Life goes on at Hope Terra, the tiny island surrounded by a few rocks and the ocean. Raising four kids alone is hard enough, if it isn't also Winter, and their's out of food most of the time. While the water is this freezing cold, Hope thinks diving underwater would be too risky. After all, she is now half human.
One day she tells the kids about their granddad, the merman Aquator Merez. Aquid is the oldest, wearing a yellow t-shirt. Davitor is the other one, both with their mother's hair colour. The two girls are still toddlers, too young to understand it all.
Hope walks Aquid and Davitor to the southern end of their land. Out there is the huge rock called The Portal of Mersea South. That's where Hope lived with her little family before she met the Sailor. The boys are fascinated, although they are half mermen, they find it hard to believe that someone an live under thathuge rock in the waters.
Then a familiar old merman shows up, waving at them. It's Aquator! Hope can hardly believe her eyes! She shouts to him that she will be swimming again as soon as waters get warmer!
Aquator hears that his dear daughter Hope shouts something, but why does she speak the weird human sounds that he can't understand? Why does she stay there on land day after day, instead of visiting him? The plan was to communicate every now and then! He needs to tell Hope where his secret Kelp Farm is located. He must warn them about the toxic that is still spreading. The contact with Hope failed, he understands that much. Her kids look lovely, he has observed them many times playing up there in their garden or on the little beach.
Old Aquator has news for Hope, about her half sister Myrnah. Myrnah ran away long ago to marry one disrespected guy of the Mudder group! Aquatore has not heard from her since, but knows that she had at least one child somewhere. He has given up to see any of his girls again. It will soon be time for him to swim away through the portal.
He wishes he could hug them all just once.
Hope misses Rasmus. Not just because she loved him very much, but she is now the only adult on Hope Terra.
She paints his portrait from her memory, while she still can recall his looks. And it feels better for a while.
But then she picks up the golden ring that she got from her mother, Shimmere Merez. Hope really needs the powers of the ring now! Power of Growth, leading to food and control. So why is Hope and the four kids constantly hungry? The ring is supposed to work for her entire household even when she is not wearing it. She puts the ring away, it's supposed to be carried on wedding day, and then not again until she is elderly, unless one of the four kids inherits it.
It's too cold to stay outdoor. She spends the days with the kids, but every now and then she gets sad from missing Rasmus and longing for her father. Spring is still some months away.
Aquid and Davitor love playing in the snow. It's cold, but they will soon need to be tough anyway, so Hope allows them.
At night the boys play chess up in the tower where they sleep.
Hope checks on them without interrupting. She needs to make sure they are safe. She can't afford to lose any of them, like she lost Rasmus years ago.
The garden is frozen, but Hope talks to her plants anyway. She prefers to eat fish, but she thinks that vegetables will be good for the kids. And they also need to learn how to grow food.
Aquid and Davitor are more interested in building a snowman. When they become teens, it will be time for them to help catching more food, building whatever they need and to help harvesting Kelp.
Davitor likes to paint, while Aquid is more eager to play chess. And they both like to fish a little, especially on the beach where they can look out for granddad Aquator. Hope knows that some time in the future there will be a fight over this house. Maybe the girls will be claiming it, too.
It's finally Spring, and Aquid has become a teenager. Animere is no longer a toddler.
Hope tells Davitor and Animere to look for little Shimmerita while Hope and Aquid are gone.
Hope will teach Aquid to swim now that he is old enough to use his fishtail! They will go underwater together to visit Aquator and to harvest Kelp at the Portal of Mersea South.
A little practice and Aquid is good to go!
They go underwater. Hope recognizes their old home. Over there is the portal. Over there grows some Kelp. But where is Aquator?
Nobody lived here for a while. Hope can tell from the plants, the Kelp plants near the portal are not harvested in a very long time. She realizes that her dear father, Aquator Merez, most likely have swum away...
Next update March 10th!
Two family members had a birthday, Aquid and Animere, so below are their fact cards. On the Hope Terra main page you will find all the current household members' cards :)
No comments:
Post a Comment