Sita
I swim and swim and swim until I find my dolphins. We twirl around each other before slowly surfacing. As soon as my head breaks water, I turn into my human form.
As human as I can be.
The water touching my human skin calms me.
My emotions are the strongest I've ever felt.
I float. Tears still leave me.
Mother cow nudges my size with her smooth nose.
"You're with baby. Stress is not a suitable or highly spiritual environment," she squeaks.
It makes me cry out more.
"Why are you crying Sita?" I'm asked by a different dolphin.
"I don't know. I know so much, but I don't know. I don't really know anything... I don't know what this is. I don't know what these feelings are-"
"Have you been eating pearls?" I'm asked.
"I've eaten so many peaaarlllsss," I weep.
The motions in the water cradle me.
"I don't know anything. Why do I feel like this? Why did I save him in the first place? Why do I feel that rumbling in my core to do so again every time he needs me... every time he needs something? What gave me this egg other than his fertilizer? Why did they give me this egg? Why do I admire his being and beauty? Why do I want to exterminate my egg... and why do I want to keep it all in the same moments?" My own confession shocks me.
I stare at the sky while I float. My arms and legs stretch out. Not one dolphin speaks.
"Did I just admit that?" I ask.
I moan out. Clicks leave my throat. The dolphins echo, but don't string together full sentences or words.
"He's so worried about me and how I feel..."
I groan and let myself sink beneath the surface.
... but in all honestly he's feeling too. Does he mean what he said?
Mud
Why does it feel so strong? Why does it always feel so strong?
I drop down into the second level of his cave. When I make contact with the pools and the duel gender image that's shown in the rock, an indescribable power enters me through my eyes.
I immediately bow, resting on my hands and knees. Fear creeps up on me.
"I'm hurting him..."
"Yes you were harsh many of times, but right now... Sita is hurting himself," I hear.
I look up, trying to find who spoke those words. The voice was like a humans voice.
"So if his name is Mud can we call him Dirt momma?" I hear.
I spot a small monkey. The white in his tail tells me that he's one of the monkeys that lead me down here my first time. It makes me smile, but not for long. His mother'w words sink in.
"No... just because your name is Tree doesn't mean you let people call you Trunk," she schools her baby.
"What if I like Trunk... like an elephant berrr," the small monkey tries to make an elephant noise.
I laugh.
"You... you could call me Dirt as long as it isn't an insult," I make clear, fascinated by this new perception of a world I was already getting used to.
I swollow hard and look at the sandy floor when I think about Sita... and our egg.
"Give something to the pools... and they will help you," the larger monkey snatches up her child and leaves me there.
I look at the pools, skeptical, but eager.
I'm not skeptical of this force... or the magick. It's just-
"But," I try, but both monkeys are gone.
My eyes rest on the center pool were I was cut. I got over to it and find that my necklace is still there.
"I don't know what to give," I let my eyes meet the beautiful being shown before me in stone yet again.
A strong feeling manifests in my gut.
Should I go?
Images of Sita flash vividly through my head; i quickly take off.
What if I made Sita upset by being here?
The hot sand burns my feet ass I run out of the lower cave and around what used to be a mound full of lava.
As soon as I enter where Sita and I sleep, I freeze. His head pops up from under the water, fully human; dark hair floats on the surface. His beauty sucks me in, but it's not trance like at all.
I'm afraid to speak-
He pulls a bundle of fish out of the water, swings it, slaps in on the cave floor, then pulls himself out of the water. Instead of standing he lays on his back. The way he does worries me.
"Are you okay?" As soon as I ask he puts his hand on his stomach and starts breathing heavily.
He mumbles something I can't understand. Instead of asking him to repeat himself, I wait for him to translate instead of prying. He hisses like he's hurt. I get on my knees near him and looks for injury.
Please be okay. No more bad. I'll pray for better.
He waves my hands away.
"Tired... heavy," he says.
His body... you've never carried seed before.
I lift him and carefully place him in his bed. He doesn't fight me or speak. Just closes his eyes.
I wanna tell you to take it easy. I want to tell you to let me pick up the duties, but we're so off. We're so opposed.
I stand without speaking and grab his catch and a knife.
You rest and think... I'll take care of you... the best I can.
Hmmmm? Pulled this outs my coochie oochie oola wala snatch.