Story of Tilula

red trailed behind her hair. The robe was of pale rose, and so were the slippers upon her feet. "Good morn to you, Tilula."

  Tilula had a calm face, and seemed more relaxed after having spent the previous day walking about his mansion. No doubt she'd been entertained by the sprites with their musical concert, or perhaps by the birds of paradise that were free to go into and out of his aviary. "Good morn, Master Indri."

  "Master seems too formal, don't you think? My form doesn't even do justice to the title. Indri is sufficient." Indri smiled and took her arm formally. "Go on. Say it."

  "Indri."

  Indri had never heard a more musical pronunciation of his voice. He was pleased, and as reward offered to tour Tilula about his gardens.

  They made their way to the balcony, and from there descended into the back of the mansion. Here the flowers bloomed profusely in between gazebos and beautifully sculpted fountains. Cobblestone walkways led them from one flower bed to another, and eventually to rose trellises and such.

  Now the trellises were Indri's favorite features of the back garden, for they were his first attempts at gardening. They now beheld magnificent blooms such as dog roses, orchids and the occasional violet trumpet flowers. "The flowers here were planted by water sprites many years ago. They are sprinkled with magic water daily, so that they bloom all throughout the day and even at night."

  "Oh, how beautiful," Tilula exclaimed. Never had she seen a more beautiful garden. The tiny yard she kept and planted herbs in was absolutely paltry compared to the rich vegetation of where she stood now.

  Indri continued on. "We have chrysanthemums, magnolia, flames of every hue and color, bleeding heart - even tropical blooms are able to survive with the aid of my spring water. Of course plants here vary as well. Bamboo, dates and pears in the orchard-"

  Indri paused when he realized that Tilula was staring at him. All of a sudden his face felt a little hotter. So this is what it feels like to be embarrassed. "I must be boring you, am I not? You have eyes with which to see, and yet here I am babbling about the same."

  "You bore me not at all. I find you enthusiasm contaminating." Tilula said. In her eyes, Indri was absolutely fascinating; someone a person would never tire of figuring out. He was someone who, once able to trust another person, would do his very best to please that person.

  "'Tis just that I have very little company," Indri tried to reason. He'd been all alone most of his life, and had gotten carried away. He was very excited to finally be able to talk to someone freely.

  "What about the sprites?" Tilula asked.

  "The sprites?" he repeated. He looked over his shoulder and, sure enough, several of the mischievous little critters were following them. "They don't talk. They tinkle like chimes in the wind, and it's difficult to understand them. Only older sprites can talk our language, but they usually reside in the sky and descend only on a full moon."

  Indri waved the sprites off, and they obeyed him, disappointed looks on their faces. "My mother lives in the sky, and hers is the only company I've anticipated since childhood."

  "It's a lonely existence you live. No wonder you have so many flowers."

  "Your mind is wise, little one." Indri acknowledged. "Flowers never judge like people do. They bloom for their master regardless of his looks. They never shun your love."

  "So you do love!"

  "No, I do not."

  "But you just said-"

  "My interest in flora is in no way parallel to the romantic notion of most people! It is therefore not love, according to how you view it." Indri cut her off before going forward, leaving Tilula behind.

  "Very well?" Tilula had no choice but to follow in his wake.

  And this made Indri feel a bit guilty. Talks of love were the kind of talks he most avoided with his mother, for he'd not felt that emotion for anyone. He was a bit angry about this, but he knew that he had no right to take out his anger on Tilula. And so, he wanted to make up for his poor manners. Perhaps? "Do you want a flower?"

  "Pardon?" Tilula asked as she caught up with Indri's wide steps.

  "A flower. I was asking if you would like one, and which."

  "Would you give one to me? After what my father did?" Tilula asked doubtfully, even as she eyed a violet trumpet that grew on one of the trellises.

  Indri saw where her gaze went, and realized that that one little flower would make Tilula smile again. So he made his way to the trellises and started climbing it, placing one webbed foot at each wooden intersection. "Just watch me."

  "Indri, I think it's too high. Indri, it's too high. Indri!" Tilula warned and warned him, but he did not listen. He made his way up, until he could reach the flower, and was finally able to pluck it off its stem. But just as he was about to descend, his webbed foot slipped from the wood. He outbalanced, falling onto the blanket of grass below, the violet blossom still carefully held in his fingers.

  "Oh!" Tilula rushed to where he was and immediately inspected him from head to foot. "You poor dear! Did it hurt?"

  "Not - not at - all," Indri stuttered. Tilula was touching him everywhere, checking if he had any bruises. But it was difficult to tell from his already greenish skin, which was too thick anyway to have bruises at all. He stopped Tilula and instead presented her the flower. "Here. A flower for a flower."

  Indri placed the trumpet behind Tilula's ear, and was pleased when he saw a rosy blush spread over the girl's face.

  "Th-thank you," she whispered.

  And just like that, the awkward argument that had transpired between them vanished in the face of another kind of awkwardness, one that they both prayed would vanish quickly too.

  --

  "So? what should we do next?" Tilula asked as she glanced into the pond that they were standing close to. She admired the beautiful flower in her hair, and unknown to her Indri was admiring her. "Indri?"

  Indri stopped inspecting the young lady with him. He pretended instead to have been looking at the flower in her hair. Unlike the violet of yesterday, this one was a bright yellow dahlia, one that matched her lime green robe with the black embroidering.

  It took him quite a bit before he was able to fully comprehend Tilula's request. "Oh, well? I don't know. What would you like to do?"

  "If perhaps my request would not be too intrusive," Tilula continued, "I would dearly love to see the spring."

  This peaked Indri's curiosity. Never had any of his customers asked to see the spring itself before. They usually just asked for the water to be given to them, and then left quickly. Of course, if they ever would have asked to draw the water themselves, he would have denied them. Surely they would have done something stupid and contaminated the healing water there. But Tilula was a whole different person. Her purity and good intentions would never taint the healing waters. "The spring? What for?"

  "I would like to offer a prayer to it, for it saved my brother's life," Tilula said. "But of course if you do not approve-"

  "No, no. I mean, I approve of your actions. Follow me."

  Tilula released a sigh of relief. She thought that Indri would deny her the privilege of paying homage to the water that was even now restoring her brother's health.

  They made their way through the numerous gardens until they reached a vast orchard, where a winding cobblestone trail snaked between the trees. They followed this path until they reached a labyrinth, which they entered. Here the path changed from cobblestone into well-assembled patterns of red and white brick. Colorful vines and flowering weeds grew in between the crevices on the wall.

  Tilula took her time to admire the untamed foliage, until Indri paused in front of her. She too paused, and was surprised to find that they were at the exact center of the labyrinth, where a small garden had been hidden from the rest of the world. There was a circle of benches, surrounded by even wilder blooms and several flowering trees. And in the middle of all this arrangement was a small spring.

  There was a pile of rocks at the center of the spring, from which healing water flowed. An
d at the foot of the rocks grew various water plants, including lilies and hyacinths of different colors. The sheer beauty of it, and even the musical bubbling of the spring, was enough to draw Tilula forward.

  "Be careful. It's slippery right here." Indri warned as he followed Tilula to the edge of the spring. "And don't touch the water. It mustn't be sullied."

  "All right," she agreed. She crouched down carefully, making sure that the hem of her gown was not dipping into the water. "It looks so fresh. And the bubbling sounds wonderful. And what are those?"

  "Fish, of course," Indri said knowingly.

  "Fish?!"

  "Magical fish. They filter the water, keeping it pure."

  "I wish I could touch them? Oh!" Tilula was trying to get up when her foot accidentally pinned her hem to the ground. She would have slipped and slid directly into the water if Indri had not caught her in time. In response to the sudden slide, Tilula had grabbed hold of Indri's arms, and now they were locked in an accidental embrace.

  Tilula gazed up at him, and realized that Indri was just as surprised by what he'd done. Something inside her breast jumped, and her lungs felt like they desperately needed copious amounts of air. Her legs also felt like giving out completely.

  She realized something else -Indri had the most arresting eyes despite his hideous fa?ade. Despite the oddity of his pupils, his irises had a bluish sheen, with shots of cornflower blue radiating from the center. For all his claims of having inherited his father's