Birdie's Book - Andrea Burden [17]
“They’re trying to tell us they know something,” I said to Kerka as I walked over to the river maidens.
Kerka had her nose back in the map. “It looks like we have to swim down into the pond and through a river tunnel to get to that pink flower,” she said. “That must be what the map meant by making the flower like that.”
By now, the river maidens were reaching for my hands. They wanted me to jump in the water with them! I held back and looked questioningly at Kerka. “What do you think?” I asked.
Kerka shrugged and came over to the water holding the map. Then she bent to show it to the river maidens, pointing to an image of the Agminium flower that had just appeared on the map. The maidens nodded, shaking the shells on their crowns.
“Shall we follow them?” asked Kerka.
“What about those stories of river maidens who coax children into the water and then drown them?” I reminded her.
Kerka grinned sheepishly. “Just Finnish legends meant to scare little kids and keep them out of the water. Sorry,” she said.
“That’s okay,” I said. “I kinda wondered about that.” I laughed, watching as Kerka rolled up the map, tied it, and stowed it back in her pack. I was beginning to like her for real.
I went to roll up my jeans to prepare to lower myself gently into the pond, but before I could do it, the three maidens reached out and touched my arms. Suddenly I found myself in the water. I kicked out, expecting to feel my boots heavy on my feet. Instead, I moved easily.
I looked down to find that my clothes had turned into something like a bright green wet suit (although it was a material I’d never seen before), complete with flippers. “Come on, Kerka!” I called, splashing. “The water’s great! It’s warm and kind of bubbly! And your clothes will change into a wet suit!”
“I can’t,” Kerka replied. She was standing on the edge of the bank now, wiping her hands on her jeans and biting her lip.
I swam up to the bank. “What do you mean?” Was she deserting me? Already?
“I can’t swim,” she said. She looked miserable.
“I’m sure you can learn,” I said. “You wouldn’t be here to help me if you couldn’t come with me! Just put your toes in to start! Come on! I want to see what your clothes will turn into!”
Kerka just shook her head.
The maidens and I splashed around, showing her how safe the water was. I pulled myself out of the water to talk to Kerka. I was wearing my T-shirt and jeans again, dry as a bone, as I came out of the water. To experiment, I lowered back into the water. Instantly I was all slick green wet suit and flippers. I got out again—jeans and T-shirt! Cool!
Kerka hadn’t even noticed my transformation. Instead, she was pacing back and forth at the edge of the pond, having a conversation with herself. “I can handle a Kalis stick. I can play soccer. I can sail. I can skate. I’m just afraid to go underwater. But there is no reason to be afraid.”
I went up to her and touched her arm. She looked at me with a frustrated expression.
“It’s okay. I’ll help you,” I said, remembering how Dad was when he took me to swim classes back home in Califa. “We’ll just take this slowly, and I’ll be with you.”
Kerka nodded and lifted her chin. She strode back to the edge of the water. “I can do this!” she announced. But then she stood there, continuing her argument with herself. “I can’t. Yes, I can! I can’t. But I will do this, I will!”
I waited, giving her a little time to gather her courage—before I would push her in myself. I knew she’d be okay with the river maidens. Getting in was the scariest part. Once that was done, Kerka would be fine!
Then, without warning, the maidens reached up and touched Kerka’s arms. Just like me, she fell instantly into the pond. But unlike me, she thrashed around (in a shimmering amethyst wet suit). She disappeared beneath the surface, then her head came up again.
“Birdie!” she yelped before her head went back under.
I jumped in and started swimming toward her. Why weren’t the maidens helping her? Where were they?
Then I saw them under the water with Kerka. They were pulling her