LEGEND OF THE MER (4 page)

“Sure,” Lana said, not looking up from the water.

“Lana, is there something you would like to talk about?” Miss Perry asked seriously.

“No, not right now anyway.  Miss Perry, please don’t freak out or anything.  It’s just, I have to know what’s down there,” Lana said as she began to pull off her tennis shoes.

Miss Perry could not believe what she thought Lana was about to do, “Lana, what are you doing?”

“I know it sounds crazy, but I have to go for a swim.  I don’t want you to worry about me; in fact, I’ve become an even better swimmer than I ever imagined.  My dad said that I took after my mom who was a really good swimmer,” Lana said as she pulled off her shorts that were covering her swimsuit.

“Lana, you can’t be serious, the tide can change at any moment.  Your father was right, this is a dangerous place and you could be crushed by the rocks and reefs below!” Miss Perry shouted as she tried to stop her.

“Miss Perry, I don’t have time to explain this right now, but trust me.  I won’t get hurt.  I don’t know how, I just know that’s all.  Please tell my father that I’ll swim home later,” said Lana as she jumped into the water.

Miss Perry was gripped with fear and yelled, “Lana, I can’t just leave you here!”

“Yes, you can.  I’m sorry, but I have to do this for myself.  Please do what you always tell me, take a risk Miss Perry.  Trust me in this,” said Lana as she dove down into the water deep below.

The water was so thick and had the most beautiful blue-green she had ever seen, and yet, it was so familiar.  As she got closer to the bottom, she saw sights just as she had remembered. 
How could a toddler remember what the b
ottom looked like?  How could I
have
swum
here at
such a young age?
  But, now she knew she had.  This was not her imagination, she had been here before.  She knew what every boulder down here looked like and where to find the next one.  The coral went from hues of pink to burgundy.  She even saw a spade fish like the ones she remembered.  There were several lion fish and even a sting ray floating effortlessly near the surface.

Out of the corner of Lana’s eye, she saw a grey dolphin swimm
ing in her direction.  At first
she was a little scared, but as he got closer she felt more relaxed and realized that he was friendly.  He swam past her legs rubbing up against them as he did.  Lana put her hand down and let it run along his side as he passed.  How wonderful he felt.  He was cold and slippery; he seemed to enjoy her touch.  Lana grabbed onto his top
(dorsal)
fin and let him pull her along and he sped up and she loved it.  The dolphin sped past rocks and reefs, dodging in and out of them.  Lana couldn’t help but laugh inside at the fun s
he was having. 
None of this mak
e
s sense, but
I
don’t care
, she thought.  Lana
decided
to
just
enjoy the moment.

It wasn’t long and Lana began to get lightheaded.  The pain on either side of her neck began to throb again.  She let go of the dolphin and realized that she no longer recognized where she was or how deep she was.  It was such a rich dark shade of blue everywhere she looked.  The dolphin kept nudging her, but her head was now aching and she c
ouldn’t think straight. 
Am I
looking upward to the surface or downward to the ocean floor?
  Lana was getting dizzy and she began kicking; only not knowing where she was going.  Then everything was a blur and her head felt like it was going to explode.  Her neck felt so strange with stabbing pain on either side.  Then all she could remember was someone’s strong arms cradling her and she blacked out.

~~~~~

Chapter 3

THE MER

Lana didn’t know if she were alive or dead?  All she knew was that her head was pounding as well as her neck stinging.  Everything was dark.  She heard voices speaking softly.  They were strange, it sounded like an older man and a younger man.  Lana opened up her eyes and as she did, she saw what she believed was the rocky roof of a cave.  She blinked several ti
mes to try and focus,
yeah;
it i
s some sort of cave
.  She was lying down on what she thought was a pile of seaweed.  The floor was also rocky and she could make out a ring of stones nearby where hot coals were smoldering in t
he center. 
That
must be what
’s
gi
ving
the cave some measure
of light
.

Lana began to focus on the voices that she heard and looked around to see where
they were coming from. 
Am I
dreaming?
  This was all so strange and frightening.  Across from her was a pool of water where an older man and a younge
r man seemed to be wading chest
deep.  She heard them speaking to each
other, only their mouths weren’
t moving. 
How can that
be?
  They each had long white hair.  Their bangs were pulled back into braids behind their ears.  The rest of their hair hung loose and wet down
their backs.  They each wore a ring of
shells around their heads like a crown.  Their skin was pale.  The older man had a long white beard and white hair upon his chest.  He was a large man with a broad chest and muscular arms.  The younger man had no facial or chest hair and was also muscular, but not quite the si
ze of the older. 
How
can I
hear them speaking?
 

Then Lana
tried to focus even harder and she heard the older man say, “You cannot keep her here, she must return to her people.”

“She has finally come to us, why must we send her away?” said the younger man.

“You know why Prince Titus.  Her father is the guardian and it will not go well for our people if he is displeased.”

“Can she not stay a little while to find out who she is and what she is meant to be?” asked the younger.

“She must leave as soon as she is able, we cannot take the chance.  Besides, do you not
think that I know your dolphin
Tempe
st
led her to us
.
”
T
he older man
smiled
.

“Yes, but only after she had come down below searching,” said the younger and then he looked towards Lana and said, “She wakes.”

“Please do not be afraid of us.  We wish you no harm,” smiled the older man
once more
as he spoke the words out loud for the first time.

“Where am I?  Who are you?” Lana asked cautiously.

“You are in an underwater cavern.  My name is King Titan and this is Prince Titus, it was he who saved you and brought you here after you had passed out.”

“I passed out?  Wow, thanks,” Lana said to the Prince.

“You are quite welcome
.
”
T
he Prince
smiled
.

“
You must go and get your sister
Princess Tarra,” said the King to the reluctant Prince Titus and he let go of his stare he had on Lana and turned and jumped into the water.  When he did, Lana was filled with fear as she saw his glistening tail follow behind him.

“Please do not fear us, I know we must seem strange to you.  We are called the Mer.  We live below the surface of the water and have since time began.  We are a peaceful people and will not harm you,” said King Titan very compassionately.

“I’m sorry, I am scared.  I’ve never seen anything like you before,” said Lana still a little unnerved.

“You did once live among our people when your mother was alive, but you must have forgotten
.
”
H
e smiled tenderly.

“Are you serious?  Did you really know my mother?” Lana asked still a bit shaken.

“Yes, your mother was one of my many generations of granddaughters, and she was Princess Leona
.”

Now Lana knew he must have known her to know her name, “You did know her.  You said that she was a Princess and
your granddaughter?” Lana said
almost in a whisper at the wonder of it.

The Prince came back to the surface and he was joined by a young woman that could have been a sister to Lana, they looked so much alike. “Hello, my name is Princess Tarra, welcome to your home of old
.
”
S
he smiled
to Lana
.

“Hi, I feel like I’m dreaming a crazy dream,” said Lana half believing all that she was seeing.

“It is not a dream, you have finally come home to your people, and I am so glad to see this day
.
”
S
miled the Prince.  Then the King gave a stern glance to the Prince and once more, the Prince reluctantly took his
eyes
off of Lana and dove into the water.

“We will give you a time of rest, you have been through much and Princess Tarra will stay to give you comfort and food
.
”
T
hen the King bowed his head slightly and also dove into the water.

The young girl swam to the ledge and hopped up out of the water and sat there.  She too had the glistening tail.  Now Lana could see her better by the light.  She had long white hair and a ring of
large
grey pearls around her head.  For the first time, Lana saw that her ears were different.  They were flat to her head and shaped much like a butterfly’s wing.  She moved them occasionally as she listened.  She smiled at Lana and said, “Do not be afraid Princess Lana, I know that you find me different, I will not harm you.
”

“Wait a minute, you just called me Princess,” Lana said all the more confused.

“Yes, for that is what you are.  All of the granddaughters of King Titan are Princesses, just as I am.  We are cousi
ns from a long and ancient line.”

“Wow, this dream is getting even crazier.  I must have really hit my head,” Lana said out loud to herself.

“Princess Lana, I assure you, this is not a dream.  You are lucky to be alive.  If your gills had not finally opened, you might have died.  You
are also lucky that my brother
Prince Titus, found you when he did,” she said seriously.

“Okay, did you just say my gills?  If this is real, then I must be part fish
.
”
Lana put her fingers to the stinging sides of her neck just under her jaw line and felt the tiny open slits.

“Not all merwalkers have gills, you are even more blessed
.
”

“What’
s a merwalker?” Lana asked, still in shock about the gills.

“They are what you are, half mer and half human.  You have the ability to walk on the land and to swim beneath the ocean.  It is a rare thing
.
”

“So, my mother really was a mermaid?” Lana asked in disbelief.

“Yes, she was.  King Titan only allowed the union of her and your father because he was a descenda
nt of the merwalkers himself.”

“You’re telling me that my dad not only married a mermaid, but he is somehow related to one as well?” Lana asked again in disbelief.

“Yes, it is so,” said the Princess as she scooted to the ring of stones and began to build up the fire.

“No wonder my dad never talked about any of this.  No one would believe him,” laughed Lana.

“It is because of him being the guardian that he does not speak of us,” said the Princess as she began to cook a fish she had placed at the end of a stick.

“What do you mean, he is the guardian?”

“I believe I have already said more than I should, you need to speak to your father,” said the Princess now in a more guarded tone.

“Believe me, I’
ve tried to talk to my dad about many things and he just doesn’t want to do it,” said Lana somewhat frustrated.

“Perhaps he will speak to you now tha
t he will know you have seen us.”

“I don’t think he will; he’l
l probably just think I’m crazy.
”

“He will not think you are crazy.  He spoke to my brother himself only just last night after he called for us on his shell.”

“You mean last night on the dock, that’s what I heard?  I thought it was a fog horn.  My dad was saying all kinds of things that didn’t make any sense.  He said he didn’t care what he agreed and something about not caring about mating rituals,” said Lana not understanding any of it.

Then the Princess Tarra giggled out loud and said, “I am sorry, I did not mean to laugh.  Since you have said this to me, then I will tell you more.  When you were born, your parents agreed with King Titan that when your time had come, you would be
joined in union with my brother
Prince Titus,” said Princess Tarra smiling at Lana.

“Oh my gosh!  You mean marry?  What do you mean, when my time had come?” Lana asked horrified by the idea.

“A mermaid is ready for a union when her hair turns completely white,” said Princess Tarra with a half grin as she looked at Lana’s hair.

“Wow, no wonder my dad got so angry.  No wonder he’s been even more distant from me lately.  But how stupid is that, all he had to do was talk to me about it,” said Lana staring into the fire.