The Mermaids
by
Angela Hope
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The Mermaids
Copyright 2009 by Angela Hope
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The Mermaids
Once upon a time deep at the bottom of the ocean, sat four beautiful mermaids. They loved to sit on rocks every day to discuss what was going on around them. Fleur was telling her friends about the small fishing boat she had seen the night before.
“I don’t know why it was out here so late at night,” she said. “I’m sure it was looking for something as I could see the beams from torch lights.
“We will have to be extra careful in case it comes back,” said Michelle. “Perhaps we should tell everyone to keep a watchful eye.”
“I have already asked the seahorse to pass the word. I’m sure we will hear if there’s any danger,” said Fleur.
Seahorse had done as he was asked and informed as many of his friends as possible to be on the lookout for any suspicious boats that go too close to the mermaid’s palace.
Later that night the tired seahorse swam to the stingray. “Wake up! There’s a small boat heading in this direction.” he said. “I don’t know if it’s the same one that Fleur saw, but we had better get the message to the mermaids just in case.”
The stingray swam off as fast as he could go and seahorse was on his way but never could keep up. He was far too graceful to have much speed.
Almost there, he stopped to rest. He looked up to see lots of bubbles and a light coming towards him.
The bubbles passed overhead and the light beamed in the direction of the mermaid’s palace. It was well hidden, but the mermaids would be sleeping not knowing of the danger.
Seahorse hoped that Stingray had already given the mermaids the warning but just in case he would have to ask the swordfish to also take the message, there was no time to lose.
Michelle hadn’t been able to sleep, she felt uneasy sensing something was about to happen.
“I do have the strangest feeling,” she whispered to Fleur.
“I’ve told you there’s nothing to worry about the seahorse or stingray would be here if anything was wrong,”
Stingray arrived just as Leaf and Danielle were talking. They couldn’t sleep either so they all agreed to have a look a little closer to where the boat had been seen.
Away from the safety of their underwater palace, they swam slowly looking, but not knowing what they were looking for.
Danielle noticed a small casket half covered in sand lying on its side. Beckoning to her friends she opened the clasp and lifted the lid. The casket was full of beautiful sparkling jewellery.
Fleur was the first to see the light from the diver’s torch, it wasn’t too far away.
“Quickly we must hide ourselves,” she said swimming behind a rock. They stayed close together and tried to be calm as the light from the torch seemed to be closing in on them.
The divers came a little too close for comfort, shining their lights along the seabed, but, they went passed the mermaids without seeing them.
“What are we going to do!” asked Danielle. “They will be coming back this way so we don’t have time to waste”
“I wonder if this jewellery is what the divers are searching for,” said Danielle.
“Do you think you would be able to swim with this casket on your back Stingray?”
We should make sure they find it for our own safety.” Stingray agreed.
Emptying the box, the mermaids placed it carefully onto his back.
“Take it as quickly as you can, but make sure you leave it in view and easy for the divers to find,” she said. “We will scatter the jewels.”
Leaf hung a bracelet on the upturned tail of the tired seahorse. He had finally arrived and wanted to help. The bracelet was a bit heavy for his tail but he was sure he could hold on to it until the diver passed by with his torch. Only then he would close his eyes for a well deserved rest. The jellyfish could see he was struggling so removed the bracelet and swam off leaving the seahorse to rest.
Everyone wanted to help. The Octopus was perfect he could hold on to so many of the items without any problems.
Fleur placed a ring over the end of the very long nose of the swordfish, while Michelle draped a necklace over the head of a baby shark.
“That should do it,” said Danielle as she arranged some of the jewels over clumps of seaweed and coral. “We had better find a safe place to hide.”
They didn’t have to wait long before the light from the diver’s torches appeared in the distance. Crouched behind rocks the mermaids watched as the light shone on the casket that had been carefully placed next to a sea anemone by the sting-ray. Coral glistened with beautiful coloured gemstones. The divers gathered around the casket, picked it up and went in search of the jewels. They found the bracelet easily where the jellyfish had left it and it didn’t take long before the ring and necklace sparkled in their path. They collected all of the items left for them and happily motioned to each other to head back to their boat.
“You can come out now!” said the stingray.” The divers are almost out of sight just a few bubbles disappearing in the distance.”
The mermaids swam back to their palace. Later that day they gathered together on their rocks to talk. Today they had something exciting to talk about. “Do you think the divers will come back?” Danielle asked.
“I don’t think so,” said Fleur. “I’m sure they have found what they were looking for.”
STORY TWO.
Down on the seabed far away from the beach, the mermaids were getting ready for their trip. Every Wednesday morning they would swim out to their favorite place, each with a bag over their shoulders.
Escorted by a large shoal of fish, they were protected from any danger that may occur on their journey.
Their secret place was a shipwreck where inside was laden with treasures that were useful to the mermaids including glass for their mirrors, wood for the handles and pearls for decoration. Then they would go to a large broken barrel that was surrounded by barnacles, different types of fossils and crystals of all colours.
Working inside of the barrel was a large family of oysters producing special pearls just for the mermaids. They would fill their shoulder bags with as much as they could carry and thank the oysters for their lovely gifts before swimming back home.
When they returned to their palace, Danielle sat on a rock threading the beautiful pearls into necklaces and Leaf and Michelle made pretty decorations to wear in their hair. They also divided what they had into two piles, one for themselves the other to be given as gifts. Cuttlebone was widely used by seagulls to keep their beaks smooth so plenty had been gathered.
“I think we have enough cuttlebone, coral, pearls and shells,” said Fleur. “We can now take them for the people in the outside world.”
They filled their bags and swam toward the beach.
“We must leave everything where they can be easily found,” said Leaf.
They emptied their bags close to some rocks and scattered the pretty shells, cuttlebone and coral onto the sand. They gave some of their pearls to the empty oysters who were delighted with such a lovely gift.
Watching them closely was Crusty the Crab.
“Hello Crusty,” said Fleur. “Now, I want you to leave these things here for the people of the outside world. These are not for you to play with today.”
“Here you are Crusty,” said Leaf as she gave him a handful of pearls. “You and your friends can play with these.”
The mermaids said goodbye to Crusty and swam back home leaving a very happy crab to play with his pearls and k
eep a watchful eye on the gifts for the people in the outside world.
It made the mermaids happy to sharing those beautiful things. Nobody ever knew who had left them at the beaches. It was thought that shells, pearls and coral had been brought in by the tide. Lots of people collected the cuttlebone from the Cuttlefish for their tame birds. They enjoy them as much as Ikon the Seagull and his friends
STORY THREE
Fleur sat brushing Danielle’s long blond hair. The brush was made from the spines of a sea urchin and the handle was covered in pearls.
They were startled by the stingray as he swam at full speed towards them.
“Oh Miss Fleur, Miss Danielle I don’t know what to do! Tinka the young Dolphin has got caught up in a fishing net, he has been under the water too long and can’t come up for air.
Everyone is so worried. I feel it may be too late. What can we do?”
“You must show us the way quickly,” said Fleur.
Michelle and Leaf had heard the commotion.
“We are coming with you,” they said together.
They swam as fast as they could go following the stingray.
Up ahead was the net with Tinka looking very distressed.
“See if you can bring the swordfish family, we need as many here as possible.” said Leaf to the stingray.
“It’s alright Tinka, you will soon be free.”
The swordfish arrived almost immediately and Fleur set them to work cutting the rope with their long sharp noses.
Free at last, Michelle and Danielle supported Tinka’s head, while Fleur and Leaf supported his tail. They swam him to the surface and stroked his nose talking to him all of the time. It took a few minutes for him to realize he was out of danger.
The stingray had also brought Tinka’s family.
His mummy, daddy and brother were soon by his side. “We will look after him now,” they said. “Thank you so much for saving our babies life.”
Fleur told them it was really the swordfish family that had freed Tinka.
“Thank you everyone,” said Tinka’s mummy. They swam slowly home keeping Tinka’s head above the water.
The four mermaids waved goodbye and set off home. They were soon surrounded by a shoal of fish that wanted to make sure the mermaids arrived back at their palace safely.
THE END