More Than a Lifetime #4: A Love Less Ordinary

Chapter 8

Dani carefully stepped over a large rock, placing her hand on a nearby tree for balance and support. A few more steps and she was at a more level clearing. She looked up from the ground and witnessed one of the most beautiful sites she'd ever seen. Merely a few feet away was a massive waterfall that emptied into a crystal clear lagoon below. She turned to Dukat, who was coming up behind her.

"This is absolutely beautiful," she told him.

"It's one of my favorite places," Dukat said. He was speaking of Cardassia IV, where he and Dani had been for the last two days. Six hours after their conversation on DS9, they had been on Dukat's ship on their way away from the station. Now, they were reveling in the new-found freedom of finally being able to do what they wanted without any regard as to who might be watching or what might be said about them as a result. They were alone.

Dani turned back to the view of the waterfall. "Is there a name for it?" she asked.

Dukat replied with something in Cadassi that didn't translate via the universal translator. "What was that?" Dani asked him. Dukat repeated himself, and Dani still didn't understand it. She concluded that it was a word not programmed into the UT system. Dani repeated the word softly to herself.

"What does it mean?" she asked him.

"It means 'endless fall'," Dukat informed her.

"Endless fall?" Dani repeated.

"Yes. See how the water appears to fall through the surface of the water and continue falling down to the bottom of the lagoon?" Dukat pointed out to her.

Dani peered over into the lagoon as far as she could from her and Dukat's vantage point. It did appear that the water broke the surface and continued falling.

"How is that possible?" Dani asked.

"No one really knows for sure," Dukat replied. "There are many theories. One of the most popular is that it only occurs when an especially magnetic person is in the vicinity." Dani's eyes travelled away from the water and met Dukat's. "I'm telling you the truth," Dukat insisted.

Dani turned back to the waterfall, deciding to advance toward it. Dukat followed her, curiosity brewing concerning her intentions. He followed as she moved closer and closer to the water.

Standing near the water's edge, Dani finally returned her gaze to Dukat and asked, "This stuff isn't toxic or anything, is it?"

"You could drink it, if you wanted," was Dukat's reply.

Dani nodded, Dukat's answer being enough permission for her. She sat down on a large boulder and removed the hiking boots and socks that she'd put on that morning. Placing them to the side, she tentatively dipped her right foot into the shallow pool of water. Like everything else Cardassian, it was quite warm for a natural water source - but not unbearably so. Satisfied that she wouldn't be the victim of some type of temperature shock, she stepped into the water, planting both feet firmly on the smooth, stony bottom.

"What are you doing?" Dukat asked her.

"Wading," Dani said.

"Why?"

"Plenty of reasons - it's hot here, wading is fun, the water feels good. And perhaps the most valid reason of all: I was curious."

"About what? Whether Cardassian water feels any different than Terran water?"

"I suppose. But not specifically." Dani kicked at the water. "Haven't you ever merely been curious about something for the sake of being curious. Like you just wanted to know more about something just because? Like you didn't always have this agenda to follow?"