#the-silenced

“Do you sign?” said the note she handed to passing strangers.

A question Anahita was accustomed to asking, but one that was necessary, if there was the chance she would be able to communicate with someone without having to dig around for her notebook. There were mixed results, of course, most didn’t understand sign language, but she sometimes got lucky. Like the man who worked at the snack shop, or the little old woman that lived next to the corner store.

She really didn’t mind doing these things for Melodius. Unlike her, he was stuck to the underground pools of the club day in and day out. Sure, if he asked, one of the others would help him out to the ocean for a stretch, but it wasn’t quite the same as being able to go out on one’s own. He couldn’t explore the town or anything else, so she liked going out for him. He was kind of like a family she’d never had, more so than the rest, and she liked helping him.

So it was no surprise that, once again, the mermaid tiptoed to the pool’s edge, with bags in hand. She had snacks and trinkets, some from stores, other things just from parks or other places Anahita had visited along the way. Newspapers and magazines were set up neatly on a bookshelf set up on a raised platform for Melodius to sit on, with the rest of the presents carefully placed nearby.

Once finished, Anahita tossed aside her day clothes, and dove in to the water, allowing her tail to spring forth and her voice coming back to life.

Well, Anahita felt a bit foolish. She’d been in such a rush to get to the store, that she hadn’t remembered to bring her emergency umbrella along with her. And of course, the one and only time she did forget, it had started to rain.

And now, over six feet of mermaid laid on the walkway, staring with exasperation at her tail. The glittering, sky blue scales only seemed to serve as an unpleasant reminder of her disadvantages. While she was now able to vocalize her need for help, it was too early in the morning for most folks to be awake, and Anahita had to quickly come to terms with the idea that she could be stuck there for at least an hour or more.

And even so, she wasn’t fond of the idea of having to rely on strangers. But what choice did she have? The most the mermaid could really do was...hope to speed up the process a bit.

It was Anahita’s day off, but even so she was doing what she could to help out the club. The people there were like the family she’d never known, so she liked to do what she could to earn her keep. This evening, she was wiping down the windows, and setting up new poster advertisements for the local businesses along the wall. It would be a while before the line to get in would start up, so she figured she may as well take care of both while she had the space.

However, while reaching up to try and wipe down the higher portions of one of the large windows, Anahita managed to lose her footing, sending her tumbling back. To her surprise, she felt a warm body blocking her from falling over, albeit rather clumsily and nearly knocking down the other person in the act. In a panic, she began to sign furiously without a second thought, turning to apologize emphatically in the only way she could.