Tamalia and the Kelpie Revised 6-23-2025

Tamalia rides a malicious Kelpie at a river

Tamalia and the Kelpie

Revised 6-23-2025

Tamalia stood on the pink gravel of the riverbank. An eddy of the water lapped near her black leather boots. The yellow embroidered hem of her blue dress was already damp. Podolfo, her overlarge toad sat on her shoulder looking at the wide, fast water.

Podolfo croaked.

"No, the drawing does show a river, but no way across. No ford, no bridge, not even a ferry." The curvy Witchy Woman folded the crude map and tucked it into her cleavage baring dress. How much breast to expose was always a risk on the road, but it was a warm summer day, and the breeze felt good on her décolletage. Added that it was a little-known pathway to a meadow cultivated for
herbs as a communal garden by the cooperative Witches of White Foam she was sure not to cross anyone.

Sitting upon a mediums sized boulder, she removed her scuffed boots and lay her hot feet in the cold water. Her violet eyes caught the flash of pale flesh and floating, blue-green hair under the surface in the calmer eddy.

"Naiads at play," she muttered to herself and her toad. “Too bad there are no Kelpies. I could ride one across to the other side.”

Rummaging through her brocade travel bag she produced a juicy apple. Feeding a sliver to Podolfo she took a bite. She blew a strand of gray streaked hair from her eyes and thought of the hat she needed to buy.

As if she had made a wish a white Kelpie rose from the rapids and made its way to her. Freshwater weeds tangled its mane and tail but it was obviously magical. The rushing water did not impede it greatly. The Naiads gathered at the water’s edge to watch, as they knew of the malicious nature of Kelpies.

Poldolfo croaked.

The middle-aged woman stood and with bare feet dripping, offered her treat afternoon treat. She stroked the gentle muzzle as the bare teeth took the bait. The deal was struck. Pulling on her leather boots and fixing her dress hem to the apropos clip on her belt, she rummaged in her red travel bag for a second time. She took a drink of a blue-green potion and offered a sip to Podolfo. Tying the travel bag to her waist corset, she rubbed the velvety nose again and mounted bareback.

Podolfo croaked.

The Witchy Woman took a handful of gray mane and a firm grip on her toad with the other. The water-horse turned and plodded past the Naiads. His steps did not reach the bed bottom, but he strode in the foaming water as if on a boardwalk. Tamalia held fast, but was confident.

The Kelpie managed the rapids easily. They closed on the calmer water of the farther bank. His eyes rolled and head tossed with dangerous intent and as he had planned when they were near enough to the other shore he bucked off his passenger. The magical animal turned to watch her drown, and yet she sank to the bottom with a smile on her broad lips.

She was breathing water! As the water horse swam away in disgust, Tamalia walked along the stony bottom of the other immense eddy. She navigated the short weeds with ease and the Naiads gamboled about, amazed and giggling at the defeat of the Kelpie's odious plan.

The wet Witchy Woman held on to a boulder of pink granite as she walked out of the river. Placing her toad on a flat rock and untying the hard knot on her travel bag she laid out her spare clothes. Stripping naked she lay along a warm flat rock waiting for the hot sun to dry her and her things. Her mission to find the herbs to transform her toad back to her Dwarf man could delay one hour.

Podolfo croaked.