A little while later, after Rhodes had finished serving a pot of coffee,
to each of the Bed-Bounded Ones, he found his sister on the back porch.

"Rhodes, What do I take with me on a Maidenhood Voyage?" Desiree mused.

She was laying on the porch swing. Her toes were alternately grasping and tracing
the patterns of the chain, above her.

Rhodes motioned for her to sit up. "There's room, scoot over."

"Take your maidenhead, & a toothbrush. I'm sure everything else will be provided."

"Ah, bro! Your confidence enforces mine!"

Snoddi & Runni, somewhat enlivened by the coffee & temporarily satyrated, couldn't help but be pleased at their twins' togetherness.

Silenus volunteered to take Desiree toothbrush shopping.

The rest of the crew, spent the afternoon hunting truffles.

Silenus, of course, had ulterior motives. The rest of the crew remembered the mother lode they had partially chopped back at the ranch.
"Does anybody know how to dry this thing?" asked Runni. "I love the fragrance, but I'm droolingmL

Silenus was growing weary.

Desiree pleaded, "I know I'll find the right toothbrush at the next store. It's the same
shade of purple as your skirt, Silenus."

Silenus put his hoof down:

"This isn't a skirt, it's my hair. I'm sure there will be toothbrushes available on your (ahem) cruise ship."

Desiree was a little disappointed, but, as usual, more than a little excited.

Rhodes counseled:
"Sis, I know getting ahold of youself is a little harder, but, by the same token, keeping your head about should be easier. Just relax!"

Silenus pulled himself up by his bootstraps, recognizing that his boots weren't all that pretty, watched the fish for a while longer, & said: "it's time to go now!"

Desiree's entourage finished loading the dinghy for her.

"I'll need some gloves, please. I've never had a turn with oars."

Rhodes wrapped his sister's hands with bandages,
and then helped her step into the boat.

"Fare thee well enough!" the dockside well-wishers encouraged.

As the dinghy beacame smaller in the distance, the land legged ones,
saw Desiree raise her toothbrush, as a last salute,
just before her boat dipped below the horizon.

"Hell, I don't know where to land with this. Did you say where this ferry was headed?"

Desiree rowed and rowed. The repetitive motion began to lull her a sleep happening,
but the glitchy sounds of the oars
occasional squeakings of metal grating on metal, startled and broke the patterns.
The sound of the oars sploosh, if she misgauged
the depth of a stroke, became the new entertainment.

She caught the sound of men singing, about twenty deep swells away.

Soon she was able to see their craft.

"It's round!" she exclaimed.

"I wonder if they might have some gloves, my hands are sore."

As the round tub-like craft came closer, she noticed the occupants were
busy with their back-brushes.

Desiree stood up in the dinghy. She waved her toothbrush wildly, hoping they would take notice.

"Hey!" she cried, "I have good dental hygiene, & can use a back-brush better than any of you guys are doing. Can I come over?"

Desiree caught a whiff of freshly baked cinnamon rolls.

She steered towards the beacon, of the one lit candle.

She lashed her dinghy securely to the side of their craft.

While she was maneuvering one leg into the tub,
one of the occupants said:

"Beware the butcher."

"The butcher doesn't scare me, but the rest of you might, if you get busy. Why am I floating again?"

Desiree felt free in her own brain.

The butcher gave his other two tub mates an eviscerating glance.

"Leave her be." he commanded.

Desiree gratefully accepted the warm strawberry tarts.

Candle man handed her a flask. She swallowed the gentle fire, and asked for a bit more.

Butcher boy arranged the burlap sacks for her to rest upon.

Fear could find no purchase on her.

Desiree, dreamt of sleeping.

Desiree knew what to do, & she really didn't have a choice: Would she swim with the fishes, or for her life?

Rhodes spoke to her in her dream.

"Hey sistario, do you remember when I grew those wings?
I had no idea I could do so until the need arose."

Desiree awoke then, fully awake.

The occupants of the tub, caught only a brief glimpse of Desiree's iridescent
shining back side, as she leapt from the boat.

"Go figure." said the butcher.

The baker shouted, "I knew she was a mermaid, all along."

Desiree quickly found herself surrounded by many new, beneath-like friends.
She frolicked, and thoroughly enjoyed the new twists and turns, of her Maidenhood voyage.

Rhodes made his way back out of dreamland, thinking.
"I'm actually quite lucky, but I feel very alone."

Stallion perceived, from the way-far distance, his foster son's distress & came to offer comfort.

Desiree realized she was in over her head & decided to breathe water, again. Silenus didn't know how to swim, & all the butcher could think about was sausage. The baker hurried back to shore.

Rhodes was saying, "I don't know, officer-I flew & flew, but she turned tail & disappeared."
"That's enough for now, son, but we'll have more questions later," said the big one with the pretty eyes.

Desiree investigated the sound of a wounded brethren.

She knelt beside the quavering beast. His pain and anguish pierced her heart.

The sun was then able to enter the wounds of both.

Healing them, the sun felt renewed anguish, unable to find Desiree, but she appeared, with her tail fin airing, & called out: "Come here, my brother!"

Rhodes quickly flapped in.

"Let's visit somebody who knows quite a bit more about this," he said, "I think his last name is "Love".

Rhodes carried Desiree upon his back for as many miles as it took
for her tail to dry.

Desiree declared, "Hey, I have legs again. Where are we headed for, Brother?"

"You'll see, Dez. I know this guy, he's not a doctor, but he plays one in real life."

"No, I don't," said the doctor, "I try to fix things."

Desiree wanted more: "Then why have we come here, brother?"

"I don't know," Rhodes admitted, "I thought you said you needed a doctor."

Silenus looked around for something hard to slam his forehead on.

He knew there were rocks around, but satyr that he was, he was (!) looking for something else. Fortunately, Snoddi had awoken from his intercoital snooze.

Runni had an inborn penchant for intervening at the most awkward of times.

She was deeply absorbed; applying the finishing embroidery,
upon the aprons she had made for the three of them.

"Aren't they positively festive?" she squealed.

She wore one wrapped around her head - one draped about her shoulders, cape-like,
and the third one was tied loosely around her fulsome belly.

"C'mon guys, pick which one you want."

Having become impatient at their gawking, she threw two at the boys and said, "Make yourselves decent, in case the kids come back! On second thought, give me a few seconds."

Silenus announced:

"I must be really famous, I don't even need to wear sunglasses."

"Their eyes are ill-equipped. Keep moving!" urged Runni, with an aside to Snoddi: "You, too!"

It was once again, time,
for a huge prophecy.

Blinding light accosted them, & they unwillingly withdrew, but Runni asked, "What the hell is that? Silenus, you should know!"

"Fresh writers, come forward!"
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...t_bullhorn.gif



"Yes, please, I agree!"

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...y/bullhorn.jpg

All the characters stood stock-still... awaiting input.

"Well, given that dousing, sis, I'm reasonably fresh," said Rhodes, "but given that nobody else seems to have heard, we must carry on. -are those barnacles on your butt?"

"Stop making fin!" Desiree snorted, "They're remoras."

Stallion roared up over the hill, (with his speakers blaring)
to once again save the twins from themselves.

"Sis, it's Mom-Horse. We'd best listen!" gasped Rhodes.

"Well, we do owe him something," agreed Desiree, "Should we gallop up to meet with him?"

Stallion set the speakers down.
He sat on them,
and waited.

Rhodes & Desiree both thought he looked a little funny, sitting on his haunches like that, & shared a giggle.

Stallion said, "Can't I take a rest in whatever position feels comfortable to me?" & then queried: "How did you get here? Rhodes, why did you let your sister become a mermaid & get remoras stuck to her ass? Desiree, what's up with your tail, & where are your really prurient parents?"

Rhodes chuckled and replied: " I think you could find them somewhere
still in close proximity to your brother, Silenus, don't' ya' think?"

Stallion rose, snorted, & disappeared. The twins knew this might happen, but felt their connection remained.

"Did you have your voyage yet, sis? How was it? Shouldn't we do something about those remoras?"

"Idiot," she snapped, "we'll just throw them back into the water & try to hail a cab."