CIRCE’S POOL
Pen Clements
PUBLISHED BY: Coral Sea Press
Circe’s Pool:
Copyright © 2012 by Pen Clements
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***
Circe's Pool
There was a crystal pavilion in the centre of the forest, built of white wrought iron and hung with chandeliers. Nymphs played in the fountains and slid down the waterfalls or lolled in the quiet lagoons. Shoals of silver fish swam through the streams. It was a happy life and the nymphs were content, even a little lazy.
'We really ought to go and tend the pools on the other side of the island,' mused Marella.
'Let's go tomorrow.' It was Rille, half asleep under a waterfall.
'That's what we said yesterday, and the day before that.'
'I know. But I hate getting my hair dirty. I'd rather stay here.'
Rille was proud of her silver hair and liked to show it off. She couldn't stand using it the way it was meant to be used, to filter and clean the water.
'Rille.' Nimue's clear voice cut through the gentle sound of bubbles. 'Being a nymph is not about decoration, we have work to do.'
'Here she comes,' muttered Marella. 'Bossy cow.'
Nimue ignored her. 'If Circe can create us a pavilion with a flick of her wrist then she can uncreate it just as easily. And she will if we don't keep our end of the bargain.'
'Circe's such a...'
'Marella! Never insult a sorceress.'
Marella closed her mouth. There were still a lot of pigs running around the island who had once been men.
The nymphs swam out and tended the pools, clearing slime, filtering sediment, unblocking channels and restoring the health of the island's water. But most of them were empty headed creatures and it wasn't long before they were back to lolling around in the pavilion, playing with each other's hair and enjoying the soundd of their pure singing as it echoed from the crystal panes.
***
On the other side of the island a ray of sunlight struggled into the entrance of a shadowed cave. It caressed elegant brown fingers holding an earthenware bowl. A long nail stirred the clear green fluid in the bowl, swirling it faster and faster until a vortex formed. Emerald green water spun in a spiral and stopped. The smooth surface reflected a pair of green-gold eyes.
‘Fussy little nymphs,’ a disapproving voice said. ‘Fussy, comfort loving little nymphs.’
The water mirrored a smile that was marred by a blooming drop of blood.
‘Ow,’ said the voice, followed by the noise of a finger being sucked. Then, ‘That should fix them.’
***
They didn't notice the Toad at first. He snuck into the side of the pavilion at night but the nymphs were too busy being lazy to notice anything except the waterfall they played in. Then Nereida screamed.
'What's that stuff? It's all over me!'
A glob of mustard coloured slime was smeared over her back. It had floated down the water and plenty more was coming. The nymphs scrabbled out of the pool and followed the stream back through the rooms. They stood in appalled silence when they saw the creature squatting before them.
The Toad's skin hung in dripping folds of fat. Brown slime oozed out of warty extrusions and his heavy eyelids drooped over yellow, watchful eyes. He dragged himself across the smooth tiled floor, leaving a rancid trail behind him. Nimue grabbed the nymphs and they backed up against the crystal walls. The Toad rested on the edge of a pool before allowing his hefty bulk to flop into the water and splash foulness over the mosaic floors. Khaki coloured clouds bloomed around his bloated carcass, thick and full of fermented pieces of unidentifiable matter.
'We're going to have to clean it,' Nimue said. 'It's a punishment.'
‘Who put you in charge,’ Marella muttered.
Nimue raised her eyebrows. ‘I am the Maiden,’ she said, ‘which makes you...?’
‘The handmaiden, Nimue.’
‘Thank you. Now, gather round everybody.'
The nymphs were too frightened to disobey but they didn't like what Nimue had to tell them.
'I can't swim in that,' Rille cried. 'Think of what it'll do to my hair!'
Nimue sighed. ‘You know what will happen if we don't clean the water. The Toad will pollute the source. The waters will be unclean. The island and its people will suffer. The animals will die. And so will we, eventually.’
She didn’t have to say, ‘And Circe will be angry.’ Pointing at the Toad was enough.
Rille’s lips thinned. 'I won’t do that,’ she said and dived into the water.
A hissing sound filled the air when she swam towards the arch where the streams ran out into the forest. Mist rose from the water and a lacy wrought iron gate rose with it.
'Looks like we're trapped,' said Marella. 'Which is just what that...' she coughed, 'would do.'
Nimue made them swim through the palace rooms and make sure all the nymphs were present and no-one was hiding. Soon they were all together, their lithe bodies swirling and rippling. They came to the channel leading to the central spring, clear and sweet only hours before. Now it was brown and smelled of rot. There were nasty looking bits in it.
‘Ew.’ It was Rille again. ‘I can’t swim in that. It’ll make me sick.’
They hung back, pulling themselves out of the channel and resting on the smooth floor while they gathered courage. A carved arch spanned the stream and the high ceilings of the source room could be seen through it. The toad had wandered in and sprawled against the back wall. He seemed to be asleep.
‘What’s that around his mouth?’ Marella pointed and they all peered through the archway.
‘It looks like black saliva,’ Nimue said. ‘Like he’s been vomiting up something bad.’
‘I don’t want to swim in his vomit!’ Una wailed. She was the youngest and finding it hard to do her duty.
‘We all have to, so that means you!’ said Marella, elbowing her into the water.
The nymphs slipped back in after Una, holding their noses and complaining. They floated on their backs and let their long pale hair flow out around them, silken and waving, a fan of filaments. The stench faded and the reeking brown water cleared. Sticky lumps clung in the nymphs’ hair and some of them looked ill.
‘I think I might vomit too,’ Nereida said.
‘Don’t be silly. We don’t do that,’ Una said. ‘Do we?’
Her eyes widened and she looked at Nimue for reassurance. She was only a young nymph.
‘No, we don’t Una,’ said Nimue. ‘And we don’t complain, and we do what we have to so the island stays healthy.’
Later, Nimue swam away from her handmaidens and curled up into a fountain. She wondered how long the Toad would be there and if it would ever die or go away. She looked over her shoulder towards the forest and shuddered, sure she could feel Circe out there, watching. Circe would know if they shirked their duty. Not that there was an alternative. The foul water would destroy the island and they couldn't survive in salt so one way or another they were trapped.
The Toad behaved himself for a while. He did unmentionable things in the water now and then, but he stopped moving around and surprising them in the day. It was the night that unsettled everyone. The nymphs tried to avoid him but the Toad was quiet as a shadow. And they had to sleep sometimes. And his yellow eyes saw so much better than theirs in the dark.
Soon some of the nymphs weren't sleeping wel
l. A sliding, sticky sound would wake them and when they sat upright in the darkness they would see the glow of eyes. The Toad had claws and their sharp points clicked on the tiled floor.
‘He’s stalking us,’ whispered Nereida.
‘You’re imagining it, go back to sleep,’ Nimue said.
‘I think he is,’ said Lula. She was a silent one, so when she spoke the others listened. ‘I think he’s trying to lull us into trusting him. That’s why he’s not making so much mess. And he’s sleeping in the day so he can creep up on us at night.’
Nobody wanted to think about that. They’d wondered if they might get used to the Toad but no-one could get used to the thought of that heavy, reeking body squelching up to them in the dark.