“There’s nothin to it, just like in the pool,” said Jody.
“Last one in is a loser!” Rick shouted as he jumped in with a cannonball that splashed everyone.
Lana watched each one go in and then followed. The water felt cold, but so smooth. She guessed that it must be the salt content that made it so. It was so refreshing, she felt as though she belonged here. She was surprised by the fact that she was no longer afraid. She should have been with the far reaching deep water, but she wasn’t.
In no time, all were seeing how far they could dive into the water. Lana followed their lead and couldn’t believe how beautiful it was down below. There were such vivid colors and small fish swimming everywhere. She was surprised how clearly she could see it all. This surpassed her best dream. Just to be here, under the water, gave her such a feeling of belonging. Why haven’t I felt this way before? As hard as it was, she forced herself upwards to the clear blue sky and the smiles of all her friends.
“Do you like it?” Elaine asked still finding it hard to believe that it was Lana’s first time in the ocean.
“Yeah, I love it! I wish I’d done it sooner.” Lana smiled.
Soon all were diving even deeper and challenging each other to swim out to the buoy. It was so thrilling, like nothing Lana had ever done before could compare to this moment.
“Beyond the buoy is an old sunken ship. It’s about twenty feet down and sometimes there’s tiger sharks. Anyone want to go with me?” Jody dared everyone.
“I’ll do it, if I can,” said Lana surprised that she was willing.
They both swam out past the buoy to where Jody said the ship was. Jody took a deep breath and plunged down, Lana followed his lead. The sun was filtering through the water and shone streaks of light on the old wreckage. There were odd looking fish all around the wreck, but thankfully, Lana didn’t see any sharks. Jody touched the rail of the ship and then quickly spun around and kicked back up to the surface. Lana began to do the same, but just then, a hawksbill turtle caught her eye and she followed him into the large hole in the starboard side of the ship. It was amazing to see the ship’s interior and to imagine what the people must have been like that sailed her. The turtle seemed to enjoy her company and he brushed up against her side. How wonderful it was to be so near this living creature and have it not be afraid of her.
Lana followed the turtle even further into the hull of the ship and she spotted, what she believed to be, a barracuda swimming out of an old cupboard (locker) along the wall. It was long and thin with sharp teeth. She knew to stay clear of it, but again, she wasn’t really afraid of it either. The turtle swam on and out another hole in the stern of the ship and Lana couldn’t help but follow. She couldn’t believe how beautiful the coral reef was with so many shades of pink. She guessed that it was what had battered even more holes in the ship over time and currents. The water became more beautiful as Lana went deeper following the turtle. It was all so intoxicating and she forgot how long she had been beneath.
Suddenly, Lana froze beneath the water as she realized that she had been below for some time now. How could I have? She noticed pain in the sides of her neck, just below her jaw line. She quickly looked up towards the sun and kicked her way to the water’s surface. When she reached the top, she could barely make out where the buoy was. She couldn’t see any of her friends, but what she did see made her ill. It was her father rowing towards her in the dinghy. She swam cautiously to him.
“Well, I hope you’re happy. You’ve frightened all your friends and scared me half to death as well,” he said sternly, then helped her into the boat.
“I’m sorry Dad; I didn’t realize that I had been under so long. How can I do that?” Lana asked confused.
“Because you’re just like her, that’s how,” her father said as his dark brown eyes stared out ahead.
“Are you talking about my mother?” Lana was again confused.
“Yeah, she was a rare swimmer as well. I’ll say no more about it this day,” he said in a serious tone while still staring forward.
Neither Lana nor her father spoke another word. He rowed to the wooden dock in front of the old red and white keeper’s house where they lived. Her father went straight to the lighthouse and Lana went home. When she went upstairs to her room and looked in the mirror, she saw a smear of blood on one side of her neck. All she could think of was that she must have scraped herself on the old ship.
That night, Lana lay in bed awake wondering about all that had occurred that day. How was I able to stay under water for so long? She wished that her father would just sit down and talk to her like a normal person. Why did he always get so weird? Lana drifted off to sleep with a dream of the deep blue water and the turtle. It was a happy dream.
It was nearly 2:00am when Lana woke to what she thought was the sound of a fog horn. Then she heard her father arguing with someone on the dock out front. He has to be drunk again, Lana thought.
She opened up her window and heard him yell, “I don’t care about what we agreed! I don’t care about your mating rituals! Lana is mine, you hear, stay away from her!”
Lana couldn’t hear anyone else speaking and she didn’t see anyone else on the dock with her father. She heard him yell once more, “I mean it! Stay away from her if you and the others want to stay alive!” Then her father turned around and headed towards the house. Lana saw him carrying what looked to be a large shell of some kind.
She quickly hid behind her curtain and heard him come inside and slam the front door. He’s more drunk than he’s ever been before, she thought. He didn’t make any sense. Lana laughed to herself and began to fall back asleep as she heard her father come up the stairs and enter his room across from hers.
Once more, Lana dreamed of swimming in the deep, only this time she saw herself as a mermaid. She had a blue and green glistening tail. Her top was made of two large shells attached to strings of tiny shells around her back and neck. She wore a circle of large grey pearls around her head like a crown. She saw herself smiling and then something even stranger happened; she sensed that it wasn’t her at all, but it was her mother and she was smiling at Lana. It was actually a comforting dream and she slept peacefully for the rest of the night.
~~~
Lana woke to the sound of seagulls as the sun shone through her window. Wow what a crazy dream, she thought. Lana wasn’t looking forward to what she knew would happen this morning. Her father would be angry that she went against his wishes and not only learned to swim, but also that she was swimming beneath the ocean. She slowly dressed and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
On Sundays, her dad usually made them a large breakfast, it had become their tradition. She was surprised to see that he wasn’t up yet, but then remembered that he might not be feeling so great this morning. Lana began to make breakfast for them both.
Lana had waited to eat until her breakfast was nearly cold and then started without her father. She waited thirty minutes more and he was still not up. She started to worry a little, this wasn’t like him. Lana went back upstairs and cautiously knocked on his door. There was no answer and she carefully opened the door. He wasn’t inside and this made Lana both relieved and a little upset, that once again, he was avoiding her. As she started to shut his door, her eyes caught sight of the large shell on his nightstand. At least I didn’t imagine that, he really was carrying it last night. How strange all that was. She closed his door and then went down the hall and looked in his office. He wasn’t there either and Lana started to get pretty angry. How dare he not talk to me! Why was he always running away? She decided that she’d go and see if she could talk to Miss Perry.
~~~~~
Chapter 2
MERMAID DAY
Miss Perry lived on the far side of the island. It was also a place that Lana’s father didn’t like her to go without him. He was so strict and Lana was getting tired of it. Today, she would go. She knew that he could see her anywhere on the island from his lighthouse. She now knew
that he must have seen her right from the first dive yesterday from the pier. It’s his fault that I have to go to someone else for answers when he refuses to give them himself.
As Lana passed the pier and came by the pavilion, her friends called out, “Lana, are we ever glad to see you!” Elaine shouted.
“Yeah, with the look on your dad’s face, we thought you might be grounded for life.” Rick smiled.
“We wanted to stay, but your dad said that he saw you way out and that we should all get home to our parents. With the look he gave us, we knew it was best to leave,” Jody chuckled.
“It’s okay, my dad is a little strange. He was upset, but he’ll get over it.”
“Did you hear that the island is allowing us to use the pavilion for the prom?” Elaine asked with a wide grin.
“Wow, that’s really nice of them,” said Lana a little uncomfortable with the whole prom subject.
“Yeah, we’re all gonna go stag and just have fun, how about you?” Jody asked.
“I don’t know I’m pretty clumsy at everything, let alone dancing. I’m not sure I want to go,” said Lana a little timidly.
“Come on Lana, it’s our senior year. It’ll be fun,” said Rick.
“I’ll think on it, okay,” she said smiling slightly.
“Alright, but I hope you come,” said Elaine.
Lana began walking away and said, “Well I gotta go, I’m heading over to Miss Perry’s house.”
“Okay, see you later,” Elaine said and the boys waved goodbye.
Miss Perry lived alone in a small blue and white cottage that had been in her family for some time. Her parents were no longer living and she had never married. Lana wondered if she ever got lonely like herself. As she rounded the corner, she saw Miss Perry out on the dock in front of her house loading a small row boat.
“Hey Miss Perry, I’m glad I caught you!” Lana shouted and waved.
“Well hello Lana, I’m glad you caught me too,” she said with a smile as she started up the footpath that led to the cottage. “Come sit on the front porch and let me get you some cold lemonade.”
“Okay, sounds great,” said Lana as she sat in one of the white wicker chairs.
Miss Perry came out quickly with a cool pitcher of lemonade and two goblets. She poured the lemonade and handed a glass to Lana and said, “What brings you out here on such a fine day, Miss Lana Prentis?”
“I just needed to do something different for a change and I always wanted to see where you lived.” Lana took a sip of her drink.
“I’m so glad you did, I’m sorry that I haven’t asked you before. I just didn’t know if your dad would approve,” she said compassionately.
“Yeah he’s kind of strict, but I’m getting older and I need my space too.”
“Yes, I’m sure you do.”
“So where are you going in the row boat?”
“Well, you might say that I’m on a little adventure. Would you like to come along? It won’t take more than an hour or so?” Miss Perry encouraged her.
“Sure, I’m in the mood for an adventure.” Lana grinned.
Lana helped Miss Perry get the boat out from the dock. Miss Perry rowed, and as she did, she began to tell Lana a story. “You see Lana, when my mother was a little girl she believed in mermaids. She believed in them so much that a few times a year she would make them gifts and take them out to Gull Island. She would string beads into necklaces and would also bring gifts of fruit, because she thought that they enjoyed it and were never able to get it for themselves.”
“That’s such a sweet story. I can’t believe she went to Gull Island. No one is allowed there because of the danger of the rocks and reefs.” Lana looked seriously at Miss Perry.
“Well yes, that’s true. It is usually very dangerous and the Harbor Master doesn’t allow it. But, you see, my mother only went on a mermaid day.” Miss Perry smiled brightly.
“What’s a mermaid day?” Lana asked smiling at the thought of it.
“It only happens a few times a year. It’s when the water is so calm that there is barely a wave rippling out at Gull Island. It’s when the sun is bright and warm. The island is usually shrouded by fog, but not on a mermaid day,” said Miss Perry as she pointed out towards Gull Island.
“You mean that’s where we’re going?” Lana asked in disbelief.
“Yes, you see, it is a mermaid day and all is calm and sunny. I have been going to Gull Island at least once a year since I was the age of ten. That’s when my mother died of cancer. My father would go out fishing all day and I was cared for by my grandmother. On a mermaid day, I would wait until she nodded off to sleep in the afternoon and take my treasures to Gull Island and leave them there for the mermaids.” Miss Perry smiled proudly.
“I can’t believe that my dad hasn’t tried to stop you.”
“Oh, I won’t say he hasn’t tried. I just tell him that it’s a mermaid day and he shakes his head laughing at me,” she said laughing herself.
Gull Island really wasn’t an island at all. It was just a large stone rising up out of the water in a triangular shape. It was named Gull Island because it’s where the seagulls gather. Lana had always seen it from the lighthouse and it was a comforting landmark. It was constant and never changing, except for the fog coming and going. It was a good three miles out from Safe Harbor Island and Lana couldn’t believe that two little girls have rowed there.
“I ‘m so glad that you came along with me,” said Miss Perry.
“I am too, I always wanted to go there even though I knew it wasn’t allowed,” giggled Lana.
“Yes, I don’t always do the things I should, or maybe it’s that I don’t always trust others judgment of things. I like to find out a thing for myself.” Miss Perry grinned.
Lana smiled and said, “I can see that we are a lot alike.” Just then, Lana looked up to see the massive stone in front of her and something seemed so familiar.
“The only place to leave your gifts for the mermaids is on the other side,” Miss Perry said as she rowed around the large stone mountain. As she did, Lana saw a flat ledge that rose two feet out of the water. It was a good six feet in width and eight feet in length. Then Lana began to remember the feel of the stone beneath her legs as she sat there when she was a child. She even thought she remembered her father sitting there with her and even her...
“Lana, what is it?” Miss Perry asked with concern for the look on Lana’s face.
“I, I’m not sure. I can remember being here as a child. I sat on that very ledge,” she said as she began to look down into the blue and green shimmering water.
“You remember being here?”
“Yeah with my dad, and I think my mom?” Lana continued staring down into the water.
“Lana, are you alright?”
“Yeah, I think so. It’s just that I feel so strange, it’s like I can remember swimming here. Not just here, but down there,” said Lana as she looked up at Miss Perry confused by it.
“Maybe your dad did bring you here to swim before.”
Lana began to remember all she saw beneath the water, it was like she could almost remember every rock and reef below. How could I? If I was here when my mother was alive, I’d have been a toddler.
Miss Perry brought out a shell necklace from a duffle bag, as well as a dozen or so oranges. “This is my mermaid offering this year. You think they’ll like it?”
“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 e
ver 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.
LEGEND OF THE MER Page 2
