The Penny Drops (Sea the Depths Book 1) by Karmon Kuhn (warren buffett book recommendations TXT) 📕

seating. Tucked against the back wall was a counter whose attendant asked me cheerfully, “What’ll it be, honey?”

I simply pointed at a plated item where the smell originated.

“Tuna fish on white, comin’ up! Anythin’ else, dear?” She asked.

“No, thank you,” I said smiling back.

“$5.50,” she said.

“Of course,” I answered. Apparently humans paid for everything instead of sharing. It took me a moment to remember which tokens were correct, but I handed her the two that she’d requested.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. You’ll get it. My husband moved to the states from the Ukraine, and it took him a while to acclimate. Especially to the money. He still tries to barter every time he drops a dime. You take care now.” She handed me the plate.

What about me was similar to this husband? Perhaps, my lack of confidence in counting the money made me appear foreign. Or, my accent may have given me away as it had with Penny.

I shoved the first bite of food into my mouth. Sensory experiences overloaded my system. My nostrils flared again, my mouth watered, and I chewed slowly to get the full effect. Human food lived up to its reputation as being delicious. I recognized the fish as an ingredient, but so much enveloped it. The salt, like that of the ocean, was tantalizing.

I’m unsure how long I sat at the table with my eyes closed, noshing slowly, mindfully, but when I’d finished, the attendant behind the counter had been replaced by someone else. So far, I was enjoying my human senses. While my sense of smell seemed to be detrimentally altered, this sense of taste that was so vastly expanded was truly incredible.

I left the eating area and followed the red and white sign again until I reached the exit. An explosion of noise and lights and smells bombarded me as soon as I opened the door. The food was not the only incredible stimulus.

Each new thing, no matter how small, spiked my curiosity. I was like a little osh again, exploring a child center or being taken on my first fishing trip with the mass of community members. Just as I once puzzled over common-place species of fish or communal areas with training games, I now puzzled about the objects and spaces that the people around me seemed completely acclimated to. It was slightly frightening but also thrilling to regain my youth in this way. I was truly alive.

***

Outside of the hospital, I walked slowly, again trying to acclimate myself to all of the stimuli. In a single day, I’d gone from a sea-floor tsez̈ø through miles of ocean, to a human-populated beachy coastline covered in sand, to a human care center for the sick and injured, and now to the overwhelming expanses of an urban human settlement.

In every direction but down were structures, vehicles, and other sights. I’d seen pictures and read extensively about the human experience in my preparations for land trials. However, nothing had truly prepared me for this bustling and booming culture shock.

The chaos was at once lovely and awful. At many points, I jumped or had to cover my ears for the noise, and I often stopped to gaze at the land flora and fauna. Such mysteries. Once, an angry-looking creature stopped to sniff me, and I nearly bolted until the human leading it laughed and instructed me to pat the creature. As hesitant as I was, I soon relaxed, my fingers relishing the lush feel of the creature's hair.

When the creature and human walked on, my mind spilled over with a vivid image of the first domesticated animal I’d ever met. I flinched a little at the thought. It was a shark used for hunting and protection. I’d always been afraid of them in theory, and in reality, they were absolutely terrifying. The creature I met was mammoth in comparison to my small frame, and I’d been encouraged to pat it as well. But, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Once the handler realized that I wasn’t interested in befriending the monster, he flung an injured fish through the water in front of it, and in a second, the prey was consumed by the predator. I swam as fast as I could until it was out of sight and signal. What of the land creatures? How many of them were as monstrous as the shark, the swordfish, and the jellyfish?

After walking the streets without purpose, I refocused on my goals and the true reason for my visit. I was not a tourist after all. I needed to choose my lodging and rest up for my next bonding opportunity with Penny or any other potential tsùges̈sss.

I searched through my satchel for the communication device as I stood next to a building away from the heavy flow of foot traffic. It was still powered on as Penny had left it, and the screen had a few pictures indicating its different functions. For a moment, I simply stared at it. While I’d studied this technology, I’d had so little practice. I padded my fingertips against a few of the images, but each showed nothing useful.

My brows squished together in the middle of my face, and my face grew hotter. This infantile excuse for communication technology would not make a fool of me! I tapped and then pounded my finger until the screen read, “How can I help?”

I looked around and then whispered at the device, “I need lodging.”

The screen changed to a list format that extended far beyond what the small screen could show at once. Already frustrated, I chose the first one, MacMillan Suites, and pressed a picture titled, “directions.” I took several wrong turns at its suggestion, but I eventually arrived at an enormous stone structure.

***

Inside, the lodging was lavish with fine fabrics on the walls and floors, a water feature in the entryway, and people gathered from wall-to-wall. I had never seen a structure that was so open. I gawked until I was overtaken by the passersby