I Reincarnated Into A Single-Celled Organism! - I Reincarnated into a Single-celled Organism! - Chapter 40
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- I Reincarnated into a Single-celled Organism! - Chapter 40
“Happy birthday, Mara!”
“I can’t believe she’s already eight.” Tanner shook his head.
“I can’t believe you offered to take her to a party anywhere and she wanted to spend the day by the pond.” Carolina shook her head, looking over at Mara, who was playing by my shore.
They weren’t the only ones there. It was an entire grill out with a full pig on the roast as well as cake and activities. It seemed like quite a few other families arrived, bringing their kids to play with Mara. I didn’t realize there were that many people around us, but this entire area was developing. I had overheard them speak of a small village sprouting up only half a day’s journey from here. It was more like an outpost at the moment, but Tanner could do his trading there and didn’t need to do weeklong trips anymore, which his wife and child appreciated greatly.
That said, there had been no more attacks from goblins. A year or so prior, a large group of armed men rode by and entered the forest. Everything that posed a danger to regular citizens was eliminated by the decree of the local city lord to make way for more settlements. At the edge of the farm, I could see the barest hint of a dirt road that they constructed. That road passed by this farm and then headed on to other farms in the distance. A world that once seemed desolate and lifeless was now bustling.
“Getting the pond’s participation wasn’t cheap either.” Tanner chuckled, a slight flash of annoyance appearing on his face as he recalled just how many fish I demanded to allow this sort of thing.
I didn’t feel I had been too greedy. After all, I had put some effort too into this party. I had created an entire beach area, allowing the kids to swim to their heart’s delight. My shores were soft and sandy, and there wasn’t any pond scum or seaweed within my allowed designated swimming area. I was even letting some of the older king fish on the other side, although I was making sure they didn’t catch anything but the smallest and weakest of fish. I had to keep my stock growing, after all. My first generation of kingfish had already evolved twice and were soon ready to harvest.
Their tribulations had come too. My predictions turned out to be true. The first tribulation caused stormy clouds, but barely even a single lightning bolt. The second tribulation was more severe, about a half dozen bolts, but no worse than a stormy night, if perhaps a bit more concentrated. The fish were able to ignore these since the electricity never got past the surface.
The reason I was still asking Tanner for more was because I needed genetic diversity. I found that I could play with genetics a bit, but it was far quicker finding a fish with the traits I wanted versus trying to create those traits from nothing. There was no point in reinventing the wheel. So, I managed to somehow get Tanner to understand I wanted a diverse selection of fish… and usually the bigger the better, and he has obliged over the years.
“You’re really lucky to find such a pond on your property.” One of the adults who came stated, taking a large sip from a mug of ale. “That’s the clearest water I’ve ever seen, plus you can fish any time? What could be better?”
That guy had been eyeing me the entire celebration. If I was something that could be taken, I’d seriously worry he planned to steal me. He was a rather loud and boorish man. He had already drunk an entire bottle of the ale provided, and his speech was coming out slurred.
“Y-yeah…” Tanner gave an awkward laugh, trying to placate his neighbor, although I could see a crease of irritation on his forehead.
“Although, the best part of owning a pond is skinny dipping.” He put on a perverted look and glanced at Carolina like he was undressing her with his eyes.
Back when I was in the gang, if someone had looked that way at my mom or sister, I would have stabbed them. Tanner was a better man than me though. He only gave a noncommittal grunt. Carolina covered her chest. Thankfully, she was properly covered today. Even though everyone was swimming, ever since the hot tub incident, Carolina wouldn’t take more than a step into my water. She always came up with an excuse such as she didn’t feel well or it was too cold, but I knew it was because I had taken things too far.
It was a shame too, because other than the children, the only women present were all rather plain. Tanner and Carolina seemed to win the genetic lottery. They were both attractive, and Mara looked like she’d mature to be a beautiful young girl too. I thought that was normal until I met the neighbors. Most of the people were dirty, scrawny, and dare I say ugly. The guys had overbites and large noses while the girls had small faces and beady eyes. Even the best-looking was only average compared to Carolina. Perhaps that was the reason so many villagers had come to this party. They were curious to peek in on the life of their betters.
“Which child brought you again?” Carolina asked the inebriated man icily.
“Wha- oh… that kid over there.” He gestured. “The one by your daughter. I’m his uncle!”
The two parents couldn’t help but frown as they glanced over at Mara. Instead of swimming like many of the other kids, she was squatted down by the edge of the pool.
“Spirit, would you like some cake?” She asked.
I created some bubbles in affirmation. Over the last few years, I have managed to get my grip on taste. After enjoying the alcohol that one time, I worked to create the ability to enjoy taste again. Although everything thrown in the pond became a soggy mess, I could still take some pleasure in things like sugar and yeast. Mara smiled and started scooping pieces of the cake from her plate into the water. Every other piece would go into her mouth.
“What are you doing?” A pudgy boy a few years older than her asked. “Feeding the fish?”
“No…” She responded patiently. “I’m feeding Spirit.”
Her parents had always called me the spirit around her, or the spirit of the pond. She had taken that name as Sprit… and when she finally could pronounce it, Spirit. Thus, she always called me Spirit. Whenever she was bored, she’d come to the pond edge and talk to me. For an eight-year-old, she certainly loved to drone on about her day. Since I had nothing better to do, I listened sometimes.
Mara’s parents were teaching her letters and numbers. This was unusual for farmer folk, and especially women. Many of the other men held the opinion women only needed to know how to cook and clean. Well, I didn’t expect a feminist society in a place with perverted goblins, but even I felt women deserved more credit than that. Occasionally, she’d be sent out to study her numbers but would end up at my shores complaining. I ended up helping her with numbers in my limited capacity, thinking that the quicker she was done, the sooner she’d leave, but that only seemed to encourage her to come more.
“Who is spirit? A fish?” The boy demanded, not satisfied with her answer.
“Not at all… this is Spirit.” Mara gestured to the entire pond.
“The… pond?” He wore a sneer.
“Spirit is more than just a pond!” She spoke angrily.
“You’re stupid! A pond is just a pond. It doesn’t have feelings.”
“Not true! Daddy says the pond spirit is kind and generous.”
I wouldn’t say that about myself, but Tanner’s words did touch my heart slightly.
“Your dad is dumb too!” He grabbed a stone and then threw it into the pond with a splash.
“Don’t do that! You’ll hurt him.” She stood up, looking like she was about to cry.
I was fine though. If I couldn’t survive a rock, how would I have survived countless tribulations and untold millennia of evolution?
“It’s a stupid ghost!” He kicked the water, apparently enjoying ruining her day.
Am I made up or a spirit? Make up your damned mind!
As I saw her trembling lip and teary eyes, my finger slipped. A large fish went flying from the water. It smashed directly into his face. As the fish peeled off his face and flopped to the ground, the boy stared ahead with shock. Then, he started bawling. It was finally enough attention that my parents and his uncle came running.
“What happened?” The uncle slurred as he stumbled over.
“Spirit hurt me!” He pointed at the fish as he cried.
“Hmph! It’s what you deserve!” Mara crossed her arms angrily.
When Tanner and Carolina arrived, they quickly determined what had happened. After all, I had chucked enough fish at Tanner that he was familiar with the feeling. This one was about twice as big as the normal ones. I was a bit regretful. I had grabbed the closest one I saw in my anger, but I’d rather it be back in my pond. Tanner gave me a stern look, while Carolina looked like she wanted to laugh.
I’m not apologizing.
The snotty boy’s uncle eyed the fish and picked it up. “Man, fish this size are just jumping out of your waters. This pond would be worth a fortune.”
He didn’t return my fish. Instead, he stole the damn thing, calling it a party favor. I had a feeling this guy would be trouble down the line.