October
6
In the far northern reaches of Scotland,
among the Orkney
Islands, I
started my dive here at Scapa
Flow.
There weren't many people out, so I got to spend a lot of time
exploring and just enjoying my dive. I was exploring a shipwreck when I
caught a glimmer of something out of the corner of my eye. It was
coming from behind what was left of the door to the captain's chambers.
I swam over to it and tried to move the door, but it wouldn't budge.
All of a sudden, a school of little black fish swam out from behind it,
completely encircling my mask, completely blinding me. I felt something
pull me inside and when the fish cleared, I found myself inside the
most amazing cave. I knew by now that this had to be the work of a
mermaid, so I started looking around. The cave had graceful sea
creatures swimming about, and the walls sparkled like diamonds.
Colorful sea anemones swayed in the current. The sea weed formed
curtains of soft, shimmering green. I didn't see any mermaids at first,
so I swam further through this beautiful cave. I rounded the corner of
a huge rock formation and was taken aback. There was a whole family of
mermaids; little ones, big ones, men, and women. It was incredible.
They were all going about their business like I wasn't even there. Out
of the center of the group came a beautiful, kind-looking mermaid. She
came to me and gently took my hand; she introduced herself as Nerissa,
and took me to meet her beautiful children and her handsome husband,
Johnny. Nerissa and Johnny took me to their home, and Nerissa breathed
her
velvety breath around me; it smelled thick and musky. I took my
regulator out and breathed the air.
"We've heard about you, Julia, and we really wanted to meet you." Nerissa explained gently. Her eyes were kind and gentle; they sparkled with life, but held a sadness deep within.
"We heard about the great sorrow you experienced with your family. And about your meeting Sirena and Sedna. I wanted to share with you my story, and hopefully help you with your next dive."
I waited with bated breath. I was excited to hear her story, but a little anxious at the mention of my family. I listened intently as she told me her heartfelt tale.
Nerissa told me that many years ago, she had seen this young man, Johnny, collecting driftwood for his family on the shores of the beach near her home. She watched him week after week, and finally decided she must meet him. Nerissa possessed the gift of song, and one day, she perched herself upon a boulder near the beach. She began singing her most enticing love song, and before long, Johnny came looking for the beautiful sound. When Johnny spotted her, she had her back to him, and he approached her silently. Not knowing what to think, he snuck up behind her and grabbed her, apparently trying to kiss her, but he was too abrupt, and it frightened her. Nerissa quickly dove back into the ocean, cursing herself for her carelessness. When she made it back to her home, she realized that her golden comb had been left behind. For days, Johnny waited near the rock for Nerissa to return, and for days, Nerissa watched from the safety of the water. One day, Johnny caught a glimpse of the beautiful mermaid, and called out to her. Nerissa was frightened, but temptation got the best of her. Nerissa approached Johnny on the rocks, putting her fear aside. Johnny begged her to come live with him on land, but Nerissa knew she could never make this life permanent. They were both intoxicated with love, and finally came to an agreement: Nerissa would live on land with Johnny for seven years, after which, they would return to her home under the sea and live together for eternity.
Johnny's mother always thought him foolish for loving a mermaid, but she held her tongue, for Nerissa was the most beautiful bride in the land, as well as the kindest. Life was pretty much perfect for those seven years, the lovers were happy, and the family was growing. Nerissa and Johnny had seven children in their seven years. At last the time had come for the family to return to the sea. Nerissa was delighted, but also anxious. The family prepared for their departure, and said their goodbyes. Johnny's mother was angry, but again, she held her tongue. The night before the departure, she begged to keep their youngest son for the night, so she could bid him farewell. The following morning, Nerissa went to retrieve the baby, but met a horrific truth: Johnny's mother had disappeared in the night with the babe, never to be seen again. Nerissa and Johnny were crushed, and Nerissa sang the saddest song of all while sailing out to sea.
"Julia, my heart broke when I had to leave him and return to the sea. I always think that I should've tried harder to find him, but I did what I felt was necessary at the time. I have to wonder if the same was true for your mother-if she did the only thing she thought best. I'm so sorry for your loss, Julia, but know that it hurts terribly for the one making the choice to leave as well."
My heart fell through the ocean floor with this revelation. Here was this kind, gentle, and loving mother, with her adoring family; and she had left her child, too. I couldn't imagine what had become of the child, but my heart went out to him. I felt resentment building up inside of me, but it completely dissipated when I saw the pain in her eyes.
"Julia," Nerissa whispered, "If you don't mind, I have a suggestion for your next dive. There's someone I want you to meet."
I nodded anxiously, wondering what this next encounter might hold. Nerissa gave me instructions for a dive in Ireland, near the Maharees Islands, and told me what to look for in order to meet a friend of hers. We said our goodbyes, and I promised to come back and visit someday. Nerissa escorted me to the hole through which I came, and I swam back to the surface. This experience had been surreal, and exhausting, but I was ready to embark on my next journey, excited about what might await me there.
Author's Note: For this story, I focused more on Julia's experience and emotions, as well as the feelings of the mermaid. The original story was pretty long, so I condensed it quite a bit. I took out a lot of the "local" language and made it modern and universal. I wanted to focus on the fact that they whole mermaid family was in this underwater world, as that is an important part of the original story. In the original story, Johnny sneaks up on the Mermaid (whom I named Nerissa) while she is singing unsuspectingly; in my story, I made the mermaid try to lure Johnny to her by singing a love song. In my story, Johnny still surprises her and ends up with her golden comb, but he doesn't ambush her and try to kiss her, and she doesn't knock him down before jumping back into the ocean like they do in the original story. I changed what happened to the youngest child, too, because I thought the original version was a little harsh. In the original story, the grandmother burned the baby, and the mother was unable to move him from his cradle; in my story, I simply made the grandmother disappear with the baby. Also, in the original version, it talked more about the fate of the youngest child, but that was unnecessary in my story, since I was focusing on the characters under the sea, not the child left on land. It was more important for me to focus on the feelings that the family experienced, and how they were similar to Julia's experience. I also used this story to build up to the next story, by making Nerissa approach Julia with a dive suggestion, which will lead her to the next dive site, and into the next story.
"We've heard about you, Julia, and we really wanted to meet you." Nerissa explained gently. Her eyes were kind and gentle; they sparkled with life, but held a sadness deep within.
"We heard about the great sorrow you experienced with your family. And about your meeting Sirena and Sedna. I wanted to share with you my story, and hopefully help you with your next dive."
I waited with bated breath. I was excited to hear her story, but a little anxious at the mention of my family. I listened intently as she told me her heartfelt tale.
Nerissa told me that many years ago, she had seen this young man, Johnny, collecting driftwood for his family on the shores of the beach near her home. She watched him week after week, and finally decided she must meet him. Nerissa possessed the gift of song, and one day, she perched herself upon a boulder near the beach. She began singing her most enticing love song, and before long, Johnny came looking for the beautiful sound. When Johnny spotted her, she had her back to him, and he approached her silently. Not knowing what to think, he snuck up behind her and grabbed her, apparently trying to kiss her, but he was too abrupt, and it frightened her. Nerissa quickly dove back into the ocean, cursing herself for her carelessness. When she made it back to her home, she realized that her golden comb had been left behind. For days, Johnny waited near the rock for Nerissa to return, and for days, Nerissa watched from the safety of the water. One day, Johnny caught a glimpse of the beautiful mermaid, and called out to her. Nerissa was frightened, but temptation got the best of her. Nerissa approached Johnny on the rocks, putting her fear aside. Johnny begged her to come live with him on land, but Nerissa knew she could never make this life permanent. They were both intoxicated with love, and finally came to an agreement: Nerissa would live on land with Johnny for seven years, after which, they would return to her home under the sea and live together for eternity.
Johnny's mother always thought him foolish for loving a mermaid, but she held her tongue, for Nerissa was the most beautiful bride in the land, as well as the kindest. Life was pretty much perfect for those seven years, the lovers were happy, and the family was growing. Nerissa and Johnny had seven children in their seven years. At last the time had come for the family to return to the sea. Nerissa was delighted, but also anxious. The family prepared for their departure, and said their goodbyes. Johnny's mother was angry, but again, she held her tongue. The night before the departure, she begged to keep their youngest son for the night, so she could bid him farewell. The following morning, Nerissa went to retrieve the baby, but met a horrific truth: Johnny's mother had disappeared in the night with the babe, never to be seen again. Nerissa and Johnny were crushed, and Nerissa sang the saddest song of all while sailing out to sea.
"Julia, my heart broke when I had to leave him and return to the sea. I always think that I should've tried harder to find him, but I did what I felt was necessary at the time. I have to wonder if the same was true for your mother-if she did the only thing she thought best. I'm so sorry for your loss, Julia, but know that it hurts terribly for the one making the choice to leave as well."
My heart fell through the ocean floor with this revelation. Here was this kind, gentle, and loving mother, with her adoring family; and she had left her child, too. I couldn't imagine what had become of the child, but my heart went out to him. I felt resentment building up inside of me, but it completely dissipated when I saw the pain in her eyes.
"Julia," Nerissa whispered, "If you don't mind, I have a suggestion for your next dive. There's someone I want you to meet."
I nodded anxiously, wondering what this next encounter might hold. Nerissa gave me instructions for a dive in Ireland, near the Maharees Islands, and told me what to look for in order to meet a friend of hers. We said our goodbyes, and I promised to come back and visit someday. Nerissa escorted me to the hole through which I came, and I swam back to the surface. This experience had been surreal, and exhausting, but I was ready to embark on my next journey, excited about what might await me there.
Author's Note: For this story, I focused more on Julia's experience and emotions, as well as the feelings of the mermaid. The original story was pretty long, so I condensed it quite a bit. I took out a lot of the "local" language and made it modern and universal. I wanted to focus on the fact that they whole mermaid family was in this underwater world, as that is an important part of the original story. In the original story, Johnny sneaks up on the Mermaid (whom I named Nerissa) while she is singing unsuspectingly; in my story, I made the mermaid try to lure Johnny to her by singing a love song. In my story, Johnny still surprises her and ends up with her golden comb, but he doesn't ambush her and try to kiss her, and she doesn't knock him down before jumping back into the ocean like they do in the original story. I changed what happened to the youngest child, too, because I thought the original version was a little harsh. In the original story, the grandmother burned the baby, and the mother was unable to move him from his cradle; in my story, I simply made the grandmother disappear with the baby. Also, in the original version, it talked more about the fate of the youngest child, but that was unnecessary in my story, since I was focusing on the characters under the sea, not the child left on land. It was more important for me to focus on the feelings that the family experienced, and how they were similar to Julia's experience. I also used this story to build up to the next story, by making Nerissa approach Julia with a dive suggestion, which will lead her to the next dive site, and into the next story.
Dive into the last story...
"Johnny Croy and his Mermaid Bride," Author unknown, from The Folklore of The Orkney Islands. Web Source: Orkeyneyjar.
Image Info: "Colorful Mermaids." Web
Source: Photobucket.
