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Peter woke with a jolt. He was in a white room, like a laboratory. Everything looked extremely blurry. Eventually, his eyesight focused and the room he was in was indeed a laboratory, but with giant windows on each side, looking slightly blacked out. But Peter was paying zero attention to the windows.
His attention was focused on the strange, fish-human creatures that were leaning over him.
Peter screamed the loudest scream he had ever done. He started desperately kicking and thrashing. Then he heard slightly disoriented voices in his head, a human voice riddled with gurgles. But they didn’t sound like actual noises. They sounded more internal, like actual thoughts.
*Why are you screaming? Why are you screaming? We aren’t going to hurt you. Calm down.*
The creatures were talking to him, without moving their mouths or any sort of facial movement. Their faces weren’t busy talking. They were frowning. But not an angry sort of frown.
A concerned one.
*You’re safe. Don’t worry.*
Peter sat up, still hyperventilating. He opened his mouth to talk, then shut it. Then opened and shut it. He tried to speak, but the words came out mangled.
“Wha… Nun… Nuhuh?” He babbled.
*Num nums?* Asked one of the creatures.
*Are you hungry?*
The other creatures behind it sniggered.
“Are… Who are you? What am I doing here?” Stammered Peter, finding his voice at last.
*My name is Finn.* The alien answered. *You are here, well, becuase we saw you pop up out of nowhere, and then started screaming and thrashing about. We swam over to you, and when we reached you, you were just floating on your back, eyes closed, unresponsive. We thought you were dead.*
There was silence for a moment.
*Yeah! We thought you’d carked it!* Joked one of the aliens behind “Finn”.
*Shut up!* Hissed Finn.
“Wh-what are you?” Asked Peter.
*Well, we were just about to ask you that.* Replied Finn flatly.
“Are you an alien?* Asked Peter and Finn simultaneously.
*No.” They both responded.
“Okay, okay.” Said Peter breathlessly. “What species do you belong to?”
*Aqua Rambiotistrique.* Replied Finn.
Peter looked frightened.
Finn sighed. *The water people.*
Peter nodded uneasily. “I am a Homo Sapiens.”
Finn stared at Peter blankly.
Peter sighed. “Humans.”
*OK. You ah… want me to show you around?*
Peter nodded. It was the only thing he felt sure about.
Finn walked Peter around the amazing lab. It was extremely high-tech, and the doors just opened as soon as you got close to them. Finn also gave a quick summary of the anatomy of “The Water People”.
Their skin is a shiny, sky blue colour and it dries out in an hour, so they have to keep it wet. They have long tails that ended in a fork with a large, fin-like red fluke that was extremely strong, and was the main motor for swimming.
Peter went white. Swimming?
*Are you ok?* Asked Finn.
“Yeah. I’m… fine.”
Finn then proceeded to explain The Water People’s remarkable telepathic abilities. They could transmit their thoughts to another member of their species within any distance as long as they could see eachother. But with members of a different species, they could only transmit thoughts within a 10-meter radius.
*But some of us, with enough training, become exceptional, and transmit thoughts to any species within a 30 meter radius.*
Finn seemed to glow with pomposity.
*Like me.*
Peter rolled his eyes.
Suddenly, a question popped into his head.
“Finn…?”
*Yes?*
“Well, you know how you said you have to keep your skin wet? Well, why not build this place near water then?”
Finn smiled. *But boy, we are.*
He pressed a button on the wall, and suddenly, the walls retracted down. Behind it was a thick sheet of glass. And behind that sheet of glass was one of the most amazing, beautiful… and frightening, sights Peter had ever seen. The building seemed to be completely submerged in water, and outside was the most amazing marine life you could possibly imagine. Creatures with extremely long and bendy necks, leading down to a body with four flippers, like a school of Loch Ness monsters. There were these fish with beaks like a parrot, and glowing stripes down their body.
“Woah…” Whispered Peter, his eyes wide.
Suddenly, he started shaking uncontrollably. He broke out in a cold sweat.
He turned and bolted down the hallway as fast as he could, barging past other water creatures like Finn, setting bemused looks on their faces. He couldn’t get away from the sight of all that water… every time he looked, he felt more and more scared, fuelling his urge to run further. Eventually, the windows ended and he came to a door. He crashed through the door into a smart, futuristic office and dived under a desk.
He collided with some boots, and he heard somebody make a very surprised noise and then slumped in their chair. Peter waited for his heart to stop pumping in his mouth and slip back down his throat, and then got up to apologise. “I-i’m sorry I crashed into you. You see-“
Peter realised that the other water creature was unconscious. “Oh no.” He breathed.
Peter began to hear Finn’s voice slip back into his mind.
*Peter? Peter! Why’d you run away? What’s wrong?*
“Finn? Finn! Come quick! I think I hurt someone!” Finn burst into the room. “What? Where? Who’s dead?”
The water creature in the chair lifted his head and opened his eyes. He seemed stockier and older than Finn. As soon as he saw Peter he frowned. He clicked his fingers at him. *Finn? Who is this? He doesn’t look like anybody i’ve seen before.* His voice was a deep bass. *Erm, sorry sir. Apparently he’s a… uh… Pogo… Japiens?* Peter rolled his eyes. “Homo. Sapiens.”
The other guy frowned again. *Are you an alien? Where did you come from?* He asked. I told him the whole story. About aquaphobia, finding the library and then the book. When I finished he looked throughly shocked.
“Are you… alright?” I asked.
He got up and took me by the arm.
*Follow me.* He said.
His attention was focused on the strange, fish-human creatures that were leaning over him.
Peter screamed the loudest scream he had ever done. He started desperately kicking and thrashing. Then he heard slightly disoriented voices in his head, a human voice riddled with gurgles. But they didn’t sound like actual noises. They sounded more internal, like actual thoughts.
*Why are you screaming? Why are you screaming? We aren’t going to hurt you. Calm down.*
The creatures were talking to him, without moving their mouths or any sort of facial movement. Their faces weren’t busy talking. They were frowning. But not an angry sort of frown.
A concerned one.
*You’re safe. Don’t worry.*
Peter sat up, still hyperventilating. He opened his mouth to talk, then shut it. Then opened and shut it. He tried to speak, but the words came out mangled.
“Wha… Nun… Nuhuh?” He babbled.
*Num nums?* Asked one of the creatures.
*Are you hungry?*
The other creatures behind it sniggered.
“Are… Who are you? What am I doing here?” Stammered Peter, finding his voice at last.
*My name is Finn.* The alien answered. *You are here, well, becuase we saw you pop up out of nowhere, and then started screaming and thrashing about. We swam over to you, and when we reached you, you were just floating on your back, eyes closed, unresponsive. We thought you were dead.*
There was silence for a moment.
*Yeah! We thought you’d carked it!* Joked one of the aliens behind “Finn”.
*Shut up!* Hissed Finn.
“Wh-what are you?” Asked Peter.
*Well, we were just about to ask you that.* Replied Finn flatly.
“Are you an alien?* Asked Peter and Finn simultaneously.
*No.” They both responded.
“Okay, okay.” Said Peter breathlessly. “What species do you belong to?”
*Aqua Rambiotistrique.* Replied Finn.
Peter looked frightened.
Finn sighed. *The water people.*
Peter nodded uneasily. “I am a Homo Sapiens.”
Finn stared at Peter blankly.
Peter sighed. “Humans.”
*OK. You ah… want me to show you around?*
Peter nodded. It was the only thing he felt sure about.
Finn walked Peter around the amazing lab. It was extremely high-tech, and the doors just opened as soon as you got close to them. Finn also gave a quick summary of the anatomy of “The Water People”.
Their skin is a shiny, sky blue colour and it dries out in an hour, so they have to keep it wet. They have long tails that ended in a fork with a large, fin-like red fluke that was extremely strong, and was the main motor for swimming.
Peter went white. Swimming?
*Are you ok?* Asked Finn.
“Yeah. I’m… fine.”
Finn then proceeded to explain The Water People’s remarkable telepathic abilities. They could transmit their thoughts to another member of their species within any distance as long as they could see eachother. But with members of a different species, they could only transmit thoughts within a 10-meter radius.
*But some of us, with enough training, become exceptional, and transmit thoughts to any species within a 30 meter radius.*
Finn seemed to glow with pomposity.
*Like me.*
Peter rolled his eyes.
Suddenly, a question popped into his head.
“Finn…?”
*Yes?*
“Well, you know how you said you have to keep your skin wet? Well, why not build this place near water then?”
Finn smiled. *But boy, we are.*
He pressed a button on the wall, and suddenly, the walls retracted down. Behind it was a thick sheet of glass. And behind that sheet of glass was one of the most amazing, beautiful… and frightening, sights Peter had ever seen. The building seemed to be completely submerged in water, and outside was the most amazing marine life you could possibly imagine. Creatures with extremely long and bendy necks, leading down to a body with four flippers, like a school of Loch Ness monsters. There were these fish with beaks like a parrot, and glowing stripes down their body.
“Woah…” Whispered Peter, his eyes wide.
Suddenly, he started shaking uncontrollably. He broke out in a cold sweat.
He turned and bolted down the hallway as fast as he could, barging past other water creatures like Finn, setting bemused looks on their faces. He couldn’t get away from the sight of all that water… every time he looked, he felt more and more scared, fuelling his urge to run further. Eventually, the windows ended and he came to a door. He crashed through the door into a smart, futuristic office and dived under a desk.
He collided with some boots, and he heard somebody make a very surprised noise and then slumped in their chair. Peter waited for his heart to stop pumping in his mouth and slip back down his throat, and then got up to apologise. “I-i’m sorry I crashed into you. You see-“
Peter realised that the other water creature was unconscious. “Oh no.” He breathed.
Peter began to hear Finn’s voice slip back into his mind.
*Peter? Peter! Why’d you run away? What’s wrong?*
“Finn? Finn! Come quick! I think I hurt someone!” Finn burst into the room. “What? Where? Who’s dead?”
The water creature in the chair lifted his head and opened his eyes. He seemed stockier and older than Finn. As soon as he saw Peter he frowned. He clicked his fingers at him. *Finn? Who is this? He doesn’t look like anybody i’ve seen before.* His voice was a deep bass. *Erm, sorry sir. Apparently he’s a… uh… Pogo… Japiens?* Peter rolled his eyes. “Homo. Sapiens.”
The other guy frowned again. *Are you an alien? Where did you come from?* He asked. I told him the whole story. About aquaphobia, finding the library and then the book. When I finished he looked throughly shocked.
“Are you… alright?” I asked.
He got up and took me by the arm.
*Follow me.* He said.