about the size of their shunnin’s and began dropping their pants to compare butt brands – which surprisingly did vary in size quite a bit.

  Jenny had to laugh from where she was sitting up on the deck.

  Captain Billy Blind hadn’t allowed tea parties as he feared it might make his pirate crew soft. But, of course sitting down and enjoying a hot cup of tea with good friends should never be mistaken for weakness.

  Jenny couldn’t fit down below so they brought her tea up top deck and she had it with Footbe. She looked longingly at the warmth and good cheer she could see through the hatch into the galley. It made her own home and family seem that much further away.

  Jenny sat near the poop deck where Footbe was seated. They sipped hot tea and laughed at the sounds of frolicking brownies downstairs mixed with Mamy’s hollering and Papy’s guffaws.

  Footbe (being the size of a full grown man) was so big and heavy that he couldn’t move much aboard the tiny ship. He tried to sit square in the middle-back as best he could with all the rigging running here and there around him, and his legs to each side of the wheel-master. His weight tended to make the front of the boat lift up a little bit.

  Footbe alternately sipped his tea, and puffed on an ornate pipe that he carried around in the bulging pouch on the belt of his loin cloth. The pipe was carved to look like an octopus which shot out smoke instead of ink.

  Jenny sipped her tea. “Where’s this island you want to go to, and why d’ ya want to stop there?”

  Footbe blew out a series of smoke rings that dissipated in the light wind around the boat. “Ah’ve been rememberin’ things. Surprisin’ things.” He paused and looked off into nowhere. “Till now, ah ain’t been ‘memberin much from the time afore the Queen branded me butt. Ah’ve been wanderin’ place ta place... gettin’ run off from most. Most folks don’t like phookas. The nixies seemed ta be the only ones that dinna mind me hangin’ ‘bout.”