The Queen Of All Strange Things

12

Molten steel dripped over our head as we passed through the hole made by Mjolnir. How do people even pronounce that name! Thor was told to remain outside, unless something went wrong.
‘So,’ I said. ‘The bells… They were a warning that the Beast prison_’
‘Imprisonatorium.’
‘What-ever-it-is is open?’
‘Uh-em.’
We were walking down a flight of stairs. Zeus had a ball of lightning lighting the way.
‘In which cell is the Kelpie kept?’ said Mr. Carsson.
‘Cell number ninety nine,’ said Zeus.
‘You sure?’
‘I checked the log book,’ he said.
‘So… the Kelpie,’ I said to Andrew.
‘Don’t go near it. Whatever you see…. Girls are easily lured to pretty things.’
I sighed. ‘Don’t go near it. Okay, anything else?’
‘Use your best and loudest command.’
‘Hm… If not?’
‘Don’t get drowned.’
‘Drowned?’
But I didn’t get an explanation. The deeper we went, the muskier the air became. Water dripped from the edges and the floor was wet and sticky. Finally I caught sight of a metal door. It had a square shape and to its right was a lever. On it was a brass label.
Prison Cell no. 001
THE BASLIC
(Beware its gaze)
Then we passed another.
Prison cell no: 004
THE COUNT DRACULA
(Beware the hats)
Hats?
‘It’s bats,’ said Andrew, passing by.
I cannot remember how many cells we passed. There was Frankenstein, the alpha werewolf, the hydra, the Nemean Lion (wasn’t he skinned?), Medusa (she’s dead right?), the Gremlins (don’t ask) and some labels in different languages like Egyptian hieroglyphs, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, Arabic and some other figures I could not read.
‘Weren’t most of these things slain?’ I said. ‘Like the Medusa and the Lion? Even the Hydra?’
‘I told you,’ said Andrew. ‘Even though they are told to be killed, they exist as long as they are remembered.’
This world is crazy!
Finally we reached Room no ninety nine. It was terrible. My shoes were soaking wet and my hair felt so damp and it was terribly cold.
Prison no: 099
THE KELPIE
(Don’t be fooled)
‘Must I go in there?’ I asked.
Mr. Carsson pulled down the lever. ‘Of course, darling!’
A grinding noise filled the chamber as the metal door rose up, revealing a darkness. It glot stuck halfway.
‘Go on,’ said Mr. Carsson.
‘I don’t think it is a good idea,’ said Zeus.
‘For once, I agree…’ said Mr. Hill.
I didn’t move an inch. But then, in the dark I saw something white gleaming inside.
‘There’s something in there,’ I said.
‘Or coarse there is,’ said Andrew.
Zeus’s lightning ball hovered near the entrance. Then he sent it in.
The chamber was empty. I thing I even noticed a little pool in the cover. I ducked my dead and peeped in. The floor was laid with damp sand. The chamber seemed so empty.
‘Be careful,’ said Athena.
‘I signed my death warrant a long time ago,’ I said as I ducked under the entrance.
‘Come back here,’ said Zeus.
‘There is nothing in here,’ I said. A horse can’t disappear in a place like this unless it’s invisible. I edged closer to the pool
But all of a sudden, I heard a clang of grinding metal again.
‘CARSSON! What are you doing?’
‘Sorry,’ said Mr. Carsson. ‘The door was stuck.’
The door was closing. I was about to run out of the chamber before the door closed. Then I heard a loud splash, like something splashing out from the pool. From behind I heard a neigh of a demented horse. I turned back. I was too close to the pool. Something like a long black eel with a horse head caught my leg with its teeth.
I fell on the ground and felt my leg being pulled deeper into the chamber. The door was closing.
‘HELP!’ I screamed.
‘Let me in!’ I heard Andrew yell. ‘I can_’
‘We can’t lose another enchanter!’ said Mr. Hill.
‘WHAT DID YOU DO CARSSON!’ yelled Zeus, I think I heard thunder crack from outside.
‘OPEN IT!’
‘I can’t… the lever is stuck!’
‘SOMEONE CALL THOR!’
Great. And I was using my finger nails to hold onto the ground so that whatever beast was there in the pool didn’t drag me in. But my finger nails vs. a hundred pound beast weren’t really a match.
I lost eventually and I was dragged into the pool with green slimy water. And to make things worse, I didn’t know how to swim.
Before my head sand in, I took a deep breath and tried to wiggle my limbs. The beast was still pulling me deeper. My whole body sank in and I had my eyes closed. I felt my body sink deeper when a voice in a Scottish accent said.
‘Set me free… or you’ll have to die.’
‘Hay!’ I wanted to yell. ‘I’m drowning and you are trying to negotiate!’
I was running out of breath and I had no intention in setting this beast free.
‘Gant me freedom, enchantress,’ said the beast.
Its voice was more like a part of a dream. It was dark, I couldn’t open my eyes. I never thought that one day I might die in a swampy pool in a Monster Prison like this. I felt water rush into my nostrils once my lungs couldn’t handle it. And I think I died.

That was of coarse until something slippery and heavy landed on my chest, sending out all of the water in my lungs. I choked out all of the water out, tears streaming from my eyes wince they stung. I was lying on my back and I turned over so that I will vomit all of the water out. After all was out, I lied on the ground on my back taking deep breaths. My eyes were open and it took some time to sharpen its vision.
Didn’t I just… drown?’
I raised my head and dragged the top half of my body to sit on the ground. In front of me was a green pool and next to it was the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.
It was a horse; a pure while gleaning horse with the longest and smoothest mane, slender feet and the deepest blue eyes. Its coat was so white that it illuminated the room.  
The horse snorted. ‘You’re awake,’ it said.
Scottish….  And not what I expected from a creature like that. I staggered to my feet, completely wet and with sand glued to my hair and clothes from behind.
‘Y-you’re the kelpie?’
The horse’s eyes turned bloodshot. ‘What else do you think?’ he scoffed. It was odd to hear a Scottish accent from a horse. Especially the kelpie…. But I still didn’t know what the kelpie was.
‘Then what was the thing that drowned me?’
Oh, wait. The thing that drowned me was Scottish too.
The so called Kelpie shook his head disappointedly. His white name turned silver grey, its coat black. Black scaled grew out of its skin, its face turned bony and sharp. It was more like a creature from a nightmare. Then its tail reduced to fins on its back. Its hind legs melted elongating as the kelpie dropped down, turning into a tail of a serpent with fins. Its front legs reduced into black translucent slippery fins. The kelpie neighed and swept its tail across the floor, sending the sand flying onto my face.
‘I’m the one who drowned you,’ it said. ‘I’m the Kelpie.’
I was gaping the whole time it turned from the white beauty to the awesome black mer-horse. Then its trail reduced and its horse legs sprouted out. But it still was scaly and black. A silvery black horse tail grew out.
I’ve just witnessed three forms of the same creature.
‘So,’ I said. ‘What brought you here? You look too creepy or something or is it because you drown people?’
The kelpie shrugged in a horsy way.
‘I tricked mortals to ride me and I drowned them.’
‘Nice,’ I said out of irony. ‘How come I’m not… er, drowned?’
‘Your corpse would add another degrading and smelly mess in here and no one comes in to clean this place!’
‘Very rational,’ I Said.
‘Now,’ said the kelpie. ‘May I know what kind of a fool dared to thread on my… domain?’
‘You mean prison, right?’
Well, it’s no harm explaining everything to a creature that is spending his eternity in a cell even though he tried to drown me.
‘I see,’ said the kelpie. ‘You are so power hungry that who want to prove that you are a Horse Enchantress_’
‘I’m not power hungry! It’s just that I don’t seem to have a choice!’
‘You are definitely not a Horse Enchantress.’
‘I know that!’
So for a while, we stood silently, staring at each other.
‘We both need something,’ said the kelpie, ‘and each of us has the power to do so.’
‘Let me guess, you want me to set you free. I doubt I can do that.’
‘If you are the queen of Sightless, you might,’ said the kelpie. ‘In turn I will pretend to me “enchanted” to you.’
I froze. ‘Really…. Um… I doubt that will work….’
‘I can easily pretend,’ he said. 
‘You will start to drown people.’
‘I-I’ll promise not to,’ said the kelpie. ‘If you get me out…’
This poor thing must really want some fresh air.
‘I don’t know…’ I said. ‘They will get me out sooner or later. I really don’t want to prove that I can tame horses.’
‘You said you didn’t have a choice?’
‘I have a choice to fail,’ I said. ‘It will leave me a lot of trouble.’
‘It’s a pity,’ he said. ‘You don’t come cross such an opportunity, not for a silly human like you. I swear I will not drown people if you set me free.’
‘I’m not convinced.’
The kelpie shook its head. ‘I will try my best. Please!’
‘Not enough,’ I said.
‘I’ll swear on my hooves.’
Swearing, I hate that business.
I still shook my head. Then I heard footsteps gaining close. I can get out. I can fail. Zeus will get mad. I will be taken for a fool, maybe even Zeus and Andrew as well.
‘Fine… Pretend to be so and I will free you. But you must wear on River Styx never to drown anyone,’ I said.
The kelpie was rather taken aback. Then finally he said. ‘I swear on river Styx.’
‘Okay then,’ I said. But I was doubtful. Yet Athena did say that swearing on River Styx actually worked.
Then I heard voices from outside.
BOOM! SPLOSH!
Mjolnir crashed in. Outside, several heads peeped into the freshly made hole. The kelpie jumped into the pool out of fright and poked his head out of the water in him full mer-horse form.
‘Hi,’ I said.
‘YOU’RE ALIVE!’ cried Zeus and Mr. Carsson in unison but I’m sure for different reasons.