"But Taza! It's like,
soooo nice outside!"
Randal Barlow pouted at his caretaker. The two drug dealers had come to Jadenshine on business- something about a winery that had been ripping off Taza's shop somehow. They were maybe a week away from their destination when they had stopped at
The Riverside Inn for some rest. "Can I please please
please go outside?" Randal whined. "I want to play in the water!"
Taza rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"Randal, no. I don't know what lives out here, you could get hurt!"Randal crossed his arms, sulking. "You tell me that
every time I want to play outside, though! It's not fair!"
"Randal, no means no.""Come on! Please? Youl let me run errands, why can't I play too?" Randal gave Taza the best puppy dog eyes he could manage. "Don't... don't you love me?"
Exasperated, Taza threw her hands up in the air.
"Fine! You can go outside." She glared at her protege. "But I want you back at the hotel before it gets dark." Randal quickly hugged his guardian and ran out the hotel door. "And be sure to stay where people can see you!" she called after him.
The inn was, as the name implied, built right next to the Ora river. There was a well managed beach on the property, but Randal walked right past it. No, what he
really wanted was to explore the muddy, reed infested water just off of the hotel's land.
"I bet there are tons of frogs and turtles in there!" Randal thought as he took off his shoes and rolled up his pant legs. Brimming with excitement, the boy waded into the water...