The Curse of Water

Chapter 7- Eternal Humiliation

Part II

Chapter Seven – Eternal Humiliation

Needless to say, Genny and I didn't return to the well. Sadly I didn't get to see her at all because the day of the Preliminaries was scheduled for two days after our little adventure. The mystery of that night has not been kind to me either, invading my dreams with visions of people piling up to jump in the well. I was always there at the end of the line, unable to stop my dream self as it approached the high edge, and waking just as I was about to jump. And this dream started over each time I resigned myself to sleep.

The harsh knock makes my heart jump and I drag myself out of bed, sleep deprived, sweaty and pale as a ghost as the image of the magnetic swirling of the water drawing me closer and closer haunts my mind. I open the door and, just as I expected, a beauty team is standing outside absolutely horrified. My mother pushes past them, pulling me close into her arms.

“Marcus, did you not get any sleep today either?” Her hold is strong and I finally feel a moment of rest from the disease of my nightmares. I hug back and suddenly feel like either I have grown or she has gotten smaller. She is still as vibrant as ever, but she seems more fragile, even a little weak.

“Not much, but Mom, are you okay? Are you not eating? Have you been taking my father's idiotic dieting advice?” I demand while the beauticians finally regain their composure and start unpacking. She laughs and waves her hand, pulling me into the living room from the hall.

“Sweetheart, you know that a mother never stops worrying. I know you're all grown up, but do you think I can sleep when you're not? Or eat when you're in such a state?” She spins around, completely assembled and beautiful, and it suddenly hits me what a mess I must look like. Well, I do have about a million people shoving me towards the bathroom.

“Mom...please don't worry about me.” I say, not a hundred percent convinced that it makes any difference, but I sigh and reluctantly lock myself into the bathroom.

“The lake is not a place you should fear Marcus!” I hear her voice from the other side of the door and as much as I love her, that is the last thing I want to hear right now. I turn the tap on, shaking my head, and out pours the bright green, refreshing, cleansing H20. Just the way it should look.

By the 5th knock, I'm ready to step out of the shower and rejoin the team in my robe.

“Where did my mother go?” I ask, searching the swarm of hands and faces immediately getting to work on me.

“She said she had to go but will meet you by the gate at 11:30.” Darren answers, and I'm happy to see at least one familiar face among the new ones, as today my mom brought me her team. They're equipped with all the right powers and I need all the help I can get.

My shoe guy's black eyes twinkle as he pulls out some flesh coloured pods from his pockets.

“I know you're worried about today Marcus, but don't, you're going to be fabulous! Look what I got for you!”

I inspect the gooey ball like...things and give him a questioning look and roar from the sudden pain a pair of clumsy tweezers cause on my thigh. Really Marcus, please don't start the humiliation speech again...that's the last thing you need right now...besides, Darren's really excited about goo!

“I made them! Aren't they great?”

“Sure, you're quite the inventor. What the heck are they?” I ask, very amused by his prideful enthusiasm. From some of my shoe creations (of which only a few were a miss) I've know Darren to be quite the craftsman. Though he also shared my misfortune of having no special power, I could see how his ambitious nature and constant sparks of creativity got him to a position in the palace. Plus he was what you would call “man pretty”.