"I don't remember much of the cave-witch's death, only the dark dusty crystal with her final breath."
--old seafaring rhyme, possibly about the Sea Lady
Dr. Baleen folded blood-smeared, rubber-gloved hands. The massive green blob writhed in pain, before slumping into a deep sleep on the silver exam table.
"Our activists aren't gonna like this," she warned a male vet tech, shaking her head, "And Queenie'll have my hiiiiide."
The young man swallowed nervously.
"Is it...?"
"No. It's a bacterial infection, I'm afraid. A bad one. And the lack of a face doesn't make it any better-- no airways to open. In all my days as a marine veterinarian, I've never seen such a thing."
The male vet tech turned to the huge, rectangular water-tank, with its hungry brown snails, puffy Yurotimi rubyfish and orange algae-squirrels.
"Should I return her to the tank?"
"Not yet."
The vet tech opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.
"What was that?" Dr. Baleen asked.
"Just some silly rumor about the Sea Lady."
"About her face? Do tell."
The vet tech bit his lip, glancing over each shoulder.
"Well, they say it has to do with Queenie's cousin, Calliope. You know, the Executioner."
Dr. Baleen's eyes bulged, emphasizing her spidery false lashes.
"Mmm-hmm."
"Calliope cursed the Sea Lady years ago, while trying to steal her opal. The opal is...no one knows who it's for, her or us. But the Sea Lady definitely wasn't meant to be faceless."
"That foul, scrawny snake!" Dr. Baleen hissed, "I hope Calliope Chu is rotting in Kuratheim this minute!"
She kicked the table-post until her toe hurt. The vet tech pursed his lips.
"We can only hope, Dearbhla."
The marine vet frowned.
"You know how I feel about you calling me by my...!"
"Skrreeeee!"
They whirled around. The Sea Lady sat up and stretched her eight legs, before attempting to slide off the exam table. Dr. Baleen rushed over, pushing her upright.
"Did you hear that?" the vet tech asked.
She nodded, still shocked.
"How do you think...?"
Dr. Baleen turned the Sea Lady over. Her smooth, golden beak and bulging emerald eyes had returned, along with the mouth gaping under her slimy body. The vet tech helped carry the octopus back into the tank, watching her make a triumphant splaaaash!
YOU ARE READING
Palace Walls
FantasyIf this story looks familiar, it's because I'm rewriting it. I have no idea how long this will take, so please bear with me. ONGOING/UNFINISHED The drawing of Clotilda is old btw...I've improved since then. Yes, I know that ghosts are real...but thi...
