When they completed the morning chores, Halig miraculously materialized. “Come on, Earther. Time to show you who’s superior.” Laughing, the twins grabbed Annie by both hands and pulled her after them. “We will take you for a boat ride first.” Halig shouted and his sister added, “You will love it.”
Adorie skipped behind them, squealing in delight. “Take me, too. Chah mah?”
Haelee waved her away. “No, Adorie, not this time. There is no room in the boat. You must stay with Mother. We will take you next time.”
Adorie skidded to a stop, her rosebud lips forming a pout. “No.” she wailed. “I do not want to wait until next time. Kha nah mah. Kha.”
“Adorie.” her brother admonished. “Go back into the house. We will be back soon.”
The little girl stamped her foot and refused to budge. Halig laughed at her and made a comical face. With a snort, he turned to help his sister push their dory into the deep purple sea that licked the sandy shore. “That child is trying at times.”
“Halig, you must be more patient with her. She is just a baby.”
“She is a baby toth…”
“She is not. You were much worse when you were her age.”
“How would you know? You are the same age as I.”
Annie listened to their teasing banter with half an ear. While they got the boat ready, she walked up and down the pinkish sand, admiring the unusual crystal-like stones that lay scattered along the beach. Stooping, she examined one. It was multi-faceted and colored a deep, emerald green. She moved it with one toe and liked the way it sparkled. It was exquisite. Annie picked it up.
Holding it up to the sun, she delighted in its kaleidoscopic qualities. When she closed one eye and squinted through the small, transparent stone, she could see the landscape around her displayed in symmetrical patterns. It took a shout from Halig to break her concentration from the wondrous phenomenon.
“Earther. Wake up. Are you coming with us?” The boy called.
Annie’s head snapped up and she grinned. “Yeah. I’m coming.” She thrust the stone into a pocket and joined the twins at the boat. Haelee told her where to sit and she climbed into the high-sided boat and took her appointed seat in the stern. Haelee followed, leaving Halig to shove the boat into the water.
“Umphf. You females must weigh an earth ton.”
Annie cupped water and tossed it his way, managing to only hit his shins. The taller boy just laughed.
Bathed in an unfamiliar contentment, Annie leaned back against a cushion and let her hand drag in the swelling ocean water. It felt like the water in her bathroom—slightly thickened and warm. How would I describe this stuff? Sort of like Nana’s cornstarch gravy… Lifting her hand out of the foaming water, she looked at it in fascination. It was dry. Awesome…really, really awesome…
She sat up and grinned at the twins. “This stuff is so awesome. Liquid yet dry. Totally amazing.” Annie laughed. “And you guys don’t think twice about it. To you, it’s plain, everyday normal. Awesome.” She made a face. “Wish you guys could see my ocean. Johns Island…where my grandparents take me every summer…so different from here…” Leaning forward in earnest, Annie touched Haelee’s knee. “Have you ever visited Earth, Haelee?”
“No. The closest I’ve been is in the Spectrum with father…like when we brought you up…but never have I walked on the Earth’s surface. I will some day. Father has promised. But it is very dangerous. You Earthers are sophisticated enough now to make it far more dangerous than it ever was before.”
“Gee, that’s too…”
“Pah. Earthers are always seeing what they call FUO’s.” Halig interrupted with a snort.
Annie stuck her tongue out at the boy then grinned. “Oh, you think you’re so smart. For your information, it’s UFO not FUO. So there. Earth must be pretty darned special since it’s all you ever talk about. Sheesh.”
“Oh, you two. Please let us just enjoy the day.” Haelee waved her arms, almost catching her brother on the nose. Their laughter could be heard all the way back to the house.
They skirted the coastline of the small island, Halig pointing out interesting land formations or unusual plant life to Annie. Her face registered a comical series of expressions, from surprise to mirth to wonder—much to Halig’s fiendish delight. It took over thirty minutes to circumnavigate the island. Annie didn’t want it to end. The gentle wind, caressing and fragrant blew her curls away from her face. The air was fresh and had the scent of gardenias and lilacs, mixed with subtle scents of things fruity and spicy. Annie breathed in and exhaled slowly. She felt great—full of energy and a burgeoning zest for life. It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced for a very long time—if ever.
They passed the thick grove of pahjah trees—the trees that Annie thought looked like weird palm trees—and an immense garden where Aeldorah grew a vast variety of vegetables. They saw the house from different perspectives, and Annie marveled at its intricate simplicity in design. She exclaimed over and over how much she liked the quaint round windows.
“Oh, I love your windows. That’s another thing way different from Earth. I mean, we do have round windows on some buildings, but mostly, people go in for rectangular or square shapes for their windows. I love these. I especially love how all your windows are made from colored glass. Why?”
“We love color almost as much as we love music,” Haelee told her new friend. “Beauty in our everyday surroundings is another form of prayer to us. We give back to the Infinite One the beauty he has given us.”
“That sounds so nice,” Annie said. “So nice…”
“Yes,” Halig joined in. “Our house was designed and built by the famous architect, Gohbach Crahnogh. He’s amazing and in high demand. Father is fortunate to have him as a close friend.”
“Yeah, he sure is,” Annie agreed, smiling at the boy. It was odd how shy she felt in his presence. Back home, she hadn’t cared much about the boys in her class, declaring them all obnoxious bores. But Halig…there was something so intriguing about him—the way he tossed his blue hair and how his eyes would glint with pure mischief—his lithe build and the way he played the zhern. He fascinated Annie.
By the time they’d returned to the stretch of beach in front of the house, Annie was feeling a heady exhilaration. “Oh, gosh. Do we have to stop? Can’t we stay out on the water longer? This is so awesome.”
“I want to go for a swim,” Haelee said, hopping out of the boat, indifferent to the calf-deep water. “Do you not want to swim, Annie?”
“Sure. But I don’t have a swimsuit. Can I borrow one?”
Halig chortled. “Swimsuit. Who needs a swimsuit. What an idea. Swimsuit—what a crazy word.”
Annie glanced worriedly at Haelee. “But…you don’t go in naked, do you?”
Her friend looked taken aback at this idea. “Naked? Oh, no. Never.”
“Then, what—”
“We just wear what we have on, unless it is too cumbersome or something,” Halig explained in exasperation. “Come on, Haelee. I am going in now. No more talking.” And with that, the boy splashed out into the curling sea.
Annie watched, a slight smile touching her lips. Again an overwhelming awe left her breathless and a little dizzy. Swimming in your clothes. Of course. Why not? You didn’t get wet so you wouldn’t ruin them. They didn’t absorb the liquid so they wouldn’t get too heavy. She stepped into the lapping surf, and, with a loud squeal, dove in.
Swimming in the Ahrmoiran sea was a sense-experience Annie would never forget. Like being submerged in a huge bowl of pudding—that’s the only thing she could think of to describe it. Like swimming in a great big bowl of purple pudding. What a thought. Wouldn’t Jenny laugh if she heard that? The stuff was thicker than Earth water, warm, caressing, but absolutely dry. The seawater was heavier than Earth’s and very dense. It was almost impossible to sink. Annie found that it was a real workout and took constant pulling and thrashing to swim underwater and not be buoyed right back up to the
surface.
After several minutes of splashing and cavorting, Annie returned to the beach—just to marvel again at the condition of her jumpsuit. To come out of a living, undulating ocean only to discover that her clothes, her hair—everything—was dry, was beyond comprehension.
She lifted her arms and shouted. “This…is…awesome.”
Halig rode into shore on a curling wave. Hopping to his feet he tweaked Annie’s cheek. “Come on, Earth-girl. You are wasting a perfectly wonderful day just standing there like slihl.”
“Slihl? What’s slihl?”
“Slihl is what you call seaweed, silly woman. Now, are you coming, or do I have to drag you in?”
“I’m coming.” Annie laughed. Halig grinned and dove into an in-coming wave. Annie was right behind him.
The three of them swam and played in the sea for over two hours. Annie was enthralled by the way Haelee’s long, straight hair drifted out behind her as she swam underwater. It floated around her head like thousands of sinuous, living tendrils—each filament stretching out as though reaching for the farthest boundaries of the sea.
They came out only after being called four times to lunch. With great reluctance, Annie followed the twins into the house for the mid-day meal. Aeldorah smiled at them indulgently as they sat down at the small table in the kitchen.
“So, you finally heard me. I was afraid that you had all lost your hearing. I knew it could not be that you were ignoring me,” she chided.
“Oh, Aeldorah. It was-it was…it was awesome.” Annie stammered. “I’m the one who didn’t want to leave. I’m sorry, but I…but I…”
“I understand, Child. You were experiencing something beyond your reason. Do not worry. I knew you would come eventually. The meal could wait.”
“Thank you. My head is spinning. Wow, what a day this has been, and it’s only half over.”
“Yes, you have experienced many memorable occurrences, and that is why I suggest you lie down for a while. You do want to be rested for this evening’s hahlmahnahtah, do you not?”
“Yes, I do. Will the moons be out again?”
“Yes. And they will be even brighter as we are drawing closer to Ehsbahtah, a joyous holy time when all three moons reach their fullness simultaneously. The spectrum of light they generously bestow upon the land is breathtaking. You will be in ecstasy.”
“Wow. I hope I won’t freak out. I’m still embarrassed about last night. I acted like such a baby,” Annie said ruefully.
“Nonsense. You are remarkable, child.”
After eating their lunch and tidying up, Halig retired to his room to practice his zhern, while the girls went off to their respective rooms to rest. Aeldorah put Adorie down for a nap and then went into the room set aside for art to work on a watercolor she had started only that morning. It depicted a young girl with short, curly brown hair lifting her arms up to three huge moons. She named it ‘UnEarthly Bliss’ and wanted to surprise Annie with it before the girl had to return to her own world.
SEVENTEEN
Annie lay on her bed in that in-between-state of wakefulness and sleep when an energetic pounding on the door roused her to alertness. She sat up. “Yes?”
“Come outside with us, Annie.” Halig called from the other side. “We are going to play with the pahlpah.”
“The what?” Annie sprang from the bed and rushed to open her door. A grinning Halig leaned against the doorjamb. “What are you going to play?”
“Come out and see. I think you will like it. Haelee is waiting for us with three pahlpahs.”
Annie followed the boy outside but came to a sudden stop when she saw what his twin had beside her on the wide lawn. Three huge bubble-like spheres—at least six feet in diameter—rested on the light green grass. They were opalescent, reflecting prismatic colors like glass balls on a Christmas tree. Annie stepped over to one and touched it. It felt like…she closed her eyes for a moment to collect her wits. It felt like a soap bubble…soft, delicate, not there…but it didn’t pop when she nudged it. She pressed her hand harder against its shimmer-y, iridescent surface…it surrendered to her touch and her hand sank into its glassy depths…but the sphere didn’t evaporate or burst. When she released the pressure from her hand, it immediately resumed its globe-like shape.
Annie grinned up at the twins in sheer delight. “What is it? It’s like—it’s like a gigantic soap bubble, but…”
“We call it a pahlpah,” Haelee explained. “You bounce it, toss it, push it toward another player, fall into it—you will bounce right back—it carries you around like a balloon, but…”
“Oh, come on, Haelee. No more talk. All you girls do is talk. Let’s play.” Halig leaped onto one of the balls. Sinking into its very essence, he became one with the giant bubble and bounced with it as it danced across the yard.
Annie squealed in a moment of heady delirium. With a wild jump, she landed on the nearest pahlpah and felt herself cradled within a filmy something-ness that enveloped her in absolute nothing-ness. The strange sensation was inexplicable. Her mind could not describe—even to herself—what floating on—in—the curious ball was like. It was like nothing she’d ever experienced before.
For an hour or more, they bounced, floated, and danced with the large pahlpahs. Halig delighted in bounding across the wide lawn in his gigantic globe, chasing after the girls as they tried desperately to control the erratic bouncing and floating of their own shimmering bubbles. Adorie, meanwhile, pranced and somersaulted, and screamed in ecstasy as the giant bubbles bounced and hovered around her—at times carrying her with them. Their laughter filled the island as music fills a symphony hall. Aeldorah watched from the window with amusement, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth, like the pahlpahs lifting the children.
The scene in the Draehl front yard was comical. With three large pahlpahs going in diverse directions, it resembled a circus gone haywire. Once, Halig’s sphere collided with Annie’s and, for a breathless moment, the two bubbles were Siamese twins—attached at the ‘hip.’ Then they broke apart and Halig laughed uproariously while Annie shrieked with heady joy.
“Watch out, little Earther.” Halig shouted with unabashed glee. “My pahlpah will swallow yours and then where will you be?”
Annie wasn’t about to give any sign of submission. “Oh, yeah? You’re the one who better look where he’s going. My pahlpah rules. It’s going to absorb yours in nothing flat. Here I come.” Their laughter was contagious.
* * * *
That afternoon, returning from one of his numerous outings, Craddohk landed the hoverlight on the docking pad and paused to watch in amused wonder as his son and daughters and the Earther played, laughed, and shrieked within the gigantic bubbles. Halig spotted him first and shouted to the others that their father was home. “Father. Father is home. Father, I have made these women dizzy with keeping up with me.”
Annie, bouncing toward the docking pad in a clumsy attempt to beat Halig there, shrieked. “That isn’t true, Craddohk. Don’t listen to him. Your son is delusional.”
Aeldorah, hearing their shouts, came to the door—her face registering surprise mixed with joy. “Craddohk. You are home early.”
She hadn’t expected her husband until later, Annie knew, and the woman’s obvious delight in having her spouse home was startling to see. Annie’s pahlpah slowed its erratic bouncing as she focused on the couple’s reunion after only a few hours. Jeez…look at them…they’re acting like a couple of newlyweds…my parents never act like that—all mushy and kissy-kissy…why? Why are things so different here?
Craddohk beamed and sprinted over to his wife. “Yes, I am home early. I sneaked out before anyone was the wiser. I shall do double-time tomorrow, I fear.” He lifted a parcel and waved it at the three still molded within their bubbles. “I have something for Annie.” he shouted. “Come. See what I have brought her.”
In seconds they were free of the pahlpahs. Annie and Haelee left Halig to deal with the spheres and skipped across the gr
assy area, arm-in-arm, with little Adorie at their heels. Craddohk grinned and handed the large, paper-wrapped bundle to Annie and laughed at the astonished look on her face.
“For me?” Annie gasped.
“For you to use while you are with us. I hope it is to your liking.”
Annie tore off the paper and stopped in amazement as she saw what he’d given her—an old, very valuable, Stradivarius violin. “Oh, my…” was all she could say.
“Will you join us this evening in hahlmahnahtah?” Craddohk asked.
Annie met his inquiring gaze and a smile slowly, shyly spread across her face. “I’d like that, but…”
“But?”
“I-I’m not very good. I mean, I haven’t played for a while and…”
“You will do fine, Little One. Have faith in your talent. It is a gift from the Infinite One, is it not?”
“I—yes, I guess it is.” Annie’s eyes widened. “But where did you get it? This is a very valuable instrument. One that is treasured back on Earth.” She raised the bow in her left hand. “And this bow…it feels awesome…”
“A friend of mine received it from her grandfather. He went on, uh, a mission to your world many years ago and found it. The violin is a Stradivarius, as you noted, but what is more important, the fine bow you hold in your hand was made from the most perfect of woods.”
“It was?”
“Yes. Even on Ahrmoira we haven’t such a perfect wood. It is from the pernambuco tree found in your Brazilian forests.”
Annie examined the bow with unveiled fascination; waved it up and down, from side to side—testing its delicate balance, strength, and resilience. “It does feel nice,” she murmured, “different…but very nice…”
“As it should. I have heard that a fine bow is better than a fine violin. It should be as light on its feet as the most graceful dancer.”
“It’s wonderful.” Annie smiled. “Thank you so much.
“You are most welcome. When my friend heard that you played the violin, she begged me to let you use it while you were here. In payment, she would like to meet you and hear you play. You would do this?”
Centauri Serenade Page 10
