Mermaid Curse

by Louise Cooper

  ‘It’s the dolphins talking,’ said Kes. ‘They’re happy and excited, because you’ve come back.’

  ‘It’s beautiful!’ Lizzy whispered in wonder.

  ‘It’ll take time for you to tune in, but when you do you’ll be able to talk to them when you’re on land. And to me.’ Kes smiled. ‘All you have to do is hold the shell to your ear, and we’ll be with you.’

  The roar of a motor vehicle’s engine suddenly broke the spell, and Lizzy turned her head to see the lifeguards’ 4x4 trundling across the sand. Their day’s work was starting – Mum and Dad must be up by now. She’d meant to leave them a note, but in her hurry to get to the beach she had forgotten. What if they went to her room and found her missing?

  ‘I must go!’ She scrambled to her feet. ‘My parents will start worrying!’

  ‘Can’t you stay a bit longer?’ Kes pleaded.

  ‘No, I’ve got to get back!’

  ‘When can you come again?’

  She thought quickly. Mum wanted to go shopping in Penzance today, to buy things for the new house. She and Rose had said they would go too. She couldn’t get out of it, or it would look suspicious. ‘Tomorrow,’ she said. ‘Early morning, here on the beach.’ There was a lump in her throat. She tried to gulp it back but it wouldn’t go. ‘Will you tell your mother about me?’

  ‘Yes!’ said Kes. ‘She’ll so much want to see you! But she doesn’t go too near land. It’s difficult for her. So I’ll have to take you to her.’ He paused. ‘Will you come?’

  Lizzy’s eyes were shining. ‘Yes, please!’ Then suddenly a new thought came to her. ‘Kes… the children’s home called me Elizabeth – Lizzy – because no one knew my real name.’ She swallowed again. ‘Do you know what my real name is?’

  ‘Of course I do.’ Kes smiled. ‘It’s Tegenn.’

  Tegenn. It sounded so strange, so unfamiliar. But it’s me, Lizzy thought. It’s my real name…

  She couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come.

  Chapter Six

  By the time her house came in sight, everything was starting to feel unreal to Lizzy. She was giddy with a mixture of shock, excitement and confusion, as if her mind simply wasn’t big enough to take in all that had happened and make sense of it. Going round to the back of the house, she cautiously eased the back door open and peered into the kitchen. There was no one there, and no noises that she could hear. Maybe Mum and Dad weren’t up yet.

  She glided up the stairs as silently as a ghost and went to her bedroom. There was a mirror on the table, and she sat down and stared at her reflection. Her own face stared back; round, fair-skinned, with a snub nose (‘a cute little button’ Dad called it) and a sprinkling of freckles. Her wavy blonde hair was a mess; even though it was soaking wet it bounced and curled round her face in its usual unruly way. It would never do what she wanted it to, and even though she had recently had it cut quite short, it still refused to behave. You look just like our mother, Kes had said. Lizzy found that hard to believe. But her eyes… oh, yes, they were exactly like Kes’s. Such a bright blue, like the sky and the sea on a summer day…

  A seagull landed on the roof above her room and started to scream raucously. That noise would wake Mum and Dad – if she didn’t hurry up, they’d see her before she could get changed! Hastily Lizzy pulled off her clothes. The sun and wind had dried them a bit as she ran home, but they were still wet enough to be a problem. She found a plastic carrier bag, stuffed them into it, and then pushed the bag out of sight under her bed. She would put them in the washing machine later. If she did it now, everyone would be suspicious. Then, grabbing some dry things, she hurried to the bathroom. A shower would explain her wet hair, and with luck no one would be any the wiser.

  Coming out of the bathroom after her shower, she bumped into Rose.

  ‘Oh, it was you making all that noise in there,’ Rose said, and yawned. ‘You woke me up! What on earth are you doing showering at this hour?’

  ‘Sorry,’ said Lizzy. ‘I just thought I’d get up early, as it’s such a lovely day.’

  ‘Is it?’ Rose yawned again. ‘I haven’t looked.’ She was not an early riser. Mum usually had to call her at least four times before she tottered sleepily down to breakfast. ‘Oh, well,’ she added grudgingly, ‘I suppose I might as well make a cup of tea. Fat chance I’ll get back to sleep if you’re going to thunder around like a herd of elephants.’

  Lizzy grinned and went to her bedroom, where she opened the curtains. Rose followed her, blinking at the bright daylight. She peered at herself in Lizzy’s mirror, grimaced and then sniffed. ‘What’s that smell?’

  ‘What smell?’ Lizzy had not noticed anything.

  ‘Sort of briny. Like the sea. You haven’t been bringing buckets of water back from the beach, have you?’

  ‘Don’t be silly, of course I haven’t!’ It was her wet clothes, of course. Lizzy looked furtively at the floor by her bed to make sure the bag was out of sight. But Rose had stopped looking in the mirror and had seen something else.

  ‘Oh, it must be this.’ She crossed the room and picked up the spiral shell that Kes had given to Lizzy. ‘Wow, it’s enormous! Where did you get it?’

  ‘I – found it on the beach,’ Lizzy lied. Her heart had started to beat uncomfortably fast.

  Rose grinned. ‘Remember when we used to hold shells against our ears, to see if we could hear the sea? Bet you can hear it with this one!’

  She made to put the shell to her own ear, but Lizzy darted forward and snatched it out of her hand. ‘No, don’t!’ she said.

  Rose stared at her in surprise. ‘I won’t damage it.’

  ‘I – I know… It’s just that – well…’ Thinking frantically, Lizzy babbled the first thing that came to mind. ‘It’s the sort of thing little kids do, isn’t it? And we’re not little kids now. I mean…’

  The words tailed off. Rose was looking at her curiously. Then she shrugged. ‘OK, suit yourself. If you don’t want me to touch it, I won’t.’

  ‘It isn’t that,’ said Lizzy awkwardly. ‘It’s just…’

  ‘Oh, forget it. You’re nuts, that’s all. I’ll make that tea. Do you want some?’

  The lifeguards were still busy setting up their equipment for the day, so they didn’t notice Kes as he waded back into the water and swam out to sea. He looked for Arhans, but she was nowhere to be seen. That was odd, he thought. The dolphin had been so excited about finding his long-lost sister that he had expected her to stay around. Oh, well. Perhaps she had already gone back to his mother, to tell her the news. Kes hoped not, because he wanted to be the one to tell it. He wanted to see Morvyr’s face!

  Past the breakers, he dived and swam fast under the surface, heading for his home further westward along the coast. He felt excited too, even more excited than Arhans and her friends. Tegenn – Lizzy – his own sister! It was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to Kes, and all he wanted was to reach the underwater cave where he and Morvyr lived. Before long he saw a sea-forest ahead of him: long, brown strands of oar-weed that swayed in the current like flowing hair. He swam towards it and pushed his way in among the waving strands. The weed stroked him gently as he passed. It was quite difficult to swim through, and he often wondered why his mother had chosen to live here instead of in a more open place. He had asked her, many times, but she only said, ‘When you’re older, you’ll understand.’

  Crabs scurried among the weed, and a large blue-black lobster waggled its feelers at Kes as he passed. He called jokingly, ‘Don’t go too near any lobster pots!’ but the lobster didn’t answer. It was too old and too wise to be worried about human fishermen. A small octopus came out of the forest’s depths and swam alongside him. It was curious, but Kes did not want to stop and talk. All he wanted was to get home, to see his mother and tell her everything.

  He emerged from the forest and there it was, a cave hollowed into the rocky coast on the seabed. Kes could see the curtain of seaweed that covered the entrance, surrounded by anemones that wave
d their bright-coloured tentacles in the current. He put on a burst of speed – then suddenly there was a swirling of water inside the cave, the weed curtain parted and his mother emerged.

  Morvyr had white-blonde hair that flowed behind her, and eyes the grey of a stormy sea. Her hair was exactly the same colour as Lizzy’s. But instead of human legs, she had a long, green tail that shimmered with silvery scales, like the tail of a fish.

  ‘Kes, where have you been?’ The mermaid sounded agitated.

  ‘I’ve been ashore,’ said Kes. ‘Mother, I –’

  ‘How many times have I told you not to go off on your own without telling me?’

  ‘I’m sorry – but Arhans was with me, and she knew it was all right. Mother –’

  Morvyr didn’t let him finish. ‘You’re home now; that’s all that matters. Kes, I have to go. Not for long; I’ll be back tomorrow if all’s well.’

  ‘Go?’ asked Kes. ‘Where?’

  ‘To the Queen.’

  He was surprised and dismayed. ‘The Queen? What does she want?’

  ‘Gifts. One of her messengers came.’ Morvyr shivered. ‘She has summoned all the merfolk from hereabouts to a gathering-place past Land’s End. She demands tribute.’

  ‘The next tribute isn’t due for another three new moons!’ said Kes.

  ‘She says the last one wasn’t enough, and she wants more.’

  ‘That isn’t fair!’

  ‘I know. But what can we do? We daren’t refuse. You know what happens if anyone disobeys her. She uses her powers to punish them. And we can’t fight that kind of magic.’ Morvyr looked at a bag made from woven seaweed that was slung over her shoulder. ‘I only hope I have enough to please her. There’s mother-of-pearl, and a picking of the rare seaweed that only grows far out in the deep water, and some silver lures that human fishermen lost from their boats. And…’ Her voice caught suddenly. ‘And my coral necklace.’

  ‘Mother! You don’t mean the one that great-grandfather made, with the corals he brought from the South Seas?’

  Morvyr nodded sadly. ‘I have no choice, Kes. There isn’t enough time to find more things to give her.’

  ‘It’s not fair!’ Kes cried. ‘The Queen’s selfish and greedy – I hate her!’

  ‘Shh!’ Morvyr glanced around nervously. ‘You mustn’t ever say things like that. What if one of her spies was nearby and heard you? Now, I must go. The Queen will be angry if anyone is late.’

  ‘Mother!’ Kes said desperately as she began to swim away. ‘There’s something I’ve got to tell you –’

  ‘It will have to wait.’

  ‘It can’t wait!’ Kes drew a deep breath. ‘I’ve found Tegenn!’

  Instantly Morvyr stopped and turned round. ‘What?’

  Kes swallowed. ‘I’ve found my sister. She lives on shore. In the town, with a human family.’

  Morvyr’s eyes widened and she stared at him. ‘It can’t be true…’

  ‘It is true! She’s called Lizzy now, but her hair is just like yours, and her eyes are the same colour as mine. She can breathe underwater, the same as we can. And she’s still got her locket.’

  ‘Oh, Kes…’ His mother’s mouth began to tremble. Forgetting all about the Queen’s summons, she came back to him and grasped his arms. ‘Tell me! Tell me everything!’

  Kes opened his mouth, but before he could even begin his story, they both heard other voices calling.

  ‘Morvyr! Aren’t you ready yet?’

  From the weed forest three mermaids and two mermen appeared. They all had woven bags like Morvyr’s, and they were very agitated.

  ‘Come on, Morvyr!’ urged an older mermaid with long, silver hair.

  ‘We must hurry,’ added another, ‘or the Queen will punish us!’

  ‘Kes, I have to go!’ said Morvyr in distress.

  ‘Our friends are right – we daren’t risk angering the Queen.’

  ‘But Tegenn –’

  ‘Hush!’ She put a finger to her lips. ‘Don’t say her name out loud. Don’t say anything to anyone. This must be our secret until I come back.’

  ‘But I promised to meet her tomorrow morning.’

  ‘Then go, tell her where I’ve gone, and that I’ll see her when I return. Oh, Kes…’

  ‘Come on, Morvyr!’ cried the others.

  ‘I’m coming!’ she called back. ‘Tell her, Kes. Tell her! And take care of yourself!’

  With a flick of her tail she streaked away to join the others. Within moments they had all disappeared among the curtains of oar-weed.

  Kes was still staring at the spot where his mother had vanished when Arhans arrived. The dolphin chittered sympathetically, and Kes stroked her smooth head. ‘I hate the Queen!’ he said angrily. Arhans chittered again, and he sighed. ‘I know. I shouldn’t say that in case anyone’s listening – it could get me into a lot of trouble. But I was so looking forward to Tegenn meeting Mother tomorrow, and now it’s all spoiled!’

  Arhans nuzzled him, whistling, and reluctantly he nodded. ‘You’re right, I suppose,’ he said. ‘It’s only another day. And at least I can see Tegenn and talk to her in the meantime.’ At last he managed a small smile. ‘I suppose I ought to call her Lizzy really, oughtn’t I? It’s the name she knows. Though it sounds very strange to me.’

  The weed forest was quiet now; everyone had gone. Kes sighed again. He might as well go inside the cave, he thought, and wait until tomorrow. There wasn’t much else to do.

  The seaweed curtain parted as he pushed at it, and he drifted gently into his home. It was a very different kind of home to anything found on land. The cave had a low ceiling but it was quite large, and the sand of the floor was so pale that it was more silver than yellow. Weed of many different colours and shapes grew from the walls; flat green sea lettuces, delicate red dulse, leathery brown clumps of wrack with their bulbous air-bladders, which Kes had loved to burst when he was little. A shoal of small fish wriggled out of his path, then flipped up to the roof and hid among the crevices where limpets and striped periwinkles moved slowly. To one side of the floor was a driftwood table. It had been made by Kes’s father, and it was the only thing in the cave that resembled human furniture. To the other side there was a large natural alcove in the rock, covered with a seaweed blanket. This was where Morvyr slept. Kes’s own sleeping area was reached through a short tunnel at the back of the cave, and he swam into the tunnel and through it to the chamber beyond.

  His room was small, and cluttered with all the treasures that Kes had gathered since he was old enough to swim on his own. As well as coloured pebbles and shells of all shapes and sizes, there was a length of rope, a bright orange fishing float, a child’s blue plastic spade, the top of a vacuum flask – all sorts of things lost by land-dwellers, which had been carried away by the sea. But most precious of all to Kes were his shells, and now he settled on the sandy floor and began to sort through the collection.

  He wondered where Lizzy kept the shell he had given her, and tried to imagine what her own special room must be like. Maybe she was looking at the shell now, holding it to her ear… Kes reached out and picked up another shell. Would he hear her, if he listened? He so much wanted to talk to her again and tell her what had happened. But then with a sigh he put the shell down again. His mother had told him he must be patient, and she was right. Tomorrow, he thought. He would see Lizzy again tomorrow.

  He put the shell back and let the current carry him slowly to his own sleeping couch.

  Chapter Seven

  Lizzy got through the rest of that day in a daze. It was just as well that she had the shopping trip with Mum and Rose to concentrate on. The ride in the car to Penzance, then the distraction of all the different shops, took her thoughts away from the incredible things that had happened to her just a few hours ago. By the time they got back home she was much calmer, and was even beginning to wonder if she could have dreamed the whole thing.

  But when she went to her bedroom, there was the shell on the shelf where she had
left it. And outside on the line were her damp clothes, which she had washed and hung up before they left for Penzance…

  ‘You look a bit peaky, love,’ Mum said after dinner. ‘Are you feeling all right? You haven’t been out in the sun too much, have you?’

  Lizzy shook her head. ‘No, I’m fine. A bit tired, that’s all.’

  ‘Lizzy’s not a born shopper, that’s her trouble,’ said Rose. She was feeling very pleased because Mum had given her the money to buy two pairs of shoes and a shoulder bag.

  Dad said, ‘Just as well. Two of you spending money like water would finish Mum and me off!’ He grinned to show he didn’t really mean it, and Rose made a mock swipe at him.

  ‘Well, if you’re feeling all right tomorrow, Lizzy,’ said Mum, ‘I thought maybe we could all go somewhere for the day. Start exploring Cornwall.’

  Lizzy looked at her in dismay. ‘Oh, no! I can’t – I mean –’ She swallowed, realizing what she had been about to say. ‘I’d rather go to the beach,’ she finished lamely.

  Mum looked huffed and started to say that there were loads of beaches to choose from wherever they went. But Rose came to Lizzy’s rescue.

  ‘Oh, Mum, can’t we go another day? I’ve got something to do.’

  ‘What?’ Mum asked.

  Rose’s face flushed slightly. ‘I… er… promised to meet someone.’

  ‘Did you now?’ Dad put in. ‘And who might that be?’

  ‘His name’s Paul.’ Rose looked at them both a bit guiltily. ‘He’s really great. He lives around here. His dad’s a fisherman, with his own boat.’

  ‘And how old is he?’ Dad asked.

  ‘Seventeen. You’d like him, honestly you would. He’s –’

  Mum burst out laughing. ‘Stop questioning her, Mark!’ she said to Dad. ‘She’s not too young to have a boyfriend. Anyway, I seem to remember I was her age when I met you!’