A Curse Falls

by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Sand blew across the wide beach, covering footprints left by the departing fishing fleet far down upon North Village’s tiny harbor. From her hilltop vantage point, high above her home village, the kitten known as Kama looked out into the harbor. There the fishing boats still danced in a choppy water, yet the coming storm would pass by without danger to her village. To her adopted mother. Of this the kitten was as certain as one could be that the sun would rise each morning. Mother Angelica was important to the kitten, for mother Angelica had proven that she would do what was needed to care for. To protect her adopted daughter. Even if that meant heavy calluses on once soft paws or the occasional cut or deep bruise to once soft flesh.

Smiling at the fleet so far below, Kama picked up her heavy steel bucket, its interior filled with fresh seawater. Its occupant, a single sea cucumber, looked out the buckets edge as curious as a puppy. Had this not been enough to warn an idle viewer of unknown danger, as Kama stood the bucket seemed to lose all weight. It began to swing much like a child’s empty tin sand bucket would. For a child of Kama’s age should hardly be able to pick up such a heavy bucket, much less swing it freely without fear that a single drop of water would escape. Certainly it was not strength that swung that bucket much as a child’s toy, for the kittens muscles bulged not one little bit.

Even so, had that strangeness not been warning enough, watching as bushes seemed to move their limbs from her path, round stones loosely held in the paths soft volcanic soil holding. Stones that had turned under another’s tread just a few hours before. This most certainly would have poured Arctic winter waters down any viewers spine. For there was something different about this pretty young kitten. Something that had already frightened hardened German researchers to their souls.

An intelligent Euro would have run. Run for their life, for their soul. Run in any direction away from the innocent young kitten, other than the direction that she was walking. For Kama was walking to a place that even the Honored Mothers rarely visited. A place that many a snoopy Euro had either vanished from, or returned incapable of speaking ever again. What was worse, she approached that place not only with a smile on her face, but singing a popular Jewish holiday tune. It was, to the understanding viewer, madness.

Yet had either of her adopted mothers have encountered her, they would have simply asked where she was going, if she needed them to accompany her and if she would be home in time for lunch. Of course Angelica had already been to that place, already had a healthy respect for what was there. But she was accepted, and no one would stand against Ada should she decide her adopted daughter needed her. One Euro fur once had tried to stop the Jewish hound when she felt Kama needed her. It was rumored that he would be able to walk in another year. With a cane, or two.

Kama stopped next to a slight indentation in the shrub line. To the casual viewer it was simply a small indentation in the jungle, much like any other. To the trained viewer the beginnings of a seldom used trail would be evident. To those trained in other things, they would be shaking in their boots. Without a sound the kitten turned, and entered that seldom used path. Thorns, creepers and other bits of vegetation easily made way for her. Closing behind her again as she walked carefree. Within its bucket that deep sea cucumber watched in delight as an opening was made, making tiny slapping noises against its heavy steel buckets side. Noises that sounded much like tiny paws clapping.

Kama was on a mission. A mission that had started almost the same night that Momma Angelica had let her sleep beside her. A mission that to date had failed, yet Kama was, if anything persistent. Exactly like her adopted mothers. She was coming to this special place to once again ask a gift. Most kittens would think it a birthday gift, but no mortal knew Kama’s day of birth. Not even she hreself. In all the time that she had been alive, other than the creature in her bucket, the kitten had received only the gift of life from her true parents. A great gift to be certain, but a gift all children received. It was time, she had decided, that they grant her one more gift. Even though she had been forced to make all things ready for it as best as she could. The smile on her face though was not forced, for Kama felt in her heart that now her request would be granted. Today Mama Ada would arrive, and Kama know somehow that it would be her last visit for some time. And her last chance to obtain the gift she so much desired.

It was still dark when the hound Ada Cronstein made her final decision. Beside her lay the most beautiful feline in the world, a woman who had so easily stolen the hounds heart away. Her heart, and perhaps more Ada had long ago admitted to herself. She could no longer imagine a life without Angelica Silfverlindh, the beautiful Swedish feline having so made herself a part of the Songmark graduates life. But she would have too. For the older Priestess Missy Pohovic had stopped her two days ago as she approached the village.

“This will be last moon with our daughter” the mare had warned Ada. “Her curse ends now. Can you survive?”

“Have I any choice” Ada remembered asking. “I have had Heaven on Earth these nights, now I will pay the bill from Hell that I always knew was coming. Honored Mother, does she know yet?”

“No. I speak with her when you leave. Be at peace daughter. For you have no evil within you. There will be no punishment for your actions. Of this I am most certain.” The mare had started to leave, then turned back to Ada for one last moment. “You never have had evil within you, daughter of light” she finished. Then she was gone into the waiting jungle.

That had been three days ago. Three long, glorious love and lust filled days. Soon though the sun would rise, and with its touch the evil curse placed upon this beautiful woman would vanish as the morning dew. Yet it would never return. ‘I will never touch her again’ Ada realized, her heart aching in pain. So she had sat this last hour, or more. Sat in the darkness, burning into her memory the naked beauty so gloriously spread before her. Spread as though in offering to her. Until the sun rose, this was no lie. For even in her sleep the feline dreamed of Ada, and wanted her.

Leaning over her lover Ada gently kissed those warm, soft lips. Her touch caused Angelica to begin to wake, but months of full moons had taught the hound how to send her true love back into sleep. She whispered certain words of endearment and promise, touched certain places and soon, with a satisfied purr the feline fell into a deep sleep again.

Once her Angelica was again asleep Ada stood, being as careful as three years of Songmark training could make her. She would have to be gone by sunrise, for after so long working with the fishers Angelica now woke at the first sound of Morning Song. So much had the once snobbish feline changed since settling in North Village. It made the Jewish hound proud, to know that the woman she loved had freely changed herself so much. Gathering her clothing, she eased to the firepit. It was a matter of minutes to place the wrapped meal next to those banked coals. When the sun came, they would be ready for Angelica and Kama to eat. It was her last gift to a love she had just surrendered. Then first dressing in the dark, Ada slipped out of the short longhouse.

To find Kama and her pet waiting. This no longer surprised the hound, for Kama was something she now accepted as different. Accepted because she loved the little kitten. Loved her as though she were her own daughter. A daughter though was something Ada would never have of course. Not with her lifestyle.

“Go?” the kitten asked in her odd, single work way of speaking.

Settling down in the sand beside that kitten, one who so easily frightened Ada’s friend Oharu, the hound reached out to comb Kama’s fur with her fingers. “It is time” she admitted. “Her curse, gone. She will not want me near her anymore. It is better this way. I leave with the memories she has given me, and not the look of distaste she would give me when the sun touches her again.”

In answer Kama simply pointed South. It was, Ada thought, strange how much information that the kitten could put in a single word. In a single movement or expression. “Yes South. I’ll take jobs until I can get to where Angelica was shipwrecked. You remember that I promised her I would find out what happened to her mother. She’d had dreams that her mother is alive, and Kama. Having met you, I think these dreams are truth. So maybe I will bring her mother back to her. But I will find the truth, and I will bring the truth back to her.” She suddenly leaned over, wrapping her arms around the kitten. “And then I will live here, in North Village. To take care of you, to play with you. To be a mother to you. If you want me.”

Her answer was a bright smile that filled the kittens eyes. “Playmate?” the kitten asked.

“I’ll be your playmate yes” Ada laughed, though she kept her voice soft. So as to not wake Angelica too early. “Angelica will marry, then she will give you many brothers and sisters to play with.” Carefully she released the kitten, then stood. “I need to go now Kama. I left fish baking at the fire. Don’t let Angelica burn them again okay?” The kittens answer was a giggle, and a splash from the bucket that held her strange pet. “Good. And Kama? Take care of her please? Don’t let her do something stupid. Don’t let her get hurt. And don’t you get hurt either. I want to be there when you choose your own mate for life.” She leaned over slightly, brushing a wisp of hair from the kittens face. “I want to be there when you grow up. To see what you become. I love you Kama. You are the daughter I can never have.”

For the first hundred yards Ada walked, remembering how Kama had looked. That sad look in her eyes when she had been waiting. How Angelica had looked. Just before she broke into a trot the hound reached up to grasp the locket that still hung around her neck. A second tailfast ring, which should have led to marriage. It wouldn’t, for Angelica had no natural desire for a woman. She wasn’t like Ada. Not that way. For one hard minute the hound debated on ripping the necklace off, then tossing it away. For some reason she chose not too.

Angelica rose at the first words greeting the suns return. She well recognized Missy Pohovic’s deep voice. It was better than waking to an alarm clock by many degrees. Ada had, she quickly discovered, left again before the sunrise. It was her nature the feline knew, she did not want to be around when the curse faded for this month, though it had lasted longer this month than ever before. Almost four full days. “Soon” she whispered as she leaned over to inhale the hounds lingering scent still with desire. “It will be forever, and she won’t leave me anymore.” That Ada had long ago fallen completely in love with her the feline well knew. That she was doing the same was something Angelica had accepted just last month. ‘It was true’ she thought as she held the thin blanket to her muzzle. ‘As the Greeks and Romans discovered. That when one is with another long enough, one either falls in love, or hates them. I could never hate Ada. My curse is over for this month. Still I love her. I still desire her.’

Kama came in then, still carrying her bucket of sea water she made her way to the long house artificial pond. There she carefully poured the buckets contents into that waiting water, setting the now empty pail aside before looking at the fire. ‘Why won’t she look at me’ Angelica wondered. Then the suns first rays struck her, and the curse that had held her on Spontoon so long evaporated. Forever.

A brand new Curtiss SOC-1 Seagull flew South from Spontoon several hours later. Officially an American Naval aircraft, this particular model had been leased by Stanford University for use by the prestigious Professor Rudman. To which was attached enough letters to create a unique alphabet. That learned owl was currently comfortably seated in a very modified chair where the Observer would have normally sat. Ahead of him sat his new pilot. Rudman was a bit upset at having been forced to hire a new pilot, Josh should have known better than to take up cliff diving. Even though the native girls he was diving after had been very pretty. Well, the young coyote could spend the next six weeks recovering from his broken ribs in the local hospital, then return home. Still, those two female Doctors had been quite pretty, and Josh was a ladies man.

His new pilot though had come highly recommended. A hound, and recent graduate from the local women’s flying academy. She not only had learned to fly around these islands, but spoke the local language as well. Her only downside in the Professor’s eyes was that she was Jewish. Still, considering her looks, he could let that slide. Her being Sapphic was a plus, as it meant that he wouldn’t have to worry about replacing her, should she find some young native attractive and make a mistake. Carrying a baby around while studying the local social patterns wasn’t something he was willing to do. That she had inspected his aircraft carefully before takeoff, even demanding that a control wire be replaced, which she then did herself, had proven to the old owl that he had made the right choice. With nothing left to do, he allowed the aircrafts single engine to lull him to sleep.

In the pilots seat Ada Cronstein was busy checking her navigation. They had picked up a cross-wind, and she was having to correct their course by dead reckoning for the moment. With a range limitation of 675 miles, she knew that they would be island hopping for the entire time. Some times she would have to make strange courses, at least until they reached the group of islands her employer was interested in. To the hounds great luck it was the same island group that she was interested in. That of course meant little, as there were hundreds of inhabited islands in her search area, and no real certainly that Angelica’s mother had survived that storm. Yet she would find her. Dead or alive, she would find her. Unconsciously Ada’s off paw reached up to press against a part of her flight suit. A part that covered what was her most precious possession. Her tailfast ring.