PYRA AND THE TEKTITES

by Rebecca Melanie Sunquist

Part 10: The World Inside Europa

A small wave sloshed the visor of Pyra's helmet, and she flinched. A meter away, the seal creature who had greeted her continued to look at her, its sleek wet skin reflecting in the light from her helmet torch. It had no eyes or ears that Pyra could see, but somehow it knew exactly where she was.

Pyra tread water; the air in her outsuit and helmet helped keep her afloat. But how deep was this ocean? And what did the creature want with her? And where was Flanagan? Again she called out to him, and heard only static.

"Can you hear me?" she asked the seal creature.

Pyra blinked. Once more the words had arrived inside her head. How could it speak her language...?

"How can you understand me?" she asked.

The creature's neck and shoulders emerged from the water, as if it wanted to get a better look at her. I know what you think.

"But who are you? What are you?"

Minna slapped a fingered flipper on the water's surface, splashing her. Pyra heard in her mind a sound rather like a cough, and then the seal being disappeared under the water. Now she was alone...in an underground ocean...on a strange moon. She wanted to scream...but who would hear it?

Water broke in front of her, and she screamed anyway. The helmet torch flashed light all around her and finally settled on the seal creature, which had returned.

"Where did you go?"

You must come, Pyra from the Over. There are urrglu about.

Pyra stifled a yelp. What were urrglu? And what did Minna just call her?

"Come where?"

The seal creature extended a flipper, its fingers together like a blade. Hold onto me.

Pyra did, and they dove down into the ocean.

The light from Pyra's helmet torch shone on many objects as they swam. Here was a massive column of rock rising from the black abyss like a gigantic stalagmite in a limestone cavern, but overgrown with something that looked slimy and yellow. And there something silver swam, quickly, and vanished in the dark at the range of her torch. And there---

It moved so quickly Pyra did not have time to be startled. She caught a glimpse of a ring of teeth. Then something knocked it out of the way. Into its wake drifted another seal creature, rather larger than Minna. Pyra gripped the flipper tighter.

"What was that thing?"

She turned her head until the light shone on the creature that had defended them from the urrglu. It was not quite a seal. The head, yes, and the front flippers. But it had two back legs like frogs' legs, with long flippers. It kicked smoothly, propelling itself through the water. Its entire body was covered with dark brown skin. Clinging to her escort, she wished she could feel Minna's flipper through the gloves. She felt bones, yes, and the limb was flexible and prehensile. But what did it feel like?

From time to time Minna's throat swelled, and Pyra saw why. There was an opening in the throat that scooped water into its body...and another opening under its belly, where water was expelled. Was this how they breathed? Fish breathed by passing water over gills. Were these fish then?

They reached another column from the depths of the ocean, and swam upwards to where the column grew wider. In one side was an opening. Pyra's torchlight vanished inside it. Did they live here, then? Was this their home?

Who were these creatures?

We are morrikaru, Pyra from the Over.

"Why are you calling me that? I'm Pyra. Just Pyra."

"But Minna---"

Minna dove slightly, and Pyra with it. Together they swam into the opening. Pyra's helmet light now reflected off more slimy yellow. It was everywhere she shone the light. And there were other morrikaru fluttering about, making the water swirl. Some turned their heads in her direction.

"How can you see?" asked Pyra.

The question stumped Pyra. How could she explain sight to a creature who had no eyes? They had not taught her this in school. No, they wanted her to learn math. "How do your friends know where I am, Minna?"

They were inside a cavern of some sort. Pyra tugged on Minna's flipper, and they stopped. She discovered that she could stand on the floor of the cavern, although the water currents made her sway. The air in her outsuit made her rise, ever so slightly, and she started to drift. Sounds began to filter into her mind...of the conversations of the morrikaru

Pyra tried to cover her ears, but the helmet stopped her. There were too many voices. How did the morrikaru sort them out? How could they talk with one another?

And what legends were these?

"Minna,..."

We are of two thoughts, Pyra from the Over. Some believe that there is nothing but Over. And some believe that there is something beyond the Over. You have come from the Over. From beyond the Over. You can tell us what is beyond the Over.

Pyra's torchlight swept the cavern. All around her the morrikaru were waiting for her to tell them the answers to their questions. But what did she know? There were stars, and planets, and moons, and people. There were great ships that carried people from one planet to another. There were stories and machines and clothes and candy. What did the morrikaru want to know?

In the side of her helmet a yellow light began to flash. She had half an hour of air left.

"Minna, I have to go back to the Over."

You cannot. It is dangerous. The urrglu are feeding. When they have finished, we may leave our home and feed, too.

"You don't understand." Pyra tapped her helmet, then realized that Minna could not see it. She reached out for Minna's flipper, and touched it to her helmet. "This is filled with air," she explained. "I carry my own air inside here. It is almost gone.

Again Pyra was stumped. How to explain breathing air to a creature that lived under water? Why hadn't she paid more attention in school?

She drifted with the current toward the cavern's opening. The light in her helmet began to darken from yellow to orange. Her heart pounded, and she wondered whether the morrikaru could feel that.

"If I run out of air," said Pyra, forcing herself to stay calm, "I will die. You must help me return to the Over."

Pyra's heart seemed to sink inside her. There was no way out now. In twenty five minutes she would take her last breath of air.

"Flanagan!" she yelled.

There was no answer. She heard only the conversations of the morrikaru.

Pyra drifted against the side of the cavern and began to cry.

Don’t Miss PYRA AND THE TEKTITES, PART 11: 'OVER AND OUT' appearing on this site on 15 April 2003.

PYRA AND THE TEKTITES appears EXCLUSIVELY on the AOIFE’S KISS/KISSES FOR KIDS sites courtesy of prize-winning writer Rebecca Melanie Sunquist.