An Afternoon Out (2/2)

Writers: Dana, Emma
Date Posted: 2nd April 2006

Characters: Traelyn, K'deren
Description: Traelyn and Trievan dig for shells, and K'deren notices that the little boy seems to be opening up more to others at last
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 11, day 7 of Turn 3

K'deren

Traelyn grinned, digging her toes deeper into the sand as she watched two of K'deren's children come rushing up the sand to show him something. Shards, she could remember when she'd been that young. But instead of calmly digging for shells with the other girls, she'd been racing the boys across the sand, all of them pretending to be dragons as they lept in the shallow waters. Those had been simpler times - before Thread.

"What's that you have there?" asked K'deren, as Trievan held something out to him. 'It' turned out to be a large shell.

"Pretty," said the boy.

Traelyn leaned over to look at it as the brownrider turned it over in his hands. "Oooh, that's beautiful," she told K'deren's son, giving him a smile.

"Big enough to hear the sea in it," said K'deren, lifting it to the lad's ear. "You hear it?"

Trievan grinned. "Yes!" he said.

"I didn't hear you."

"YES!" shouted the boy, startling his baby sister for a moment.

The Weyrwoman grinned. "Did you find that in the water? Or did you have to dig for it?"

"D...d...d...dug," he stammered slightly. "Kedon helped."

"Can you show me where? Maybe we can find another one."

The little boy's eyes widened. Hadn't his father, for K'deren was all the father he knew, just said that this lady was a Weyrwoman like his grandma? She wouldn't dig for shells. He didn't quite know what to say to that, and stood silently, watching her for a moment.

"Please?" she asked, her smile encouragingly kind.

After a moment, he shyly held out a hand to the nice lady.

Traelyn rose to her feet, then, smiling down at the boy, she took his hand. As they walked away, she turned her head to grin briefly at K'deren.

"Shall we go see too?" he asked of the baby.

Deralie looked up at her father as he got to his feet. She held out her arms to him to be picked up. "You are getting so heavy now." he said as he followed Trae and Trievan.

"Is this the spot?" she asked, pointing to the hole in the damp sand.

Trievan nodded, getting down on his knees to make the hole wider and deeper. After a moment or two, he pulled another shell out, which he handed to Traelyn.

She knelt beside him. "Oooh, this one's pretty too, Trievan." Gently she held it up to his ear. "Can you hear the ocean?"

The little boy nodded. "Yes," he said softly.

"When I was your age, I had a shell like this. I would listen to it at night before I fell asleep."

"Really?" asked the little boy.

K'deren stood behind, watching the child. He seemed so much more open than he had been since the death of his mother. Maybe it was a sign that he was at last turning a corner.

"Mmmhmm," Traelyn smiled. "My friend would find them for me because he knew how much I loved them. And how much I loved the ocean."

"Mama liked them too, he said after a moment. "B....but she can't do this with me anymore."

Her expression grew a little sad as she looked down at the boy. Gently she took his small hand in his, giving it a soft squeeze, wondering what words of comfort she could give the child. Death was a hard thing to accept - especially for one so young. "Even though your mama might not be beside you...she is still with you, Trievan."

"Ohh," he said. It was a lot for a child of five to take in. His birthingday had been in the past month, and that was what he had been told.

"Right here." She pressed his fingers to his own heart.

K'deren smiled as he watched the tender scene. He'd have given anything to see Vonalie here today.

Last updated on the April 12th 2006

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An Afternoon Out (2/2)