Consciousness returned to Sigismund like a wave moving through a treacle
sea.
The first thing of which he became aware was that everything hurt. Every
part
of everything that was him felt heavy and sore. Even the realisation of
the
sensation made him wince. He looked around but there was no sea. He
recalled
making his way toward the sea, as was his morning custom - he looked up -
it was
past midday and the tide had been and gone.
Sigismund moved uncomfortably on the rocks upon which he had awoken and
shuddered as he remembered the dream, if it was a dream, he hoped that it
was.
It was not the first time that he had experienced a trans-species dream,
but it
was the first time he had found himself being something else which had in
turn
become something else. His heart sank has he recalled what appeared to be
an
attempt by one of those dream-selves to cross breed with what could not
really
have been a mermaid. He cringed as the memory became clearer.
Some distance away, he could see a few familiar faces foraging in rock
pools
and he cheered slightly as the sense of alienation began to fade. The
regular
rhythmic hum of the power station in the middle distance was reassuring.
It had
been there long before his birth and so it was as much part of the
landscape as
the cliffs, the rocks, or even the sea itself.
Realising he had not eaten properly, he began his foraging again. He
would not
make it back to his home today as too many hours had been lost already.
He
would stay and eat what he could find until night fell. The rocks and
pools
would provide shelter through the night and he would have the op****tunity
to
take advantage of the next tide; the full moon in May was always a
pleasant time.
--
Blue Sow
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