anonymous
2011-07-04 07:46:33 UTC
Andrew looked down and nodded glumly, and heard Ajali reply with an unenthusiastic “yes, Delphinia Pelagios”.
“Well, if that’s the case, you two are going to need to learn to swim. I figure we might as well start today, and the rest of your new School can help you!”
Andrew’s head snapped up. Surely this woman wasn’t talking about releasing him out into the ocean, where sea-monsters and sharks and god knows what were surely lurking behind every rock and clump of seaweed?
“I know how to swim” Ajali said, a touch of defensiveness in his voice.
“Not here you don’t” Delphinia replied grimly. Andrew had to agree with her; he was sure that his previous splashings in the creeks and ponds at home would be nothing compared to swimming around on the ocean floor. There were no sharks in ponds, for instance.
“If it’s all the same to you,” Andrew said, “I’d rather not. I don’t much care for swimming.” He tried to make his voice sound ‘adult’, firm, yet reasonable. Delphinia looked at him, her lids half shut and a bored, unamused look on her face.
“You don’t like swimming?”
“No,” Andrew said, forcing his mouth into a rueful smile, “not very much at all, I’m afraid.”
“And you don’t want to learn how to swim with the rest of the School?”
“Not really, no.” Andrew replied, still using his best ‘Now let’s be reasonable’ voice.
“Me neither!” Andrew heard Ajali pipe up, apparently wishing to piggy-back on Andrew’s tentative impunity.
“Alright then, you two are excused from Oceanics” Delphinia said, turning to reattach a buckle to the tailfin she held in her hand, “no swimming for you two.” Andrew couldn’t believe his luck! However, his now-genuine grin faded as Delphinia, after a pause, continued to speak, still working on the tailfin.
“You don’t like swimming,” she repeated, “but tell me this, Andrew and Ajali, do you two enjoy eating?”
“Well, yes, Delphinia Pelagios,” Andrew answered tentatively. Ajali nodded his head in agreement.
“Well, my boys from Above, how do you expect to eat if you refuse to swim?”
Andrew looked at Delphinia, who had turned away from the Tailfin now, and was facing him and Ajali with her hands on her hips.
“What does-“ Andrew began, but he was interrupted by Delphinia.
“What does swimming have to do with eating Andrew? Tell me, in your world, does food simply appear on the table? Is it a granted wish, an answered prayer?” Andrew shook his head, feeling his cheeks grow red. “No? How do your people feed themselves then?”
“Farm. Or hunt.” Andrew mumbled, looking at his feet.
“Alright, so what if someone just decides that he will not work for his food? Decides that farming is too much work, and hunting is too dangerous and tiresome. Who gives him his food? Who keeps him and his family fat and happy when he is to lazy to fend for himself?”
“No one,” Andrew said. His face felt so hot that he was sure steam would start erupting from his freckles at any moment.
“Right, no one. No one wants to work harder just because someone else refuses to do their share. That’s why you need to learn to swim, boys. Swimming is how Thessalians farm, how we hunt. If you can’t swim, if you can’t do your part to provide for Thessalia, there is no reason for Thessalia to provide for you.”