"I'm your progenitor, the very essence of life! With me, everything began, without me, everyone shall perish! If I will, everything shall exist, if I do not, everything shall drown in my eternal depths!"
Lyle stared at her with a deadpan face. "Can you repeat that?"
She grumbled, knowing it was too much for a mere kid to understand—the profoundness of her words. She would need to use easier language.
"I'm the mother of all living beings. Everything exists because I let it be."
"Yet you fear strangers?"
"Of-of course not, it's just that they are not worthy to witness my divine self…"
"Didn't you just say you are afraid of strangers?"
"I-I just told you to lower your apprehension…"
"Then, why didn't you show up in front of my Aunt and Mom?"
"…"
Lyle's deadpan face prevailed. "So, did you mean you are the mother of everyone?"
"Yes, yes, now you get it!"
"Pfft! Hahahaha!"
"What's funny?"
"If you are the mother of everyone, then tell me…" He lowered his voice to a whisper.
…
Lyle had this intense curiosity to know it all, the answers to all the questions that plagued his life.
Like, where did the babies come from?
Do they grow on trees? Crawl out of the ground? Or pop out of eggs?
What happens after marriage, so suddenly, that a baby falls on his mama's lap?
Truly grave questions.
No one knew the answers.
Was everyone stupid?
What's with that birds and the bees?
As if a bird can pop an egg that big?
What pitiful intelligence! Now, it was up to him to figure out the truth!
So he went out to see the sky and the ground, and everything in between.
And now the opportunity had finally arrived. So he asked the Nymph, "Where do babies come from?"
"From the mother, of course."
Lyle squinted his eyes as if he knew that already. "That's right, but from where do they come?"
He had seen hens laying eggs, and he knew with certainty that they came from her butt. He never saw a human egg before, but would that mean babies come from the butt? That was too disgusting to even imagine, so he would halt his thoughts at that point. Not to mention, the actual answer he wanted to know was:
"Actually, cut that. Tell me, how are they made?"
This left even this noble water nymph stupefied. Where were these questions coming from? Actually, she knew he held tremendous curiosity, as he would regularly visit her pond to observe the creatures lying within. That's what had caught her interest and compelled her to show herself to him.
But he had really asked a difficult question.
"You know the birds and the bees-"
"Stop! Try again."
"The birds and the bees-"
"Shut up! Not that. Come on. The right one." Lyle barked and she panicked.
"Themaleandthefemalecometogetherandcopulateandthemaletransfershisjuicetothefemaleandshemakesafruitoutofit." The Nymph answered in panic.
"What the hell?" Lyle made his poker face.
He didn't understand a thing, but he inferred some words from the mess: "The male and female. The male gives a female a juice, and she drinks it, and then a baby forms in her stomach like a fruit."
Phew! That was hard! But he did it! He finally solved a mystery plaguing his life. A burden seemed to lessen from his shoulder. Now he only had to find this special baby-making juice and give it to all the females.
Why go to such lengths, one might ask, but Lyle held a special purpose: to help his family survive the calamity. More babies will grow into more manpower. With that, their collective strength will rise, and they will lessen the individual risks.
Of course, his thoughts weren't so complicated, but they were along those lines.
As he had witnessed their comrades die, from the elders, he had heard how their battle prowess lessened, and how it would lessen the chances of their survival.
He understood one thing: more people meant more strength, and he had to find ways to increase their number of people.
"So, where do I get this juice?"
"Huh?" The Nymph's pupils constricted. This child was too difficult. "Um, all men possess it…" She answered it anyway.
"What? How can that be? Where does it hide, then?" He asked because he had never seen himself or anyone possessing it.
"Ahem, when the right time comes, and when the fruit matures, every male will be able to release it, and you will eventually know it. For now, you are too young to talk about it." She finally said with a stern voice.
He grumbled and asked her the same question several times but to no avail. Now this new question will add to his burden.
…
Since that day, he had asked several questions to the villagers, like, if their fruits had matured or when will his fruit mature, so he could draw the juice out of it.
Most of them laughed and shrugged it off, saying they expected nothing less from their commander's son.
Some were conveniently oblivious to whatever Lyle was asking. While some told him that he wasn't at that age yet. Lyle was frustrated at these adults' convenient lies. Alas, he could do nothing but bury the questions for an opportune moment.
…
Lyle was no longer afraid of going to the cave alone. The annoyance piled up by the Nymph helped him overcome her fear. So he started visiting her regularly to ask her numerous questions.
The unending curiosity and enthusiasm in a child meant tremendous potential for growth. A wood that can be carved according to her liking. Thus, she denied him answers no longer; with censorship, of course.