Heartside

"Hello, Peter," he said, attempting to sound amiable.

Peter looked at him, the whites of his eyes showing, as if caught.

"Oh, hullo. Can I buy you a drink?"

"I'll take a beer, thanks. What brings you to town so early?"

Peter glanced at Muemen and took a long pull of his mug before answering. "Oh, y'know. Errands, for father."

Was Muemen imagining it, or was there light mocking tone in the word, father.

"Indeed. Tom runs a tight ship."

They sat in silence while the bartender served Muemen his beer.

"Heard you hired Mary. She's a fin," Peter said looking at the bottom of his empty mug. Muemen laughed.

"She is at that. Early riser, too."

Now Peter laughed, perhaps a touch too loud. Silence reigned again.

"Well, I best be going," Peter said, and rose to leave. The bartender stopped him, demanded payment for their tabs. Peter, stunned, turned slowly and fumbled in his pocket. A large clip of money- surprisingly large- fell out onto the wood planks of the floor. He snatched it up, tore a large bill free and slapped it on the counter, then stormed from the inn, red faced.

Muemen and the bartender looked at each other and shook their heads in confusion. With nothing left to do after finishing his beer, Muemen returned to Bahdin's to find him just returning.

"Apologies," wheezed Bahdin and took a moment to catch his breath and mop his sweating brow with a spotted kerchief. "My delivery boy is delinquent, as always. I was forced to make the delivery of an unusual order." He glanced at the scale. "This is all? Wait, what day is this?"

"I've hired a deckhand, so my routine has changed, " answered Muemen with an affable smile. "I am in need of a special order of my own. A pressure suit, to be exact."

Bahdin's brow fretted. "Again? I just finished delivering such articles to another interested in deep-sea diving."

"Indeed? Who?"

Bahdin smiled lamely and spread his hands. "He specified that discretion was of vast importance."

Muemen laughed-one short, sharp, caw that was becoming a habit.

"No matter. I think I might know the fellow. How long for the suit?"

"It should be here in a day or two."

Muemen collected his pay and said his good-byes. Outside, the sun was high and hot, and with nothing else he could think to do, he returned home.

Work had calmed Mary, and Muemen, seeing she had done a good job, called her in for a break. He cracked the preserves her mother had given him, and they sat together on the dock edge, eating pickled eggs with salt and sliced cumbers.

They talked casually of the farm for awhile. Muemen mentioned his encounter with Peter. She sighed and shook her head.

"Ah, Peter. He is a good farmhand and a real fin, but," and here she paused, scrunched up her face in thought, "he is quite mad. Mother and Father know it, as do Solar and I, and even little Barbony, in her own way. He is harmless, though, I think. I wonder at times if most of his problem isn't his guilt over not being the perfect son. Still, what can be done?"

Muemen had no answer for her. Her sincere sadness for her brother moved him, and he took her small, tan hand in his own. She looked at their hands together and frowned, looked off across the ocean towards home.

"What of Solar?" she asked.

"She does not affect me as you do," Muemen said simply.

Suddenly, the dark shape of Londorox flashed out from beneath the dock and their feet, and sped out towards the south dock. Close on his heels came two wiggling black lines, ten feet apiece- Jiggers in hot pursuit.

Muemen and Mary were on their feet simultaneously.

"Stay here," growled Muemen before popping in his gill and diving in. As soon as he was gone, Mary ran for the soft-cable coil, hoisted it onto a shoulder and leapt in after, knees to her chest, creating a tremendous splash.

Londorox had led them under the south dock, trying to lose his pursuers in the chains hung there. Muemen, spear already in hand, was hot behind them, and he cut round the chains to the far side where he waited. They opened and Londorox rushed from the maze of chains. Muemen's reflexes were sharp and fast; the moment the first Jigger's gross black head burst forth, coming straight for him, he stabbed it just below the horn in it's three tiny black eyes. The impact bent his spear, but he held fast, and the creature was killed almost instantly.

He saw the second one come out almost where it had gone in, apparently having lost its way. Mary was in the water, and it charged her, small tooth-rimmed mouth snapping. Muemen's heart sank. She was too far away; his spear was bent. He could not reach her in time. He could only watch, horrified.

Mary saw the Jigger coming, but she did not look frightened. She had created a small lasso out of one end of the coil of cable. She stared with hard, wide blue eyes as the Jigger slid towards her. At the last moment, it jammed its horn hard at her belly. Mary slipped it by mere inches and looped the lasso over the corrugated black horn.

And then they were away. The Jigger, horrified at being ridden and its eyes covered by the small bit of rope looped around its horn, swam in a wild circle with Mary in tow. She dragged herself up till she was close behind it's head, and by tugging this way and that on the rope, was able to direct the wild, blinded Jigger.

Muemen could not believe his eyes. Mary sped past him on her strange mount, and she beamed him a smile of sheer triumph. Londorox and Muemen followed her out to the wombs edge. She pulled up hard; the Jigger broke the waters surface, arced its oily body over the rim. She let the cable trail out till the Jigger was far away before cutting it with her knife. The Jiggers, both of them, were gone.

"Great sea, what do you think you were doing?" fumed Muemen.

Mary threw the remaining rope on the deck and stood with fists at her side. "I was protecting the shoal! As your deckhand it's my duty."

Muemen stood with finger raised, but he saw sheer bristling defiance in those blue eyes, and could find no words that seemed sufficient. He snapped his mouth closed and wagged his finger at Mary, shaking his head as he backed away to the docks edge and tried to haul the dead Jigger out of the water. His shoal had gathered about its remains in curiosity, though they kept a safe distance; only the most daring young darted forward to prod the flaccid thing with their beaks and as quickly dart away.

Seeing him struggle, Mary ran to help, and in efficient silence they hung the creature and slit it beneath the throat and tail fin to let the blood drain into stainless steel buckets. They then finished the final duties of the day and settled for dinner at Muemen's small table. He gave Mary the single chair, and flipped a plastic bucket over for himself. The work had eased his tension.

"Where ever did you learn such a thing?" Muemen asked her.

"On Sonus-15, there is a creature something like the Jiggerdart, though generally much smaller and less aggressive. They use the same technique to catch and race them, as part of the annual Sea Games."

Muemen stared, somewhat dumbfounded. "I know nothing of such things."

Mary laughed sweetly and placed a small, strong hand on Muemen's knee, looked deep into his baffled eyes.

"Oh, Muemen. You are such a fool."

She was suddenly in his lap, her tiny plump lips colliding with his own again and again. Her sudden ferocity lit a fire in him, and he responded in kind, wrapping his long, strong arms about her tiny frame and crushing it against his own. For a heart-stopping minute, they were entangled and grinding with passion.

Mary suddenly leapt up, pushing Muemen back onto his seat as he tried to follow her, his teeth chattering.

"Now, now, I'm not even old enough to be married," she said, and with a breathless laugh and an agonized look at Muemen, she left. Muemen sat in his chair, jaw sagging, hands still outstretched as he heard her start the motor on the inflatable and power away. Blood pounding in his ears, he stumbled into his hammock. Her scent clung to him, the taste of her lingered on his lips and tongue, and he dozed restlessly.

A vibration rattled the deckhouse and set Muemen's hammock swinging violently. As he hit his feet, another. It was still dark; violent splashing could be heard outside. A sudden storm blowing in? There had been no signs. Muemen ran to the door, stumbled out on the dry deck in confusion.

The juvenile and egg wombs were gone, leaving simply dark holes in his deck. He staggered slowly to the dock's edge. The water was alive with writhing, twisting, shining black Jiggerdarts of varying size, many as big as the one that had killed the thief from the BrightFuture Co. He rubbed his eyes. He must be dreaming.

The writhing oily mass split, suddenly, leaving a wide circle of dark water some twenty feet from the deck. Muemen watched, horrified and fascinated. A sharp horn, chipped and twisted and terrible, split the waters surface, piercing the star-spangled night sky. Skewered on the thirty foot horn and almost half way down was Londorox. His tail fin still flailed uselessly; his terrified blue eyes, all three of them, locked with Muemen's unbelieving and lonely two. Another twenty feet of Jigger followed, like a satanic beanstalk sprouting high. It blocked out the moon, hung for a long moment in the air silhouetted and dripping water.

Muemen screamed- a terrible wail that he would never hear himself make again. The enormous Jigger that had burst from the ocean with his prized Pyfin on its horn tottered and tipped towards the deck. Londorox was suddenly plummeting towards him. He turned and ran for the deckhouse. The long, tough horn hit his deck with a crack of wood, splitting it in two. The impact sent Muemen sailing through the air, and he hit the collapsing wall of his deckhouse hard in a shower of splinters.

The creature disappeared, but the waters still teemed with Jiggers, and the farm was falling apart beneath Muemen's feet. He scrambled for his skiff and managed to leap aboard as the dock's remains tipped and began to sink. Muemen fired the motor and tore away. The waters were choked with Jiggers. Millions of them. It was not until he neared the edge of Bottomless Bay that he could no longer see them breaking the surface; but, he envisioned roving packs of all sizes just beneath.

He headed straight north past Ratoi for Muddywater Farm. He hoped the big ones wouldn't come into the shallow waters of Dobby Bay, but he had no way to be sure. Never had heard of such a thing. Never had he suspected that so many Jiggers of such terrible size existed.

When he reached Muddywater, Jotan, his wife Clandy, and his sons, Prator and Traz, were already loading what fry and eggs they had been able to save into their boat. Jotan could only shake his head in wonder and scowl as Muemen pulled alongside.

"Have you ever seen anything like it?"

Muemen gave stiff shake of his head. He was completely numb. He felt nothing, simply replayed the destruction of all he cared for over and over. Then he thought of Mary.

"We'll meet at the Crab," he said as he aimed his skiff northwest towards the Rundey Farm. Jotan nodded once in reply.

The deck was quiet, and no lights showed from the, by Pyfin farmer standards, huge three story deckhouse. He was on the dock before his boat had slid to a halt and pounding on the door. Tom, grimacing horribly and eyes barely even open, opened it.

"By the sea, boy!"

"Get everyone together. There isn't much time."

Tom's face snapped awake and he inspected Muemen with suddenly clear, fresh eyes. Without a word he turned back into the house and began bellowing the names of his family. By the time they gathered on deck, Muemen had emptied their eggs into yield-sacks and loaded them on the inflatable, and was busy fishing out the fry. Tom asked nothing. He ordered Solar and Mary to help Muemen; he took Peter, his wife, and Barbony and began gathering all the food and valuables they could load.

The Muddywater family sped past, waved and pointed behind them. A moment later, the first splashing roar of the advancing horde of Jiggers could be heard. Muemen and Tom looked at each other and began shuffling everyone aboard the heavily-loaded boats. Peter seemed nearly catatonic, and Mary had to lead him by hand.

The Rundeys watched tearfully in the bright moonlight as their farm was overrun. There was no point in freeing the shoal- they would not leave the confines of the womb, even after it no longer existed. Mary looked at Muemen with sad pity in her eyes. He shook his head, choked back his own tears.

It was no dream. His home, his shoal, his life was gone.

**********

Early the next morning, Tom Rundey, Jotan Muddywater and Muemen Heartside gathered round a table in the Carbony Crab Inn, where they had taken up residence with their families.

"Honestly? Thirty feet?" asked Jotan.

Muemen nodded. "The proof is what little remains of my dock and womb. My fry...my whole shoal was devoured."

"Who'd have guessed that so many existed!"

"Blasted!" Tom said, slamming a palm on the table. "What drove them up from the deeps? Thousands have beached themselves; their carcasses are all along the shore. They hate the bright light and are visibly agitated by it, yet they remain near the surface. At first I thought they were just mad for Pyfin flesh, but it doesn't fit. It would have happened long ago."

They sat in silence and reflected on Tom's words a moment. Muemen emptied his mug.

"I have my suspicions, but with no hard evidence, I can make no accusations. How is Peter doing?" he asked.

Tom shook his head. "Still nothing. I think he might be gone for good, this time. Only Mary seems to know how to bring him back, but she's had no luck so far."

Muemen found Mary sat watching the Rundey fry in their small aquariums with a frown in the Rundey's small room above the Crab, which was between his own and the Muddywaters. Peter lay curled in ball on the floor next to her. His eyes flicked open and he stared at Muemen as he entered. Mary jumped up, rushed to Muemen and wrapped herself around him.

"Oh, my poor Muemen! Whatever shall you do? You have nothing to keep you here, now...nothing! Oh please don't leave!"

Muemen, genuinely surprised by her fervor, lifted her chin and smiled at her, wiped the tears from her cheeks and laughed.

"My dear Mary, I have only one thing to keep me here, now, but it's enough."

He leaned down, brushed her lips with his own gently.

"I'm sorry."

It was Peter. Mary and Muemen both turned. "I'm real sorry. I didn't know."

"Didn't know what, Peter," Muemen demanded.

Peter stared wide-eyed back and forth between them.

"Oh, Peter, you must tell!" Mary cried. He bit his lip.

"They said that if they couldn't sell eggs, they'd sell us supplies instead. Asked what we needed the most...so I told them...we need to keep the Jiggers away. Told them about the blood...they paid me for it..."

His voice trailed off and Mary looked at him confused, but for Muemen, the pieces were beginning to fall into place.

"Mary, I need a favour."

Mary shrugged. "Anything."

"Good. Teach me to ride a Jigger."

Muemen and Mary gathered a few things and headed to his skiff, docked with many others of all kinds belonging to farmers and fishermen. There were tiny solar-sails, great floating house barges, fishing junks by the dozens, many others. The streets of Dobbyton were packed with the people of the sea who had been displaced from their homes by the Jiggerdart's strange migration. They blamed angry gods; some freak plague which killed the Jiggerdart's usual food stock of deep diving variety of Pyfin, Rogers Blade, and Blue Ficklefin shoals; some once-a-century migration to the surface- no one truly knew, though.

Muemen remembered his pressure suit. "Just a moment. Let's stop in at Bahdin's," he said.

Inside they found Bahdin, still unpacking his latest delivery. Boxes filled with strange and almost random assortment of items were everywhere. Bahdin, who was busily sorting fishing hooks into their appropriate shelving units, saw them coming from the corner of his eyes.

"If you know anyone interested in filling a recently-opened delivery boy position, do send them my way," he groaned.

"Good help is hard to find. I am most fortunate," said Muemen nudging Mary, who rolled her eyes. "What of my pressure suit?"

Bahdin became irritable. "What of this, what of that? How is one to keep up?" Muemen waited. Bahdin began to sweat. "It did not come in, yet. The supply is not unlimited."

Muemen and Mary turned to leave. Behind the small, low counter, he saw an unopened package, clearly labeled as his pressure suit and marked for return. Very odd, indeed, he thought. They headed out to his skiff in confusion.

Ratoi was an island covered in rocky crags overgrown with wide leafed foliage of red and green. A thin beach of clean white sand surrounded the isle, and its shores helped define Dobby Bay, Jigger Bay, and Bottomless Bay. Now, they landed at a spot looking out over Dobby Bay. There were far less Jiggers beached here, and they found a clear spot.

"The process is truly quite simple. I've even shown little Barbony how," Mary said, showing Muemen how to tie the appropriate knot.

"Barbony? Never! You wouldn't let her," Muemen said truly aghast.

Mary looked at him in fascination and smiled. "I couldn't stop her, once she'd seen me do it. She's a Rundey, through and through."

Muemen sighed. His strange concern for the well-being of the Rundey girls would be his death. Mary gave him the rope, showed him how best to hold it.

"The real and only trick is the horn. Do not be distracted by its squirming body and tail. Watch the horn, anticipate the attack which is usually for the head or torso. Make the lasso large so you have a better chance. Once you have one hooked, simply haul yourself up behind the head, grip with your knees. They become surprisingly docile after their initial attempt at escape."

Mary used a long stick for a horn and did her best Jigger impression, charging Muemen from this way and that, until she felt he had the hang of it.

"Now, into the water!" she said clapping her hands in excitement. "It is a strange feeling at first, riding those writhing creatures, but exhilarating."

Muemen's heart raced as they headed out into Dobby Bay. Mary said that once mounted, the other Jiggers seemed to pay her no heed, and even claimed to have crossed the whole of Jigger Bay in such a manner. Muemen could only stare in wonder at her boldness, and had drained the blood from a few beached Jiggers into a sealed leech-sack hung at his shoulder, just in case.

"I am not so brave," he told her.

"You're braver than you think, my dear," she said, and slapped him on his bottom. "Now, into the water with you!"

Muemen swallowed his gill and dove in. The waters of Dobby Bay were clear and cool. He had a handful of Pyfin eggs in a small net in one hand, and his lasso in the other. He could see Jiggerdarts whisking through the far blue haze, and it was not long until one sniffed out the eggs and turned towards him. Muemen swallowed hard.

Watch the horn, he told himself as the gross little eyes locked on him. Its body writhed, wriggled, but the horn, he noted, moved straight almost always. Watch the horn. It was close, its horn coming at Muemens groin. He kicked his legs and swam up and over it, looping the lasso over it's horn with a thrill of triumph. The lasso closed, the line snapped tight with a power he had not expected. Muscles burning, he dragged himself up close behind the head and horn, held on tight until he noticed its furious strength decline.

Mary was right. It was both exhilarating and strange. With little tugs, this way or that, up or down, the Jigger obeyed. It swam on and on, its wide, flat, long tail fin leaving a violent, bubbling wake behind them. Finally, he headed back for the skiff, let the line trail out till the Jigger was far gone, then cut the line and watched his mount leave with a silent goodbye.