Taniwha Boyfriend: Part One (special preview)

“A guardian?” I look at her. “It looks like it’s attacking that ship.”

“It’s a bad ship,” Mia points. “See? The sails are a giveaway. This ship was coming to do something bad, so the Taniwha was stopping it.”

“I wish I could read this,” I whisper.

“I thought you only read smart books,” Ava teases.

I smirk at her and I take out my journal. Inside, I have pictures of the fossils, as well as my own sketches of the creature I am looking for. “The picture of your Taniwha looks an awful lot like these fossils.” I give each girl a picture to look over. “Often times, fairy tales and folklore have truth within them. They’re wonderful teaching tools. Not only do they have lessons, but sometimes, people use them to explain things in the world. Gods and Goddesses often depict catastrophes, as a way for people to cope with what is happening. Same goes for monsters.”

“Monsters are real!” Ava seems elated while Mia is less than enthused.

“So the Taniwha could be real?” Mia squirms.

“Perhaps.” I look back down at the picture. “Some say dragons and monsters from way back in the day were based on fossils people had found. They had no idea, how could they explain these strange bones in the ground?”

Ava gasps. “So in a way, dragons could be real!”

I chuckle and nod. “Exactly. There is so much about our world that we don’t know and almost all of it is in the ocean. Did you girls know we know more about outer space than we do our own ocean?”

“I’d rather know more about aliens than monsters any day,” Mia huffs.

“Not me! I wanna know what’s in the ocean,” Ava exclaims with glee.

“You may very well be on your way to being just like me then, Ava. And Mia, you’re on your way to being a scientist too. If you want to know more about space, I can get you some books on it.” I then look down at the book in my lap. “Do you girls mind if I borrow this? I would like to get it translated.”

“As long as you take care of it. Mama likes you, so I’m sure she won’t be worried.” Mia answers. 

I smooth my hand over the picture of the Taniwha. “Thank you. You girls have been a really big help to me since I got here.”

The girls are called away to have dinner and finish their homework. I remain in the common area where the fireplace is nice and hot. I like to stay there and do my research and whatever work needs done. While my room is nice, it is cramped and I much prefer the open space of the commons.

As I am sending a picture of the book to Professor Patrick, the door opens. Outside, it is raining and dark, so at first, I don’t see anything. Then, in steps the man renting the room right next to me. I flinch, a bit shocked by his sudden appearance. He takes off his hat and, for the first time, I see his face. He is obviously Maori, he has dark skin and his hair is black, but filled with gray. He has tattoos around his mouth and nose, and his eyes are dark and piercing, with a hint of warmth to them.