Watersnake, Firesnake | Page 3

lizard outside to run around and get
some fresh air. Rainbow curled up in Chan's front pocket, then ran in
great circles once released into the back yard. Chan laughed as he
scurried up and down trees and over every bit of land in the yard.
Rainbow was the most curious lizard Chan had ever seen.
Chan stopped laughing when he saw Rainbow at the edge of the small
pond in the back corner. It was Rainbow's favorite place to go, where
he could swim around, or sun himself on a large flat rock, or munch
leaves. But he wasn't going in. He stared at the water and bobbed his
head up and down a few times. Then with a furious rush, he leapt into

the water and bit at its surface.
The pond exploded in a geyser of water, leaves, twigs, and rocks. Chan
heard something like a burbling scream as the rush of solid water
streamed at him, then turned away at the last second. The living water
twisted and writhed and rose into the sky, higher and higher until it was
nothing but a dot, then nothing at all.
Chan found Rainbow by the side of the ruined pond, weak and
breathing quickly, but otherwise all right. The pond itself was a mess.
Mud and rocks had been thrown everywhere. Chan held Rainbow and
stroked his head and told him what a good chameleon he was. Then
Chan's mother surged out of the back door, and Chan knew he was in
for the worst spanking of his life. Even if the garden had never been
successful, Chan's mother still took pride in the work she did. And as
Chan guessed, she was furious about the state it was in now.
Chan was sent to bed early, with only a bit of rice and some water for
his dinner. He curled up on his bed and listened to his parents arguing
down the hall in the kitchen, and tried to sleep. Eventually, he got up
and went to his dresser drawer. The crack in the black egg had
lengthened, and produced many other cracks that splintered off in all
directions. He touched a finger to the main crack, and instead of the
warmth he normally felt, it was as if his insides had caught fire. He no
longer felt like Chan, but like a magnificent bird, soaring high above
the earth and trailing fire behind him in the sky. Wind rippled through
his hair and feathers, and the sweet smell of burning leaves filled his
nostrils. He was free from responsibilities, from chores, from his
parents. Free.
He came back to his body as his finger left the crack in the egg, and he
breathed hard. He walked over to his homemade wooden and glass
terrarium and lifted up the lid, but Rainbow shrank from his touch.
Chan closed the lid and looked inside. Rainbow shook like a leaf in the
wind. Chan sighed, then crawled back into bed. By the time his head
touched the pillow, he was asleep.
The next day, he was put to cleaning the mess left behind at the pond.

There was no water left, except for that which had turned the ground to
mud, so Chan straightened up the area as best he could. After four
hours, the dent in the ground had come to somewhat resemble a pond
again, and his mother let him inside for lunch.
After eating, he stole to his bedroom to check on the egg. The crack
was much larger, and chips of eggshell lay on the shirts surrounding the
egg. As Chan watched, the egg moved slightly. It was time.
Chan crept out to the kitchen, but his mother was no longer there. He
could hear faint snores coming from his parents' bedroom, and guessed
she had gone in to take a nap. He went back to his room, scooped up
the egg in its shirt nest, and took it outside.
He watched it for hours. The sun slowly made its way downward, and
by evening, the egg still had not finished hatching. The entire surface
was now covered with tiny cracks. It was extremely hot to the touch,
and the heat radiated outward. Chan could feel it from where he was
sitting, three feet away. He hoped that what hatched would be
interesting; a tortoise maybe, or another chameleon as a playmate for
Rainbow.
Footsteps landed behind him, and Chan expected to see his parents. He
flinched, knowing that they would be upset. He turned around and
prepared to face his punishment.
It wasn't his parents. Instead, the strange man and woman from a week
ago stood there. The woman's blue robes dripped water in a constant
dribble, as if the water was coming from within her.