Dawn on Jefferson (scifi story): Chapter Thirty - Where I Lose to a Mockery. Stupid Mockery.steemCreated with Sketch.

in #writing5 years ago

archer-fish.jpg
that's an earthlife archer fish, but its one of the few that spit on earth like a Mockery does. albeit far, far less than a Mockery can

Chapter One: Getting Up
Chapter Two: Where I Live
Chapter Three: The Walk
Chapter Four: School
Chapter Five: Introducing my Friends, the Merry Pranksters!
Chapter Six: Walking to Mom's
Chapter Seven: Mom’s House
Chapter Eight: It Began on Constitution Hill
Chapter Nine: Attack of the Awknerds!
Chapter Ten: No Awknerds Were Harmed
Chapter Eleven: The Breaking Shadstorm
Chapter Twelve: Where I Envy Grilled Cheese
Chapter Thirteen: Doom! Doom! Doom! Where I Want to go to School! The End Must be Nigh!
Chapter Fourteen: The Game is a Foot
Chapter Fifteen: Uncomfortable Revelations!
Chapter Sixteen: WAITAMINUTE!
Chapter Seventeen: The Healing Power of Popcorn
Chapter Eighteen: The Lessons Learned Before Maven
Chapter Nineteen: No Haven From Maven
Chapter Twenty: Meeting Maven
Chapter Twenty-One: And Then I was Roasted Alive and Served Up With a Worm
Chapter Twenty-Two: That Which has Been Set in Motion…
Chapter Twenty-Three: Shall Stay in Motion...
Chapter Twenty-Four: Until Acted Upon by Something Absolutely Annoying
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Veena Swarm Circus!
Chapter Twenty-Six: A Rain of Blobs Pulled the Church Down
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Harrowing Sounds of Yoatling and the Popping of Creepy Fruit
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Where We Get Chastised by a Spiny Creeper
Chapter Twenty-nine: I Spy With Rosa’s Drone Eye
Chapter Thirty: Where I Lose to a Mockery. Stupid Mockery.

We waited until the tide went out and exposed the causeway. Remember, the town the Church of the Sky Father Christ built on was on an island. That island had a connection to the mainland, but only at low tide. When it was low tide, the island became a peninsula. When it was high tide and most between the two, it was an island. Fortunately, the moons of Jefferson were close enough the tides happened frequently and that had not been too far in the future, fortunately. We also buttoned up. We all had balakavas. These were almost like socks that slide over your head to prevent anything from getting on your head, neck or face. It also prevented any loogers from spitting into our faces or on our skin: the fabric was pretty much one way for anything larger than air. We popped on some goggles, too, just to be sure. A looger glob in the eye was not how I wanted to die. You have thought it ridiculous. Yet, there we were, in leather clothes, boots and wearing a head sock with goggles on.

Safety first! Safety before fashion at least! After all, we were on an alien world, in an alien forest, entering into a dead city, filled with deadly alien amphibians and lethal bugs, hunting for Indian soldiers in powered armor. And we're 12. We were being the safest people on the planet!

Really!

We crept down the backside of the hill to the saddle where the path went down to the exposed causeway. We crept forward like a very slow caterpillar. Everyone was being extra paranoid. It was unlikely that an Indian soldier would be there alone. Going slowly showed we were not trying to attack or sneak up: they could have easily seen us coming. We were NOT exactly wearing chameleon armor either. Besides, we were kids, even if we looked like we might be in some Earther B grade Immie as special forces from a century or two before.

We crept forward and I made the mistake of looking in the water.

There are many dangerous things in the water on Jefferson. When you mix not exactly compatible biochemistries with sea going things, it could be...bad. Even when its not lethal, it could be bad.

Really bad.

Frodo only had to deal with something trying to kill him as he tried to get into the Mines or Moria. I had to deal with a Mockery.

Mockeries were a Jefflife fish. We swear Mockeries exist only to infuriate something on land into making the mistake of jumping into the water after the mockery to kill the stupid mockery for being made fun of by the mockery. Mockeries enticed by pretending to be prey. Mockeries could tease and taunt. Mockeries always waited until it had your attention though. Ignore it and it ignored you. Think of a Douglasonian critter.

Whatever you do, don't go into the water after it. IT WILL EAT YOU. Or try. it'll die if it gets Earthlife meat in it, but, hey, it sure showed you!

I made the mistake of noticing a mockery in the water. It noticed I noticed. Then I ignored it. I didn't have time to mess with an annoying carnivorous fish. So it did what its kind does when ignored. It spat on me. It absolutely drenched me. And THAT was EXACTLY what it did.

TO.

ME.

Mockeries were actually really big fish, they just have deceptively small heads that hinged like a snake's mouth or a basking shark back on earth. Yes, that's how they ate big critters in one gulp. They also used that big expandable mouth for one other thing: the mockery inhaled water and SPLOOSH.

Total fire house.

Getting drenched wasn't deadly. It's just annoying.

And every last Merry Prankster was soaked.

And they were VERY, VERY mad at me.

I squawked and fired my needler at it. It splashed us once more and looked back from a depth I couldn't get it. It seemed smug. It also seemed to know I was not coming after it. Too bad fish! Fish were not friends and I was not food! And I was NOT THAT DUMB!

My friends might have questioned that last bit though.

I glared for a second more when the mockery suddenly whipped its head around as if to look at something else and disappeared. Whatever. Stupid fish.

We stopped creeping and just walked. Or rather squish, squashed our way into the city. All our dignity was left crying a river. Squish, squash, squish, squash. All the way into the city.

Besides, no one was going to think we were out to attack them when all four of friends were yelling at me. Well, three were. Tom was...yes, mocking me.

"Go away, you silly American chiclet! Or I shall mock you for a second time!"

Groan.

Squish, squash, squish, squash.

And I am sure we looked as threatening as the drowned cat patrol.

Total. Humiliation.

Squish, squash, squish, squash

Sigh.

The body had been in a building that overlooked the main plaza and the Church. We planned to go there first.

Stupid fish.

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