IF AND ONLY IF

Silence!

"Is something wrong with our gifts?" a blonde in the crowd inquisitively asked
"There's nothing wrong with our gifts. Everything is okay" Fred warmly reassured everyone, still putting on a handsome smile.
"Then why is this newborn not morphing?" someone else asked, raising up another wave of murmur.
"He's not the first..." Fred said as he wasn't sure of an answer to give to the curious crowd who were hungry for answers
"So they'll be more?"   "No more gifts?"
"We need answers"    "What's happening?"
The crowd rumbled. The once peaceful arena suddenly became an angry mob.

"Silence!" The chief shouted, striking his staff hard on the ground.
"When have we become slaves to gifts. Gifts or no gifts, does it make anyone less a human?"
"But Chief, what becomes of my newborn? He's yet to morph and..."
"Enough" He ordered.
"Take your newborns home. The festival is over" he said to the crowd.

Sophie noticed the worry look on my face. She knew she shouldn't have made me come.
"Let's go..." she said as she held my hand and gave me a little drag.
"No"
"Someone has to give us answers!" I exclaimed
"Elsa! don't do anything stupid please" she begged
"Chief!" I shouted.
Everyone suddenly turned in bewilderment.
*Who dares call the chief with such disrespect * they all wondered.
But I didn't flinge a muscle. I stood my ground, trying to stay calm as my heart raced.
I took a deep breath.
"What happens to us. What happens to our gifts?" I asked, keeping my head up and my shoulders high. I was scared but I didn't want to show it.
"Go home young lady" the chief said, not even sparing me a glance.
"I will not!" " You can not cower away from your responsibilities by trying to shut me up" I fearlessly said.
Sorry, not fearlessly. Something way less than that. I was literally choking with my own breathes. The air around me grew thinner with each word I spoke.
  "How dare you call my dad a coward" Fred vexed. He angrily charged towards me, slowly morphing into a beast.
My breath suddenly paused. I forgot how to breath.
Standing before me was a full fleshed jaguar, ready to pounce.
I suddenly became stiff. I stared with open eyes as the beast ran towards me.
"Stop! Please" Sophie screamed at the top of her voice as she stood before me.
"Move! It's high time one of you gets taught a lesson."  The Chief bluntly said
"Please. I beg of you. Please" Sophie begged in tears.
I just stood behind her, as stiff as a sculpture. Speechless.

"Fred. Let the girl be." the chief pardoned.
"Let this never repeat itself again. Understood?"
"Yes chief.. Yes" Sophie fearfully nodded.
"You may all go home now" the chief addressed the crowd. Every single one of them we're still shocked to the marrow.

"Let's go" She said as she dragged me with her.
We went straight to the pond. It was our favourite spot, at least somewhere we could be alone, away from the village.

"You almost got yourself killed today" she angrily said.
"Someone had to say someth..."
"Elsa you almost got into a fight with Fred. A polymorph." she interrupted.
"You and I know very well that a jaguar was the least of the treacherous beasts he could possibly morph into. Yet, you still felt the need to be the messiah" she added.
"I'm sorry" I said, suddenly tearing up
"I just felt so bad for myself. For crying out loud, I'm the only one without a gift. Do you know how hard it is to live like that?"
"You don't need gifts to be you Elsa. Yes it's nice to be able to morph but that doesn't define who we are."
"You'll always be my friend. Gifts or no gifts." She warmly promised.
"Now enough of the talk about gifts. Who wants to swim? " she smiled.

She playfully pushed me into the freezing water as she jumped in too, morphing into a ray. Beautiful and elegant.
She was one of the few people in town that could morph into a sea creature(excluding the polymorphs of course).

We played together as we splashed water at each other, laughing, screaming.