Chapter 5: Some things get more clear.

Chapter 5: Some things get more clear.

After supper, and some playing with Lilo and Violet, Billy went to his room as soon as he could.
He did not like to change nappies, like Lilo, or being dribbled over, while Violet had to burp after her meal.
That was girly stuff, he thought.

Daddy laughed: “When it is your own son or daughter, you will be more interested. But you, being a big brother now, better get used to this. You did so yourself too!” Mommy only could laugh about it.

In his room, Billy took the slates with the drawings of his room.
The one with the floor-map ánd also the one, where you could see, on which place all things in his room stood.
“Is this what you wanted me to draw?” he asked.

Petra nodded yes, and before she could go on, Billy asked impatiently: “Can you please now tell me why I have to make them?
You still did not tell me all I wanted to know.
And yes, I do know I am impatient, but, but,” stammered he, knowing that patience was the first lesson.

“Everybody always does say, I am not old enough for things.
I have to grow, or learn more before I can.
But, but, you are my friend, you said, so…”

Petra laughed, knowing nobody could hear her in this room.
“You are right, but there were some things I had to find out first. For that I do have to tell two stories.”

“Two? Why, I just want to know about Homeland and how you got here!” Billy interrupted.

“That are already 2 questions, and there is also another story important.
So let me start with asking one promise: If your mom does tell about how she once did live on dry land, and we could have gone to Homeland, you are not allowed to tell, that you do know, how it looks, while there is much the same!”

“That will be very hard to do,” said Billy, “while I always tell mom and dad everything I am doing.”
“I still want that promise, otherwise we only can meet here. Tonight I will go back home, and tomorrow I will be back with the answer, if it is possible, you can come with me.”

“Will you travel through my treasure, daddy calls a mirror, again?” Billy asked.

“Yes, now I can, for I can take with me the drawing of your room, and in which place all things are, therefore I can use that to come back.
Unless you put the shiny side of the mirror against the wall, so please, do not do so,” was Petra’s answer.

“So that made it possible, you came through the mirror, while I did find it, ánd while I was drawing before it?”

Petra nodded again: “that is the way it mostly works.
You only can use the mirror of your friend to come to the place where he does live the first time.
Than you have to trust each other without a doubt, before you can travel together.

At least, that way it is with people, who do live on dry land. You are the first in the memory of the people from Homeland, that lives under water.

And the Atlantians, who had Homelander friends, were living on dry land too, not in a bubble. It is that long ago, an Atlantian had a Homelander friend.”

“Soooo, that makes me very special,” Billy concluded a bit proud.
He made a nice bow to Petra and said, just like in mommy’s tales one would do to a queen: “I am very honored to be your friend,” and burst out in laughing.

“SSSSTTT, you are supposed to be alone, remember!
Now lay down on your bed, and pick up something to read. But lay down that way, I can sit besides you to tell, for it is a long story.”

When they were settled, Petra started telling: “Homeland is very special. It is a place, were only people can come, who do believe, what their eyes see.
But also people who are curious and faithful to their word.
Because Homeland, the land were all paper things live, is the keeper of all valuable things. And you do have to believe it is there, to come in.”

“Is it something like in the Peter Pan story, mommy did tell us once before bedtime?” Billy interrupted.

“Yes, it is, and I am glad you do know this tales, for that makes it more easy to explain.
Shortly we had, together with others, a big adventure on dry land. All started with Cindy and her friend Lea, and a lot of Homelanders were involved.
This made that the Lady, the oldest and wisest of us, came together with Cindy and Lea. They had to make a list with all names of possible friends, while we needed all of them.
All friends were found but you. That was curious.”

“Had that never happened before than?” Billy asked.

“No, that had not. So I was send to travel through Homeland, until I should find my doorway, and that was strange too, while mostly a grandmother or mother can tell, about where you can find yours.

I traveled many days, and finally came in the part that was called Waterland, the part were Captain Hook and his ship are too.
There I found your friend Purple, crying on the border of the lake.”

This made Billy look very concerned: “But mermaids never cry, I hardly can believe that, But you sound, like you really did see so. Why was she crying?”

“To answer that, I do have to know: can you keep your mouth shut, and tell nobody about what I tell you, until I do tell you can?”

Billy nodded yes, and said so several times, eager to hear more.

“And what do you want to hear first: how Homeland looks, and what is going on there, or what made Purple cry?”

“Purple is my friend, that I will hear first please,” Billy said.
“Friends are very important, and she always makes time to play with us or bring us some nice shells or a special pet like the seahorses, she made a nice home for in one of the moats, so we can see them, when we lay on our belly,” he told enthusiastic. “But we cannot, like she, talk with them.”

Petra went on: “Well, Purple did cry, while she can hear what the other sea creatures talk.
And more and more there were some cries for help among the things, she did hear.
She decided to try and rectify the wrong, the sea creatures were complaining about, but that did ask for something very difficult to do.

And she could not really decide, what was the right way, so she came to us for advise, while in Homeland all secrets of life are saved.”

“What was the wrong and what is rectify,” Billy asked.

“Not so quick, we come to that now.
Rectifying is making right the things that went wrong, find a solution to do that. And the wrong has to do with the behavior of the humans, living on dry land.

They do behave, like all in the world belongs to them alone, and not to all creatures, that live on this world.
So they not only are taking all fish they can catch out of the oceans, they also are polluting the waters, and in polluted water nothing can live.”

“Polluting, how do you do that?” Billy wondered.

“Well, you do live in this bubble. When you put everything, you have used, in a heap and leave it there, and make new while the others were still useable, on top of that throw some poisoned things in the water,that together is pollution,”Petra did answer.

“Than Purple must be very sad, for in all the oceans she has friends, and lots of other mermaids live there too, although they do not come here much.
Now I begin to understand,” Billy said.

“And did you, or one of the Homelanders find something to help her?”
“Until now we did not, but when she told, she had friends in this bubble, we did not know about, the Lady decided, I had to go with my hand over your name.

And suddenly the word: Atlantian Bubble appeared and fitted with your name.
So the Lady was eager to know, what was here.
And I wanted finally to see my friend and learn all about you. Than behind your name came a date too. I do think, that was the day, you did find the mirror, we needed to go pass the doorway.”

“But why is it only NOW you tell all? And not straight away?” Billy said a bit piqued, “I was supposed to become your friend the papers said.”

“Of course, but being a friend is one thing.
Being allowed to come to Homeland, that you have to deserve.
That is a totally different thing. And helping us out when something has to be righted even more special!”

“Oh” Billy was flabbergasted, even could not find words to ask more.
All was so much, and so different from what he on normal days was doing or learning.

Petra told just one other thing: ”I have to go” and there she stopped, while mom came in to tell it was bedtime.

“Do you read 5 more minutes till the lights go out, of do I tell a story after you washed and brushed?” mom asked. Billy choose to read, so Petra could finish her story.

So when he was ready to sleep, and they had put the mirror with the right side front, Petra told the rest of her sentence: ”I have to go home tonight, to ask the Lady for advice, and tell the wise people in the counsel about all I did find out. That I can do now, while we are becoming good friends.“

She held her hands up, and said too: “Not good enough for you to be able to come with me this time.
But I can come and go now.
Because you found your mirror, and made those 2 drawings, I will take with me, so I can come back before you wake up again.
Do you trust me enough to believe that?”

Billy had seen and heard so much new and strange things, he could wholeheartedly nod yes. In this new, strange situation all seemed possible, he just had to wait and see, and be patient.

So Petra took the 2 slates, carefully wrapped them in a cloth, waved with her hand and disappeared though the mirror.
That went so fast, Billy almost missed it.

It did feel lonely without her.
But he had to trust, she was his friend and would keep her word.
Therefore he tried to fall asleep very soon, so it would be tomorrow fast too.
And all they talked about, he also did dream about. Like he did write the things in his mind.


© Nan van Daalen, all rights reserved.