I’m back in my fishing village in Mauritius ! While I’m getting ready to start diving, I wanted to share another travelling experience with you. A journey of self-discovery. As I got to paragraph two, I found myself writing an allegory, a tale about a mermaid and a fisherman ! How not to … when your soul is captured in the bluest of blue, stirring your heart and powerful enough to move the cosmos !

Moon kissed – a tale of a sea-maiden

Some people chase money and others travel, chasing tornadoes. Grace was in search of mermaids. She followed a mermaid tale to a remote fishing village, on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean. She booked a room above the only restaurant or bar, she was not sure which it was more popular for.  It was said that a mermaid was seen on the beach below it, some 20 or 30 years before.

Mermaids are extremely vulnerable when stranded on a beach, as they can’t move fast on land. They would fin their tails with great effort and determination, always in the direction of the sea. Anyone seeing one on a beach could consider themselves privileged, as they are known to be as proud as they are beautiful and prefer to be seen at their most elegant, flaunting their shimmering charm from a wave splashed rock or dancing underwater. So it was with great eagerness that Grace met up with the local mermaid expert in the bar and offered him beer in exchange for his account of what he knew about the alleged sighting.

He looked no different from the fishermen she saw at the harbour that morning. His ruffled hair was grey, his bearded face was weather-beaten and his large hands were scarred and rough. He looked at her with a brooding frown, “Aqua-Luna, was different. She had the tail and long wild hair like sea-maidens do, but her heart was broken.” He took a pensive sip of his beer and stared at the window where the dying moments of the sunset was barely visible. “She said it was splintered into so many pieces, that even the magic of the full moon and the sea could probably not fix it.

She floated through her days, hoping to recognise splinters of her heart along the way. Her thoughtless floating took her from island to island, rock to rock and beach to beach. She never swam out onto a beach, but stayed in the surf, afraid of not finding her way back into the water.” He turned to face Grace. “But there was one night, when the moon was full and painted a golden crossing over the bay. She was touched by the sparkle in a careless way. She swam out onto the beach, to warm her body on the sand. It was still holding the heat of the sun, you see. She was surprised to feel a shiver where her heart used to be, like the beating of seahorse fins, she said. In that moment she thought that her heart was magically healed. Perhaps the full moon and the sea did order the splinters of her heart to come back to her, causing the beating she felt. Or perhaps the warm sand had something to do with it.”

The old man looked at Grace as if he was considering whether he should continue the story. He took a slow sip of his beer and then looked away, staring through the window into the darkness, “A fisherman who was pulling his boat out of the water, saw this vision. A beautiful sea-maiden sitting with her arms embracing herself and rocking while she softly sang a mystical song. He left his boat and approached her slowly, not wanting to startle her. He introduced himself and offered to keep her company, so that she would not be bothered by evil men.”

~*~

When Aqua-Luna looked up into his eyes, she saw a kind man. The moonlight softened his face. His eyes appeared serious and tired, but sympathetic. She had been alone for a very long time, so she thanked him for his kindness. The moonglow touched them gently.

 The Fisherman sat down next to her, careful not to touch her.  He explained to her the layout of the beach, the direction of the current and the prevailing wind. She was surprised that a human could know so much about the sea. As the moonlight sparkled in her eyes, he noticed that they were the colour of the bay at midday, a bright aquamarine. He also noticed a sorrow in her eyes and in the way she touched her cheek, as though she was wiping an invisible tear. Her unusual vulnerability touched him, pulling him a little closer to her, while telling her the history of the bay.

 The night was a slow one, as they sat talking in the golden way that crossed from the bay onto the beach, allowing them to read each other’s eyes and feel all their broken places. She was still aware of the beating in her chest and asked the man what he knew of splintered hearts and full moon cures.  She shared her life story with him, finding him strangely familiar and easy to talk to. He was fascinated by her story and the adventures she experienced at sea.

They sat in silence for a while, grateful for the comfort of connection with another heart. The rhythmic swooshing of the waves created its own magical energy as it mingled with the moonglow. In a brave moment, he leaned over and touch his lips to hers. Luna surprised both of them with her response. They kissed, long tender kisses as their breath became one and mingled with the salt in the air. Tasting the soft fullness of their lips while yearning for more.

~*~

“The day was breaking”, the old man looked at Grace and for a moment she thought he was going to get up and leave, but he continued. “She had to go back to the sea or be caught in sunlight on the beach. He was holding her against his chest. It was not even strange when she whispered that she wanted to stay a little longer. He could feel his heart beating against her breasts. At first light she pushed him away and finned herself into the surf. The fisherman watched her dive into the waves and surface some distance away, looking back at the beach and then she was gone. Every night after fishing, the fisherman would sit on the beach, waiting for her. Days became weeks, weeks became months. She did not come back.” He cleared his throat, “That is all I know about the fisherman who saw the sea-maiden.”

“That is so tragic!” Grace exclaimed, “Did anyone else see her?”

“I heard that the old woman, who used to live in the light house, once saw a sea-maiden. But I don’t know anything more. I am sorry, I need to go.” He held out his hand to greet her. Grace took his hand in both of hers and as she looked into his eyes she noticed how serious and tired they were.  He became uncomfortable, so she let him go.

~*~

The Moon saw Luna swim out to sea. She lost track of time as she tried to make sense of what happened to her heart. When she reached the open sea, the beating of her heart was gone again. She was overwhelmed by the familiar emptiness that she had known for so long. She didn’t dare to go back to the beach. Any beating heart she found on land would kill her. She was a sea-maiden after all. She kept swimming.

~*~

The next day Grace went to the old light house. She didn’t expect to speak to anyone, but wanted to see the beach from there. Would it be possible to see a mermaid in the surf from that angel? She was standing overlooking the bay below, admiring the aquamarine reflection of the sun on the water behind the surf. It was hypnotically blue, wrapping her soul in something celestial. A movement in the greenery startled her. Turning around she was surprised at finding a little girl, who upon being noticed, enjoyed a playful giggle. Her skin was a golden brown, long dark curls cascaded wildly over her shoulders and her eyes were the colour of the bay.

“Oh, hello!” Grace laughed back, “Where did you come from?” The girl pointed in the direction of the lighthouse. “My name is Grace. What’s yours?”

“Hope”, she smiled with eyes laughing blue.

At that moment Hope’s mother came looking for her and introduced herself as Love. When Grace mentioned the mermaid sighting, Love smiled. She had a charming innocence about her, uncommon for her age. She sat down under the banana tree and took Hope onto her lap, indicating to Grace to sit down too.

“So you know about the mermaid sighting?”

“Yes, my grandmother once saw a sea-maiden.” Love put her arms around Hope, “It is a long time ago. She didn’t like to talk about it.”

“Perhaps your mother would know more? Is she here?”

“The moon brought me to my grandmother. I only had her, no one else.”

Grace looked at the two girls sitting in their intimate embrace, their cascading curls making it almost impossible to see where mother ended and daughter started. Their eyes were the same alluring blue.

“What was your grandmother’s name? Perhaps I can find a relative or a friend that knows more.”

“Faith”, Love smiled.

“Faith?”

“Yes, only Faith. We never received guests and we never left.” Love released her one hand from Hope’s embrace and pointed in the direction of the light house.

“Love, I am sorry, but I need to know more. What do you know about your arrival here?”

“The moon was full and my grandmother climbed down to the beach and she found me there, on the sand. She said that the moon decided to give her the greatest thing he had and gave her the gift of love. So she named me Love.”

“Love, does the name Aqua-Luna mean anything to you?”

“I have heard it, yes.”

“Where, my dear?” Grace felt her heart beating almost audibly as she waited for Love’s response.

“When my grandmother kneeled in front of her bed and said her evening prayer.  I think it was someone she prayed for.”

Grace got up from the rock she was sitting on and touched Love’s wild curls. “You both have beautiful hair and your eyes are actually aquamarine. Thank you for your time and the information.” They both beamed, eyes sparkling, completely unaware of the mesmerising charm they possessed.

~*~

The next morning Grace was putting her luggage in the car when she noticed the old fisherman sitting on the steps outside the bar. He seemed to be waiting for someone, sitting quietly, with a vacant stare. She wavered, but decided to walk up to him. She had a compelling feeling that she should speak to him.

“Good morning! You told me about the mermaid sighting the other night.” She touched his shoulder briefly.

He seemed to recognise her. “Yes, I did.”

“I know it’s got nothing to do with me, but I can see your heart is shattered. You should go to the lighthouse and go and meet Love and Hope.”

He looked puzzled. “Who?”

“I know it sounds strange, but please trust me on this. A full moon and the sea has more magic than we can imagine. She gave you her love. Just go there.”

Grace, left him bewildered. She got into her car and as she drove away, she saw him in her rear view mirror. His hands covering his face.

Grace was pleased that the journey home was a long one. She was desperate to have a conversation with the One who created the moon, the sea, the shimmering beach and who used Faith to nurture Love and ensure that Hope would live there too. Remembering her giggle brought a comfortable glow to Grace’s heart and she knew that all would be well.

~*~

Epilogue

 Faith was looking down at the beach, the sand was shimmering in the light of a full moon. She noticed an uncommon splashing in the shallow surf. Something seemed to be in distress. She climbed down towards the beach, concerned that she was alone and would have no help if it was a beached dolphin or such.   Only when she was on the beach did she notice that it was a sea-maiden, splashing in the surf. The maiden turned towards Faith. She was holding a baby in her arms.

“Everything cries holy. We are of one breath, my child.” Faith said and started singing a hymn she used to sing as a child. The sea-maiden seemed to calm down and stayed where she was, while Faith approached slowly. “Do you need my help? Tell me what you need.”

The maiden looked down at the baby girl in her arms. The little one was kicking wildly. She looked up at Faith and then held the baby out towards the older woman. Faith stepped closer into the knee deep surf and stretched out her arms towards the sea-maiden.

“Do you want me to take her? To keep her for you?” The mermaid nodded, tears running down her cheeks. Faith put her arms underneath that of the maiden and together they held the baby for a moment. “You are the one the fisherman spoke of. Are you Aqua-Luna?” Their eyes met across the kicking girl. “She is your love. She is Love. I will cherish her.” Aqua-Luna removed her arms, leaving the baby in Faith’s embrace. She placed her hand on her heart and looked up towards the moon. She closed her eyes and started singing in a language that Faith did not know, but the melody captured her soul and was sure to vibrate throughout creation.  

She started walking back to the beach and the light house. When she reached the top of their climb, there was only the sound of the surf and the cooing of Love. She turned and saw that the sea-maiden appeared to be in conversation with the maker of the fading moon and new born sun, who was painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. The maiden raised her hands towards the sky, smiled and then bowed her head. After a few minutes she looked towards the light house and acknowledged Faith, placing her hand on her heart and then leaped into a wave. She was gone.

“But the greatest of these is Love”

1 Corinthians 13:13

“For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes and trusts in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

“I know it sounds strange, but please trust me on this”

With Love

Lynette Gerber-Lochenkov October 2024