physicians, hunters, and gatherers. Our food consists mostly of fish, berries, and nuts foraged here on the island."
"Wait … you eat fish? Isn't that cannibalism?" my mouth said, against my brain's vehement protests.
"We are not fish or any sort of amphibian," Nerissa corrected and
turned to face me. "We are mammals like you. We give live birth, and we nurse our children. We just happen to have some serpent-like elements. It is a gift from our god and goddess."
"I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you."
"No insult taken," she replied with a regal wave of her hand. "You are curious. There is no harm in that."
I was grateful I'd managed not to offend anyone, but the reality of this whole situation was finally sinking into my thick skull.
"Holy shit," I mumbled under my breath. "I'mreally walking through a village with the queen of the serpent people, and it's not a dream."
I heard a chuckle come from my left and saw Queen Nerissa smiling.
"It most definitely isn't a dream, Ben," she said kindly. "I believe you were brought here for a reason."
I was relieved I wasn't going to lose my head for insulting the queen, and my curiosity was satiated for the moment, so I relaxed a good bit as we continued our walk.
Queen Nerissa had gone quiet again, so I started to occupy my
attention with the people I saw walking through the village. They were all gawking at me, and it was hard not to notice their stares. One thing I
noticed was they all seemed to be women and young girls in their teens. I'd not seen a male the entire time. Nor any small children.
"Queen Nerissa, may I ask a question?" Iinquired.
"Yes," she replied as she cast a sidelong glance at me, "but I may not answer."
"Fair enough," I chuckled before I gestured around the village. "I was wondering where all the males are?I have not seen a man or boy anywhere."
Once again, she stopped walking and turned to look at me.
I couldn't exactly figure out the expression on her otherworldly face, but I thought it looked profoundly sad.
"They are all lost," the queen murmured after a long moment.
"Lost?" I repeated with a frown. "How did they get lost? Can I help you find them?"
"Where they have gone, they cannot be found," she whispered, but then she abruptly turned to continue our walk. It was a sure sign this was a sensitive matter, and I was smart enough not to press it.
"Tell me about your world," Queen Nerissa said several minutes later.
I suspected the silence had started to bother her as much as it had me.
"I live in the United States," I replied easily. "It is part of North America. It is packed with over three hundred million people who spend most of their time working jobs so they can buy stuff for themselves that they want and need."
"Why would they do such a thing?" she asked with a look of concern on her face. "Do they not have families? Mates? Friends? Is that not reason enough to work hard and enjoy life?"
"For some it is, but everyone is different," Itold her as I noticed we'd made our way back to my hut. "Many of us value our families over
possessions, but not everyone does."
"And this is the place you want help returning to, Ben?" she asked with a tilt of her head.
"Yeah," I said after a moment's hesitation, "I suppose it is."
It was my home. I had to go home. Right? Of course, of course I had to go home … but why didI hesitate?
Nerissa studied me again with her aqua eyes, and I had to stifle the urge to fidget under her scrutiny.
"You must prove yourself trustworthy to earn our help," she finally said.
"Okay," Inodded, "just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll--"
"This is where I leave you," she cut me off with a half-smile. "Rest and eat. We will speak again tomorrow."
I watched as she walked away with Sela, and both their heads were bent together in a whisper. Then my twin guards ushered me back inside my hut where there was a tray of fresh fruit, fish, and coconuts. I ate everything except the coconut and pondered how I was going to prove myself
trustworthy to this queen.
"The first step should be to develop a filter between my brain and mouth," I sighed as I rifled my hair. "Something tells me I'monly one mistake away from getting myself killed."