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One Fish.
Two Fish.
Three Fish.
Crab.
Tiny, little… itty bitty crab.
Another fish. It swam away once it spotted her shadow, disappearing under a patch of sea foam.
Karnak said it was good for her, to get out in the sunshine. Penny hadn't wanted to at first, opting instead to lounge around in her purple play-castle with Sir Roary watching guard.
Until Karnak mentioned ice cream.
She'd been sold from that point on.
But it also meant that Sir Roary wouldn't be able to come; Penny sat with him as long as she could before her uncle appeared in the doorway.
"Who would hold the fort down while we're out then, if not Sir Roary?" Karnak had patted her gently on the head— one of the new signs of affection Penny grew to like, "Just to make sure the noggin's still attached," before saluting to the mannerly, stuffed knight on the floor.
He'd offered her a hand then, "He'll have plenty of adventures to tell once we return, isn't that right?"
Penny cracked a grin.
She didn't take his hand though, choosing to push herself to her feet, saluting to her Sir, and marching out the room like a lady on a mission.
Who's to say she wasn't?
Ice cream was certainly a proper mission.
A success too— she got a double scoop: birthday cake flavored, with lots of sprinkles.
But Penny didn't recognize the place they'd come.
Settled under an umbrella, with a wasp nest she wouldn't let Karnak remove, the sun sparkled on the horizon as far as the eye could see. Endless waves and flying birds, bits of sand that squished underfoot…
"Would you like to get a little closer to the water?" Her uncle had asked, "You're likely to see a fish or two, if you're lucky."
Which brought her to where she was.
The fish swam from her at first; little tiny minnows, fast as any lightning bolt that streaked across the sky— hard for her to see, too many for her to count.
So she stood still.
Buried her feet in the sand, keeping her rooted to the spot.
And she'd seen wondrous things— a tiny sea crab with its family, running sideways through the shallows… a skinny but really, really long fish with tiny fins that spun around her ankles in figure eights.
Like a dragon, without wings.
A mighty combatant for Sir Roary, indeed.
The sand lurched suddenly under Penny's feet, dragging her down with a crash from a wave so loud that her uncle's voice drowned in the background.
She scurried back.
Hands were already brushing her hair from her face.
And for a moment, everything stilled.
The wave had gone back out to sea.
No fish in sight.
No crabs.
No seagulls.
Karnak settled at her side, not touching— just sitting.
Tears pickled in the corners of Penny's eyes.
All she could taste was salt.
"That was scary, huh?" Her uncle swiped another hair from her face… and that was all it took. One breath, and a wail burst forth.
A loud, ugly thing.
Penny crumpled instantly; Curled up, hands slapping over her mouth to hide the sobs spilling forth— her tears mixed with the salt on her skin, bursting against her taste buds in a gross pile of bitter.
And then…
A hug.
Wrapped securely in Karnak's arms, her little hands balled into fists against his shirt. Every muscle in her body wanted to cry out alongside her, to push him away and hide back in her purple castle.
But she wasn't home.
Her castle was nowhere in sight.
"Penny—" Her uncles voice broke through, soft spoken and well meaning, "Does anything hurt?" He leaned back, enough of a chance to slip away.
Penny flexed her fingers. Her toes; Tilted her head.
No pain.
She shook her head.
"That's good." Karnak nodded encouragingly. "I think the sand tried to eat you." He added, "What do you think?"
Penny nodded.
"But I'd say it failed. Cause look— limbs: check," He patted her on the head, leaving her to peer up with widened eyes. "Head's still there too."
That pulled a laugh free.
"The sand monster couldn't get me. I'm too fierce!" Penny scrambled up, wiping her eyes before showing off her claws, fingers curled and held above her head. "Sir Roary taught me that!" She squealed proudly.
"Oh, he did? I see!" Karnak laughed, pushing himself up too. "Well, then shall we show that sand who's boss?"
An honest question.
Fear still shot through her; Penny peered into the water carefully, watching the waves in the distance. They stood their ground, hissing white from their watery peaks. The shoreline was quite the opposite— calm, gentle ripples swept across the beach.
What would Sir Roary do?
Well, he didn't like to get wet… but she did. And she was soaked to the bone, covered in sand. She'd already done something braver than he… "We can do it together?" She asked.
"Of course."
For a moment, no one moved.
It was her hand that reached out first.
He took it, giving a little squeeze.
<><><><><><><>
"And that was how I defeated the mighty sand monster and its beastly sea dragon!" Penny, bundled up in her pj's, rattled off— her little lion plush held steadfast in her hands.
Karnak grinned from the doorway.
"Don't forget the minnow battalion and crab army." He added.
"It was a battle of battles!" She squealed.
Karnak settled at her bedside, milk in hand. "Lights out, kiddo." He offered the glass to her, which she took happily as he fixed her covers. "There are plenty more stories to be shared tomorrow, after a good night's sleep."
Any protest she had was defeated with a yawn.
"That's what I thought." Karnak reached for the light switch, clicking it off, before turning to leave. He paused for a moment. "I'm glad you had fun today."
"Sir Roary did too!" Penny chirped.
A smile tugged at his lips. "I told you he'd keep busy."
"Yeah…"
Another yawn.
"Goodnight Uncle Karnak."
Karnak closed the door behind him as he left, listening intently to his niece's slowing breaths. "Goodnight, Penny."