Two other teenagers approached them—a girl and a boy.
“Hi, I’m Ana, and this is my brother, Filipe,” said the girl, extending her hand. “Welcome to Okawii.” Ana’s smile seemed slightly judging, but Mina still hoped they could be friends.
The boy turned out to be the same short 14-year-old who had carried her bag from the dock the day before. He showed her the same double-tooth-rowed grin and said, “I’m Filipe.”
Mina needed an excuse to get herself away from Keoni. “Nice to meet you all. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get wet—it’s torture just watching.”
“Go! Jump in,” urged Nukuluve.
After kicking off her tennis shoes and testing the water with her foot, she quickly got in up to her neck to acclimate to the water. Then she came out and started the climb to the top of one of the water slides.
The other kids around her stopped and stared, unused to having strangers among them.
“Hi, I’m Mina, I’m new here. Hello. Hi.” She nodded and greeted everyone she met on her way up, not caring how ridiculous she came across, only wanting to try out that slide.
She sat down at the top of the rock shoot. It was quite worn and almost comfortable. After taking a mental snapshot of the moment, she pushed herself off and zoomed down into the clear, cool water.
The rock slides occupied her for a while until she gathered up the nerve to try the vines. The younger boys would leap off from one side of the pool and change vines in the air, sometimes several times. They either landed on the other side, dropped to dive into the water, or hung out on the vines to try to knock each other off the vines into the water so far below.
Mina climbed up onto a ledge that wasn’t as far up as the boys and tentatively reached out to grab the closest vine. It was about 1 ½ inches thick. A strong tug established that it wouldn’t fail her on her swing out. She looked out for another minute, eyeing the vine that she wanted to change to, and took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff.
The rookie swung perfectly to the vine she had picked out, but her inexperienced hands betrayed her and she couldn’t get a good grip on the other vine. Before she could re-grasp her original vine, Mina felt herself falling, arms and legs flailing in the air. She landed in the water with a huge belly-flop.
The sting of her pride matched the pain she felt in her midsection. At the edge of the pool, a hand reached down to help her out. Mina looked up and was embarrassed to find herself face to face with Keoni.
“We’ve all been there,” he said, pulling her out. “It takes a couple tries to get it right.”
He turned and walked back to the kid’s pools before she could thank him.
Then she heard a girl’s loud, derisive laugh. Ana had appeared out of nowhere and was smirking.
“Can’t even do a hand change,” she said loudly. “A real Okawiian.”
Mina was stunned. This? From the girl she had assumed would be a friend? Ana knew she was new to the island and Mina was upset that she embarrassed her by calling even more attention to her mishap. She wondered what she had done to get on this girl’s bad side so quickly. She looked at her speechlessly, wanting to defend herself, but at the same time not wanting to make an enemy on her first day. Before Mina could decide on a response, Ana walked away toward the kiddie pools.
“Don’t worry about her,” said Filipe, gesturing to his older sister. “She’s just jealous because of Keoni. You know, him helping you out right then. He’s usually pretty oblivious to things like that. Also that you’re going to have language lessons with him. Ana’s considered him hers since forever.”
“Are they dating?” asked Mina.
“No, Ana wishes they were. I’ve got to run though—coral-collecting expedition. Catch you later!”
Filipe walked out toward the lagoon, leaving Mina with more questions. Keoni weighed on her mind—was him helping her really out of character for him? Could it mean anything? Also, she didn’t understand where Filipe went. She had always thought that coral reefs were protected. Why would Filipe be collecting them? And why would he be leaving this late in the day? It seemed like an odd thing.
She sat down to watch the activities at Vai Place for a few more minutes. An overwhelming feeling of being home washed over her, and she reddened again, embarrassed at the thought of calling Okawii home so soon, especially when she couldn’t even change vines. She had an intense desire to fit in with the islanders, for them to accept her as their own.
To this end, she turned to a woman with there with her two small children, she asked, “Why is Filipe collecting coral? Isn’t it protected here, too?”
The woman looked surprised at the question, like she had just been asked why birds fly. Then she smiled and cryptically said, “Go home by way of the lagoon.”
In the late afternoon sun, the lagoon’s surface was dark and it was impossible to see the bottom like she had been able to that morning. It was a lovely sight: the sun was setting through the trees and all was quiet, except for the occasional person walking home from Vai Place. Another feeling of appreciation for her surroundings enveloped Mina. There was no sign of Filipe, and she didn’t understand why she had been told to come this way.
All of a sudden, a giant fish tail appeared at the surface. A few yards away, one of the Okawiian kids appeared with just his neck out of the water.
That’s weird. I didn’t see any fish in the lagoon this morning, certainly not any fish that big.
Then, on the other side of the lagoon, another giant fish tail appeared. She wasn’t sure in the faint light, but it seemed like this fish was a different color than the first. It dove back down, and again a few yards from it one of the Okawiians surfaced. She recognized Filipe and waved, but he didn’t notice her and dove back down.
Ewww! They’re not grossed out swimming with these giant fish?
The scene continued to fascinate Mina. She counted five different fish-tails, each a different color, and recognized five Okawiians, including Filipe, swimming with the fish. The same woman she had talked with at Vai Place was passing with her children.
Mina took the opportunity to ask her, “Where did those huge fish come from? They weren’t here this morning. Is there some underwater passage from the ocean into the lagoon?”
The woman took pity on her. “Honey, they are the fish. Filipe, Maria, Paul, and the others: they are the fish.”
Chapter 4
At the resort bar, the crowd around Hector dissipated after he finished his story, and Simon was left alone with him.
“What kind of business are you in?” Simon desperately wanted to network with these people and get his name out there as a banker of importance, and Hector seemed to know everyone of prominence. Simon’s last name, Lanza, was actually his mother’s maiden name. He had gone by Simon Haight until he was 25 years old. On Wall Street he had been a rising star, but he got caught defrauding his company. After being fired and almost prosecuted, he turned to his old college roommate, David Young, whose father had a successful bank in Tucson. They hired him as Simon Lanza and agreed to keep his secret. Simon quickly proved his worth making Young Bank the second largest bank in the area in only five years, but he was worried about that dirty incident coming back to haunt him. Though he had long sought membership, it was for that reason that he had taken so long to go get his elephant and actually apply to Venatus: he was afraid there would be someone in the club who would remember him and ruin him. That was not an option. Having grown up in Appalachia the son of a coal miner, Simon lived for his wealth and the sheen of success. After tasting the good life in the Ivy League and on Wall Street, he would never settle for anything less, and he knew he was lucky to have found the Youngs who forgave him so easily and trusted him.
Hector turned his back on Simon to talk to the person on his other side.
Simon quickly changed strategies. “I got my elephant in Sri Lanka.”
“Is that so? Mine was just African,” said Hector, turning to Simon. “I’ve never hunt
ed in Sri Lanka. What region were you in?”
“In the Southern Province. Peterson knows a guy there,” Simon nodded over to his friend who had provided one of his recommendations to the club.
They discussed the ins and outs of Sri Lankan fauna and after another scotch they began discussing business—on Simon’s prompting, of course. Hector, who was the biggest developer in Texas, knew some folks on Wall Street, but most of his contacts were in the Southwest.
Tapping his glass with the stubby part of his left hand, Hector asked, “So you work for Young Bank in Tucson, eh? Now where do I know that name Young?”
“They’re a big family in the area. My boss made waves a while back when he married a girl from the South Pacific instead of one of the local belles his mother had picked out for him.”
“Oh that Young family. Yes, I do remember the gossip.” Hector’s eyes grew narrow, thinking about a near miss he had 15 years ago. In the 31 years since his incident with the croc, he had never missed an animal, except one. “Where was the girl from again?”
“Okawii,” Simon replied without hesitation. There was a picture frame that he saw in David’s office every day with the island’s name laid out in small twigs.
“Okawii, huh. Not one of the more well-known places in the South Pacific.” Hector stood to go. “It was nice to meet you, Simon.” He scribbled a room number on his card and handed it to Simon. “I’d be much obliged if you’d join me later for a nightcap.”
Mina stood next to the lagoon stupefied. She fingered her shell necklace and watched the fish-people for a while longer and realized the lady was right: they were the fish. That is, they were actual mermaids.
The march home was a blur to Mina. Three sentences repeated over and over in her head, until they became almost a song: how is this possible, this isn’t happening, it can’t be real; how is this possible, this isn’t happening, it can’t be real.
When she arrived back at their huts, Nukuluve was waiting with dinner.
“Here,” she said, handing her granddaughter a plate. “You must be hungry after swimming all afternoon.”
Mina looked at her grandmother inquisitively.
“What is going on here?” she asked, as if the old woman was a witness on the stand.
Nukuluve nodded. “I am sorry I did not tell you earlier, but this is something you needed to experience. And it is something more easily believed with your eyes. Sit and eat, and I will tell you.”
“Who are the mermaids?”
“We are, we all are on Okawii. You are, too.”
Mina sat in stunned silence.
“Let me explain. There is a special type of coral in the Pacific that we have a unique biological relationship with. We just call it White Coral. It grows in long, white, finger-like tendrils. We harvest the tendrils, dry them, and cut them up into little disks. Then, if we want to turn into a mermaid, we eat the disk, and it allows us to transform if we immerse ourselves in water at least up to our necks. The coral acts in two ways: first it gives us the fish tail, and second, it allows us to acquire oxygen from the seawater.”
“Can anybody be a mermaid then if they eat the coral?”
“No, many centuries ago our people developed this connection with the coral, and now it is genetically based. If one of your parents has the ability to transform, then you do, too.”
“Why didn’t I see any mermaids at Vai Place?”
“The coral is effective only in salt water. The water flowing down the mountain that feeds Vai Place and the river that flows from there is fresh water. But the lagoon is salt water.”
Mina sat silent, digesting what she had just heard, then slowly turned to Nukuluve.
“So you’re telling me that if you, my very wise, and, um, timeworn grandmother, walked into the ocean right now, you’d become a mermaid?”
Nukuluve smiled.
“If I walked in right now? No. The coral is only effective for about 24 hours. So, once you take it, you can come in and out of the ocean and change your form as many times as you like in the 24-hour period, because it is still in your system. Most people change only once or twice in that 24 hours, typically because they have got to do a specific task in the ocean, like hunting or going coral-collecting trip.”
“What do you mean, ‘change forms’? How do you get rid of the tail once you have it?”
“There are two ways to get your legs back. You can pull up onto shore, and allow your upper body to dry off. The coral only works on a wet body. Or, if you have been out in the Pacific, you can swim up the river that flows from Vai Place, and, as the fresh water washes the salt water off you, you will get your legs back.”
“So I am really a mermaid?” Mina whispered.
“Well, you have the ability to be, with the help of the White Coral.”
“Is it hard? I mean, swimming like that?”
“It is awkward and a bit odd at first, but once you get used to it, it is the most natural thing in the world. Like a fish in the sea.” Nukuluve quietly chuckled at her joke.
After she had processed this bizarre information some more, Mina quickly jumped to her feet.
“Can I have some please, grandmother? You do have some coral here, right? I have to try this.”
“It’s too dark now, my child. Tomorrow is a good day to start.”
“I guess. Can you tell me where this ability to change came from?”
“I can tell you a story. These are our mythological origins; no one knows what really happened historically. Legend says that a long time ago, 25 generations ago, or about 1000 years ago, Siyok had just arrived at an uninhabited island with his pregnant wife, Sira. Through a series of unfortunate events, Siyok lost his boat and soon the pair consumed most of the island’s resources. Unable to provide for the pregnant Sira, Siyok despairingly waded out into the ocean and attempted to catch fish with his net, then, when that floated away, with his hands. He looked up to the sky and said, “I wish I could swim like the fish in order to provide for my family.” The god Au sent him a dolphin who beckoned him to follow. Siyok followed him down deep into the ocean until he could not hold his breath anymore, then the dolphin showed him the White Coral, which he consumed. He turned into a mermaid and swam back to the island. On the way home he found he was able to easily catch fish and brought these home to Sira. When Sira’s time came, she gave birth to five boys who scattered to found the five colonies that now have mermaids today--Okawii, Ipona, Beluu, Lilo, and Otto Island.”
Mina ran to the lagoon at first light, followed by Nukuluve. After yesterday’s unfortunate fall from the vines, she didn’t want anyone seeing her first attempt at being a mermaid. Especially not Ana or Keoni.
The coral Nukuluve had given to her looked to her like an oversized Tums with tiny holes all over it. It had no smell, and she licked it first, then popped it into her mouth. Its texture was chalky, and it had a slight, but distinct flavor to it. Mina wasn’t in love with the flavor at first, but she figured it would grow on her.
Once she swallowed it, she looked down at herself, to see if gills would grow out of her elbows or something, but nothing happened. Then she remembered that she needed to be immersed in salt water for the coral to work, so she jumped into the clear blue lagoon.
The water’s coolness surprised her, and she shivered involuntarily. Suddenly her legs gave out from under her, and her head sank below the water. Her natural reflex was to clamor toward the surface with her arms, but she was unable to stand up. Her mind started panicking about not being able to get to the surface in time, but her body found itself not needing the oxygen. It was assimilating it from the water.
She awkwardly maneuvered to a low-hanging branch near the side of the lagoon. Man, this is harder than I thought.
Hanging from the long branch by her arms, Mina looked down at her new form and gasped. Her large tail was a golden color that tapered down to her two-lobed caudal fin. She reached down to touch the upper part of it and found the tiny scales to be very smooth.
There were two small slits where her hips would be and she realized that they were her gills.
About ten minutes later Mina had succeeded in gaining some control over the movements of her tail. She let go of the branch and felt herself slip under water, this time remembering to allow her gills to work. A swift kick sent her forward through the water, and she swam around in a small circle, ending the exercise by kicking herself back up to the safety of her branch. Encouraged by that small success, she did a few more circles. Underwater near the edge of the lagoon, Mina saw five orderly rows of tiny white plants, which, upon closer inspection, proved to be White Coral. After her fifth circle she found herself exhausted and barely able to hold onto her branch.
“You should come out and take a break,” Nukuluve said from the shore.
Mina didn’t have the energy to argue, and used her arms to pull her along the branch to the shore, her tail feeling as heavy as lead.
Her grandmother assisted her out of the water and handed her a towel. The transition back to her two-legged body happened swiftly as the salt water was wiped off.
“That was more work than I thought it would be.”
“Do not worry, tomorrow you will begin your lessons.”
“You mean language lessons with Keoni?”
“No, those begin this afternoon. Tomorrow morning, and every morning for the next four weeks, you will be here in the lagoon with the children for mermaid lessons.”
“What children?”
“On Okawii, we allow children who have turned eight years old to learn how to use the coral. Lessons are held every year for the new crop of students, and, once they complete them, they are free to use the lagoon as they wish. Once they are a little older they can go out between the reef and the island, but only 14 year olds can go out into the open ocean. It is too dangerous for the young ones.”
“Oh.” Mina thought back to her presents from her grandmother for her eighth birthday. This must be what she meant when she wrote that this was an important birthday on Okawii.
They walked on in silence for a while, with Mina particularly enjoying the use of her legs, whose muscles did not hurt.