Rusałka Mami travels: Adventures of Tomomi Ogawa and the Odd Water Nymph.

Chapter 1

Written by Crystal, edited by myszkin & Crystal

Ostroda is a quiet place, steeped in Slavic lore with spirits of nature dotting the many place well kempt by nature, undisturbed by humans. However as time goes on, the sightings and the superstitions have disappeared just as the beings themselves have faded into the fabric of human society, as humans no longer believed in their presence. The rusalkas were no different; beautiful ladies of the lake domain, or simply water nymphs captured through the human lenses as pale youthful women bathing and combing their luscious blonde locks and leisurely frolicking around in their watery domain or dancing together in the forest during summer. Don't forget the occasional seduction and eventual drowning of an unwary individual. However time passes, fun and excitement wears itself away like water running over river rocks. And the ladies themselves leave to pursue their curiosities beyond the comfort of their watery homes. One nymph stood her watery ground and watched her sisters leave one by one through the years, before the day struck and she too had thoughts what was to be, beyond the horizon the eye could see. Her name? Mami. This is her story.

-

Mami speaks.

People often say they like a calm stable life, free of turbulence and dismay. Perhaps the human life is too short to know of the extremes of boredom that I've encountered. The boredom and absence of much change and new experiences has sent many of my sisters packing, to join the humans and their quest to fulfil their wants and desires. I've heard many of them have settled down and had families, perhaps revealing their secret, shocking their spouses to be. I've wondered how they fare since not one of them has returned. I hope for the best but also fear of the worst in the world out there beyond the safe heaven of the lakes.

With eight months of dreadful cold and gloom, and four months of nothing better, I'm still surprised I haven't left my watery home. Being either wet or damp or cold is never really fun. Unfortunately I've been cursed to be either one or more of those three at all times. It's time I've had enough. Someone, something, deliver change to my punishing life! That was what I yelled one stormy night. You know it's one of the things you do when you're drenched by torrential rain and when no one is around to hear you. It was all very cinematic as the humans like to refer to. But I'm afraid the change sent from heaven was not what I expected.

-

I'll bring you back to the day when my thoughts started to drift away. It was a break in the rainy and gloom, a nice day on the weekend that brought the occasional bus load of tourists to town. Trust me, I know who's a local and those that come and go. I stalked, I mean watched, watched remember, a lady who was standing, bending, and squatting as she made her way around much of the lake. She had long dark brown hair, she was short like a child but she sounded mature, she wore glasses and had a face that didn't look like she was from around here. She talked in a strange accent to the locals who didn't quite know what she was saying. You might have guessed all that standing, bending, and squatting was her way of operating that thing you humans call a camera. She sat down at a pergola to rest. She pulled a book out from her bag but was distracted by her communication device, I mean phone. Yes I know the correct term for these Homo sapiens possessions. She stood up, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips tightened, that means she's concerned or worried. Within seconds, she was out of sight.

I eyed the book that she left. I decided I shouldn't touch other people's property because it didn't feel right. And by human terms it would be considered stealing, so I watched patiently until night fell and then my patience ended. I wondered if the lady valued her possessions at all, to be so careless. Out of curiosity of what the book entailed, I wanted to run across the concrete walkway and to the pergola but night had set in and I would be cold and sneeze five times or more if I got out of the water. So I decided to wait it out till tomorrow's daylight to check out the book.