Serenay Moon
Special XXV: The gift of water
©2002 Kitty Ocean

 

"Are you okay?" He asked uncertain while he opened the door. "Do you need some help?"

The young woman walked inside the house, holding 2 bundles of sheets. "I'm fine." She smiled back.

"Are you sure?" He put down some bags. "Maybe you should lay down a bit."

The young woman ignored her husband. "Oh look!" She said to change the subject. "Your brother has brought the crib." She walked at the crib and looked at it. She then put one bundle of sheets in it, and laid the other in the brand new crib next to it.

She then stepped back and looked at them. He joined her and held her hand. "They are beautiful." He smiled, looking at the two babies. "They look just like you Aemilia."

Aemilia giggled and kissed the young father on his cheek. "I'm sure you had something to do with it too."

In the cribs, the two babies slept peacefully; tired of their journey into this world.

 

The next day, the new mother and father re-arranged the nursery. They expected one child, but suddenly they had two! "Next time." The father smiled while he placed the old crib. "We'll make an echo."

"How can you be sure I want to go through that agony again?" His wife replied. "Men, always thinking that getting a baby is light work."

"It is for a man." He smiled back. "Though your mood swings were a pain in the..." He got hit by a pillow. The young father grabbed another pillow and threw it back. Soon, the young parents had a small pillow fight.

Enjoying being home again, they suddenly heard a new sound. "Oh dear." Aemilia sighed. "I guess it has started."

Her husband stood up too. "Yeah, no more peaceful nights." Another sound filled the air. "I'll help you feeding the babies, Mrs. Ocean."

Aemilia walked out of the room. "Why Mr. Ocean, how considerate of you." Downstairs she gently took a baby and tried to stop the crying. "Could you take Starleen honey?" Aemilia asked. "Then I'll take Kitty."

He took a baby. "How can you be sure this is Starleen?" He asked.

"Can't you see you?" She held Kitty next to Starleen. "Isn't it obvious?"

The father looked at the crying babies while his wife got two bottles of baby-milk. "To be honest, I don't see a difference."

Aemilia laughed. "My dear!" She exclaimed while she gave Kitty a bottle. "My husband is one of the greatest scientists in the world, but he can't keep his own daughters apart!"

He smiled back while he gave the small Starleen a bottle. Happily, she sucked on it. "Just look at her." He sighed. "Isn't she special?" The little Starleen opened her eyes. "Just look! Her eyes have 3 colours! I've never seen this before! This is amazing!"

"Stop it!" Aemilia cooled her enthusiastic husband down. "She is your child, not some scientific subject!"

"I'm sorry." He apologised and played with his daughter.

In the mean while, Kitty has enough to drink and looked around. Her eyes kept on being focused on one small thing in the room: the fish tank. Softly, a small smile appeared on her face.

 

That night, Aemilia and her husband put Starleen and Kitty in their bed. "Sleep tight, sweethearts." She kissed them both. She pulled on the strings of the music boxes. It played a small soft melody and Starleen immediately fell asleep.

The mother and father silently closed the door and walked away. Kitty however, stared at her music box. It was a small yellow bird that wiggled with his wings. Slowly, the music stopped. When it stopped, Kitty lay still for a moment and then stretched her arms. She wanted to here more! But that small (in her eyes: big) bird was so far away! And that music was so nice!

The young girl released a small cry. There was no more music! Small tears rolled over her face, yet she remained quite silent (for a baby). She looked aside, through the bars of her crib.

Suddenly, she was completely silent. The tears dried up. She spotted a glass of water. Kitty kept looking at the glass, what was that? It looked the same as the big tank in the living room, yet there were no fish in it.

The glass shook a bit. Kitty kept looking. The glass shook a bit more. The water suddenly came out of the glass and danced through the air! Kitty laughed as only a baby could do.

As a transparent snake, the water danced to the small baby. Kitty stretched her arms and felt the wet water. She clapped and drops of water came everywhere.

 

In the middle of the night, the mother came checking on her babies. Both her children were fast asleep and she touched both their faces. "What the...?" She softly asked. "How did Kitty get so wet?" She picked the baby up and softly gave her some dry clothes. When she laid her back, Aemilia grabbed for the glass of water. "Where did all the water go?" She said confused.

 

A month later, Kitty and Starleen were taken outside. "Oh, Aemilia!" She heard and saw a young woman running at her.

"Clara, hi!" Aemilia waved back. "How are you?"

Clara gave Aemilia a small kiss. "I'm just great! Oh, this must be..." She looked in the carriage. "Hey... I thought..."

Aemilia nodded. "Yes, that's what we thought too. You wouldn't believe how hectic it was in the hospital."

Clara lightened up. "So, what are their names?"

She pointed at the girls. "Starleen and Kitty."

"And where is the father?" Clara asked.

"I'm going to visit him now." Aemilia answered. "They found something really weird at the aquarium."

"A new fish?" Clara asked while walking along with her friend.

She shook her head. "No, it's not a living thing. It's a rock. They found it in the belly of a shark; that's why the shark was sick."

"Oh, I remember." Clara nodded. "It was on the news. I'm so glad the aquarium decided to operate the shark. They could have just let it die."

The doors of the aquarium opened.  "I'm still very early." Aemilia walked through. "I wanted to stroll through the aquarium first a bit. I haven't been able to do anything for myself the past month."

"I'll go along." Clara suggested. "But aren't you afraid the girl will cry? Isn't it unhandy with babies?"

"It's adapting." Aemilia smiled. "But it's also a blessing. And did you know Starleen loves Classical Music, just like my husband?"

Clara gazed. "Are you kidding? Do you think she's a musical wonder?"

"Could be."

"And Kitty?"

Aemilia looked doubting. "I don't know. Sometimes she cries at night, and when she doesn't cry, I find her all wet."

"Wet?" Clara asked. "But I thought you had diapers?"

"It's not because of that!" Aemilia blushed.  It was the most normal thing in the world, but she still felt a bit uncomfortable talking about it. "It seems normal water."

"A leak?" Clara suggested.

"That's the most weirdest part." Aemilia added. "There is no pipe with water in the ceiling. And the ceiling is always dry! We have no idea where it comes from."

Clara thought a moment while they walked into a tube. The tube was made of glass and fish were everywhere! Above them, aside them, just simply everywhere.

"That's a weird fish." Aemilia pointed.

Clara looked and blushed. "One of the rarest one of all." She sighed.

"Why don't you ask him out one time?" Aemilia pointed at the diver. The diver spotted them and waved.

"Me?!" Clara asked. "I can't ask him out!" Blushing she waved back at the diver. "Why would he go out with me?"

The diver swam at them and made some signs. He put his arms together and rocked them as if he was rocking a baby. Aemilia nodded and took Kitty. Clara took Starleen and both were shown to the diver. "Look Starleen." Clara smiled. "That's Jacob!"

Starleen spotted the diver and began to cry very loudly. Aemilia and Clara traded babies and the mother tried her daughter to stop crying.

Kitty in the mean while giggled and laughed. She stretched her arms and touched the glass. A fish swam before the diver and Kitt stopped laughing. She just gazed at it and followed it as long as she could see. Clara smiled. "Yes Kitty, that was a fish. A little Blub-Blub!"

Jacob made some signs about leaving the aquarium. Clara and Aemilia nodded and put the babies back. Chatting, they walked through the tube, not noticing a sniffing Starleen and astounded Kitty. Fish! There were fish above her!

 

Jacob walked into the room. "Hiya Clara!" He smiled. "Hey, Aemilia. Great kids you have!"

Aemilia smiled. "Thank you. Have you seen my husband?"

"You mean Doctor Ocean?" Jacob replied. "Sure, he asked me to collect some more rocks to examine them." He walked at the babies and made some funny faces. "He should join us within 10 minutes."

Aemilia nodded. "Okay, but ehm... I have to go... you know? Just for a minute." She stood a bit nervous. "Could you?"

Both Clara and Jacob nodded. "The bathroom is the second on the left." Jacob answered.

As soon as Aemilia vanished, Clara and Jacob just stood in the room. "Ehm... Jacob... would you...?" Clara started, but was interrupted by baby cries.

Both Kitty and Starleen cried and Jacob and Clara each took a baby. They rocked them a bit, but they kept on crying. "Hush, little one." Jacob said to Kitty. He walked at a little radio. He put in a CD and pushed play.

"What are you doing?" Clara asked, trying to ease Starleen down.

Jacob rocked Kitty. "This always worked for me when I was a baby. It still calms me down when I'm nervous."

Clara listened at the CD. Out of the speakers did not come music, but the sound of the ocean! How could this help a small baby?

Starleen kept on crying, but as a miracle, Kitty calmed down. She even started to smile again! "There, I told you." Jacob smiled. "I just saw it in her face while she was in the tube. This one likes water!"

"I guess so." Clara still tried to calm Starleen down, but she simply wouldn't stop.

At that moment both Aemilia and Doctor Ocean came in. Aemilia quickly took Starleen, but she kept on crying and crying. "Honey?" Aemilia asked not long after that. "I don't think everything is all right with Starleen."

Doctor Ocean quickly walked at the crying Starleen and felt her forehead. Worries were all over his face. "Let's get her to the doctor."

At that moment, the smile of Kitty's face disappeared. She looked at her sister, the little one that kept on crying.

 

Not much later, the doctor joined Aemilia and her husband, who was holding Kitty. "How is she?" Aemilia eagerly asked.

The doctor looked sad. "I'm sorry, but this is a serious disease. I'm not sure if she's going to make it..."

Aemilia started to cry and looked for comfort in the arms of her husband. And as if Kitty knew what was going on, she cried too...

 

The End

<< Previous - Next >>