Reflections in a Mermaids’ Den

Torchlight illuminated shimmering opaline walls, reflected off the water, and cast a glow on the skin of the five women floating in the grotto pool.  The luminescent walls swirled with deep greens and blues, glittered with veins of bronze and copper, and glinted with streaks of silver and gold.  Fingers of light from the amber flames flicked at the glistening elemental traces in the stone and bounced off the water creating the illusion of an unending rainbow punctuated by the iridescent twinkle of hundreds of fireflies.  A light breeze rustled the strings of a harp which interwove its melody with the sibilant shush of a waterfall. The verdant scent of moss-covered rocks intoxicated the air surrounding the women, who bathed in the warm water cradled in the soapstone basin.  An unknowing stranger stumbling in would have believed he had stumbled into a mermaids’ den.

Three of the women were sisters.  Unalike in appearance, temperament, and experience, they nevertheless shared a will as formidable as a Valkyrie’s.  Recent events had repaired the broken bonds of their sisterhood, uniting them in a fierce determination to protect their family at all costs.

Guilt from a decade old transgression kept Melisandra, the oldest, from being entirely comfortable with her sisters, especially without the presence of her husband, Viktor, to shield her.  Knowing this, Lina, the middle sister, lightly splashed her.  “Melly, how is that good looking guy of yours doing?”  She smiled, as she tried to tuck errant red curls back in her loosely bound bun.  

“Good looking?”  Jennvieve, blew a lock of fair hair off her forehead and made an exaggerated play of fanning herself, “I love my Mac, but Viktor?  That man gets better as he gets older.”

            Melisandra smiled gratefully, wishing she could embrace the forgiveness being offered. She couldn’t understand how that wonderful man, or anyone else for that matter, could love her.  She shuddered to think of the woman she had once been.  Forcing herself to shake those thoughts away, she retreated to safer ground.  “How’s my nephew’s reading coming?”

            “Eager to learn, but like his father, can’t sit still.”  Lina answered, her green eyes lit with a mother’s pride.  “After his lessons, he races to The Moondancer to use what he learned to read every word on the boat.  Shaun says he’s born to the sea.”

            “As long as he’s not born to the blarney,” Melisandra said with the affection she had come to feel for her brother-in-law.  It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had blackened his eye in a heated quarrel over…now she could hardly remember.

            Jennvieve floated over on her back.  Her rounded belly poked up through the water causing her sisters to giggle.  “Come here you two,” she waved to her daughter, Mahri, and the girl she was sure would be her future daughter-in-law.

            Deanna was overcome with reticence.  She had grown up without a mother, an aunt, or even a close girlfriend.  These relationships were all very new to her.  Mahri pulled her along saying with a bit of envy, “Dee, do you realize how unbelievably beautiful you are?”  The extraordinary violet-blue of Deanna’s eyes reflected prisms of light.  She blushed, her mocha skin turning a burnt umber.  Mahri ran a hand through the short red hair plastered to her head envying Dee’s mass of corkscrew curls.

            Jennvieve so wanted to set Deanna at ease.  She motioned for the girls to sit next to her on one of the many rock shelves, the warm water lapping at the base of her neck.  “Oh my, it just dawned on me, that if I am very lucky, by this time next year, I may have two daughters and two sons.”

            Lina glided over to join them.  “Four children Jenn, you look hardly older than a child yourself.”

            Knowing this innocent remark could cause Melisandra to wound herself with another guilt-filled arrow, Jennvieve beckoned to her sister.  Melisandra propelled herself to side of the pool, “Turn around Melly.”  Melisandra turned her back to her little sister, who loosened her knotted black hair and let it slide down her back.  Jennvieve combed it with her fingers, then wove it into a long plait. “You know Melly, you are looking more and more like Mom.”  That brought tears to Melisandra’s eyes.  They all lay back in the water, letting the serenity seep into their bones.

            Jennvieve watched her daughter through half closed eyes.  Something was unsettled about Mahri tonight. 

            Lina let loose a low chuckle, “Jennie knows this story, but for some reason tonight, I am reminded of when I first met Shaun.”

            Freed from having to wrestle with her demons, Melisandra floated away and settled herself on one of the rock shelves.  “This I have to hear.” Her smoky gray eyes shone with anticipation.

            Jennvieve leaned back with a smile, looking forward to a tale which deserved retelling.

“Even before meeting Shaun, I loved the water.  Much of my vagabonding brought me to shore towns and coastal villages all over the world.  That September, I was living and working in a small fishing community on the coast of Maine.  The tourists had gone home, but the weather was still bright and crisp, often warm enough to enjoy the water.  I rented a Sunfish and sailed out to a small island.  After taking a quick swim, I spread out my towel and lay on the beach, soaking up the sun.  More tired than I realized, I fell asleep, not waking until late afternoon.  By then, clouds had covered the sun and a chill was in the air.  I went to untie the Sunfish and found that I hadn’t secured it, and it had drifted away.  The tide was coming in, and though I’m a strong swimmer, I still realized that I wouldn’t be able to swim out to the little sailboat.  I was stranded, dressed only in a rather small bikini.”

            “I heard the sound of an engine, so I climbed up onto a jut of rocks and waved my towel hoping to be seen.  A boat slowed, and I could see someone on board with binoculars focused on my shrinking island.  I waved the towel again and the boat turned toward shore.”

            “As it approached, someone cut the engine and drifted in as close as possible.  That was the first time I saw him, Shaun O’Shaunessey, standing on the rolling deck, grinning with the cocky arrogance of a natural born sailor.  He yelled below, ‘Mac, get up here, mate, and take the wheel.  Manannan mac Lir has answered me prayers.  I’m bein’ summoned by a mermaid, and I intend to heed the call.’  Before I knew what was happening, he pulled off his shirt, slipped out of his shoes, and dived into the water.”

“A few strokes later, he pulled himself up on the rocks.  Ah, the sight of him, long wet curls dripping into those twinkling eyes, broad shoulders, narrow waist. Then, he dropped to one knee and took my hands in his, ‘Mermaid or selkie, it matters not.  Sing to me darlin’.  Cast yer spell so I can stay in yer thrall forever.’ ”

            “Somehow, I knew Irish would have one hell of a pickup line,” Melisandra laughed.

            “Honestly, I was so astonished I didn’t know if he was a man or a merman myself.  I was at a loss for words, but of course, that has never been the case with Shaun O’Shaunessey.”

            “ ‘I’ll stay with ye here on these rocks if ye wish darlin’, but if yer lookin’ for a wee bit of comfort I’ll take ye aboard me boat, wrap ye in furs and feed ye the nectar of the Gods.’ ”

            “By then, I was shivering with cold.  A blanket and a cup of coffee sounded pretty good to me, but I was willing to settle for furs and nectar.  Something about the brogue, the blarney, himself, lit a spark, and I couldn’t resist playing along, so I told him, ‘I’ll come aboard your boat, Irishman, wear your furs and drink the nectar, and if you please me, I may keep you as a pet.’  I could hear him roaring, as I dived off the rocks, swam to The Moondancer and Mac helped me aboard.”  The women chortled with delight.

            “I was only a little late for my shift at The Lobster Claw.  It was a Friday night, usually the wildest night at a town bar, it being payday.  Shaun and Mac came in around midnight, and took a back table.  I brought them each a glass of ale and asked Shaun, ‘What brings you to my neck of the woods tonight, Mr. O’Shaunessey?’ ”

            “ ‘Well, darlin’,’ he said,  ‘I thought ye might need someone to walk ye home.’ ”

            “ ‘But I live upstairs, as you well know,’ and he did, since he had walked me home that afternoon.”

            “He waggled his eyebrows at me.  ‘Ye never know where hooligans might be lurkin’ to waylay ye.’ ”

            “ ‘Would you consider yourself to be a hooligan, Mr. O’Shaunessey?’ I asked.”

             “He pretended to mull that over for a minute, then winked, ‘I might.  If ye’ve a taste for mischief.’ ”

            “A half dozen or so lobstermen came in.  Clearly, they had been making the rounds.  I took their orders and when I returned with their drinks, one of them decided he wanted to, shall we say, hand deliver my tip.”

            “Oh my,” Jennvieve said.

            “I’m sure Irish took that well,” Melisandra’s chuckle lit her grey eyes in anticipation.

            “Now, in my travels, I had waitressed in bars on three continents and over a dozen countries.  I knew how to handle a frisky customer.  But, before I could react, Shaun O’Shaunessey loomed up over the fishermen roaring, ‘Get yer hands off the woman I’m takin’ home to meet me mother!’ And then, of course, the first punch was thrown and the wild rumpus began.”

            “Mac, of course, had to enter in the fray, and soon, most of the bar was involved.  It wasn’t long before I heard the police sirens.  Now I had seen more than one bar fight in my experiences, and I knew that the police ignore anybody who’s on the ground and head straight for the guy in the middle.  Of course, you know who was in the middle.  So I decided to rescue him from himself.”

            “Like anyone could,” said Melisandra with more affection than sarcasm.

            “I climbed up on a table and smacked him on the side of the head with my tray.  He went down like a sack of potatoes, just as the police came in the door.  I jumped to the floor, dragged him into a corner, sat down, and put his head in my lap.  One eye was already swelling.”

            “As I knew they would, the police plowed into the center of the chaos, billy clubs and cuffs in hand.  Unfortunately, Mac had stepped up to take Shaun’s place.  When things calmed down a bit, I saw Mac cuffed, his nose, which was already crooked, bent a little more to the side.”

            Jennvieve smile deepened.  She found the crook of her husband’s nose endearing, enhancing not detracting from his rugged good looks.  And, as she well knew, Mac and Shaun were a tag team when it came to trouble. 

“Well my dears, I can be quite a good actress when the situation calls for it.  I put on my best helpless female voice, ‘Oh no officers not that nice, blond, young man. He came to the aid of my brother and me.’  The two policemen, who had Mac between them, brought him over.  Shaun’s eyes were still closed, which I thought was odd because I didn’t think I hit him that hard.  He still had his head in my lap.”

            “ ‘Can you tell us what happened, Miss?’ ” the policeman asked.

            “ ‘Yes officer,’ I said.  ‘You see my brother here, came to walk me home after work.  He may look big and strong, but, well . . . he’s a bit  . . . feeble minded.’ ”

            “That’s when I saw Shaun’s mouth twitch, confirming my suspicions that he was entirely enjoying his position.”

            “Oh, I’m sure!” Jennie laughed.

            “I kept on. ‘You see, he is a simpleton, and when he saw those men behave in a way toward me that he thought was . . .  not polite, he just overreacted.  That nice young man stepped in to help him, and well, you can see what happened.  Please don’t arrest him.’ ”

            “They uncuffed Mac and as they turned to hustle the rest out, I called, ‘Now, those fishermen are nice men, too. It’s just that it’s payday and they’re feeling a bit . . . frisky.’ ”

            “The police started to smile.  They were all locals, friends and relative to one another.  ‘Just let them go on home to their families.’ I said.  The officers knew that when the lobstermen went home that night, they had their girlfriends, wives, and mothers to answer to.  Some of them would have preferred to spend the night in the jailhouse.”

            “Shaun’s shoulders were shaking by now, and, being incorrigible, he felt the need to bury his face a little deeper in my lap.”

            “Oh, that I can see,” Melisandra was full out laughing by now, and Jennie’s light blue eyes were shining.

            “I wasn’t about to give in that easily.”

            “Oh Auntie, what did you do?”  Mahri and Dee were holding their sides.

            “I pinched his ear, so he had to raise his head, and said to him, like I was speaking to the village idiot, ‘Now Shaun apologize to these nice young men who just wanted to leave me a tip, but had forgotten their manners.’ ”

            “Oh perfect, Lina!”

            “I can almost hear it now.”

            “Still holding onto his ear, I made him sit up.  Now these lobstermen, were in heart and soul Shaun’s mates, and he knew it.  He pulled his woebegone face, ‘ ’Tis sorry I am that I didn’t understand yer intentions toward me sister.’ ”

            “Not one person in that room thought Shaun was my brother, and now everyone had joined in on the game.  The lobsterman, who had ‘hand delivered’ his tip, was released from his cuffs by a man, who, we later learned, was his uncle.  He came up to me and took my hand, ‘Miss, I apologize for my inexcusable behavior.’ ”

            “ ‘Thank you,’ I answered with as much dignity as I could muster sitting on a barroom floor. ‘I’ve always found men of the sea to be true gentlemen.’ And within minutes, the room had cleared.”

            “Shaun got to his feet and pulled me to mine, his face alight with mischief and more,  ‘Darlin’, marry me now, or marry me later, but marry me ye must, for I surely can’t live without ye and I am feelin’ disinclined to take the good Lord’s call while yer feet are still on the earth.’ ”

            The swell of laughter filled the grotto, rose to the ceiling, spread and echoed back again. Melisandra managed to eke out, “I can’t wait to tell Viktor.” 

Mahri and Dee were so astounded that through their giggles they kept looking at each other, as though to ask, Can this be true ?

            Collecting her memories of Mac, Jenn smiled.  Oh my, how she loved that man. “That was just one of the nights your uncle straightened your father’s nose.”

            Lina nodded. “Eventually, your mother made him promise to stop doing it.”

            “Not exactly, Lina.  I made him promise to stop getting him into situations that would require nose straightening.”

             “About as likely as taming the mischief out of monkeys,” Lina snorted, and the laughter burst out, bounced back to the ceiling and circled the grotto again.  After, they all leaned back and soaked in the water for a long while, content, listening to the sweet serenade of the waterfall and the harp. 

As they left the pool, Mahri pulled her mother aside, “Mom, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Jennvieve stopped and looked into her daughter’s troubled eyes. “What is it, darling?”

“Dee and Kai are so crazy for one another they can hardly stand to be apart.” Then, seeing her mother’s questioning look, she added hastily, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for them.”  She wanted to make it clear that envy was not her problem as she searched for the right words.  “Am I weird for not being interested in falling in love right now?”

Jennvieve gently pushed a wet red curl out of her daughter’s eye. “What are you interested in?”

“I’m not sure.  I feel like a . . .,” she struggled for the right word, “a seeker.  Someone looking for something to settle on. Something that will give me meaning.”

“You’re not weird honey.  Be a seeker.  Open your eyes, your ears, and your heart to the world around you.  Be a seeker for that passion that will ignite your talents, but you can’t be a seeker for love.  Love will come your way when you are ready.”  Jennvieve cupped her hand around her daughter’s chin and lifted her face.  “Believe in yourself.  And you must always remember that you are not alone.”

            Jennvieve held her daughter’s gaze.  Blue eyes met green and determination passed between them.  Mahri breathed deeply, inhaling her mother’s faith, and nodded.  Jennvieve released her hold and stroked her daughter’s cheek.  Then side by side, arm in arm, they walked toward the leaf curtained entrance and the embrace of the women who waited for them.