The Mermaid's Mirror - L. K. Madigan [64]
"My village. My home. It is still farther."
"What will happen when we get there?"
"You will be welcomed. My people know I have the memories back. As soon as I saw you—my beloved child—the Recollection struck. I—" She faltered. "I was wounded by the memories as they returned. But my people saved me as I foundered. They are a great solace, always." She added with a smile, "They know about you now, daughter."
"But what about...?"
Melusina waited for her to finish the thought.
"...your parents."
"Ah," said Melusina. "They are not merely my parents, they are your grandparents! They will welcome you with joy. My people have held many memory circles to help in the healing of my sore heart. Amphitrite and Merrow deplore my pain."
"Amphi—?"
"Your grandmother and grandfather."
"But..." Lena could not help pursuing the thought.
"Yes?"
"Dad said your parents didn't want you to marry him. They had him dragged away."
Melusina's strong swimming slackened for a moment. "Ah. I regret that the memory eludes me. I recall the feeling of betrayal. But that was long ago, and I have learned to forgive."
"But your mother said she would destroy him if he ever set foot in the ocean again!"
"What? No, my darling, never believe this! My mother would not command such violence. Her role is to protect our village, not mete out punishment."
Lena thought that Melusina might be too trusting of her mother, but she didn't say that. After a moment, she asked, "Is she the queen or something?"
Melusina chuckled. "That is a word she would love to own, but no, we do not use human titles that rank one above the many. Amphitrite is—" The mermaid used a word in her language, and Lena understood it to mean something like guardian.
They swam on. As their distance from the shore grew greater, Lena thought less about her father. At first her heart literally ached, knowing how scared he would be when he found her shoes abandoned on the rocks. But as she and the mermaid dove deeper into the sea, her worry seemed to diminish, as if it were attached to the land, and she was moving too far away to feel it.
"How much farther?" she asked.
Melusina laughed. "You are still an impatient child, I see. Soon the village will be within view."
Lena's clothes felt heavy. Obviously, she couldn't remove the cloak, but..."Can I take off my jeans?" she asked.
"Jeans? Oh, yes, the fabric that covers your legs? Certainly."
Lena unbuttoned her jeans, desperate to free her legs from the water-logged denim. "People will stare, won't they?"
Her mother squeezed her hand. "Yes, dearest. But they will stare whether your lovely legs are clothed or bare."
Lena kicked off her jeans, breathing a watery sigh of relief. Now she could swim more easily. And her jacket was long enough that it reached to her thighs, so she didn't have to feel totally undressed. She let go of her jeans, watching them sink out of sight.
Deeper and deeper they swam. Lena had not expected to be able to see much under water, but the deeper they descended, the clearer she saw. It must be my eyes, she thought. There must be something about my eyes that is not human, too.
There was a deep blue, almost purple quality to the water, and the temperature did not feel as cold as it had before.
At last, Melusina began to slow her swimming. "The village is quiet," she said. "Some of the mer-folk are still asleep."
"You sleep?"
"Yes, but not in the same way that humans sleep. When humans sleep, they are still and dreaming for many hours. We must rise to the surface regularly for air. Our friends, the dolphins, need air even more frequently than we do. Half of their brains are always awake, to remind them to rise. We share that trait, to a lesser degree. Mer-folk may sleep for two or three hours before needing air, then we must rise."
I'm in between, thought Lena. Maybe that's why I keep waking up lately. My body thinks it needs to surface. "Seems like with all that going to the surface, people would see you more often."
"No, we rise to the surface far from shore. We are