Chapter 17: The Secret of the Hot Spring

"Helloooooo. Who’s there?" the soft voice asked. "The fog is too thick, I’m getting in!"

"Who is getting in?" I called, pulling Damara close to me. "Why are you in my house?"

"Your house? This is my dimension?!"

I looked at Damara, she was watching the dense mist intently, a scowl forming on her face.

The water rippled as a figure moved through the thick steam, slowly heading toward the edge of the pool.

As they got closer, the mist cleared enough to show a tall, curvy woman with pale skin and long teal hair that clung wetly to her bare shoulders.

She waded forward until the water hit her waist, showing off a large chest and an hourglass frame. Stopping just a few feet away, she tilted her head up, locking bright turquoise eyes right onto mine with a sly, confident smirk.

"How’d you two get in here?" She asked bluntly. "I’ve never had visitors before. Are you the master of the manor?"

"Yeah Sam," she said, shoving an elbow into my ribs. "Are you the master?" She finished with a diabolical laugh.

"I am." I proclaimed, puffing my chest out slightly. "And who are you then? Some creature from this world–"

"CREATURE! Do I look like a creature to you!" She barked, thrashing around in the water. "Do you have eyes? I’m clearly a goddess, more specifically, I am the Goddess of the Hot Springs. It is through my presence the water remains the perfect temperature, not to mention the healing qualities these waters contain."

"Now that you mention it, every bit of muscle ache I had before is gone," Damara added. "So that means you’re constantly here? You can’t leave and go somewhere else?"

"No. I wouldn’t want to if I could," she shot back, her words somehow sounded angry. "There’s terrible things out there and I’m safer here. Especially now that I have new friends."

"She’s staying even," Damara said, shooting me a sharp look. "I guess you’re the guy who collects goddesses now," She teased, sticking her tongue out before turning toward the woman. "So do you have a name?"

The fair skinned woman swam over to Damara, slid beside her and squeezed in as close as she could get. The goddess grinning from ear to ear.

"I am known as the Goddess of the Hot Spring..." she hung her head then immediately raised it back up, her eyes glimmering. "No one has asked for my name before," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "My real name is Sarah, it’s very nice to meet you."

"Sam. And this is Damara," I answered, gesturing toward the dusky skinned beauty beside me. "She’s my..." we looked at each other. "... girlfriend."

Damara shifted her arm under the water, placing her hand in mine. My heart drummed heavily. I could feel the beat of her heart pulsing through her hand.

"Oohhhhhh, she is pretty," Sarah announced, closing the distance left between them. She inspected Damara from head to toe, squinting to see through the water. "Very pretty..." she added, drool hanging from her mouth. "Will you visit again?"

Without a second in between, Damara shot forward, wrapping her arms around Sarah. "Of course we will. You sound so lonely."

"It’s not too bad, sometimes I can get the trees to talk to me," she said, lowering her head. "Though I am the one making the voice..." she whispered.

A cool night breeze rolled across the open area, rustling the cherry blossoms above and sending a fresh shower of pink petals drifting down onto the steaming pool.

The warm, mineral water swirled softly around our waists, soothing away the last traces of fatigue as the faint scent of sweet floral blooms mixed with the rising steam.

"We’ll visit often," I looked around the area excitedly. "Hey, do you mind if I explore a bit, Damara?" I asked, stepping out of the spring. "I can’t help myself."

"Go ahead, but don’t wander off too far," Damara called after me, leaning comfortably against the edge of the bath with a soft smile.

I dried off as best as I could and pulled my clothes back on, my boots crunching softly against a winding path of smooth river stones.

Sarah waded closer to the bank, her bright eyes tracking every step I took away from the water. "Be careful, Sam," she warned, her voice dropping into a tight, nervous murmur. "The borders of my spring are safe, but... things shift beyond the borders."

The stone path curved upward through rows of glowing plants. Each more remarkable than the last. Tiny, floating motes drifted between like fireflies.

It felt completely unreal, like a hidden VIP resort slapped right into the middle of an ancient fantasy world.

"This place is massive..." I muttered, scanning the area.

The sheer size of this remote dimension was truly mind-blowing. As I continued surveying the area, I found a thick line in the ground. Several signs with horribly drawn monsters stood high, each with the word WARNING written terribly.

"If there’s monsters in here, what the hell is she afraid of outside?" I huffed, still coming down from the laughing the signs had sent me on. "I’ll have to help her make some new ones sometime."

One thing was true, she was completely unaware of how cool her own backyard actually was. Shaking my head with a grin, I turned around and jogged back down the stone path toward the warm pools.

Damara and Sarah were already chatting like old friends, their soft giggles echoing across the steaming water.

"Find anything crazy?" Damara teased, tilting her head back against the smooth rock edge as I walked up.

"Just some real world-class artwork," I laughed, offering her a hand to help her up from the bath. "Come on. It’s getting late, and my bed is calling our names."

Sarah pouted playfully as Damara stepped out of the water, wrapping a fresh towel around herself. "You’re leaving already? Promise you’ll visit tomorrow!"

"We promise," Damara smiled, giving the water goddess a reassuring wave.

Grabbing Damara’s hand, I led us back through the aquarium-blue doorway. The second our feet hit the cool hardwood of my hallway, the door clicked softly shut behind us, leaving the two of us alone in the quiet manor once more.