13Chapter 10: Somewhere Out There
A/N: Sorry that I haven't been updating for three months. I have writer's block, and my friend is helping me with ideas. Now, if any of you have been confused about the chapters of Jenny and Charlie, the chapters took place before Dory met Gill. I'm sorry, I should've said that or at least told you the chapters took place in another time period. My writing was not really that good back then, but now, my writing has been better. I've improved as a writer and author. I've even managed to write a story that has over 8,000 words, which is big for me. So, my writing has been pretty good if I do say so myself. Now, this chapter is now at its regular time period. Jenny and Charlie have now been making shell trails for two years now.
Sandrastar1: Thanks!
Another day of laying out shells...
Jenny heaved as she carried a bunch of shells in her yellow fins. The shells caused her to swim slowly, but she did her best to try to swim her way back home. Charlie was right beside her, making sure she was doing okay of carrying the heavy weights of shells. He was carrying loads of shells himself, but unlike his wife, he was quite fine with doing it. He struggled a little bit, but not as much as his wife. He had a stronger build than her, and he was stronger than her.
"Are you sure you're alright, honey?" Charlie asked.
"Yes, Charlie, I'm fine," she said in between breaths.
Charlie looked a bit skeptical but shrugged. "Okay, if you say so."
Jenny's magenta eyes lit up as she saw the unfinished trails of shell paths and the worn out tire.
"Finally, we made it. I thought home was much farther away."
Her husband gave her a confused look. "Uh, Jenny, you know the way back home. We lived here for two years now. Clearly, you know the way home by now."
Jenny blushed a bit, realizing how ridiculous she sounded. "I-I'm sorry, dear. I-It's just that-"
"Shh, Jenny." Charlie rubbed against her a little bit, trying not to drop the shells. "It's okay. You can tell me later."
Jenny sighed. "Okay."
Little Dory played in the sand. She giggled as she placed her face and body in it. She rolled around in it, feeling the rough, squishy texture. The playful tang squealed in delight, having fun.
Gill, not too far from the distance, watched the forget little tang having fun. He watched her laughing and having fun. The Moorish Idol couldn't help but smile. Just seeing her having fun reminded him of how much fun he used to have as a kid. Plus, he felt like a father figure to her. He made sure she didn't get hurt, made sure she had enough to eat, and other things a loving and caring parent would do for their child.
He watched a little before his smile gradually fell into a frown. He really felt sorry for the poor child. Her losing her family at such a young age? That was a really scary thought for any child. A child's parents are the most important people in their lives, and if one would ever lose them, they wouldn't know what to do. A parent would react the same way. Their children are the most important, beautiful, people in their lives. They will do anything for them, and they will do anything they can to make sure their children are healthy and happy. Their children are the most beautiful thing they've ever created. As parents, they will have to learn how to teach them about different things, about the world. They also will have to know how to take care of them themselves. That's the most important role of being a parent.
Gill briefly thought of his parents. He remembered all the good times and memories they had together. Now, Gill didn't lose his parents or they didn't die, thankfully, but he moved out of their house because he was getting too old to stay there. He was sad about moving out, his parents were too, but it was the right thing to do. It was just part of growing up. Parents can't just take care of their children forever, they have to grow up. It's not Neverland. Growing up is a part of life.
The Idol lost his train of thought and watched Dory again.
Dory stopped playing when she noticed him. "Hi, Gilly! Wanna play in the sand with me?"
"No thanks, kid. I'm too old for that stuff," he remarked.
Dory laughed. "Oh, Gilly, you're not too old!"
"Yes I am. Playing in the sand is a kids thing. And you're a kid."
Dory rolled her eyes. "Everyone can have fun playing in the sand. It's not just for kids."
"But still, I don't wanna play in the sand."
"Pleeeaassseeee?" she asked with huge, pleading eyes.
Gill sighed. He couldn't resist that little face of hers. "Alright, but only because you're so cute."
"Yay! Thank you!" She smiled.
Gill chuckled and swam over to her.
Dory continued to play in the sand. Gill joined in.
They played for like ten minutes, even though it felt like hours to Dory. Gill got up from the sand and shook the little grains off.
"You know what, Dory?" he said to her.
"What?" Dory said, still energetic.
"You're an unforgettable little girl."
That comment made the tang stop. Bits of sand spiraled around her for a moment.
"I-I am?" she asked.
"Yes, you are. You are an amazing kid to hang out with. Also, you have a really good personality. I love how optimistic you are."
"What does that mean?" Dory tilted her head a little.
"It means you always think about good things and don't worry about bad things. Some people are pessimistic, which means they always think about the negative and bad things. But you... you are really cheerful and bright. I love that about you."
The little girl blushed at what he said and looked down. She didn't know what to say.
Gill placed a fin on her chin and lifted her head up. "Don't ever change, kid, okay?"
"Okay, Gilly."
Gill grinned and patted her on the head.
Dory suddenly hugged him. She was thankful about him taking care of her. She wouldn't depend on any other fish but him and her parents.
Gill hugged back. He smiled at the loving child.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Gilly."
"You're welcome, Dory. You're welcome."
Jenny and Charlie finished halfway on another shell path. They decided they were done collecting shells for the day, so they decided to rest after they finished.
Jenny sighed in relief. She wanted to take a break. She had to admit, she was getting tired of this shell process. That didn't mean she was tired of trying to get her little girl back. She would even cut her own fin off if it means she was gonna get her child back soon.
When they first started collecting shells, Jenny would get so excited. She would wake up early morning, even trying to get Charlie out of bed. Jenny would usually get a lot of shells in her fins, and that time, she didn't even care. Heck, she even swam fast with her fins full. That showed how important her daughter was for her, and she knew making shell paths would definitely lead her baby girl right back to her. The process kept on exciting her day after day. She was determined to get Dory back right home to her and her husband. She was even carrying more shells than the stronger Charlie was. Each day was an adventure for them.
Every day they would keep continuing the process. Collecting more and more shells cause Jenny to grew tired. At one point, she wanted to give up, but Charlie encouraged her to keep going. She still wanted Dory to come back home, but each day, she waited for her to just swim right up to them and hug them the biggest hug she could ever give. All Jenny really wanted was to keep Dory in her and Charlie's fins and hug her for eternity. She wanted her daughter back so much, she needed her back. Every day, Jenny waited for her to show up, but she wouldn't. If she had to keep living like this for every day, every hour, every minute, every second, then she was gonna break down and just stop having hope and faith. Dory being lost was the mother's worst nightmare. It had been two years and Dory still hadn't shown up. Jenny swore she was gonna have a heart attack. She feared for the worst of what would happen to her innocent, beloved daughter.
The couple swam inside the tire. They wanted to rest for a bit.
Charlie suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Jenny. I just remembered that you have something to tell to me. Remember earlier?"
His wife frowned. "Oh... Right..."
Charlie placed a fin around her. "It's alright, honey. You know you can tell me anything."
Jenny took a deep breath. She then let it out. "Okay, Charlie."
Charlie waited for his wife on what she had to say.
"I'm... I'm getting tired of collecting shells!" she cried out.
Charlie didn't react, he just stroked his wife's back gently. "Can you tell me why?" he asked gently.
"We do it every day, Charlie! It's getting so tedious and exhausting! It's been two years, Charlie! Two years! What if she never comes here? Most parents have their children safe at home with them, and we are just living right here in the open sea, not knowing where in the world she is! There are many predators in the ocean, Charlie! What if she gets eaten by a shark? What if she gets stung by a jellyfish? She doesn't know how to live out here, Charlie! She's just a child! And with her memory loss, I bet it's even harder for her to live and strive out here! I'm just... I'm just so worried and terrified for her!" Jenny broke down into tears. She covered her worried eyes with her fins. At this point, she had officially lost hope.
Her husband watched her cry. He immediately felt sympathetic for her. He wrapped his fins around her body and gave her soft, comforting words. "Shh, honey. It's alright. I'm worried just as you are. Sure it's been two years, but we shouldn't give up. Never."
Jenny kept on crying. "But, what if she never comes?"
"She will, Jen. The ocean is a really big place. It might even take her years for her to come back to us." Charlie nuzzled her lovingly.
"Oh, wow. That just makes me even sadder. Thank you for not cheering me up." Jenny wept even louder.
Charlie sighed. "Darling, I'm sorry. I'm just saying. Look, I'm saying that we have to keep trying, even if it's so tiring for us. We can't give up on Dory. Ever. We just have to keep swimming."
His wife perked up a little at their motto. Her crying quieted down a little.
Charlie wiped her tears away. "We created her, Jenny. She's the best thing that's ever happened to us. She's our family. She's our little Kelpcake."
Jenny sniffed and looked up innocently at her husband. "Y-you're right, Charlie. No matter what happens, we will always keep trying. Maybe one day she will come back to us."
Charlie kissed her. "That's my Jenny."
Jenny smiled. Her eyes then drooped a bit. "Let's rest for a while."
"I'm right with you, dear. I'm getting tired."
The couple then snuggled up and within moments, they fell asleep.
Hours had passed. Dory was still playing. She would keep herself busy until she had gotten tired.
Gill watched her in astonishment. "Geez, Dory, do you ever get tired?"
Dory giggled. "I just like to play."
"Well don't play for much longer now. It's almost bedtime."
"Awwww!" she whined.
"You'll keep playing tomorrow," he assured.
"Okay. Gilly, can you play hide and seek with me?"
"Sure, kiddo."
After playing hide and seek and a few other games for almost an hour, it was time for bed.
The young blue tang began to yawn.
"Now you're tired!" Gill said.
"Yeah. I'm really sleepy." Dory began to nuzzle up against Gill.
The older fish guided her into bed. "Off to bed, young lady."
The two went into the small cave that they usually slept in.
Dory got herself comfortable and snuggled up to Gill. "Goodnight, Gilly."
Gill looked down at her. "Goodnight, Dory." He stroked her before snuggling Dory. He tiredly closed his eyes.
Dory closed her eyes as well. A sudden flash of her parents came up in her head. She could see them and herself playing together. She realized how much she missed her family. Not seeing them for two years was too much for her. Even if she had Gill, she still felt lonely without her parents. The two people that she loved and cared for the most was gone. It was like they didn't exist anymore to the poor child.
Realizing it was a lot to take in, she opened her eyes. Tears welled up in her pink eyes. She silently began to cry, careful not to wake Gill up. She loved her parents so much, and them not being with her anymore made her heart break. Dory wanted nothing more than to just be in their fins. She would feel protected and safe. Being in their fins made her feel warm and fuzzy inside, and warm in general. She would never be harmed in her parents' fins.
Dory wiped her tears away and sniffled. "Maybe I should see the stars," she said quietly. "Maybe that will make me feel better."
With that, little Dory swam up to the surface, leaving a sleeping Gill behind.
The fish rose to the surface, her body peeked up from the water. She saw the sparkly, glimmering stars with her huge magenta eyes. They beautifully reflected on them.
Dory looked at the wonderful pieces of art. It was really mesmerizing to her. The stars looked small to her, but in reality, they were really big balls of gases, like the sun. The stars were really her favorite sight to see. They were like sparkling diamonds in the sky. They had a silver color to them, and they were light years away from Earth. They were like distant angels in the sky, watching you from above.
She then thought of her beloved parents. They would've loved the stars just as much as she did. Another unforgettable memory would've been created at this very moment. Two loving parents and their child looking at the bunches of bright, sparkling gases of stars.
The stars twinkled in her big, magenta eyes. She slowly closed them and exhaled gently. She then opened them. Stars were reflected in her eyes once again. Sweetly and gently, with a high pitched voice, Dory began to sing.
"Somewhere out there
Beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me
And loving me tonight."
Outside the MLI, Jenny swam out of the old tire. She looked back at her sleeping husband before swimming towards the surface. She popped up, showing her face and part of her body. With the same beautiful magenta eyes as her daughter, she looked up at the dark, night sky. The sky was lit up with hundreds of sparkling, twinkling silver stars. She took the amazing and beautiful moment in before singing in an angelic voice.
"Somewhere out there
Someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another
In that big somewhere out there
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star."
Where Dory was, she sang again.
"And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky."
Dory and Jenny both sang, creating a melodic rhythm. The love that they shared together stayed within them. Without them knowing that they were singing to each other made the scene even more powerful because they were both creating a moment together as mother and daughter. It was a hidden moment that they both produced, and they didn't know this sweet song they sang together was a special song that they made up together without even realizing one was singing.
"Somewhere out there
If love can see us through
Then we'll be together
Somewhere out there
Out where dreams
Come true..."
Jenny swam down from the surface and went back to her home. She swam herself in a circle a couple times before snuggling up next to Charlie.
"I really hope you come back to us soon, baby girl," Jenny whispered before falling asleep.
Back to Dory, she came back to the small cave. She cuddled against Gill. A small tear escaped her right eye. The poor blue tang missed her parents very much. She hoped she could see them really soon.
Dory took some time to fall asleep. She wanted her parents more than anything else. It would be a miracle if she would wake up the next morning with her parents looking at her ecstatically. But she knew it was impossible for that to happen. Her parents were outside of the MLI, living in an old tire. She was completely oblivious of what they were doing to get her back. The child knew they would see each other again one day and become a small happy family that they once were.
Disclaimer: I do not own the song "Somewhere Out There." It is owned by Disney, and it is in the movie "An American Tail."
