September 23

    As I prepared for my next dive, my mind kept flashing back to the beautiful Sedna. Had this been real? Will I really meet another...mermaid on this dive? My mind was swirling with questions and answers. For some reason, I couldn't get my mom out of my mind. I didn't normally think about her that much, but this trip has really got me wondering what happened with her. What would cause someone to just up and leave their husband and children? I still didn't have an answer, so I needed to push that out of my mind and prepare for my dive. Diving here should be a nice break after the difficult waters of the Arctic. The South Pacific waters of Guam are calm and warm, but I still need to focus and get my equipment ready.

    I've heard incredible things about diving in the Blue Hole area, and it's near where Sedna told me to look for her friend, Sirena. This is the "rainy season" here in Guam, so there are fewer tourists at this popular dive spot. I went later in the evening and prepared to dive. The Hole is incredible-there's no end in sight, and there are so many types of fish swimming around inside of it. As I got down about 75 feet, as Sedna instructed, I looked for a fish-shaped rock. I ran my hand over the rock and a light glowed behind it. All of a sudden, the water started swirling and sucked me into a hole in the rock tunnel. I closed my eyes and braced myself for contact with the rocks. I never hit the rocks, but when I opened my eyes I was floating in the most spectacular cave I could imagine. It was glowing with blues and greens that seemed to be coming from stones all over the floor and walls. There were schools of colorful fish swarming around me, and then I felt a warm gust of air surround me. The air smelled like coconut and flowers. This must be it, I thought, Sirena is coming. And sure enough, out came a remarkable woman. She had beautiful dark hair, and a tan complexion. She wore a seashell necklace and a flower in her hair. She was stunning and exotic. "Hafa Adai! You must be Julia. Sedna told me you were coming. I'm Sirena." She crooned, her voice light and musical, as she held out a dainty hand with slight webbing between her fingers. We talked for some time-she was so easy to get along with, like I'd known her for years-I told her about my dive, and my time with Sedna. She asked me about my family, as she had heard some from Sedna. Her face saddened a bit when I told her about my mother. "I know what it's like to not feel wanted by your mom," Sirena said gently. Then she told me her sad story...

   Many years ago, Sirena was a little girl. Sirena was the youngest child of all her brothers and sisters, and she was the most spoiled and the most beautiful, as well. As a child, Sirena loved the water and would find any excuse she could to jump into the Agana River close to her home. She wanted to do nothing but swim. Her mother tried to teach her to be a lady and learn to cook and clean so she could one day make a great wife, but Sirena had no interest in these mundane tasks. One day, Sirena's mother sent her to collect coconuts to make a dessert for her grandmother's birthday. Sirena walked near the beach at Agana Bay, trying to concentrate on her task, but the water kept beckoning to her. Sirena couldn't resist, and decided to jump in the water for a quick swim. A few minutes turned into hours, and soon it got dark. Sirena's mother became worried, so she and Sirena's grandmother walked to the beach where the coconut trees were. Seeing Sirena splashing in the water, Sirena's mother became angry and snarled, "If you like the damn water so much, why don't you just stay in it! I wish you'd just turn into a fish!" Sirena's grandmother, understanding the ancient meaning behind wishes made at the sea, bowed her head in sadness. Sirena's grandmother knew she'd never see her precious granddaughter ever again. When Sirena's mother realized what she had done, she tried to call out to her daughter, but it was too late; Sirena began to feel the changes take place. Her body transformed into that of a young woman (which is how she would stay forever), and her legs began to feel tied together, until they eventually fused into a beautiful, green tail. Sirena was sad that she would never see her family again, but she was relieved that she could spend her days in the water. The current pushed Sirena into the ocean, where she remained. Sirena smiled kindly at me after her story and said, "I know my mother loved me, Julia. She regretted what she did. Maybe your mom had no choice, and I'm sure she misses you, too." I turned away so she wouldn't see the tear running down my cheek, or the hope in my eyes. I thanked Sirena for her beautiful story, and for allowing me into her home. She kissed me on the cheek and said goodbye. She made a beautiful singing-sound, and a dolphin appeared. The dolphin spun around, and I took hold of his fin. The dolphin swam me to the surface in my bubble of warm, coconut-scented air.

    This dive really made me feel better, and gave me a whole new perspective. Maybe, instead of forgetting about my mother, I could learn to forgive her, and let her live happily in my memory. I'm excited about my next dive to Orkney, an island off the coast of Scotland, but I'm a little sad I don't have any mermaid "contacts" there, ha ha. Until next time....

Author's Note: I changed some of the details from the original story, adding in some small details, and taking away some that I found to be unnecessary. The original story was pretty "short and sweet," so I kept mine that way, and added emphasis on what Sirena was feeling and thinking. I added in emotions that Julia and Sirena experienced, and focused a lot on their interactions. I put the story in a more specific location, and added in some words in the language of Guam. I changed what Sirena was looking for on the beach, and also the way her mother found her and cursed her. I changed the details leading up to her curse, making her mother and grandmother more involved. Also, in the original story, it talks about Sirena only being able to be "caught with a net of human hair," and I left that out entirely. I didn't find it necessary to talk about it, because in none of my stories does it refer to how to "catch" the mermaids. The focus for my stories is more on the experience the mermaids had getting to where they were, and the lessons that Julia can learn when she encounters them.

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"The Legend of Sirena," Author unknown, from Legends of Guam by the Chamorro Language Commission. Web Source: Offisland.

Image Info: "Hawaiian Mermaid." Web Source: Myspace.