The Fool By The Seaside | mclennon

10

Chapter 10: Friends, they matter.

Paul's eyes moved under his eyelids as he dreamt. He was in a long field, no end in sight. A large sheepdog was running around him in circles.

"You ready to go, Paul?" A familiar voice said to him.

He turned around, suddenly finding John in front of him. John had legs and he didn't appear to have a problem with them. He was wearing drainies and an attractive leather jacket. A guitar was slung against his back.

Paul stared. "John?"

His lover tilted his head, "Problem?"

"How, how are you-"

"Oi lads, you ready t'go?" Came an unfamiliar voice.

Paul turned around as John nodded at the coming man. He was short and had a large nose, Paul had never seen him before.

The short young man was wearing a thick scarf around his neck and his hands were covered in rings. "'ello, Paul." He said with a smile, "Johnny."

John looked at him, "What to you so long, Ringo?"

"Ringo?" Paul asked, confused at the foreign name.

John tilted his head, "Yes. Ringo, Paul."

The human frowned, "Who the hell is he?"

The short man didn't seem offended at Paul's tone. "I'm here to help you, Paul."

Paul turned to look at him, "What's happening? Who are you? John?" But when he turned back, his lover was gone. "John!"

"He was just a dream." Ringo said.

"Aren't you?" The human retorted, upset at the confusion.

"No, like I said, I'm here to help you." Ringo answered him. He smiled, "I'm a friend of John's."

Paul stared at him, "A Merrow? Siren?"

"Poseidon no!" Ringo laughed, "I'm a cecaelia."

"A saca-what?"

The shorter man glared jokingly, "Cecaelia. We're...well, I'm half octopus, half humanoid."

Paul stared at the other's suddenly sad eyes, "You're the only one?"

Ringo looked down, "Yeah. The rest of my species have been hunted down by either humans or predators."

Paul gaped, "I'm so sorry."

Ringo shrugged, "Nothing to do now, is there?" He gave a kind smile, "Now, you need help."

Paul bit his lip, "What do you mean?"

"John cannot stay on land, Paul. It will kill him if he doesn't go back to the ocean. But if does go back, King Triton's agents will capture him."

The human sat on the grass, "You have any ideas?"

Ringo sat next to him, "Not me. But you have friends in high places."

Paul frowned and said nothing.

The cecaelia laughed, "I didn't just appear inside your dream all by my lonesome. Apollo sent me."

The other gasped, "Apollo? The, the Greek god?"

Ringo stared at him, "Not just Greek."

"Right, sorry." Paul looked down, "Why did he send you?"

"Well," Ringo started, "He's invested in your future. You and John's, I mean."

Paul frowned, "Why?"