The monster girl perched on the tree stump. “You tricked me, you did,” she spat out the words.
“Oh?”
“The beast,” the monster girl said.
“What?” the Water Elemental said. “It was a trap. I’m sorry.”
She leaned in close to inspect the ripples on her sweat. “You really are. Fuck. You really are.”
“Yeah.”
The monster girl turned to the side, looking remorseful. “You’re such a weird one,” she said, still pecking at the Water Elemental in her ear.
“You’re a freak, aren’t you?”
“I am,” the monster girl said. “How did you get inside my body?” she finally asked.
“I just happened to see it. It was an accident. I swear, this is the first time I’ve hurt you.”
The monster girl frowned. “How did you do that?”
“This is the first time.”
“No, it isn’t the first time. You tricked me.”
“No…” The Water Elemental stopped moisturizing her ear. It was stuck there, bothering her quite a bit. “No…” it said, “I was feeling you.”
The monster girl walked close to the tree stump and touched the bark. She leaned down and touched a mushroom with her finger. The Water Elemental was still pecking at her, but it was more considerate.
“Can’t you just enter this tree stump? Or the mushrooms?
The Water Elemental let the monster girl go and rippled inside the earthy flesh of the mushrooms. “No, it’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you, and won’t tell anyone about this.”
“I said no. You should have told me earlier, when you lured me here.”
“Didn’t I? Oh well, I should have. But I was too afraid. The beast must have sensed my presence and fled. I’d have fitted you with a moisture mask, and I’m gonna look like a fool to the others if I can’t moisturise your hair.”
The monster girl bit her lip, and then wiped her mouth dry with the back of her furry arm. “I’ll go.”
“You can’t go.”
“I can go.”
“Oh gods, you can’t go. I can’t see you.”
“I can see you. You can see the whole world,” the monster girl said and waved away from the Tree Trunk.
She leaned down and touched the tips of the branches that were poking her bare feet. They were strangely coloured, soft and squishy. She knew there was no point in crying about it, but she couldn’t help it, she was so sad.
She dove down, her talons touching the tree trunk.
And then it trapped her again.
“What are you doing?” she screamed at the Water Elemental.
“I can’t see you. I’m not, like you, you know. I’m not a tree, I’m not a strand of hair, I’m not a whole person. You have killed me.”
The monster girl was silent for a while, not struggling anymore. She swallowed down the feeling of getting water in her lungs. Then she said, “I can’t see you.”
“What?” Water Elemental asked.
“I can’t see you. You are so fluid. I can’t be a part of that.
“I see,” the Water Elemental said after a long pause, clearly breaking the silence.
“I know, I know. You’re normal, I mean, boring.”
“Normal…” Water Elemental said in a hushed tone.
“Normal people can’t handle boring shit.”
“Are you saying I can?”
“No. You’ll see.” the monster girl sniffed, and she was very close to the edge of the tree trunk.
She dove under, her talons tight around the branches. She looked up, and could see the stars in the sky.
“Wow…” the Water Elemental said, now being tears in her eyes. “That’s… weird. And you know, you’re right. It is weird.”
“It is?”
“It is. But it’s okay.”
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