An Interesting Love

Travel?

Word Count: 2,232

"I want to go somewhere," I say.

Henry smiles and looks over at me. We're on another walk through our paradise, heading towards a new waterfall for a swim.

"Where do you want to go?" he asks.

"I want to go to Spain with you," I respond.

"We can go to Spain," he says.

I smile and nod my head in agreement. We can go to Spain. Then we reach the pool below the waterfall. The water is dark and impossible to see through. It is mystifying, especially as the seventy-foot high cliff from which the water falls ends in a big white cloud where the water is churned. We jump right in, and I'm not surprised at how deep the pool is. I can't see a thing below me but I'm not worried about anything pulling me under. Henry wouldn't put anything in here, and if he did, and it dragged me under, I would just teleport myself out onto the land. With my powers, I don't even need to be afraid of swimming in the ocean anymore. I wonder if I will ever want to swim in a real ocean again. I float on my back and Henry splashes me on the face. I don't switch my position but move my hand to splash him back lousily.

"Aw, c'mon, you can do better than that," he says.

"I'm relaxing, Henry. This is very peaceful," I tell him, waiting for him to turn his back before I strike.

His face scrunches up and his mouth opens to tell me that I'm not safe. I dive under and try swimming away but he dives after me, catching my ankle and pulling me up to the surface.

"You can run but you can't hide!" he says before giving me the biggest splash of a lifetime.

I retaliate, but my droplets don't seem as big as his when they fall on his face. He laughs and then comes over to plunge my head in the water. I grab his wrists and drag him under too. We smile at each other under the surface and then I tap his shoulder. I start swimming away quickly and it takes Henry only a moment to realize that I just started a game of tag. He begins to chase me, but I'm too far ahead. Then he gets an idea. He grows his tail back and gains a lot of speed. In a few seconds, he catches my waist and pulls me into him. He swims us up to the surface together, holding me very close to his chest. I hold on to his shoulders as we bounce on the small waves and look at each other. I can see a small reflection of the waterfall in his eyes and it seems so natural. It seems like he is a part of nature— a waterfall himself. He flows and takes each ripple of a wave in stride, falling into a magnificent mist that will always rise. He is very calm in the water, like he's meant to be here. He moves his hands from my sides to my back, bringing me right to his face. He's so beautiful. Our foreheads are pressed against each other and I can feel Henry's tail move against my legs as he works to keep us afloat. He gives me a small kiss on my lips, and when he does, I move one hand behind his head. I want to keep him here in this position— this peaceful position. He feels so real.

After our fingers prune past their recovery line, Henry and I get out of the water. We lie on the grass, propped up by our elbows, a few feet away from each other while we admire the beauty before us. My hair is still soaked and Henry decided to keep his tail for longer, and we both feel the mist on our faces. I feel so refreshed and pure. I drop my head back and then turn it to look at my love. His eyes are closed and his lips are flat; he's relaxed. I drop down from my elbows and begin to roll toward him, switching my trajectory a couple of times so I can align my face with his. Eventually, I get near him and he notices my action, turning on his side and opening his arms to welcome me. He's steadied by one elbow, and so I steady myself on my own elbow, facing him. Our opposite arms are resting on each other's waists, and I use my middle finger to draw circles on his skin. We stay like this for a long while.