"Fall back. Hide." Sheila signalled both of them to hide as she felt an impending danger. But, there was nothing to hide except for a bunch of pitch dark cellars, all locked for nothing.

"Hug her." The Wonderpus hushed. Kai gulped as the familiar feeling inside his belly tickled. His eyes met with her baffled pair of black orbs only for a second and he immediately shook his head in disapproval.

"Seriously?" Wonderpus grabbed Kai by his arms, as the laughter and gossips echoing from the oncoming peacekeepers was, now, loud. He pushed him on Sheila, pressing her to a wall behind and sandwiched Kai in between her and himself.

Wonderpus's body changed it's striped colour to match the colour of the dark shaded wall behind them. The onlookers passed by without​ any clue of their presence, as his body perfectly blended with the wall to camouflage.

Kai felt queasy as his body was being rolled between the plump clown and Sheila. Although, he took care not to put much pressure on her body, her heart fluttering as if it was a swallow bird stuck in a temple tower was more than audible. He shied away his gaze to cut short the embarassing moment.

"That went well." Wonderpus released himself dusting his hands off, his face appreciating his handiwork.

"Are you okay?" Kai pulled away from her, trying to hide the redness that was painting his cheeks.

"Yeah. I am fine. I am perfectly. fine." Sheila briskly straightened her wonky hood, and stiffened to put on a normal look, but utterly failed at doing so.
A very gentle smile took shape on Kai's lips as a response. Sheila raised her eyebrows in a fake impassive look, "what?"

"Nothing. Nothing." Kai sifted his fingers through his jet black hair and darted towards Wonderpus. Sheila closely followed him out of the hallway.

They peeked and sneaked to avoid getting caught during this suicide mission. They had to hide behind corals of the lawn, some of which were outright poisonous and deliberately grown for fencing purposes.

They played pee-ka-boo of their lifetime in order to escape from a troop of soldiers engaged in a practice parade. But, having Wonderpus with them was more of a boon than a bane.

************************************

They diluted themselves into the kaleidoscopic hustle bustle of the night time market. Seeing a priestess out around in the city, doing her daily chores wasn't a common thing in the city, so Sheila wrapped herself in a jute cloak until the trio walked past the market lane.

"Fin-sock! Ten for two, ten for two. Best quality ensured." A seller in the market blocked them midway, trying to sell her goods. "You both make a good couple, how old is your baby? Buy your baby a fin-sock."

Kai snorted to hide the laughter that unintentionally slipped out of his mouth. Sheila crossed her arms, glancing at Kai's comical face with a pair of beady eyes. His expression suddenly changed into a look that was probably better on a scaredy cat, "that's alright. We aren't married yet."

As soon as the seller lady left them, she nudged him softly, "married yet?"

"I mean...I uh..it's just..." Wonderpus interrupted them from behind.

"Here you are. Come, there are some peacekeepers here on guard. Let's leave." Wonderpus touched a lady's green fin beside them, his skin started to change in texture and colour, so much so, that he almost resembled her except for his clown face.

"Whoa!" Kai and Sheila gasped, holding their hands as they watched him change.

"That's​ why they call me the best," saying that Wonderpus squirted away curling his tentacles upwards.

"Where are we headed?" Kai tried to keep his pace as he followed them.

"To the wonderland."

"We just want to know the second part." Kai voiced the obvious question that was haunting him and Sheila.

"I'll give it, I promise. But, only after reaching my home."

"Heyyy! That wasn't included in the deal." Sheila swam to block his way and raised her grumpy brows.

"Well, now it is." Wonderpus chuckled and moved her aside to swim forward.

************************************

They waded through the thick red kelp forest surrounding the market area until Wonderpus guided them to an underwater amusement park.

They stopped at a huge stony archway of an entrance. The wooden board with the name of 'wonderland' written on it was askew, green mossy hairballs were encroaching and nibbling the signboard from all the corners.

Wonderpus's red tinted lips sagged into an upside down 'U'. "This place used to be swarming with hundreds of people. I didn't expect to see my wonderland in ruins."

"I still don't understand. We just need the second part of the prophecy," Kai went over and stood beside him scanning the withering signboard, "why would you bring us here to this haunted place?"

"Come on in." Wonderpus leapt forward using his tentacles. He shot an inky smoke on his way, that blurred their vision and sent them coughing. As the ink diluted and thinned out, the scene infront of their eyes was breathtaking.

"Sorry, that ink fart happens when I get excited." Wonderpus flashed an embarrassed grin.

"That's alright." Kai coughed, swirling to behold the beauty of the park. There were striped red and white tents littered across the ground, candy shops, toy stalls in every other corner. A giant wheel was planted at a distance. But, there were no people. All that remained, was withering and fading away with the time.

There was a drumbeat of some kind followed by a trumpet.

"Follow me." Wonderpus signalled them and started towards the source of sound.

Kai and Sheila exchanged a look and followed him, curiosity and cautiousness laced all over their faces. Wonderpus hid behind a screen and peeked. There was a stage ahead, which was lighted with chandeliers and was decorated with colourful banners.

A group of all-white mer-people, roughly four in number, were busy in arranging musical instruments on the stage. They almost looked alien, because of their bald and jiggly melon like heads. A tall one among the boys waded forward into the spotlight, holding a pair of rumba shakers. He cleared his throat and signalled his friends to begin the show.

The person with the harp began to strike the cords and other two boys, one with a trumpet and another with drums, joined him in a musical harmony. Kai peered his neck over Wonderpus's to have a better glimpse at them, the banner behind them read 'Beluga Boys.'

There were barely three people seated as audience. Two of them, who certainly looked like a couple, were clearly not interested in the surrounding.

As the romantic song started, the couple brought their attention back to the stage, the woman sunk into her chair and buried herself in her boyfriend's arms. Another girl in the front line melted listening to the melody of music.

Wonderpus started towards them. As soon as his silhouette materialised, the youngest one among the musicians saluted to greet him. Other boys flashed their regular customer-friendly smiles.

But, as it became apparent that he was a clown with his every new movement, they stopped playing the music once and for all. Silence fell across park, except for the rattling noise of rumba shakers. The singer's vocalising capacity was completely lost in shock, as his jaw lay touching the carpet.

They rushed in unison towards the clown, leaving whatever they were doing on the stage. "Wonderpuss!"

Wonderpus pampered their melons and smooched on them as they rubbed their bodies to him, as if they were his pet dogs. "You finally came back, you made it."

"Now we can restart the park!" The youngest one grinned, baring all his teeth.

"No, my boy. I still need to stay low profile. We don't want the best clown behind the bars again, do we?" wailing that, Wonderpus rose up from the sea bed. "They are my new friends, they helped me escape."

Beluga boys kept annoying Kai and Sheila with a million of 'thank you's along the way. Once they made it to a tent named, 'for staff only', Wonderpus welcomed them inside by holding the red curtain aside.

There was a portrait of plump woman on the wall. Wonderpus sighed looking at her, "she is my wife Fiona, she is no more." He slowly wriggled his tentacles to dig a hole on the sand bed without any notice. Sheila and Kai again exchanged that look of impending doom, as he dug deeper and deeper.

"What are you doing?" Fed up of waiting for minutes, Kai finally questioned. By that time, Beluga boys brought a basket of sweets and candies for Sheila and Kai.

"Oh, that was unnecessary boys," Sheila waved her fingers, but picked up a candy to keep the little boy's heart as he kept grinning.

Wonderpus brought a small chest from underground and placed it on the floor. He was wheezy and breathless due to exhaustion, not to mention that he dug a hole of barely a meter's length.

"My wife," Wonderpus swallowed, "she was a librarian at the temple tower. She brought a bizarre book home one fine day, and was no more alive the very next."

"We're sorry."

"That's alright. I am over with it. If it wasn't for these boys, I would have never," he said as he opened the lid of a shiny metallic chest. He retrieved a rolled transparent paper from inside and handed it over to Sheila. "It has what you want."

"It's empty." Kai huffed, examining it in every possible angle.

Sheila grabbed it and touched​ an edge with her stinger. The letters on the paper started glowing neon bright. It was still in the spirally coded language, but she had mastered the technique of deciphering it during her training period at the temple.

"A spittle of a bird, who lost her love,
to be gently mixed with the oil of clove.
A sinew of the star, who lost her life,
for she was mistaken a witch, a rife.
A scale of the serpent, who lost her beauty, for she was a huntress of treasures and bounty."

Sheila recited everything that glowed on the paper. "That's it? Where's the rest?"

Wonderpus sucked in a long breath, "I am afraid, that's all I have. My wife's death wish was to hide this piece of paper from double agents. I became a double agent working for the sea witch. You know, the biggest irony of life is that some people tend to overlook other people. So, the witch never saw me as a threat. But, here I am, breaking her bad."

"What are these ingredients for? A potion to kill the witch?" Kai swayed his look between Wonderpus and Sheila, worrisome creases etched all over his forehead.

"Maybe, or may be not." Wonderpus leapt forward and hugged them both with his tentacles. Beluga boys squealed and joined them in a giant celebration of hugging. "But, the adventure awaits you. The sea goddess shall lead you to your destiny."

They took a minute to relish the delicious moment, until they seperated from each other slowly. Everyone lingered and held on to the warm hug for just a second more.
"Now, tell me you'll visit this old clown, once you slay that witch."

"You're truly a wonderful person, Wonderpus," Sheila waved her hand at Wonderpus and Beluga boys before they left the park.

A weird scent of adventure wafted across the sea, as Kai and Sheila swam beating their fins with newfound energy. "Kai, isn't it painful to be a clown who pretends to be smiling, but not smiling?"

_______________________________________________
WC -1950

Now, this is not how I imagined beluga boys to be. But, this image is still amazing, except for missing bald heads and jiggly melons on their scalps. 😂