As the water trickled down, the soothing sound traveled to every corner of the gardens, mingling with the cheerful sounds of the initiates at play. The crystal clear water swirled around one of the lower pools, causing the plants within its depths to drift slowly in a steady, hypnotic rhythm. A small, delicate hand casually swept back and forth in the glistening water. Its owner lay face down on the bank, her chin resting on her other hand. The young girl’s greenish-blue eyes waited for a glimpse of the ever-elusive creatures who called the water home. Although the frogs, she mused, could stay far far away. Five year old Jedi Initiate, Elnya Malini sighed disappointedly, but she continued sweeping her hand across the water’s surface. A faint clicking noise reached her ears and she absently looked up from beneath her unruly mass of brown curls. Her young eyes widened when they focused on the source of the noise. A small, multi-coloured beetle scurried around a rock in the center of the pool on its minute legs. Nya studied it intently for a moment, propping herself up on her elbows. "Are you stuck, silly beetle?" she asked aloud. The beetle continued to scamper about, oblivious to the young eyes watching its every move. Nya’s head cocked to one side. "I don’t think beetles can swim," she muttered absently to herself. She sat up fully and searched the area for her crèche Master, but couldn’t see anyone. Getting to her feet, she wondered what to do. The little bug was stuck and wouldn’t be able to breathe in the water. Scrunching her face slightly as she made her decision, Nya looked about for a leaf. She quickly found one of the every present fallen leaves that Master Quillan was constantly tidying up. She picked it up and twirled it around by the stem as she walked back to the water’s edge. Scrunching her nose once more, she lifted up her tunic pants and bunched them up as much as her little hands could hold and took off her shoes. The Masters were always saying not to get wet, and definitely not to play in the water unless they said so, so maybe if she was careful, she would only get a little bit wet and then she wouldn’t get in trouble. She slowly dipped one foot in the water and was relieved to find that it was warm. She bent her other leg and she tried to touch the bottom, a frown of concentration forming on her fair, lightly freckled face. She pulled her leg out again, when it became clear she wouldn’t be able to touch the bottom. Instead, she sat on the bank and slowly lowered herself into the warm water. So much for not getting wet. The water almost reached her waist and she giggled as her pants legs swirled and floated around her. She slowly made her way over to the rock and found the beetle still there, scurrying around. She held out the leaf and rested it on the rock, waiting for it to climb on. The beetle hurried over and stopped just before the leaf and abruptly turned in the opposite direction. "I’m not waiting all day, little beetle," she mimicked one of the crèche Masters. Finally the beetle scurried onto the leaf and actually caught the little girl by surprise. "Good," she began sternly, "Now just stay on the leaf, ‘kay?" She waggled her finger for emphasis. Carefully keeping the leaf steady, she began returning to the shore, peering at the beetle intently, making sure it didn’t get too close to the edge--or to her fingers. Within two minutes of getting in the water, Elnya was back at the edge again. She set the leaf down on the ground, and watched as the multi-coloured beetle scurried onto dry land. "Play in the water, Initiates should not!" a gravelly voice from a few meters away caused Nya to start. "Master Yoda!" she cried. "Out of that water, you will get, before a cold you catch, hmm?" he said. "Yes, Master Yoda." Nya quickly climbed out of the water, and walked over to the ancient green Master with her head bowed. "Now." Yoda tapped his stick for emphasis. "Disobey your Masters, you did, hmm? Explain why, you will." Nya fidgeted nervously. She was in so much trouble. "Keep a Master waiting, you should not," Yoda said. "No, Master Yoda. Th-there was a little beetle--on the rock--it was stuck," she stuttered. The diminutive Master’s sleepy eyes widened slightly and his long pointed ears twitched. "A little beetle, hmm?" he said in a kind, amused tone. Nya’s gaze was still lowered to the ground. "Yes, Master Yoda," she answered. To her surprise, Yoda startled cackling. "Remind me much of my last Padawan, you do," he said as he started to hobble away, chuckling maniacally. Nya just stood looking after him with wide eyes for a moment, before racing back to get her shoes and quickly putting them on. When she stood, she glanced around the gardens to see if anyone had seen her, before running off to find her fellow initiates. |
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| Mission Of Mercy By Imzadi |