Serenitatem

Chapter 9

Tal wasn't really sure what he was getting into as he followed Elle out of the house. Sure, he knew the plan, but what would they find? He hoped the answers about Elle's father would bring her peace, and not hurt her further. Tal suddenly realized that he didn't want her to feel any pain over this. Earlier that day, she had been threatening him and he feared her wrath, but now they were united to reach one goal.

His initial fears about humans were ebbing away, like the waves gradually eroding rock, the more he saw what they were like. He at first thought Elle was cruel and cold, but she was weighed down by her father's absence and the mystery of it all. She didn't understand what was going on with him so he couldn't really blame her for being upset. He did like her spirit, which was a fiery as her hair. The only thing that made him squirm was her hatred of the sea, something she was not shy about in the slightest. He hoped that before he left, he could change her mind.

There was that one detail, though, that he noticed in the photo of her father. He could not tell her what it was without exposing himself and ruining everything. If she knew, he had no idea what would happen. Part of him wanted to protect himself, but another was saying Elle deserved the truth.

Tal was silent, thinking it over, as Elle rummaged under the deck looking for something for them to ride to town on, she said. As he waited, he could hear the gentle roar of the sea in the distance. Tal trembled slightly as it was calling him to come back, where he would be safe and happy forever. It was his instinct to return to the sea and it was getting harder to fight it now he was outdoors. He could smell the salt in the air and he closed his eyes as he breathed it in.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" Elle's voice abruptly cut in to his euphoric state. "Come on!" She had wheeled out a battered, metal contraption with seemingly two of everything, Two wheels, two handles, and two things that might have resembled seats.

"What is that?" Tal asked cautiously. There were so many strange contraptions on land.

Elle rolled her eyes. "Its a tandem bike! Did you ever see at least a picture of one before? Or maybe the song, A bicycle built for two?"

Tal was embarrassed and a little frustrated. He had no idea what Elle was talking about and he couldn't explain to her why. "No," was all he could say.

"Have you at least ridden a bike before?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

He took a deep breath. "You're not going to like this, but the answer it still no."

Elle sighed in defeat. "I'll teach you. I'll ride in the front and you second so it easier. Come on." She swung her leg over the first seat and waited for him to follow.

Tal just stared at her. There was no way he could do this! He was just getting used to walking and he didn't know how a tandem bike worked. "Can't we just walk?" he said, his voice higher than usual.

To his disappointment, Elle shook her head. "It'll take too long to walk." She got off the bike. "I'll show you." Elle was very kind in showing him how the bike worked. He had to keep his balance by holding the handlebars and work the pedals with his feet so the wheels would turn. Elle tried to demonstrate by riding the bike by herself, but almost fell over. Blushing, she said, "It works better with two."

Tal agreed to try it. When they were trying to cycle through the grass, he was pedaling so slow the bike was twisting and threatening to topple over. Elle called over her shoulder, "If you peddle faster, you're less likely to fall!"

Thirty minutes and four falls later, the pair were moving as quickly as possible down the dirt lane. Elle was definitely doing more of the work, but Tal congratulated himself on being able to keep his balance on the bike. He wasn't worried about his injured leg as merpeople healed fairly quickly compared to humans. It was probably pink and forming a scab by now so he wasn't worried about it bleeding through the bandage anymore. He was glad because that meant he would soon be able to travel safely home.