The Mysterious, Mournful Maiden

by Suzanne Williams

  Elena and Lysandra laughed. While Lysandra explained the joke to the others, Elena decided that she would send Wanda and Eric some new clothes after she got back to the castle. It was one thing she could do to help, anyway.

  “Where to now?” asked Fatima.

  “I don’t know,” Elena admitted. She was afraid that time was running out. What if their search for the green-haired maiden ended in failure?

  7

  Seals

  THE PRINCESSES FLEW TWO MORE LOOPS AROUND the island, stopping at eight homes, but found no trace of the green-haired maiden. “Shall we keep going?” asked Fatima.

  “Let’s fly along the beach one more time,” Elena suggested. Starting over the castle, they flew past fishing villages and a bay, then circled toward the opposite side of the island.

  Hours ago, when they’d first begun their search, the ocean had been a beautiful blue-green color. But now it was a greenish gray, and the waves were choppy. Clouds had moved in, covering the sun, and a strong wind blew, making it harder for Fatima to control her carpet. “Sorry about the bumpy ride,” she said as the carpet bucked up and down.

  Elena grasped the edges and held on tight, hoping the storm would hold off till they were back at the castle.

  “I see something!” Tansy said suddenly.

  Everyone looked down. Elena drew in her breath. At first glance it looked like a body was lying on the beach—a still body with long green hair. But as Fatima flew closer, the princesses saw that the “body” was just a driftwood log and the hair a clump of seaweed. The girls laughed with relief.

  As they flew on, Elena spotted a colony of seals on some rocks out to sea. She pointed toward them, and Fatima zoomed in for a closer look. Among the grown-up seals were several young pups. They seemed to be having a lot of fun, in spite of the choppy water. They slid off the rocks into the sea, bobbed up and down, and slapped the surface with their front flippers. Maa, maa, they cried, sounding almost like sheep.

  “They’re so cute!” cried Lysandra. “I wish I knew Seal so I could talk to them.”

  Tansy pulled her flute from her pocket. “Even if we don’t know what they’re saying, at least we can find out what they’re thinking.”

  Fatima cocked her head. “Your flute works on animals?”

  “Yup,” said Tansy. “I’ve tried it on dogs before. Their thoughts aren’t very interesting, though. All they think about is food.”

  Elena suspected that was what seals thought about, too. And she was right. When Tansy began to play her flute, the thoughts that floated up from below were all about fish.

  Boy, I’d really love to catch a fish right now, thought one seal. I’m so hungry I could eat a whale!

  That last fish I ate was scrumptious, thought a second seal. I could eat a zillion more like it.

  The princesses’ ears really perked up, however, when they heard the thoughts of a third seal: I saw a funny-looking fish in a cave this morning. It cried because it lost something and wanted to go home.

  Tansy nearly dropped her flute in surprise! The girls all looked at one another. “Do you suppose it’s her?” asked Lysandra.

  “In my dreams the maiden was always surrounded by darkness,” said Elena.

  “Like in a cave?” asked Tansy.

  Elena nodded. “Exactly.”

  “How many caves are on this island?” Fatima asked.

  “Just one.” Elena frowned. “It’s called the Cave of No Hope.”

  “Sounds like a nice place,” joked Fatima.

  “There are rumors that sea monsters live inside that cave,” Elena said with a shudder. “Fishermen say those who enter never come out.”

  Fatima tossed her long black hair. “Nonsense! People say all sorts of things, but that doesn’t mean they’re true.”

  “That’s for sure,” agreed Tansy.

  Elena wondered if she was thinking about their last adventure together, and all the rumors the villagers had spread about the ogre in Tansy’s kingdom.

  “I say we go into this cave and search for the maiden,” said Lysandra.

  The three princesses looked at Elena. Trying to keep her voice from shaking, she murmured, “Okay.” She wished she felt as brave as the others—and as brave as her mother had been.

  “All right!” said Lysandra. “It’ll be an adventure.”

  Tansy leaned forward on the carpet. “Let’s go!”

  “Not yet,” said Fatima. “Don’t you think we should make a few preparations? After all, we’re not like those silly princes who go galloping after fire-breathing dragons without a plan, right? Wouldn’t you think they’d take a few blankets to smother the flames, or even a jug of water?”

  The others laughed. “Well, the ocean will flood the cave when the tide comes in,” said Elena. “But with a flying carpet, that shouldn’t be a problem. Still, when you’re around water, it never hurts to carry a rope. And we’ll need a lantern, since the cave will be dark.”

  “How about some apples?” suggested Lysandra.

  Fatima raised an eyebrow. “Apples?”

  Lysandra shrugged. “I’m hungry. Besides, if there really are sea monsters, we’ll have something to feed them so they won’t eat us.”

  “I’m not sure sea monsters would be content with only fruit,” Fatima said.

  “There’s a shop in a fishing village not far from here,” said Elena. “They should have everything we need.”

  So off they flew to the shop. With coins from her magical purse, Lysandra bought a coil of rope, a lantern, and a bag of ripe, red apples. Then the four princesses climbed back onto the carpet and took off for the Cave of No Hope, with Elena showing the way.

  “Delicious,” said Lysandra, munching on one of the apples.

  As the girls neared the cave, the wind picked up again. It sent waves crashing against the rocks and spraying high into the air. From within the cave came a loud, fierce roaring. “Whoa,” said Fatima, bringing the carpet to a halt. “Whatever’s inside there sounds pretty angry.”

  Elena clasped her hands together to keep them from trembling.

  “Maybe those rumors weren’t rumors after all,” said Tansy. Her eyes looked huge.

  “D-do you think we should turn back?” Lysandra stuttered.

  Why, they’re just as scared as I am, thought Elena. “Why don’t you play your flute, Tansy?” she suggested. “If there are any sea monsters inside, maybe we can hear what they’re thinking.”

  “Good idea,” said the others.

  Tansy pulled out her flute and began to play, but no thoughts floated out of the cave.

  “Maybe it doesn’t work on sea monsters,” said Lysandra.

  “Shh,” said Fatima, putting a finger to her lips. “I think I hear something.”

  The four girls listened carefully. Finally, above the roaring, they heard a faint cry: “Where is my comb? I want to go home.”

  The princesses stared at one another. Elena took a deep breath. “We have to go inside.”

  8

  Into the Cave

  ELENA TRIED TO LIGHT THE LANTERN, BUT THE wind kept blowing out the flame. Finally the wick caught, and the lantern began to glow. The princesses held their breaths as Fatima flew the carpet into the mouth of the cave. A huge wave pounded against the sides when they entered. Cold salt water sprayed down on them, making them scream.

  The light cast eerie shadows against the walls, but as the girls flew deeper into the cave, the roaring grew quiet. It had only been the wind making those sounds, Elena realized with relief. No wonder Tansy’s flute hadn’t been able to pick up the thoughts of any sea monsters. There weren’t any sea monsters. Not in here, at least.

  Suddenly something small and dark swooped toward them. It was a bat! Startled, Fatima threw her hands up to cover her face. The carpet jerked, and she tumbled off. There was a splash as she hit the water below.

  “Help!” she cried. “I can’t swim!”

  The other three princesses grabbed the sides of the carpet so th
ey wouldn’t be thrown off too. “Lie on your back and kick your feet!” Elena shouted to Fatima as the carpet came to a halt. She passed the lantern to Lysandra, then grabbed the coil of rope. Holding tightly to one end, she cast the rest toward Fatima. “Hold on!” she yelled.

  Fatima thrashed around until she found the rope. Then Lysandra and Tansy held on to Elena as she towed Fatima to a rock that jutted out of the water. Gasping for breath, Fatima scrambled to the top. With halting jerks and bumps, Lysandra guided the carpet close enough for Fatima to climb aboard.

  “Th-th-that was close,” Fatima said through chattering teeth. She was drenched.

  “Here.” Elena removed her cloak and wrapped it around her friend. “It won’t help much, but it’ll keep you a little warmer till we get back to the castle.”

  “Th-thanks,” said Fatima.

  As the girls sped forward with Fatima at the helm once again, the river below narrowed to a thin stream. They could hear the maiden crying now. Her sobs sounded faint at first but grew louder as the princesses flew deeper into the cave. Rounding a bend, they finally came upon the maiden, lying in the shallow water. Her emerald hair, which flowed to her waist, shimmered in the lantern’s light. The carpet swooped toward her and she cried out in alarm. As the maiden began thrashing about, like she was trying to get away, the princesses caught a glimpse of her blue-and-green-scaled tail.

  “She’s a mermaid!” Elena exclaimed.

  Fatima landed the carpet on a rock beside the stream, and the princesses climbed off.

  “Don’t be afraid,” said Elena as they approached the mermaid. “We’re here to help you.”

  The mermaid stopped whipping her tail around. She lay on her side, breathing rapidly. Her face was even paler than Elena remembered from her dreams. Then the mermaid shifted her tail, and Elena saw a big gash in it. “You’ve been hurt!” she cried.

  The mermaid groaned. “I was caught in a fishing net at the bottom of the sea and dragged over some sharp rocks.”

  “How awful!” Lysandra exclaimed.

  The others nodded in agreement. “I may be able to heal your tail if you’ll let me try,” Elena offered.

  The mermaid stiffened. “How?”

  Elena pulled out her small blue bottle. “A few drops of this lotion should do the trick,” she said, hoping it would work as well on mermaids as it did on humans.

  “Will it sting?” the mermaid asked anxiously.

  “Not at all,” Elena assured her. Opening the bottle, she poured out a few drops of the magical lotion, then carefully rubbed it over the mermaid’s wound. The mermaid winced a little when Elena touched her, but as the gash healed over, the look of pain left her face. She swished her tail from side to side to test it out. “Thank you,” she said graciously. “It’s as good as new!”

  “You’re welcome,” said Elena. She told the mermaid her name and introduced her friends. “We’re princesses, but we’re all from different kingdoms.”

  “My name is Sophie,” said the mermaid. “And I’m a princess too.”

  “How did you escape from the net?” Tansy asked.

  “I used a broken clam shell to saw through it, but then I washed up in this cave. I might have been able to swim out if I hadn’t hurt my tail, but I was too weak.” She paused. “I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if you hadn’t come….” Her voice trailed off.

  “Well, you should be fine now,” said Fatima. “If you’d like, we can fly you out of the cave on my carpet.”

  “I’d love to fly with you,” said Sophie, “but I need to stay in the water. Only it’s so shallow here that it will be hard for me to swim.”

  “I know!” said Elena. “We can tow you out!” She showed Sophie the rope. “If you hold on to one end while we fly, we can pull you to the mouth of the cave.”

  “Thank you,” said Sophie. Yet she still seemed troubled. “The problem is, even if I do get out, I won’t be able to find my way home.” A tear trickled down her cheek. “The mermaid kingdom is hidden to protect us from the outside world. Beyond its gates, it’s invisible.”

  Tansy scratched her head. “Then how did you get caught in a fishing net?”

  Sophie blushed. “Sometimes I sneak out through the gates to explore other parts of the sea.”

  “But how did you find your way back those other times?” asked Lysandra.

  “My grandmother gave me a special comb. No matter how far away I wander, it always points the way back.” Sophie hung her head. “But I lost it when I was struggling to get out of the net.”

  Reaching into her pocket, Elena pulled out the rainbow-colored comb. She knew there was something magical about it. “Is this it?” she asked.

  9

  Back to Sea

  SOPHIE’S EYES LIT UP. “HOW DID YOU FIND IT?”

  Elena explained how she’d been walking along the beach when the comb washed ashore. With a pang of regret, she handed the beautiful treasure to Sophie. The mermaid was so delighted to have it back, she flicked her tail up and down, making little splashes in the shallow stream.

  “I saw your face in my dreams,” Elena said, “and I heard you crying. Still, I wasn’t sure you were real.”

  “But then I dreamed about you too,” said Lysandra.

  “So we tried to find you,” continued Fatima. “Only we didn’t know you were a mermaid, so we checked on land first.”

  Then Tansy chimed in. She told about playing her flute above the seals, and how the thoughts of one seal gave them the clue that led to the cave.

  Hugging her comb, Sophie exclaimed, “I’m so lucky you found me!”

  “When we reached the cave, we almost turned back,” Tansy admitted. “We heard roaring and thought there were sea monsters.”

  “But Elena convinced us to go on,” Lysandra said.

  “And she rescued me when I fell into the water and couldn’t swim,” added Fatima.

  Sophie smiled at Elena. “You must be very brave,” she said.

  “I was probably more afraid than anyone,” Elena confessed.

  Sophie flicked her tail. “My grandmother always says, ‘Only fools are never afraid.’ She told me that true courage is facing your fears and going forward.”

  “Your grandmother sounds very wise,” said Fatima.

  Elena wondered if her mother had been afraid when she’d rescued that cat during the storm. Perhaps she had. And maybe Elena was more like her mother than she’d thought, in spite of her frizzy brown hair. It made her feel good to think so.

  “Your family must be so worried,” said Lysandra. “Do you suppose they’ve been searching for you?”

  Sophie nodded. “They’ll have emptied out the nets of every passing boat and searched the entire ocean floor by now. But I’m sure no one knows about this cave. Even if they do, it would be too difficult to reach.”

  “Maybe we should go,” said Elena. “Then your family can stop worrying.”

  With Sophie holding on to the rope, Elena and her friends towed the mermaid out of the cave. When they reached the sea, Sophie let go. “Thanks!” she called to them as she bobbed up and down in the waves. “I’ll be fine now.”

  Fatima lowered the carpet so that it hovered just above the water’s surface. Elena leaned over toward Sophie. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” she asked anxiously. “I wish there was a way for us to know when you’ve made it home safely.”

  Sophie thought for a moment. “I know! I’ll send you a sign.”

  “What kind of a sign?” asked Lysandra.

  The mermaid smiled. “You’ll know. Just look to the sky.” Then with a flick of her tail, she dove into the water.

  Elena watched the ripples spread, trying to fix in her mind the spot where Sophie had disappeared.

  Since they’d left the cave, the wind had died down and the sea had become blue again. Now the clouds parted, and the sun came out. Even so, Fatima shivered.

  “You’re still damp,” said Elena. “We’d better get back to the castle so you can
change into dry clothes.”

  “I’d like to take a long, hot bath as soon as we arrive,” Fatima said, pointing the carpet toward shore.

  As they approached the castle, Elena turned to gaze back at the sea. “Look!” she cried. Starting from the spot where they’d last seen the mermaid, a brightly colored rainbow stretched across the sky.

  “It’s Sophie’s sign!” exclaimed Lysandra.

  Tansy shielded her eyes from the sun. “I can only see one end of the rainbow.”

  Elena smiled. She was sure she knew where the other end was—in the invisible, hidden kingdom of the mermaids. Sophie was home.

  10

  In the Castle

  FATIMA LANDED THE CARPET SMOOTHLY, AND the four girls started for the castle. Before they could reach the gates, however, the front doors were flung open and a servant came rushing out.

  “Princess Elena!” the servant exclaimed. “Thank goodness you’re back! Your father has been asking for you. He was taken ill hours ago. The doctor is with him now.”

  Elena’s heart began to beat fast. “What happened?” she asked as the princesses followed the servant inside the castle.

  “I don’t know for sure, Your Highness. But here’s what I heard: King Philip fainted in the Great Hall this morning. He’d been meeting with two fishermen about some kind of problem. They’d just turned to leave when your father collapsed. They’re the ones who let everyone know.”

  “Oh no!” cried Elena. She turned toward her friends. “I must go see him.”

  “Of course,” said Fatima. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll go to your room and wait for you there.”

  Elena raced through the castle to her father’s chamber. The Royal Doctor, an elderly man with a full head of white hair, was just coming out. Closing the door behind him, he stopped Elena. “No one can go in just now,” he told her. “King Philip needs his rest.”