by Down, Reg
“But I am not going to tell you about them,” said Tiptoes. “I am going to tell you about the ones that came from the seeds that were too big and too ripe. These Bright Ones were much bigger than human sun-seeds. They were as big as giant clouds full of light. Many things happened in those days; many tales could I tell, like leaves on the trees they are, and ever-renewing. This one is called: How Oshi loved the Ocean.”
Chapter 40
How Oshi loved the Ocean
In the younger days there were three Bright Ones: Eefer, Oshi and Ko-Ko-Roomba. They were sun-seeds new to the earth and floated above it like huge clouds. They came from seeds which were too ripe, and because they were too ripe they were not perfect.
One day Eefer, Oshi and Ko-Ko-Roomba went for a float. The breeze was delicious, the sun was gorgeous and the other clouds few and far between. They floated over a forest, along a river and over a volcano. All around the volcano Hot People had gathered. These were the human sun-seeds who liked to be where it was warm. They wallowed in the heat above the volcano just like we wallow in hot tubs today. Ko-Ko-Roomba liked what he saw, for he himself had lots of Kalor’s heat in him.
‘Roomba-doombha,’ rumbled Ko-Ko-Roomba. ‘Fire! Fire! Fire is fine, fire is furious, fire is fantastic. A swim in fire would tickle my fancy!’
‘Oh, be quiet,’ said Oshi, thinking him mad. ‘What’s this roomba-doombha nonsense?’
Ko-Ko-Roomba was going to reply, but the breeze picked up and blew them away from the volcano.
On they floated, here and there, up and down, and the more they floated the more Eefer sang the praises of the air. ‘O, the air is so sweet and fine,’ she said. ‘So lovely and soft, so fragrant and scented, so very breezy. I love the wind!’
‘Oh, stop blubbering,’ said Oshi, getting annoyed. ‘There’s too much silliness coming from you!’
But Eefer didn’t pay any heed and went on singing the praises of the wind and air while Oshi fumed. Oshi was a changeable, moody character. One minute he’d be gentle and calm; the next he’d be wild and stormy.
The wind picked up and blew the Bright Ones across a vast, empty and grassy plain dotted with lakes and ponds. Finally the wind blew them out to sea. These three had never seen the sea before. Ko-Ko-Roomba quaked in terror. He saw that the vast waters of the mighty ocean could quench his fire in a moment. And Eefer didn’t like the ocean either. It was too heavy and dark for her. She preferred the light shining through the crystal clear air.
But Oshi looked down and was amazed. He peered into the deeps and saw how the ocean could swallow the tallest mountain on earth. He saw the waves run with the wind, now ripples, now whitecaps, now swells many miles long. He saw the breakers pounding relentlessly on the beaches, and saw how gentle and calm and generous and full of life the sea was. To him the sea was beautiful and strong, so restless and ever-changing, and Oshi fell in love with her.
‘I’m going for a swim,’ said Oshi. ‘I feel the ocean calling.’
‘No, no,’ cried Eefer and Ko-Ko-Roomba. ‘Don’t go for a swim! Don’t touch her.’
But Oshi wouldn’t listen. He floated down from the great heights and gently, softly, lovingly touched the water with one hand. Instantly, a watery mist rushed into Oshi’s body. He trembled. He shook. He cried out, but whether in joy or sorrow even he did not know, for in that instant he was changed, changed utterly. He rose, he struggled to gain the heights, he fought to be light-filled and buoyant again, but could not. The sea mist darkened within him and he wept, and as he wept he fell, drop by drop, into the sea and was gone.
‘Oshi! Oshi!’ cried Eefer and Ko-Ko-Roomba. ‘Where are you?’
There was no reply, but the sea began to churn and the waves to mount. Horsemen rode the waves and the breakers crashed on the shores and pounded mountains to sand. Wild, wild was the storm, for weeks and months it surged and fell. At last the storm stopped and the sea calmed again. But in the depths the sea was more restless than ever before, and, for the first time, the tides rose and fell like the breathing of a great being.”
“That is how Oshi became King of the Sea,” said Tiptoes. “He lives there still; ever moody, ever dangerous, ever generous and filled with life, but also wild and terrible.”
“What happened to Eefer and Ko-Ko-Roomba?” asked Gramma.
“Eefer and Ko-Ko-Roomba floated on,” said Tiptoes. “They left the great ocean and passed over a land of many volcanoes. Ever and again Ko-Ko-Roomba looked longingly at the fires coming from deep inside the earth. At last he too floated down and touched the molten rock. He became the Master Burner and King of Fire.
But Eefer stayed floating. For long ages she stayed floating—far longer than any other Bright One. She even refused to come down when it was time for humans to stand on the earth. She could have become one of the great leaders of a sleepy and mischievous humankind, but this is not what she wanted. She became the Queen of the Air and lives in the wind and storms and gentle breezes. She too is filled with different moods, but is never so dark as Oshi, for the air welcomes the light of the sun.”
Tiptoes was quiet for a moment. She had finished her story.
Suddenly the grown-ups awoke. Uncle Finn leaped to his feet.
“I saw a great king, the King of the Sea,” he cried. “With him was the Queen of the Air and someone full of flames. His name sounded like drums in the earth.”
“You were dreaming the story,” laughed Veronica.
“I heard the drums too,” said Farmer John. “Who was it? What was his name?”
“The Master Burner and King of Flames, Ko-Ko-Roomba,” said Tom. “Wasn’t it, Tiptoes?” But when he turned to her she was gone.
Chapter 41
The Maid with the sea-green Eyes
That evening Tiptoes flew to the lighthouse. The moon was almost full in the sky and the stars shone clearly, but far out on the horizon the sea mist was waiting for the winds to blow it ashore. Tiptoes flew around the tiny island. No one was outside, but the boat was in its harbor and the window to the keeper’s workshop was brightly lit. She slipped in through the keyhole and set herself on one of the deep windowsills. On the table a single candle was burning. She looked out the window and watched the cliffs along the shore gleam in the moonlight. They darkened as the mist moved in and everything became foggy and dim. Soon the fog was so thick that she couldn’t even see the ocean, but the sound of the waves washing against the rocks was as clear as ever.
The outside door opened and a young woman stepped into the living room. She had flowing hair down to her waist, lovely pale skin, and slim, delicate hands. She was beautiful.
Tiptoes stayed still and watched. The woman closed the door, sat down on a chair and waited. The candlelight flickered as night settled in. At last Tiptoes heard the keeper’s footsteps coming down the stairs. He carried a lantern, and when he entered the whole room lit up. He hung the lamp on a hook and went to the young woman. She smiled and took his hand. He turned his head and saw Tiptoes.
The woman followed his gaze and gave a little gasp. “I didn’t know anyone was here!” she said in surprise.
“It seems we have our little visitor again tonight,” said the keeper. “Her name is Tiptoes Lightly. She’s the one I told you about.”
The woman smiled and gave a little bow with her head. The lamplight shone off her hair and Tiptoes saw that it was tinged a soft sea-green, like the color of waves before they crash onto the shore.
The lighthouse keeper lit a fire in the fireplace and soon red and yellow flames were dancing brightly. Tiptoes sat on the edge of a stool and the keeper and lady sat on the sofa. They were happy to be together.
“Please tell me more about mermaids,” said Tiptoes. “I’m sure you know more than what you told me.”
The keeper glanced at the lady. She smiled and gave a little nod. “Yes,” he answered, “perhaps I can. There are many things I could say, but I will tell you a tale, a true tale if you will believe it, of Peter the Sailor and the Sea Maiden
.”
Tiptoes crossed her legs, arranged her dress over her knees, and put her chin in her hands. She loved to listen to stories.
Chapter 42
Peter and the Sea Maiden
There was once a sailor called Peter,” began the keeper. “He was young and sailed the seven seas. He sailed from India to Africa, from Mauritius to Maine, and from America to England. He traded in silk and satin, fine pottery and metalwork, sweet wines and precious spices. Everywhere he sailed he bought and sold until he became rich and owned his own boat and crew.
When he was at sea Peter often stood on deck at the end of the day to plan his voyages and decide what to buy and what to sell. One evening he stood by the railing and gazed out over the sea. The sun was settling into the waves and casting a warm light onto the clouds. It was then, as the boat rocked back and forth on the swell, that Peter saw a woman looking up at him from out of the water. As soon as he noticed her she turned and disappeared out of sight into the deeps.
Peter almost called out. For a moment he thought one of his crew had fallen overboard. Then he realized that this was impossible for his crew was only made up of men. So he kept his peace and told no one of what he had seen.
The next evening as he looked over the ocean he again saw the young maiden rise out of the deep. This time her head rose out of the water and they gazed at each other. She had blue-green eyes and long, sea-green hair floating about her shoulders. Then she turned and vanished under the waves.
And so it was that for seven days the sea maiden appeared when Peter stood at the railing and looked out over the sea. He saw her lovely face and glimmering hair and often looked deeply into her eyes, but never a word did they say to each other. On the eighth evening she did not appear, nor on the ninth, nor ever after did the sea maiden appear from out of the waves.
Peter’s ship reached port. They sold their fine fabrics and costly goods and took sweet wine on board. Then they set sail down the coast. Peter had made much money and now was richer than he had ever been, but he wasn’t content. He stood by the railing and looked out over the sea, and for days on end he hardly said anything at all.
One evening he became lightheaded and fey. He climbed to the top of the tallest mast, and shouted:
‘I am richer than the King of the Sea,
yet no maiden for wife has come to me!’
His crew laughed, thinking he’d been drinking too much of his own cargo.
But they were not the only ones to hear his words. Deep beneath the waves the King of the Sea heard his boast and roared: ‘King of the Sea! Who thinks he is richer than the King of the Sea? I’ll show him who the King of the Sea really is!’
He raised his three pointed staff high above his head, and shouted: ‘Waves rise!’ and the waves rose and became wild.
‘Wind howl!’ he cried, and the wind howled and stormed about the ship.
‘Rocks doom!’ he intoned, lowering his staff and pointing to the rocky shore. Immediately the wind and waves turned and beat the ship towards the shore.
Peter clung to the mast with all his strength. The storm rose so quickly that he didn’t have time to climb down. Water pounded the deck, wind ripped the sails to shreds and the whole ship groaned. With a thundering crash the boat smashed onto the rocks and broke into a thousand pieces. Peter was flung from the mast far out into the surf. Down, down under the water he went, dragged by the terrible waves until his strength gave out and all became dark.
Peter awoke on the shore. Beside him sat a young woman with long hair down to her waist. On her slim fingers she had two rings, each like the other, showing two fishes intertwined, one of silver and one of gold. He sat up with a start. He knew it was the sea maiden he had seen in the water.
‘Where is my ship?’ he asked.
‘Gone,’ she said.
‘And my crew?’
‘Dead,’ she replied. ‘My father was the one who let loose the storm that wrecked your ship.’
Peter sat for a while. ‘Why didn’t you come to the boat anymore?’ he asked.
‘I could not,’ she said. ‘My father was close. He is seeking me and I had to hide. That is why he heard you when you claimed to be richer than the King of the Sea.’
She took one of the rings from her finger and placed it in his hand. ‘If you wish to see me again, put this ring on your finger. I will know and come to you.’
Then she walked into the ocean and disappeared beneath the waves.”
Tiptoes looked at the beautiful young woman sitting next to the lighthouse keeper. She sat still, her greenish hair glistening in the firelight. She reached out and touched the keeper’s hand and Tiptoes saw the two finely wrought rings, each of silver and gold.
Chapter 43
~ Thanksgiving Thursday ~
I spy
The first one up was Johnny Top. He ran through the rooms shouting that it was Thanksgiving Day. It was half past five and still dark. Everyone groaned and pulled the covers over their heads—except Tiptoes. She told him to come to the living room and wrap himself in a blanket to keep warm. So he pulled a blanket off his bed and sat on the sofa looking like a little Buddha with a great big smile of joy on his face.
“Let’s play ‘I spy’,” said Johnny Top. “I know my alphabet. My turn to guess first.”
“Okay,” said Tiptoes, and she looked at the blanket wrapping him up. “I spy, with my little eye, something starting with B.”
“Blanket,” cried Johnny Top.
“Yes,” said Tiptoes. “Now your turn.”
“I spy, with my little eye, … um … something starting with … wings!” said Johnny Top.
Tiptoes scrunched up her mouth and flapped her wings. “Ummmm … my dress?” she said.
“Nooo,” said Johnny Top, grinning.
Tiptoes flapped her wings again and looking around the room.
“Umm … curtains,” she said.
“Nooooo,” said Johnny Top bouncing up and down.
“Ummmm … my wings?” said Tiptoes.
“Yea—you guessed it!” cried Johnny Top. “Where’s the turkey?”
“In the fridge,” said Tiptoes
Johnny Top threw off his blanket and ran to the kitchen. He had to pull hard to open the fridge door.
“There it is,” said Johnny Top, giving the turkey a pat. “Where’s the stuffing?”
“At the back,” said Tiptoes. “On the top shelf in the big bowl.”
“Where?” said Johnny Top, standing as high as he could and wobbling on his toes.
Tiptoes flew in and landed on the edge of the bowl.
“Here,” she said.
“Oh,” said Johnny Top, wobbling even more. “Oh-oh!” he said, and toppled backwards.
“The door!” cried Tiptoes as the fridge door closed. Suddenly it was completely dark and freezing cold. “Johnny Top! Johnny Top! Open the door!” shouted Tiptoes.
In a moment the door shook. Johnny was trying to open it. Tiptoes pushed hard and it opened.
“Oopsies,” said Johnny Top, letting Tiptoes out. “Sorry.”
Tiptoes had her hands full with Johnny Top until Gramma got up and took over. He helped her prepare the pumpkin pies and pour in the filling. When they were ready, Gramma opened the oven door. In an instant out flew Flicker and Flash.
“Fire fairies,” cried Johnny Top. “They’re racing!”—and they were racing, round and round the kitchen, bouncing off the walls and whizzing round the light.
“Back into the oven,” said Gramma. “You two have a job to do,” and back into the oven they flew.
Then Gramma put the pies inside, closed the door, and washed her hands. “Now let’s stuff the turkey and make the cranberry sauce,” she said, and they did.
Chapter 44
The Lantern Fish
Tiptoes left Johnny Top in Gramma’s care. She flew through the morning mist towards the beach. The mist was thin and rising—it was going to be another fine day. She found the tide low, but turning, and the se
agulls were out in force, flying along the sea shore and feeding. She slipped into the Treasure Cave and called Obaro. She had questions that only he could answer.
“Obaro! Obaro!” she called, her clear voice ringing in the cave.
“Here I am, I am,” said Obaro, appearing. “So much coming and going, coming and going these days.”
“What happened to the Sea King’s daughter after she went into hiding?” asked Tiptoes.
“We are full of questions and questions,” said Obaro, his voice echoing. “I think you know more than you are telling me, telling me.”
Tiptoes smiled. “Maybe,” she said, “but I could be wrong.”
Obaro closed his deep, deep eyes. For a moment he almost faded away, but he was only thinking and remembering deeply.
“Let me see, let me see,” he said. “Oh, yes, yes,” and he continued his tale.
“The King of the Sea was gloomy. For many a season he stayed in the deep waters where darkness reigns. He missed his daughter, the beautiful sea maiden. He missed her wonderful sea-green eyes, her golden hair, and her elegant tail bejeweled with emerald scales. She had gone to the land of men—or so he thought—and would never come back to the sea again.
One day, as he sat in the gloom, two fish with lanterns hanging from their heads swam by.
‘I hear the Sea King’s daughter has been seen in the shallows,’ said one.