The Mermaid - Story Time

Found this amongst my scribblings, dated 13th June 1985! That would have been my Mum's 59th birthday! I don't remember writing it on her birthday but clearly I did! I thought I'd type it up and post it here. I wrote it for the kids I was teaching at that time. 


Alex lived by the sea; not the sort of sea you and I might think of - there were no donkey rides, no ice cream kiosks, no sandy beaches - no, Alex lived on the north coast of Scotland, near Strathcarron, where the sea sang of its freedom from seaside sunbathers.

Alex and his family lived in a small, stone cottage on the cliffs where the sea below spoke of its many moods and temperaments.

Alex had no brothers or sisters, just his parents, so he was often lonely. He had a two mile walk to the village school except when the road was rendered impassible by winter snows. When he trudged his solitary way to school he often felt the sea was pushing him on his way.

For the time being though there was no school! Summer holidays. They took so long to arrive yet it seemed to him that they were often over before they had begun. But there was something about this summer that felt different. Alex sensed it in the screeching of the restless gulls, the smell of the sea weed in the salt spray air. What exactly was different his ten year old mind couldn’t quite fathom, he just knew - things were different.

Yet the days took on a leisurely pattern. get up, get washed, get dressed, get fed, get out. Out, onto the cliffs, down to the sea and to explore whatever might come his way. If the tide were out he would meander among the rock pools. If the tide were in he would stick to the cliffs, explore the crevices and rock clusters. 

On this particular day he was finding some amusement from imprisoning a crab in a citadel of rock, shells and seaweed. Alex was not aware of any real cruelty towards the crab, solitude caused him to invent his own pastimes. He was so absorbed watching the poor creature scuttle every which way that he did not notice that he was being watched to begin with. When he was aware of something out of the corner of his eye he looked and thought he was dreaming. He rubbed his eyes, pinched himself then looked again. No dreaming. There, nestled comfortably on a rock was a mermaid! Real, fairy story stuff. Long golden hair, exquisitely beautiful face and from the waist down, bluey green scales and a fish’s tail.

‘Go away,’ said Alex,’I don’t believe in you.’

The mermaid raised her eyebrows but said nothing. 

Alex stood up and turned fully to face her,’You can’t be real. There’s no such things as mermaids. They’re only in books.’

Still she said nothing.

Alex was getting cross,’If this is some kind of joke I don’t think it’s very funny.’

He stepped closer. The silly thing was, she did, actually, look, very real.

‘If you are real,’said Alex,’Then speak to me.’ 

‘Little boy,’ said the mermaid,’in clear tones,’Would you please release that crab.’

Bewildered, Alec looked down at the crab still trying to escape his watery dungeon,’ Why? It’s none of your business.’

“Little boy’,she answered calmly,’all the sea creatures are my business.’

‘First I’ve heard of it,’ retorted Alex, rather rudely.

‘If you do not set the crab free,’ warned the mermaid,’I shall send the sea in.’

‘You couldn’t,’ affirmed Alex confidently.

He wished he hadn’t spoken because almost instantly a playful wave rushed in and splashed his feet. He stubbornly remained silent.

‘Well?’enquired the mermaid patiently.

There was a pause. Alex said nothing and did nothing. Then another much fiercer wave rushed in and soaked Alex from head to toe. Now if there was anything Alex had respect for, it was the sea and its unpredictability. He knew that he did not stick on the beach if the tide was coming in because to be cut off meant trouble. Reluctantly, because he really didn’t want to believe the mermaid had this kind of power, he removed the crab from its confinement. Immediately the sea retreated and was calm again.

‘Thank you,' said the mermaid.’and let that be a lesson.’

With that she disappeared into the mighty depths of the ocean leaving Alex staring in disbelief. It was a solemn boy who retuned thoughtfully to his cottage that afternoon.

Persistent summer rains prevented any beach exploration for the next few days and whilst Alex could not completely forget abut the mermaid he did put her to the back of his mind. He spent hours drawings detailed sketches of sailing ships, barnacled wrecks and galleons loaded with bullion pillaged by pirates. When he could go out again the tide was in so there was nothing left to do but wander the cliffs . Alex was skilful at negotiating the rock faces, there were plenty of footholds if you knew where to look. He descended low to watch the gentle lapping of the waves against the rocks. He notice the nest of a sea bird nearby, abnormally low. Alex wondered what circumstances had caused the birds to nest there so careless of the danger. He edged his way closer, aware the parent birds were screeching angrily  nearby. He saw three eggs in the nest.

‘You must learn not to nest so low, ‘Alex admonished.’It’s very silly. Someone could steal your eggs.’ 

And with that he stretched out an arm and removed all three eggs. Instantly the sea below began to churn and boil. Seething waves lashed against the rocks as if they were trying to reach Alex. He felt the salty spray on his face. For a moment he was mesmerised, transfixed by the fury of the sea as it whipped into a crescendo of frothing white foam and huge breakers. As he looked out into the distance he thought he could see the vague. shadowy form of the mermaid on a distant rock shaking her fist at him. Realisation flooded through him and he put the three eggs back in the nest without hesitation. At once the sea returned to normal. The birds calmed and the female sat back upon her clutch of eggs.

And so it was that Alex discovered that for every thoughtless deed of cruelty he wrought upon the marine life the sea waited in judgement upon him. Thus he learned and all was well. The summer slipped by and Alex learnt to observe the creatures in their dignity and learn from them the rhythm and cycles of life. 

Until one day; the sun rose high in the sky, the tide far out, the sea distantly peaceful. Alex wandered from pool to pool. He gazed up at the sky, content and peaceful as he breathed the salt air.But all of a sudden his foot came into contact with something soft and slippery. Wrong footing him momentarily his whole weight came down upon the soft, slippery something. When he looked down Alex saw that he had unintentionally killed a jellyfish. He was filled with fear for the sea had begun its relentless march towards the shore line. The act had not been deliberate but there was nothing he could do to reverse events.

‘I didn’t meant to!’ he yelled.’It was an accident!’

Such pleas were useless. The sea kept coming. Alex had to turn heel and make his back up the cliffs as fast as safety allowed. Once he reached high ground he ran as fast as he could to the comparative safety of the stone cottage.

All through supper that night his parents made comments about the ferocity of the sea that day and how strange it was since prevailing weather conditions gave no hint of the water’s turmoil. Peculiar, too, was the disturbance in the tide.

Alex listened is silence, increasingly fearful. Could the sea reach his cottage? If it could then they were all in danger. If he, Alex, were to be punished then it hardly seemed fair that his parents should be too. He excused himself from the supper table and sat in his bedroom listening to the contused, angry writhing of the sea. Then he made up his mind.

When the cottage was quiet and locked up for the night. When Alex was assured by the deep even breathing that his parents were asleep. he slipped clothes on over his pyjamas and made his way quietly downstairs. He donned a coat and deftly drew back the well oiled bolts before unlocking the door and stepping out into the night.  

It was a dark night. The ominous clouds obscured any suggestion of a moon. The wind was against Alex as he moved forwards with increasing difficulty down to where the sea churned - ready to greet him - arguing and spitting, its arms open wide.

They found him the next morning, huddled in a small damp cave. Wet through and shivering, white as a sheet but strangely contented. Likewise the sea was calm too. Alex’s mother was crying and could not speak. But his father wrapping his own coat round Alex could only ask in bewilderment. ‘Alex, what were you thinking? Why did you do it?’

“I had to tell the mermaid it wasn’t my fault.’

And that was all he would tell them. 

thecmn -The Little Mermaid
from Flickr