Liza's Awakening

"Baby, I'm taking Loulou to the vet; her appointment is in the morning."

"What is wrong this time?"

"You say that like I'm imagining things."

"I'm just asking what is wrong with the dog, Hon." Jerry was a little frustrated with his wife, Liza. Three years his senior, she glared at him angrily, hands on her hips, as he smiled gently back at her.

"Never mind, sorry I brought it up," Liza replied. Jerry shrugged and bit into the five-inch high burger he had grilled over the fancy propane firepit. It took him the entire weekend to assemble, refusing any help. Liza strode to the pool deck and dove in, doing laps. Loulou ran back and forth, barking at each end of the pool as Liza did her tumble turns.

Gazing at the Mozaic floor of the pool as she swam, Liza thought she saw fish or creatures beneath her but realized she had to be imagining it in her fury at Jerry. He always thinks I'm making things up. What about the last time I took Loulou in when she had the UTI? Or the beginning of pneumonia? He pisses me off so much! Her middle finger stuck out as if aiming it at his face (she did it frequently to his back as he walked away, but not yet to his face).

Liza sank to the pool's bottom, holding her breath and plodding through the water upright. A walking fish suddenly began striding beside her, and a two-foot nautilus zig-zagged under her feet.

"You know that Loulou isn't ill, Liza," the fish said. Liza jerked as she heard the words and faced the fish. "Jerry is right, Liza, you imagine things." Liza focused on the fish's lips moving as it talked, tiny bubbles drifting upward. Then she tripped on the nautilus.

"OWWW! Watch out. I know you can see me. " The shell turned over to show her its feathery tentacles and belly. Liza could see its eye watching her. "You could crush me with your size ten feet, lady. You are in my house, and you should respect that."

Liza kicked herself upward to the top and floated, peering downward, but her watery friends were not visible. Filling her sizeable lungs with air, she dove to the bottom. Both creatures were waiting patiently.

"Fish, please pick me up, so Ms. Bigfeet doesn't crush me." Fish obediently lifted the mollusk to his shoulder as Liza stared.

"I don't understand where you came from. I've never seen either of you before, and water creatures don't talk." Liza moved her arms back and forth to keep her place at the pool's bottom and continue this surreal underwater discussion. Loulou was barking at the pool deck, the sounds echoing downward.

"Loulou seems upset, Liza. Why don't you have her take a swim?"

Liza didn't like the watery, sly gaze she was getting and didn't trust the fish enough to call Loulou in for a swim.

"She loves swimming, Liza." The fish blew a long whistle, a river of bubbles spurting upward. Liza saw Loulou's belly as she lay out to dive into the water and heard the splash. The fish continued to whistle, and suddenly, Loulou was licking Liza's hand at the pool's bottom.

"Hello, Loulou," Nautilus said, dragging out the ou-ou in the dog's name. Loulou smiled and gave the mollusk a dog lick.

"You've met my friends!" Loulou wagged her tail at Liza while speaking.

Liza's mouth almost hung open, but she remembered she was holding her breath at the eight-foot deep end of her swimming pool. Kicking hard, she rose to the top for some air. Bobbing in the water, she saw her tortoiseshell cat, Talulah. Lying on Liza's lounge chair, belly-up, legs pointed skyward, Talulah cocked her head, opened one eye, and peered at Liza. " So the secret is out?" Liza jumped out of the pool and crossed to Talulah, astonished that her cat was speaking.

"What? You can talk?" Liza's voice was a hoarse whisper of disbelief, her eyes bulging in shock at this surprising event.

"Of course, I can talk. How do you think the food I prefer is delivered weekly? It certainly isn't that useless man who lives here. You better tell your stupid dog friend to come up for air. I would take care of it as usual, but today I'm sunning, and you're here. Stupid-o Loulou will drown if you don't encourage her to come up for air." Talulah's voice dripped sarcasm, and her tail twitched in annoyance.

Liza dove to the bottom of the pool, grabbed Loulou by her collar, and rescue-swam her to the surface.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I supposed Talulah told you to do that," the dog stammered out, spitting chlorine water and saliva all over Liza's face.

"Don't even think about shaking your fur near me, you canine," Talulah said with her paw raised, claws out. Loulou barked and ran to the pool's far end, shook herself out, rolled in a semi-fresh pile of her feces, and pranced over to Liza.

"Ewww, you stink! Wet dog smell, dog shit smell, yuck!" Liza dove to the bottom of the pool.

Nautilus and Fish smiled at her.

"We knew you'd be back soon. Those two up there (and Fish's eyes rolled upward) are disgusting creatures. Especially the canine. Rolling in poop, drinking the chlorine water. At least the feline bathes herself, although I don't like how she eyes me from above. When she is near, I stay on the bottom."

Liza lay on the Mozaic floor at the four-foot depth, making a mental note to cancel the vet appointment.

Copyright © 3/20/25 by Andrea O. Corwin

I am grateful you read my work! 😃 If you liked it, please give it a ♡, drop a comment, and subscribe for free. - - Andi