A bit of reading.

I noticed there's some amazing work on here about our Axxie friends by some very talented artists. I'm not an artist, but I am a passable writer, so I thought I'd post up something I just wrote for fun.

Enjoy.

The Axolotl Lady

The room was dark; darker than I'd ever imagined a room could be in the middle of the day. Greyish beams of faint light peeped through heavily curtained windows, and I couldn't believe how cold the air was, especially after the scorching Mexican sun.
My eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom. I could see lines of tables with what looked like fish tanks on top of them in vertical rows, like an army of wood and glass. I breathed in deeply, smelling pond water, earth and a chemical smell I didn't recognise. Lining the walls were dark cupboards, and beneath them was an old fashioned dresser overflowing with jars and bottles of various sizes and shapes. I itched to pick them up and squint at their labels, to discern their contents, to know about the mysteries in this strange little house in the middle of Mexico.
The man who'd brought me here had long since vanished, making his way with catlike ease to an open doorway at the end of the room as if he'd lived here all his life. I was alone to look at the treasures this room might hold; the answers it might be privy to.

I crept forward cautiously, noticing the floor was made completely of wood but that my footsteps were softened by a thin layer of dust. Something about it felt comfortable, rather than neglected, as if the occupant had mopped it only the day before and the chaos of dirt was only just descending. I was aiming for the nearest tank, and as I crept closer, a large, long shape inside it became more visible through the gloom and the condensation that lay across the glass. I wiped my hand across it, then removed a small pen torch from my jeans, using it to peer into the water.

If the occupant inside was bothered at all by the light, it made very little of it. It was one of the strangest creatures I'd ever seen; a long, thick-bodied, reptile-like creature with an alien head, a rounded snout and unblinking dark eyes. On the sides of its head were long tendrils, three on each side, lined with fluffy, long protuberances like hair swishing in water. They were blood red, a stark contrast to the ebony colour of its skin. Its chunky body tapered off to a long, thin tail the shape and size of a large leaf. It was probably about 7 inches long or so, and was looking at me with an expression of curiosity mixed with complete stoicism.
I fell in love at once.

'I see you've met one of the occupants,' said the man who'd brought me. He'd padded almost silently out from the open doorway, and I was surprised to realise I hadn't really heard him walking anywhere or talking to anyone. Either this house was far bigger than I realised, or he was just extremely good at not being noticed.
'What is it?' I asked, indicating the glass.
'That, my friend, is a fish tank,' he raised an eyebrow, po-faced.
'I can see that,' I rolled my eyes, 'I mean, what's inside the tank? Besides water?'
The man scrunched up his face, seeing I'd intervened with his joke.
'That's an axolotl,' he replied, lowering himself down onto a stool with a hefty 'oof.' It hit me that he hadn't sat down since I'd met him about three hours ago.
Axolotl...ax-o-lot-il. Axolotl. Nope. It still sounded weird.
'What is it?'
'You just asked that,' he rubbed his hand over his sweaty forehead.
'Why is it so weird-looking?'
'I should imagine you look weird to her too.'
'Her?'
The man said nothing.
'What's with all the bottles? And the...axolot?'
'Axolotl.'
'That.'
He held his hand over his face for a moment.
'This is the Medicine House, kid. You asked for a cure. I've brought you to one.'
He has to be kidding me.
'You brought me to a shop full of lizards and jam jars, and that's somehow supposed to help my Dad?'
The man removed his hand from his face and looked me dead in the eye. It stopped me in my tracks. His eyes were darker than ever, a nebulous mix of purple, black and brown that made me feel uncomfortable.
'Look, kid, I'm only helping you because I feel for you. You're not the only one who's lost people. But you've got to stop being a brat for a moment, and trust me.'
The 'brat' comment stung, and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from lashing out. As it happened, I didn't have to bite back long, because a figure appeared in the doorway.

Now, I'd like to think I'm not prejudiced, but this woman must have been in her late eighties. She had long hair down her back in a braid, and her face, though half cast in shadow, looked pale. Despite this, her dark eyes were dancing with life. Underneath her aged chin and throat, she was dressed in a long, faded, pink dress with a belt.
'Sorry to keep you waiting, Axel,' she said, clearly, and I was shocked to hear how self-contained and sturdy she sounded. There wasn't a single wobble to her voice.
'As always, Lucy, it's worth it.'
The woman smiled at him fondly. I couldn't stop staring at her; something wasn't normal about her face, her eyes...the fact she was stood in the doorway almost seemed out of place for me, though I couldn't place why.
'Kid needs a cure, Lucy. I wouldn't ask but I can see this kid really, really needs you.'
Her eyes met mine. An electricity seemed to shoot through my belly, making it convulse painfully. For the first time, I was scared.
'Don't be afraid, young one,' she began a slow smile, as if she had all the time in the world. 'I live to heal. I'm not about to start hurting people now.'
Even the way she talked didn't sound quite right.
'I...I like your axolotls,' I ventured, by way of introduction. 'I'm Sam.'
She surveyed me warmly.
'I am Lucy, but of course, you know that.'
There was a silence between us. I began to feel awkward.
'They are rather unique, and quite gifted, in their way...' she walked to the nearest tank and put her wrinkled hand inside. She gently stroked the axolotl lying at the bottom of the tank – this one was a marble white colour with dark eyes – and then took her hand out.
It was glowing.

Unthinkingly, I yelped and ran for the door, but the man – Axel - was already there.
'Look, kid, we're trying to help...'
I don't hear him. I'm running up to his body and pounding on it with my fists.
'You've seen too much, kid. We can't let you go until we know we can trust you.'
'You can!' I shouted, not thinking, 'I won't tell anyone! Just let me go!'
Amidst the chaos, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was cool and smelled of water.
'Calm down, child,' Lucy said. 'As I said, I'm a healer. We're not about to hurt you.'
In that moment, and for no real discernible reason, I trusted her. I turned to look at her, and suddenly her face was an axolotl's, her eyes dark and her face white and slightly wrinkled, with a stubby snout. She looked a little like a Mystic from The Dark Crystal.
It must have been an illusion, though, because a second later, she was an elderly woman again.
She raised her hand to the cut on my head.
'Just think of us as the Axolotl Lady and the Bruja Boy,' she smiled warmly. She placed two fingers on my head with her glowing hand, and when I touched it, it was gone.
And so was my fear.