At the Bottom of the Ocean for a Night || Samuel Draco || Alea Aquarius

Chapter 3 The Seal Whisperers

Sleeping in an air bronn was not a good idea. Depending on how many air batteries they had, you had to be careful not to drain them too quickly. Replenishing stationary air bronns was a task of the seal whisperers, as the seals used them the most.

Sammy had asked Alea to give him all the book clams about seals and seal whisperers. He didn't know much Hajara at the time, but he wanted to read all about seal whisperers and also take precautions in case something was wrong with Fussel. By now, he knew most of his shell collection by heart.

So Sammy and Fussel dozed off until the early hours of the morning. At least that was what Sammy hoped for. It was very difficult to see if it was day or night. "What should we do now? I'd like to collect some shells." Sammy was really lucky that his pyjamas had pockets.

Fussel spun in the water. "Good, let's go!" Fussel kicked up some sand and floated up a bit. "You need air, don't you? Then let's swim up for a moment." Sammy swam up to Fussel, who pulled him to the surface.

It was only when Sammy swam up that he saw how beautiful the area was. A bit colorless, but some rocks seemed to stand in special formations. One looked like a star, others were just lines. He could see a huge rock on the horizon, but he was too far away to see the details.

Once on the surface, Sammy pulled off the air bronn. He let it float on the water in such a way that it automatically filled with air again. Meanwhile, Fussel swam in circles around him. They were already quite far from the coast. The Crucis did not leave the place where it had stood yesterday. Hopefully, Ben hadn't been looking for him all night. The sun was just rising.

Suddenly, another seal appeared next to Fussel. And another. Then a human head came out of the water. Sammy hadn't really paid attention to what was happening underneath him and was startled. "Hello?" he asked in Hajara. "Oh yes, hello." A sea person with dark hair tied up in a practical bun swam in front of him. They seemed a little confused.

"My name is Twan. Are you half a sea person? You speak Hajara pretty well, but you have an accent" That was pretty direct. Sammy pulled Fussel towards him. "No, I'm a land walker. I learned Hajara from..." He paused for a moment and wondered if he should tell that he had travelled with Alea. Most merfolk then only asked him about his time with Alea. "... my brother." This was not a lie. Ben had taught him a lot. "My name is Sammy." Twan nodded. "Cool."

It became uncomfortably quiet for a moment. The seals swam around them. Sammy glanced at them for a moment. "And the seals? Do they belong to you?" Sammy noticed that some of them were carrying some kind of scaffolding. Twan stroked a seal swimming by. "Yes. I have been taking care of the seals with my friends for two years. This one's called Ruby."

Now Sammy was getting excited. "You're a seal whisperer? I've read a lot of books about you. But of course, I only have a fraction of the knowledge you have. Can you teach me?" Sammy was talking faster and faster. "Can you take me with you? I want to know everything you know!" Twan laughed and replied, "Ok, ok. Come on down. Maybe I should introduce you to the others first. Can you swim with-" Twan points to Fussel. Sammy nodded. "She's called Fussel." Sammy nudged her. "Can we go?" It pulled up the air bronn again.

Twan laughed, dove under, and shouted, "If you can keep up!" Sammy smiled too and dove under. Fussel offered him one of her fins, which he accepted. Twan shot away. The seals followed. Sammy didn't stand a chance. He was just half as fast as Twan. Sammy noticed that they were swimming towards the big rock he had seen before.

Pictures and clues were painted large on the stone. In Hajara on the rock, it said in red: "Headquarters of the Baltic Sea Seal Whisperers" Sammy and Fussel came closer. Twan and the rest of the seals were already waiting. "Well. We still have to practice that. Later. Come in first." The rock had a hole in the side. There was a kind of curtain in grey, it already looked a bit worn, which hung in front of it.