‘Aye,’ he said, ‘I ken what I’ve gotten – I’ve got a mermaid.’
She says, ‘Laddie, that’s nae mermaid. You’ve got yourself a sea witch!’
‘What,’ he says, ‘Auntie?’
She said, ‘You’ve got yourself a sea witch.’
‘Aye,’ says the old witch, ‘you’ve got me! You’ve catcht me in Blind Rory’s net and I’m yours. And you’ll look after me. I’ll do everything in my power to mak you suffer for what you’ve done to me.’
‘I’ll take ye back to the sea,’ says Jack, ‘and fling ye in.’
‘Na, na,’ says the sea witch, ‘that’ll no do nae good!’ She spits on the two old women, Jack’s mother and his auntie, and her eyes are blazing at them.
The old women were that feart o’ her they wouldna come near her. So, she commanded Jack to do everything for her, give her something to eat, make her a bed and do everything:
‘Now,’ she said to Jack, ‘Jack, every day you’ll carry me to the shore and you’ll carry me back, and you’ll let me bathe and you’ll wait for me. Ye’ll tend me hand and foot for the rest o’ yer days! That’s yer punishment when ye wouldna listen: ye had no right settin a net and catchin me. I am a sea witch. You shall be punished for the rest o’ your days.’
Jack was in an awful state. He was sorry then. He said, ‘I wish I would hae listened to my old auntie and listened to the old men and listened to Blind Rory.’ But there was nothing he could do about it now. He said, ‘I’ll fling her back in the sea, Mother.’
‘You mightna fling me back in the sea,’ says the old witch, ‘because I’ll just be back here the next minute. And I’ll go on punishin you for the rest o’ your days.’
‘Well,’ said Jack, ‘so it may be, we’ll see.’
‘We’ll see!’ said the sea witch.
So Jack never got a minute’s peace. Day out and day in she made him do everything for her. She wanted the best of fish, she wanted the best of meat, she wanted carried and a bed made for her, she wanted everything done for her, she wanted carried to the sea and carried back from the sea twice a day. And the farther Jack was carrying her the heavier she was getting. Till Jack got that weak he could hardly move with her, and he didna ken what to do. He was in an awful state.
The old auntie had banned herself from coming near the house. And the old women hid themselves, they couldna come near the sea witch.
Jack’s mother tellt him, ‘As long as it’s in this house I’m no comin back to the house. I’m goin off wi my old sister.’ The two old women cleared out and left Jack with the witch. And he was in the house by himself.
But yin day he managed to get away by himself, and he cut along the shore. The sea witch was sleeping, and he made for his old auntie’s house. He was out of breath from running because he didna want to be long away. He landed in and his old auntie was sitting.
‘Oh, it’s you Jack!’ she says, ‘what happened to you now? Where is she?’
‘I think she’s sleeping,’ he said, ‘till the sun goes down. Then I have to take her back to the sea. Auntie, ye’ll have to help me! I’m sair wrought, I dinna ken what to do wi her. She’s got me punished to death. When she shouts on me I carry her down the stair, because she canna move without a wet tail. When her tail gets dry I have to carry her down and back to the sea, keep her tail wet.’
‘Well,’ says the auntie,’ you wouldna listen to me, would you? Nor you wouldna listen to Rory. But now you’ve proved your point. And you were well warned. But if ye ever get free o’ this woman, this is bound to be a lesson to ye. But I’ll tell ye, now listen to me and do what I tell ye tonight when ye get a chance: you’ll go back up, Jack, and you’ll tak her down when she wants down to the kitchen. Put her beside the fire for to gie her her supper. Once her back’s turned to ye, ye’ll snap off her hair wi yer mother’s big shears. And ye’ll mak a rope out o’ her hair. Tie it round her middle and tie her hands and tie up her tail wi it – from her ain hair – and fling her into the sea, let her go to the bottom!’
‘Right!’ says Jack, ‘I’ll do that.’ Back he goes.
But he was nae sooner coming in the door when he heard this roar, ‘Are ye there, are ye there, are ye there?’ This was the sea witch roaring, ‘Come at once and carry me down!’
Jack ran . . . but before he went up the stairs he searched his mother’s house, in the kitchen, and he got his mother’s big pair of shears. He put them on the mantelpiece. Up the stairs he went and he carried this thing down with the long hair and the big long teeth, this sea witch. He put her sitting alongside the fire.
She says, ‘Get me something to eat, the best o’ fish, Jack!’ Oh, she wanted everything under the sun, it had to be everything o’ the best.
But she was sitting eating. She could eat, ye ken, her two hands were like any human being’s, only for her tail.
Jack got round her back and he took the shears. He catcht all her hair – oh, long hair, it was hanging on the floor – and he snip, snip, snip, snipped the whole lot off. And she screamed at him and swung round. If she had had feet instead of a tail she would have torn him to ribbons. But Jack kept out of her reach.
And she flapped and flapped and flapped and screamed and carried on right round the floor, roaring and screaming the worst way she could what she was going to do to him. But Jack kept catching this hair. And he twisted it into a rope, and jumped on top o’ her, and he catcht her. With the long hair he tied her two hands at her back, he wrapped all this round her. And he put her across his shoulder. She’s screaming murder! And he carried her on his back back to the lagoon. He flung her in! And down she went. And he stood. The bubbles came up, bubbles came up.
He must have stood for ten minutes and then he says, ‘That’s the end o’ her. That’s her finished.’
He was just going to turn and walk away when he sees the bubbles coming back up again. And up from the water comes this head, and looks at him. Jack looks and he sees the bonniest mermaid that ever he’s seen in his life, the original yin that he saw the first time.
And she sat just within reach o’ him. She came out, her head out of the water and she spoke to him:
‘Well, Jack,’ she said, ‘for a long while you’ve tried to catch me. And ye ken what you’ve catcht. You’ve catcht a sea witch. That’s the end o’ her. But ye’ll never catch me because I’ll no be nae use to ye. The best thing ye can do is forget all about me, and never again – let that be a lesson to you – never, never try and catch a mermaid!’ And she disappeared.
Jack turned round. He walked home and tellt this story to his mother. From that day on till the day that he went off the Earth, Jack never again tried to catch a mermaid.
And that’s the last o’ my story.
La Mer la Moocht
Many years ago, in a faraway land, there wonst lived a fisherman, and him and his wife didna have any family. He stayed by the beach and all their life’s work depended on what he could catch. Some days he caught very little and some days he caught a lot. When he caught a lot of fish his wife was very happy, but when he caught very little his wife was very upset. So it was very hard to please her because she was a very unpleasant woman. The poor fisherman loved her dearly and they didna have any children, so he tried his best every day to catch as much as possible.
One day he cast his nets and the sun was shining beautiful in a deep pool that he’d never fished before behind some rocks, wonderful rocks covered with seaweed. And he said, ‘Today I must catch something!’
And then he pulled the net out. Lo and behold, he pulled . . . it seemed to be stuck in some way. He pulled it and he pulled it, but there was not one fish in the net. But he pulled it out – then it came up – a man was caught in his net, tangled, and his arms were through the net. And the fisherman pulled, and he pulled and he pulled. He was upset.
There in his net stood the most beautiful being he’d ever seen in his life – long golden hair, blue eyes – the most wonderful person he’d ever seen! The fisherma
n was aghast. And he said, ‘This is something that must be sent to me,’ and he pulled the net in, took this person out of his net.
And the person seemed so very friendly. He was a man younger than himself, not more than a boy, about fifteen or seventeen years of age. And his fingers were beautiful, his nails and his hands were beautiful, his toes were beautiful and he was dressed in a suit of seaweed. The fisherman, who was way up in his thirties or forties, was so amazed. He’d heard many wonderful stories about mermaids, but never in his life had he ever seen a merman. And the merman just stood and looked at him with the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen . . . and the fisherman was aghast. He thought, what shall I do with this person? Will I send him back in the sea or will I take him home with me? If I go back to my wife and tell her about this wonderful person I’ve caught in my net, would she be pleased or angry? Would she say, why didn’t you bring him home and show him to me to prove to me that such a person exists, or is this another story because you’ve prob’ly fell asleep while you set your net and brung me home no fish? And the fisherman made up his mind he would take him home with him.
But the man he had took from his nets never said one single word. He just stood there as if he were carved of stone. And the fisherman took him by the hand and he led him. His hand was cold, as cold as if he were handling a fish. And he never said a word. The fisherman led him up across the shore-way. And he walked on his feet. The fisherman looked down; his feet were just like everybody else’s but his toenails was as clean as clean could be.
And the fisherman felt a wee bit ashamed, a bit sad to capture such a beautiful person. He thought, I can’t take this person back to my wife. But if I don’t, she’ll never look at me again. The young man he’d tooken from his nets had never said a word. When the fisherman had rolled up his net he’d just stood there. He didn’t want to escape in any way. He didna want to run away – as if he would have been sent to the fisherman. And the fisherman had said to himself, ‘I’ve caught many a fish before . . . I’ve heard of mermaids, but never in my life have I seen a merman.’
And now the sun came up, the sun was shining and the young man’s hair begint to dry – and his hair was glittering like gold! And his seaweed dress begint to dry with the sun, and the fisherman fell in love with him. He couldna let him go, in no way would he let him go. So he had only one thing he could do . . . to bring him back to his wife.
He took him by the hand, led him along the beach and took him into his little cottage by the shoreside. When he led him in his wife was busy working in the kitchen. She was very poor.
She says, ‘Have you got me something today?’
‘Oh yes,’ he said, ‘I’ve got you something today.’
And his wife turned round, she looked. And there before her stood the most wonderful being that she’d ever seen in her life.
She says, ‘Husband, what have you brought me?’
‘Well,’ he says, ‘look, I’ve caught no fish today. But I’ve brought someone – I found him in my net.’
And the woman stood amazed before him: ‘You mean to tell me you’ve—’
He said, ‘Look, he . . . I found in my net. He was caught in my net, and I didna want to let him go because you wouldna believe me. I didna want to let him go, because I knew you would think I was wasting my time and cast my nets for nothing. But believe me, when I cast my net this morning this is what I found in my net – this man.’
She says, ‘What is he?’
‘Look,’ he said, ‘I don’t know what he is, but he’s never said a word since I took him.’
She said, ‘Husband, he’s a merman.’
‘A merman?’ said her husband.
‘Yes, husband, he’s a merman. But what are we gaunna do with him?’
‘Well,’ he said, ‘you were always upset because I couldna catch enough fish to bring back to ye. But I brought this back I caught in my net today, and I fought a battle with myself: either let him go or to bring him back and come back to you who would scold me for catching nothing. If I told you what I had caught and let him go, you would never believe me.’
‘Well,’ she said, ‘I’m glad you’ve brought him back. Bring him in and sit him down by the fireside!’
And by this time the seaweed vest that was on him begint to dry, and the more he dried the more beautiful he became. He became so beautiful that the woman . . . the tears were running down her cheeks to see this merman!
She says, ‘Husband, this is the most wonderful being in the world!’
To his wife he said, ‘Look, this is a merman. And, what are we gaunna do with him, in the name of the world, what are we gaunna do wi him?’
She says, ‘We’ll keep him to wirselfs.’ She put on the kettle and made some tea. She offered him some.
His fingers was as good as your and my fingers, his feet was as good as your feet and his hair was the most beautiful of any in the world! And she gave him a bowl of tea. He took it in his hand and he drank it up. And then he spoke to them.
He said, ‘I am La Mer la Moocht.’
And the husband and the wife sat back by the fireside. He said, ‘Of course I can speak. I am La Mer la Moocht. I am the King of the Mermen.’
‘You can speak!’
‘You are the King of the Mermen?’ said the fisherman when he found his voice. ‘You are the King of the Mermen?’
He said, ‘I am the King of the Mermen, and you have caught me. I am your prisoner. And it’s up to you to do what you like with me.’
The fisherman and his wife stood there aghast. And they loved him – anybody could love him. They were so amazed. They took him, they kept him and they taught him to say the words, spoke to him, and they loved him both. They were afraid to show him to anybody in case they both would take him away. He was just . . . out o’ this world. And he was only about seventeen or eighteen years of age. They had never had any family and they just loved him by their heart.
Then one day, things was very bad with them. They had no more food left and no fish to sell . . . They couldna even let him sleep; when he fell asleep they sat beside him and watched him. When he fell sound asleep they sat beside him, and they were suffering without sleep theirselves! But they were afraid to let him go in case he would disappear, they were so much in love with him. They loved him so much they just couldna part with him . . . Till they got hungry and they got poor.
And then they turned round to him, they said one day, ‘La Mer, we’re poor.’
‘I know,’ said La Mer, ‘you’re poor.’ He said, ‘You want fish? I’ll get you fish, come with me and I’ll take you to fish.’
And the fisherman’s wife said, ‘If you’re goin, I’m goin too!’ She wouldna even let him out of her sight.
So the three o’ them walked to the beach. And he took the net, said:
‘Give the net to me!’ and La Mer cast. He threw it out like that. And he clapped his hands. The net sank into the sea. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘pull the net in!’
And they pulled the net – it was loaded with fish of all descriptions! Fish that the fisherman had never seen before in his life. There were more fish than they could ever use. And La Mer stood while they pulled the net in.
And the fisherman said, ‘Look,’ after they’d pulled, took all their fish, more than they’d ever need, ‘we must sell some of these fish in the village.’
And La Mer, he never spoke very much, but he said, ‘If you want to go to the village, then let’s sell some fish!’
They pulled them in, hundreds o’ fish in the net! They kept some for theirself and the fisherman packed up a bag o’ fish, a large bag. And they walked to the village. Fish was in fair demand in these times.
La Mer said, ‘I’ll go with you!’
And the fisherman’s wife said, ‘Please, please, please, take good care of him!’ He was so beautiful she just hated to see him go. But she said, ‘Please, please bring him back!’
So, the fisherman and La Mer walked into the village. When he wal
ked in the village he was tall and straight, so handsome that everybody looked. The fisherman was carrying the fish on his back, and everybody looked. Heads were turning every direction tae see this so beautiful man who walked with the fisherman. And they came to the market, they sold their fish. But lo and behold at that very moment, who should drive down through the village but the princess and her father.
She drove down through the village in her carriage and she’s looking, she’s waving to the people. The princess, the only daughter the king had ever had, and she passed by through the market where people were selling fish. The king was sitting, the footman was driving the carriage. And when she came there – who was standing – La Mer! He’s standing beside the fisherman waiting to sell his fish. When lo and behold the princess espied him, she looked: there before her stood the most wonderful being she’d ever seen in her life! She demanded the coach should be stopped immediately, demanded that the coach be stopped!
And the footman stopped the coach, and the king said: ‘What is it, my daughter?’
She said, ‘Look, Father, look what I see! Do you see what I see?’
‘No, my daughter,’ he says.
‘Look, Father, look, look! What do you see – who’s standing there by the place selling the fish – have a look!’
And the king looked: he saw a person that he’d never seen before in his life, the most wonderful person in his life. And the daughter couldna wait.
She jumped out, she ran down to La Mer and she stood before him, said, ‘Who are ye?’
He says, ‘I’m La Mer la Moocht.’
She said, ‘Who owns ye? Who was yer father? Who are ye, where do ye come from?’
He said, ‘I come from nowhere, I come from the sea. And I’m here with my friend the fisherman.’
She says, ‘Come with me!’
By this time the fisherman had stood up and he said to the princess, ‘Look, Your Majesty, this is my friend and we are fishermen. We are very poor. Can we please go home? We don’t want to interfere with you in any way.’
She says, ‘I must have this man, I must have this man! Come to me – come up to my palace tonight. And I want to see you once more. I want to see ye wonst more. I love that person!’
Jack and the Devil's Purse Page 15
