secret would be revealed.
As Morven made her way around the circle, the drums played the ceremonial beat. Without hesitation, she stepped in front of Orin's family. Orin stood to take her hand, and they both sat with his family. It was done! Orin and Morven would be joined.
Orin and his father had already started building a home that would someday be Orin's. His father wanted him to build it next to his own home, but Orin wanted it to be closer to the water's edge, where he and Morven spent most of their time together. He knew Morven would be happier if she was close to the endless waters. He didn't know why, and it did not matter. All he cared about was making her happy. They loved each other in a very special way.
The home was finally finished, and Morven and her mother carried things she would need to start her new life with Orin to the new home. There were tears of joy and sadness from both Morven and her mother, yet they knew they would still be very close and could communicate with each other at any time. Of course, mother and daughter were not far from each other either, since they each of them lived not far from view of the endless waters. Yet it would not be the same. Morven loved her mother, but it was time to be with her mate.
A year went by, and many of the young couples had a child by then. But Morven and Orin did not. It never seemed to bother either of them. Orin continued to be very successful with his fishing, and Morven continued her vigils at the water's edge each day. She was not one to sit by the shore in the evening, waiting for her husband's boat to appear, like many of the other women of the village. Just before his fishing boat would appear, she would brush out her long, golden hair and put on a fresh dress and slowly walk to greet him. She seemed to always know when he was about to return, no matter when it was.
One day, she asked if she could accompany him on the boat. It was unheard of for a woman to go out on the endless waters. They were like no other couple in the village. They seemed to dance to their own song. So Morven packed a basket with fresh fruit, salted fish, and bread she had made filled with herbs from their garden behind the house. She made a special tea from herbs she gathered at the water's edge to take on the special trip.
That day would be just the two of them, alone on Orin's boat. There would be no fishing. Morven always felt safe with Orin, but on the water she felt at home. There was something about the water that comforted her, yet something about it pulled at her too. Her mother had shared with her of the day she had come to her on the shore. She felt maybe that was why she was drawn to it.
Orin and Morven spent the entire day on the water, letting the boat drift in and out of the waves, letting the current carry them. Orin was the best boatman in the village, and he knew when it was time to return to shore. The boat drifted into a small cove near an island offshore. They set anchor there for a short time. Morven dove into the water and Orin followed, yet he could not keep pace with her in the water. She felt alive in the water, diving to depths Orin dared not follow and then rushing to the surface again. They laughed and played like children again. As the moon began to drop, Orin insisted they start their journey back to the village. Morven reluctantly came back into the boat, but she knew she would return to the water.
Soon after their journey on the endless waters, Morven was with child. They had a baby girl. The two of them showered her with love. As she grew older, Morven grew more and more restless to get back to the deep waters again. When their daughter reached the time of the festival, Morven, like her mother, made the dress for her daughter to wear. She had saved the piece of her dress with the silver threads and sewed it into her own daughter's dress.
Time went by, and Morven's daughter had a daughter. Morven felt the passing of time, and each day, she felt more pulled to the endless waters. Orin knew he had to take her one last time onto the deep waters. They spent the night holding each other for what would be their last time together. Both of them knew in their hearts, but there was not a mention of it that night.
Early the next morning, Morven went to her daughter's home and kissed her and her granddaughter one more time. Then she and Orin set out on the deep waters past the cove where they had once played. The boat stopped, and they sat for a long time, just watching the water in the cool air. Then the waters began to churn, and the waves started to crash against the boat. They softly kissed each other one last time.
From under the water, they saw a beautiful woman with long, silver hair and pale blue eyes reach her hand to Morven. Morven reached out and took her hand, and then she disappeared. Orin sat quietly for a long time, hoping beyond hope she would return, but she was gone. He lay in the boat, tears streaming down his face until he fell asleep.
When he awoke, he was on the shore near the village. The villagers carried him home and laid him to rest in his sleeping loft. That night, he drifted off to sleep, never to awaken again.
10
Willow and the Water People
Willow could not see through the darkness of the deep waters; however, she could feel arms around her and felt secure. It seemed as though she would never reach the bottom of the endless waters, yet as they dove deeper and deeper, Willow felt lighter and lighter. Suddenly, the arms of Ellura released her. Both of them drifted for a moment, and then Willow heard the soft whisper of a voice calling her to follow. How can this be? she thought. She was far beneath the water's crest, and yet she could move with the ease of fish. She could hear the voices of others in her mind calling to her, beckoning her closer to a glowing light that shone deep in the waters. Ellura and Willow stayed close to each other as they drew nearer the light.
As they reached the burning light, suddenly, the endless waters opened up a gateway to the most beautiful sight Willow had ever seen. She felt as though she had been there before, maybe in a dream. There were many like her with long, golden hair and eyes as blue as the waters and skin of soft pearl.
Several of them drew near and just smiled and nodded their heads. They parted, and an old woman with long, golden and silver hair approached her, reached out her hand, and spoke to her through her mind. "Welcome, granddaughter." Willow's eyes brightened and her heart felt as though it would jump out of her body. They were true—all of the stories she had heard.
She had so many questions. The first was, Who this woman? The old woman told her, "I am Morven, your great-great-grandmother. I will tell you much more, but first you must rest."
Willow thought, How can I rest? There is so much I want to know. She had forgotten how she communicated with her mind. She heard Morven's voice say, "We will have much time later, and all your questions will be answered."
Ellura motioned to Willow to follow; they drifted through the waters to a cave, where Ellura guided her through the entrance. There were beds of soft seaweed to rest on, but Willow did not think she could sleep. As she lay her head down on the seaweed, Ellura stroked her head for a moment, and Willow drifted off to sleep. Her dreams took her back to the first moment she had encountered Ellura as she gazed into the water; even then she knew there was something pulling her, something she could not explain. A part of her belonged to this world Ellura lived in.
Soon Willow awakened from her rest with Morven sitting beside her. She looked up at her and spoke aloud, "Where am I, and why am I here?"
Morven sat back against the coral chair and began to tell Willow of the promise that was made so long ago. "Dear child, your great-great-great-grandmother was given a child by the people of the endless waters to raise as her own with the promise that someday a child would be returned to the water people—a child who possessed the gift of vision, the gift of communicating with the ancients, one who would bridge the land people with the people of the deep waters. We knew when you came to the water's edge you were the one! You were able to see Ellura, the woman who watches over all the people of the deep waters and the one who has watched over your land family since the beginning. Ellura was the one who presented your great-great-great-grandmother a child after she lost her husband to the deep waters. I am that child.
"Your family has been guarded from the storms and the beasts of the sea that claimed many who ventured out to the deep waters. The women in your family have long had the gift of speaking without tongue. This is the way of the water people. We have waited and listened for so long for you to come of age and return to us. We will speak of this more at another time, but for now, it is time to present you to your sea family."
Willow and Morven slipped back into the deep waters and glided through the water with the ease of light. Willow noticed this came so naturally to her, and she wondered how this was possible. It was as though she had always known how.
They entered a garden of coral and trees of seaweed that swirled endlessly about as the water people came nearer to greet her. The garden was filled with water fairies sitting on top of giant shells of pearls they had harvested from the willing clams that rested on rocks, from seaweed dancing in rhythm to the water's currents, and from sea creatures that glowed in the deep waters, gliding in and out of the water's forest. Willow was in awe of this magical place as she spun around to capture all the glorious sights. She began to feel a bit dizzy when Ellura came near and gently reached for her hand. Again