It surprised me that Horn was interested in the swimming idea—he had burns over seventy-five percent of his body due to the horrific multicar crash a drunk driver had caused decades ago that he’d been involved in. He’d lost his family but he’d pulled every person out of their cars, most of which were burning. He was the only reason anyone had survived, and he was a true hero, but he understandably wasn’t excited about the idea of sharing his exposed body. In all the time I’d known him, I’d never seen him in anything but long-sleeved shirts and slacks.
However, the Moon Suit allowed him to do this. He’d put the Moon Suit on in his room, but that was his only concession. And in it, he looked like everyone else, really—golden. He was in board shorts, but otherwise, this was the most undressed I’d ever seen him. He seemed bashful about it, but Elaine was talking and walking with him, and no one commented about anything. It was nice to see Horn getting to do this normal thing for, I had to figure, the first time in public since the accident.
Horn wasn’t the only one who’d prepped in his room, though. We were all becoming quite adept at getting the Moon Suits on and off, even the littler kids. Wondered if suggesting that the Cradi turn their world into a vacation planet would be met with derision, horror, or excitement. Figured I’d get two out of the three, so kept my mouth shut.
Thusly bathing suited up according to whichever custom and style each person followed, we did the airlock thing and headed off to the beach. I’d insisted that Chuckie and Brian join us. Hacker International had given me looks that said that they wanted, nay needed to keep on working on the star charts, so I let them off the bathing suit hook. I knew when to do someone a solid.
Going swimming here worked just like it did on Earth—you held your breath underwater and, if you wanted to open your eyes, you wore goggles. The goggles we were all given were equipped with the first clear thing I’d seen on the planet—the eyepieces were crystal. The crystal was ground in a way that made the goggles work just like any glasses or goggles from Earth would—the view was distorted a bit when you were under, not as bad when you weren’t. And they fit over the eye protection of the Moon Suits perfectly, not that I’d had a doubt.
The Moon Suits would protect against anyone accidentally taking in a mouthful of mercury or rubidium, so the risks of drowning were less, and the risk of someone getting splashed and inhaling the stuff was slim to none.
Since Wruck was off exploring the solar area, the Kristie-Bot did the first test. She had no issues holding her breath and keeping her mouth shut, or seeing under the mercury, and Tito declared her fine.
Impressing me to my core, the next people to dive in were some of Jeff’s Cabinet—Jordan Harris, the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Davis, the Secretary of the Interior, and Jack Gibson, the Secretary of Veteran Affairs. These three all went under, and stayed under for a few long seconds.
Gibson surfaced first. “It works. I can see perfectly. It’s amazing! And so buoyant, too! You have to try it!” The other two surfaced and chimed in on the awesomeness. So, after they came out, Tito wanded them, and they were declared still fully human and not poisoned in any way, the rest of us joined in.
There was no way in the world we were letting Charlie go underwater—he hadn’t mastered swimming yet—but Jamie and Lizzie were both good swimmers. Jeff stayed in the shallows with Charlie, Christopher, Amy, Becky, and JR, while I went with the girls and the other kids, all of whom were able to swim.
Mrs. Maurer was with us, of course, as were her son and her grandchildren. It was really neat to see their little family having a fun, normal time together. The Maurers had been through a lot, and this vacation was as necessary for them as it was for us.
As Jamie and Lizzie pulled me under so I could look at the creatures in the mercury with us, realized that I was thinking of everything here as normal. Didn’t know whether that showed my great ability to adapt, or whether Cradus was just so nice and relaxing that I’d come to accept it as perfectly safe and fun. As a tiny octopus-type creature with seven tentacles wrapped gently around my wrist, then let go when I tickled the top of its head, decided I didn’t care.
Chose instead to enjoy the feeling of bouncing while under the mercury. Swimming in water was really going to be a letdown after this.
Schools of silver and black fish that looked a bit like trout, a bit like salmon, and a lot like aliens—seeing as they had sixteen fins each—swam by. There were what looked like forms of seaweed and coral that grew at the edge of the shallows and went as far as I could see into the depths, the seaweed golden, the coral copper. More septopi came to play with us, as tiny fish that looked like silvery baby bass swam into the shallows, to tickle the toes of those there.
How we could see through viscous liquid or submerge in such a dense substance I didn’t know. Maybe it was the Moon Suits. Maybe it was the goggles. Maybe it was magic. Maybe I didn’t care. Cradus was, basically, da bomb and I was hella grateful for it.
The older kids started to have swimming races, though they listened to Feoren and didn’t go out past where they had the Cradi version of lifeguards stationed. They had no dangerous deep dwelling predators, but Feoren saw no reason to take chances, and all the adults agreed that precaution was a good way to go.
Lizzie went to race with the other older kids, while Jamie and I floated on our backs holding hands and looking at Spehidon.
“It’s so pretty here, isn’t it, Mommy?”
“It is. I’m glad we came.”
“Me too. I wish we could stay.”
“But then we wouldn’t see your grandparents and all our other friends and family again, Jamie-Kat.”
“Oh, I know. It’s not a real wish, Mommy, just a fun time wish. Auntie Mimi knows that.”
Managed not to stiffen or react. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. She says that what we want and what we need aren’t the same thing.”
“She’s very right. Um, does she grant your real wishes?”
“Only when people need help. Fairy Godfather ACE says that otherwise it’s des-pot-ic.”
“He’s not wrong.”
“He doesn’t let us help nearly as much as I think we should.” Said in the disapproving tone you’d use to share that a teenager was constantly having to be nagged to do their chores—punishment might be needed, but it would have to suit the level of the crime.
Cleared my throat. “You do realize that Fairy Godfather ACE is much older and far more experienced than you, right?”
“Oh, yes, Mommy, I know. Auntie Mimi says the same. And I would never do something to hurt Fairy Godfather ACE, either. But sometimes it’s hard to not help.”
“Oh, I know that feeling, sweetie, I really do. Is that why you disobeyed and came out without permission earlier?”
“Oh, no. Fairy Godfather ACE approved that, Mommy. I don’t disobey him very much. Hardly ever at all. I don’t want to make him, you, Daddy, or Auntie Mimi disappointed in me.”