Folding it in half with trembling hands, Tabby bit her lip. "It feels like rubber. You can't use this on me. It will tear me to pieces!"
He held out his hand for her to return the wicked switch. "No, it will not. But it will be an apt tool to teach you a lesson. Let's get back to camp."
"But Daddy, you can't!"
"Let's go." He held her wrist firmly and started back down the trail towards her imminent doom. Once they arrived, his hand slipped to the center of her back and guided her to the chair.
"Do we need to discuss this further?" he asked tenderly.
"No, Daddy," she answered, looking at the ground.
"Pull your dress up and hold it above your waist." Wordlessly, he gripped her bicep with his left hand to hold her steady, and then slipped her panties down past her bottom, over her thighs and let them fall to her ankles. She was pushed slightly forward until she was bent over the soft back of the camp chair, with her bottom sticking high in the air.
"Keep that dress up and do not reach back. I won't tell you again." He rested his hand between her shoulders and tapped the switch across her bottom several times, letting it hover before releasing it upon the rounded target. The hot, sharp sting caught her by surprise and she let go of the chair with a loud screech before her body popped straight up.
"Please, no more!" she begged, twisting to look at the switch in his hand.
He held it half back, cocked for the next strike, and said in a calm, gentle voice, "Tabitha, you know you have this coming to you, and I mean business this time. Get back in position, please."
Whimpering under her breath, she slowly returned to her place over the back of the chair. The switch struck home again, causing her to wiggle and twist her bottom as she yelped and pleaded. He patted her lightly on the backs of her thighs to stop her swaying and then resumed with another stout swing.
"I'm sorry!" she bawled, her backside dancing back and forth, popping her feet up and down, still held bent over the chair by the gargantuan hand on her back. "Daddee! I'm sorry! I'll be perfect for life! I'm sorree!"
The switch fell with a loud whistle one final time, and Tabby drooped into a heap of stifled whimpers. Seth rubbed her back without speaking before standing her up and walking her around to the front of the chair. He gingerly positioned her on his lap and pressed her cheek to his shoulder, where she immediately buried her face. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she clung to him tightly, shrinking her body as close against him as she could.
Once again, everything adult melted away and she felt her heart bloom in her chest. She wept openly and freely, cleansing her spirit of self-doubt and false beliefs. She was, at this moment, a well-loved—and well-spanked—little girl, being held securely in her daddy's arms. She was protected now, truly protected, and wanted! Her tears of pain transformed into ones of joy and love and she hugged him as tightly as she could, whispering the words, "I love you," over and over again, and knowing that the same words were sincerely returned.
***
"How is your backside?" Seth asked that evening as the sun began to set in the violet sky.
"Hurts," came the quiet answer. Her face glowed in the firelight. "Fire looks the same here as back home."
"Home?"
Tabby nodded, tossed some sticks in the fire, and then crawled up into his lap. "I was just thinking about Buzz. He thinks I'm dead. I put my teddy bear away because it reminds me of him… and it hurts."
"I was wondering where it went. I know you miss your old friend. Is there anything I can do to ease your pain?"
"He wasn't just an old friend. He was my only friend. I wish I could tell him…"
"Tell him what, honey?"
Tears welled in her eyes. "That I found somebody who could love me and would take care of me. All of me."
Seth held her tightly, his face in her hair. "All I want is to make you happy. I don't know how I could get a message to him. There are laws against direct contact."
"I know. I'm just dreaming."
"Dreams can come true. I have you to prove it. Oh, look! Ceres!" He pointed as a tiny lip of the enormous moon peeked above the horizon line.
"It looks like a big city." Tabby sniffed.
"It's only there for a few moments. Keep watching. This is called a turning."
The irregular edges of the celestial body glowed like it was lined with fireflies as it rose higher in the sky. Hundreds of tiny loops of light shot from the asteroid's surface, then fizzled out like a fireworks display. It stayed suspended in the sky for perhaps two Earth minutes before plunging back into the horizon, leaving Tabitha speechless.
"What do you think of that, my little beauty?" He kissed her cheek.
"I still can't get over how many beautiful things exist here. What haven't I seen yet?"
"The Forest of Ceres, which we will visit later, and the Water station."
"What's that?" she asked.
"Grandpa will take you there for your lessons. Give me a kiss. Are you hungry?"
"Yes. What's for dinner?"
"Bombat egg. No faces," he said and tweaked her nose. "We always try something new before we refuse it. You've had Bombat egg many times."
"But not looking like that." She pointed to the egg that sat roasting in the fire. The top layer had started to peel away, exposing a stark white interior.
"Has there been anything you have not liked here so far?"
"No," she admitted, "but stuff looks weird."
"Sweetheart, Earth has a vegetable called a cucumber. Why would any man want to eat something that looks like a falas?"
"We don't think they look like them, although some of us girls like to use them as one," she said and giggled.
"That's not appropriate talk for a little girl!"
"You started it!"
"True. Here you go." He spooned a chunk of the egg white onto a plate, next to some multi-colored vegetables. Tabby sighed, rolling her eyes as he watched her with an eager smile.
After sniffing it suspiciously, she took a tiny bite. Her eyes widened. "It tastes like steak covered in mashed potatoes!"
"Pop one of those clear berries in your mouth. It adds a slight tang."
"Oh, my! This is awesomesauce!" she exclaimed, diving into the dish with gusto. The aroma filled her senses with a medley of flavors. "I think I like this more than ice-cream, Daddy."
"It's not as healthy for you, but if you enjoy it, I will make sure to get a roasted egg now and then for you."
"I think it's the campfire that makes everything taste better. I love it out here. Thank you for taking me."
"Are you still upset about the spanking?" he asked, popping one of the clear grape-like fruits in his mouth.
"No. I mean, it hurts still, but I sort of deserved it."
"Sort of?" He sounded amused.
"I don't think I've ever felt fear the way I did today. It was so foreign. That's when I realized how much I not only wanted you, but needed you. I'm glad you want to be my daddy."
"Not want to be. I am. Let's take a little trip. We'll go across the lake in the boat and I can show you something spectacular."
"The Forest of Ceres?" She bounced with excitement and 'owed'.
A short while later, they were in the vessel. "Look over the edge as we row, just don't tip the boat, please," Seth said.
"Are those jelly fish? They glow in the dark!"
"This region is highly bioluminescent because of the algae that grows here. See the calm, mellow gold? If I splash the water…"
"They turn pink! Cool!" Tabby clapped her hands with delight.
They paddled through the narrow neck of the lake and under a thicket of glowing, ghost-like trees before it opened up into an enormous reservoir. Once they reached the center, Seth pulled the oars inside the boat and patted his thigh for Tabby to sit between his legs and lean back against him to look up at the night sky. The stars sparkled and glittered, nearby galaxies swirled and spun, and clouds of multi-colored light drifted slowly in the farthe
st regions.
"That's the other side of the Milky Way," Seth said softly, pointing at a thick, white band. He surrounded her with his arms and snuggled her close. "When I was a boy and first heard about Earth, I spent every available moment staring at that cluster and wondering if the stories were true. I wanted to be part of that world so badly."
"But why? Your world is perfect. Was it because you were the prince?"
"My world was a place still filled with fear after the war against the Helminthe. Many people lost their loved ones. Being the king's son was not the reason they avoided me. It was because I was a hybrid. Had I been born normal, there would not have been a problem. But I was not. I wanted to be somewhere where I would be accepted without prejudice."
"I used to look up at that purple star every night and wish I could go away, too. Maybe find a place where I could be loved and not treated like a freak. It's funny," she said and sighed. "I'm a freak here and have been treated like gold. Except for your mother."
"And you have accepted me unconditionally despite the differences."
"I like your differences. Daddy?"
"What darling?"
"I just wanted to say that I love you. I'm going to learn your language and do whatever I can to make you proud of me," she vowed.
"I'm proud of you already. You are one remarkable human, Tabby-cat."
She flushed with pleasure. "Even when I'm bad?"
"Even when you're bad." He laughed, squeezing her. "I know that humans will get into mischief much more readily than Lotopians. It doesn't bother me, as long as that mischief doesn't put your safety at risk."
"I promise to be perfect forever."
"You can't make that promise. It would also be very boring for me if you were perfect. I would just be required to find other reasons to spank that bottom."
"I think you like doing that too much," she said.
"I must agree with you. There are not many women here who enjoy what we call 'primal play', so it can be a bit frustrating for the males who like to indulge."
"What else do you do with that?"
"I'll show you when we get home and you become my big girl again." He winked.
"Do I want to be shown?"
"Absolutely. Let's get back to camp and get some sleep. We have an orange sun tomorrow, and I would like to be up when it rises, and it would be nice if you were able to enjoy it instead of being your regular grumpy self when you awaken."
"I'm not grumpy. You people just don't know how to make coffee. If I had coffee, I wouldn't be so irritable," she muttered.
"We don't have coffee. Only a simulation. And irritable is the same as grumpy."
"I rest my case. It's your fault."
***
True to his word, Seth awakened a very irritable and grumpy Tabitha to watch the sun glitter across the rippling water of the lake. Hundreds of fish greeted it, breaking through the surface in high jumps and wriggling in mid-air before splashing back down.
"What are they doing?" she asked crankily, accepting the cup of 'fake' coffee.
"The orange sun reloads their photocells which attracts mates so that they may breed all through the season. Hold the picture that you colored open to the sun so we can activate it."
"It looks like all the colors are alive!" Tabby vociferated. "They are sending out rainbows!"
"In real paintings, these colors are projected in the direction the artist desires. They are not just painted for beauty, but for health and happiness. A home filled with art is one that yields the greatest peace and harmony."
"Unless there is a Helminth living there."
"Correct. Paintings only need to be activated once every five seasons or so. This technique of storing the orange sun's rays in liquid form was invented during the latter portion of the war as a weapon against invasion. It was incidentally found to have health benefits as well," Seth explained.
"We need art in the palace, Daddy. How about I draw pictures and we tape them to all the walls?" she asked with an evil grin.
"Believe it or not, I did that once. Father allowed me to attend public school, where I was introduced to art. I loved it, especially when I found out that the activated pictures would incinerate a Helminth. I was such a wicked child. Mother ranted about my trying to murder her for seasons. She made certain that I never had access to paints again," he said with a snicker.
"I agree. You were a wicked child." Tabby snickered back. "Although, had it been me, I would have found a way to draw on the walls themselves."
"Don't think I didn't consider that. Father forbade it, though. He said I had to be patient, and wait for the time when I would find my princess and we could dethrone her without causing a Helminth uprising."
"I'm surprised she did not try to thwart your dating."
"Oh, she certainly did. She made a public announcement that I was a hybrid, so as soon as I started school, I was shunned. It wasn't until some of the more rebellious girls approached me as a teenager that my hybrid gift was discovered." Seth winked.
"Your mother must have shit bricks!"
"No swearing, Tabby-cat." He tapped her lips. "But yes, her plan backfired completely and within one gossip session, I became a very popular young man. The ladies wanted me, and the men wanted to be me." He flexed his muscles and posed for her.
Tabby rolled her eyes. "Stop that. You look constipated. What was it like to be popular?"
"As a kid whose mother made it clear that he was an imposition, and a dad who was the king of a broken world, it felt good. It gave me a sense of belonging and acceptance, and made me feel like I was not so much of an oddity."
"I could never imagine you having been so insecure. I guess I never thought about how hard life could be even if you had a family."
"Our childhood has many similarities," he said gently. "Both of us were viewed as different, forced to be alone by circumstances out of our control, and were without the parental nurturing we needed. I did have Father's attention as often as he could be available, and I believe that his influence is what made me desire to be your daddy."
"Maybe, but I never desired to be your little girl."
"Honey, you have desired to be somebody's little girl from the very moment that you wrote this note." He produced her crayoned letter.
"Why do you have that?"
"I carry it with me everywhere to remind me of the gift that was given to me. Listen to these words."
He pulled her onto his lap and then read it aloud.
"If there is anybody out there who wants a little girl, please find me and take me home with you. I promise to be good. Here's my picture and a piece of my hair to help you know who I am.
Tabby-Cat"
He allowed the words to sink in before speaking tenderly. "You made a little wish upon a star, and look what you got."
"My wish came true, didn't it?"
"Yes. Like I said, so did mine."
Chapter Seventeen
"Are you ready for your first day of school, Snookums?" Kalavan asked.
Tabby wrinkled her nose. "Snookums? I'm begging you, please don't do that to me. Must I wear this get up?"
"I know you hate katas, but the Water Station can get chilly and we don't want you being uncomfortable and distracted from your studies."
"Daddy? Can't I wear the pants that we synthesized? Please?"
"This is Grandpa's decision, darling. Mind him," Seth said.
She sighed in defeat. "Yes, sir. Let's go."
"Don't sound so defeated. If you do well, I'll get you some ice-cream," Kalavan promised.
"What if I don't do well? What if I can't say things correctly?" Tabby pouted.
"I'll still get you some ice-cream."
"Okay! Bye, Daddy, love you!" she said, planting a quick peck on Seth's cheek and then running out the door. "OW!"
"Where do you go, human?" H'annaot's shrill voice demanded.
"Move aside and leave the child be," Kalavan ordered the Helminth. "I have duties to attend to that
are not your concern."
"With that thing? It needs a leash. And perhaps a pretty pink collar for its scrawny neck."
"This place needs some art work too, but I bet we won't see that happening any time soon, will we?" Tabby snipped, twirling her 'sun pen' in her hand and pleased to see a resultant cringe from the creature.
"Don't engage," Kalavan instructed the girl, his hand on her back and pushing her gently away. "Ignore her. It irritates her even more if she feels dismissed."
"How fluent do I have to be in your language to be joined to Seth?" Tabitha asked.
"Just enough to get through the ceremony. The words activate an ancient ruin that joins the couple in the spiritual realm," Kalavan replied.
"Is it like wedding vows on Earth?"
"From what I understand, those are just spoken words of a promise that can be broken."
"Yes, I guess there are a lot of broken promises back there. It's kind of sad, huh?"
The older man nodded. "These words bond the couple together forever. We have no divorce, marital disputes or fidelity issues here. The words activate a physical as well as an emotional bond that cannot be dissolved, except through death."
"What happens then?"
"Ceres is good to her people." Kalavan squeezed her hand. "Once the partner is lost, the survivor feels grief for about three moon phases and is then released from the bond. They still feel the loss, but the pain is relieved."
"What about family members?" she asked.
"The loss is felt for a very long time. Ceres is kind, but not perfect."
"I don't want to feel pain. Not ever."
"If you can't feel pain, then you can't feel love. Up you go," he said, helping her into his cruiser. "Let's speak of more pleasant things, shall we?"
"Things like why you are going to allow me to fly this crate instead of you?"
"I said pleasant, didn't I?"
"Well, it would make me feel positively rhapsodic. Isn't that reason enough?" she said and grinned. "Or must I remind you of a Grandpa's duties, including spoiling me?"
A Little Wish Upon a Star Page 19
