Firefly. Part 20

"Once I checked the pool at night, and there were two tiny tree frogs sitting on the floating thermometer," he said. He liked telling her things because she liked hearing them. "I took them out; they don't forage in water."

"I've seen them on windowpanes. They're the cutest things."

Geode got out the brushes and the pole with the broomlike brush at the end. He started brushing the growing algae off the sides. This was the tedious part of it, because it was necessary to hold the brush in against the side while shoving it down to the bottom-without overbalancing and falling in himself. The job couldn't be rushed; the brush tended to skip out from the wall, leaving a patch of algae. He had let the pool go too long, and not watched the balance of chemicals closely enough; there shouldn't be so much growth.

"Where should I start?" none asked, picking up a brush.

"It's hardest to get it right at the waterline," he said.

She squatted at the edge and leaned down, brushing vigorously. The greenish color faded, leaving the white wall clean. She moved over, scrubbing the next section.

Geode was sweating before he was half around the pool, for this was vigorous work and the temperature was about ninety degrees Fahrenheit. none was warming up too.

"Is it all right to swim?" she inquired, pausing.

"Yes. just so long as the pool gets cleaned."

She stood and doffed her clothing. "You'll be more comfortable too," she said.

"I don't swim," he said.

"You don't?" She was surprised. "Would you like me to teach you?"

That had not occurred to him. "Yes."

"Then undress and come in. I won't let you drown."

Geode had never gone naked outside or by day. But she had set the scene. He set down the brush and removed his own clothing.

none stepped down into the pool. "Oh, that feels good now!" she exclaimed.

Geode joined her. They waded into the shallow end and down to the halfway line. She turned to him. "How much do you know about it, Geode?"

"I've seen people swim, but it doesn't seem to work for me."

"Maybe they tried to teach you by the sink-or-swim method. That's guaranteed to teach children the fear of water. They may learn to swim, but they never do it voluntarily after that."

"Well, yes, but that wasn't all."

"Let's sit down," she said. She waded to the Jacuzzi region and sat on the submerged concrete bench by the bubbling jets of water. Geode followed.

"What was it?" she asked.

"A fish talked to me."

"How wonderful!" she exclaimed. "A mermaid?"

"No, just a regular fish. It said it didn't like the chemicals in the water."

"So you got out, and when they asked you why, you explained about the fish and what it said?"

He nodded, embarra.s.sed.

"And they laughed at you."

He nodded again.

"So you never learned to swim," she concluded. "But now you will, Geode. And if you see that fish, show me. I won't laugh."

"Maybe the fish wasn't there. I know real fish don't talk. I-they say I have trouble telling what's real from what's imaginary."

"I wish I did!" she said.

He looked at her, surprised. "You do?"

"I would swap my imaginary life for my mundane life in a moment." Then she glanced at him. "Until I came here."

"You don't think I'm crazy?" She had rea.s.sured him before, but he had to ask again.

"What is the evidence of your craziness?"

'They put me in a mental hospital."

"They did that? Why?"

"When I told a doctor about talking with animals. He asked questions, he seemed to understand. Then he asked me to talk with someone else in the hospital, and I went there, and I couldn't get out. When I tried, they put me in restraints. After three months when they asked me if I still talked with animals, I told them no. It wasn't true, but I didn't like it in there. Since then I haven't told anyone but Mid."

"Why did you tell him?"

"He knew about the hospital. He understood. He gave me this job. I had to tell him the truth."

"And now you have told me the truth."

"Yes."

"The difference between us is that I learned earlier than you did to keep my mouth shut. Mostly. I learned to see that line between reality and fantasy. You learned only to say you saw it. You know that animals don't admit to talking to people, and people don't admit to talking to animals, so it doesn't matter what the truth is, you have to deny it."

"Yes."

"But you can tell it to me. I may not see or hear what you do, but I understand."

"Yes."

"Just as you understand about me."

"Yes."

She got up, turned, sat on his lap in the water, and kissed him. "I love it here with you, Geode."

"I-may I kiss you back?"

"Yes, you may, Geode, if you want to. Anytime you want to. I will let you do it by yourself."

Hesitantly he embraced her in the water. Her body was slick and wonderful. He moved his face toward hers, afraid she would turn away, but she waited for him. His lips touched hers. She neither helped nor hindered his effort. He withdrew.

"You never did that before," she said. "With anyone."

He nodded. The touch of their lips had been almost unreal, but now his pulse was accelerating. He had actually done it, as she said, by himself!

"You think that I may be like an animal, not really doing this, according to others."

"Yes."

"So we won't tell anyone else."

"Yes." He was relieved.

"Do you know about the little mermaid?"

"Who?"

"Then I will tell you. A simplified version, because it isn't my own story. A little young mermaid was following a ship, when a handsome prince fell off. No one saw him; he had been walking the deck alone at night. He couldn't swim, and was drowning, so the little mermaid went to rescue him. He was unconscious, so she held his head up so he could breathe. He looked so wonderful that she fell in love with him. She couldn't climb up on the ship, so she bore him away across the sea and toward the nearest beach. But she lacked the strength to bring him all the way there. She begged the lord of the sea for strength to do it, and he granted it, but he set a condition: she would die the day the prince married anyone else but her.

"She brought him to the beach, near a great palace, and pushed him up on it, but she could not follow. So she left him there, and watched, and saw a lovely princess come down and find him there and wake him. Naturally he thought she was the one who had saved him, so in due course he married her, and the little mermaid perished, her deed unknown."

"She died?" he asked, upset.

"It is the fate of those who love foolishly."

"But if the prince had known-"

"It is ironic," she agreed. "But sometimes they do know, and still they do not treat their nymphs well."

"I would never do that!" he protested.

"Today ordinary folk deny that mermaids ever existed. They say that they are confusions of sightings of manatees. So any little mermaids who love mortal men do so at their own risk."

He gazed at her, almost seeing her as a mermaid, with the st.u.r.dy tail of a fish. He embraced her again, and kissed her, and this time she responded.

"You are learning how," she said.

"I want to."

"I want you to." Then she bounced off his lap. "But I must show you how to swim!"

He joined her in deeper water. "Now first let's try the dead man's float," she said. "Toward the shallows, so you can always put your feet down and stand. Watch me." She took a breath, held it, shut her eyes, stretched her arms up over her head, fell forward, and kicked her feet vigorously. Her body did not sink; it floated slowly toward the edge of the pool. When her outstretched hands touched the wall, she put down her feet, lifted her head, and took a breath.

"Now you try it," she said. "If you sink to the bottom, we'll try something else."

Geode copied her exactly. In a moment he was facedown in the water, kicking his feet, going nowhere. But then he felt the pool wall. Surprised, he put down his feet and lifted his head. He had traveled the same distance she had!

"You did it!" she said excitedly. "For that the mermaid gives you a kiss!" She splashed into him and delivered it.

"But all I did was float," he protested, pleased.

"That's halfway there." She waded out again, standing breast-deep. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s floated. "Next lesson: same as before, only this time move your arms." She demonstrated, a.s.suming the same pose. She fell forward, kicked her feet in the dead man's float-but then stroked with her arms, first one and then the other lifting out of the water and cutting down through it. This time she moved forward much faster, and had to stop after just a few strokes.

He waded out and tried it. His effort was clumsy, but he did do it.

"And so you swam," she said. "Of course, it takes longer to learn to breathe while you do it, but you have the essence. Here, let me hold you while you try."

They set up chest-deep, and she put her arms around his torso, holding him up and in place while he tried kicking and moving. His left arm kept banging into hers, but his right worked effectively.

"Maybe backstroke is better," she said. "Try this." She demonstrated an easy float on her back, only kicking her feet. He tried it, and again it worked. He was amazed.

"So now you can swim," she said. "We'll practice more, of course, but you can see how easy it will be."

"Yes." He had never imagined that it could be so easy!

Now, thoroughly cooled oft", they resumed their scrubbing of the pool. Geode climbed out and worked with the long-handled brush, while none continued around the upper section with the hand brush.

When they had it done, they practiced swimming again. Geode was glad to do it, but also glad for the chance to be naked in her arms without the need to try for s.e.xual expression. It was much easier to enjoy her company and her embraces when no further performance was expected of him.

At last they emerged, and dried, and dressed. It had been a wonderful midday!

Geode looked at the clock and blinked. An hour and a half had pa.s.sed, when he thought it was half an hour! He was late for his rounds.

none came up beside him. "Did I hold you too long? I'm sorry."

"No, it was great! But-"

"I understand. You can make your rounds twice as fast without me, and now you need to."

"Yes."

'Then you had better go alone this time. Next time I'll be more careful. It was just so nice being with you, I didn't think of the time."

"Yes," he said gratefully. "Uh-"

"You don't have to ask, Geode," she said, stepping into his arms and lifting her face.

He kissed her. This, too, was a continuing amazement. Today he could swim, and kiss her, and he wasn't sure which was the more significant accomplishment.

"I'll make it back as soon as I can," he said. "And, when, tonight, uh-"

"Anything you want, Geode; you know that."

"I mean, would you tell another story?"