The Furious Spinner

I haven't had much to say lately, and now I'm just about out the door, on the way to Santa Fe. Wish me a safe trip, if you would. I'll try to post along the way here and there. I will leave you with this scene from Church of the Old Mermaids. Myla is telling a story to Lily and her mother Maria, who have both had a trying day. Both are migrants Myla saved from the desert and brought to the Old Mermaid Sanctuary. Maria is depressed because her husband has disappeared—and for other reasons that are a mystery to Myla at this point. Lily is a wonderful glorious intuitive 5-year-old. (I understand that describes most 5-year-olds.) Enjoy! May you love, walk, dance, sing in Beauty.

“Let me tell you about Tulip,” Myla said. “She was a girl just about your age who lived near the Old Mermaids but didn’t know it for a long time. She had trouble sleeping some nights. She had had some scary things happen in her life.”

“Like what?” Lily asked.

“Well, her daddy was gone for a long time,” Myla said, “and her mother was often sad because of this. Tulip thought she was pretty much alone in the world until she walked down the wash one day and found Sister Laughs A Lot Mermaid in the wash looking around in the dirt for treasure.”

“Like you,” Lily said.

“Yep,” Myla said. “Sister Laughs a Lot Mermaid took Tulip back to the Old Mermaid Sanctuary and Sister Ruby Rosarita gave her some lunch. Tulip talked all through the meal of beans, rice, and vegetables. The Old Mermaids immediately loved the little girl, and she became a frequent visitor to the Old Mermaid Sanctuary. Her mother Poppy visited too. As time went on, Poppy was not as sad. She was an excellent seamstress, and she showed the Old Mermaids how to sew.

“The Old Mermaids were not used to clothing from their days in the Old Sea, and they hadn’t quite grasped the concept yet. But Poppy showed them how they could dress themselves like they would paint a painting--use the cloth like paint. Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid already had her own style. Same with Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid. And Sissy Maggie Mermaid had been making clothes her art for a while. But Sister Lyra Musica Mermaid, Sister Ursula Divine Mermaid, Sister Bea Wilder Mermaid, and Sister DeeDee Lightful Mermaid didn’t mind some helpful hints. The desert could be rather prickly--as could some of the neighbors who were startled on more than one occasion by the singular (or duo) Old Mermaid walking the wash with nothing more than the memory of a tail to cover her.

“Anyway, Tulip and Poppy began spending more time with the Old Mermaids. One day, Poppy told Sister Laughs a Lot Mermaid that Tulip had nightmares and was afraid to go to sleep at night. Sister Laughs a Lot Mermaid told Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid and Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid. Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid said, ‘Hasn’t Tulip been gifted yet?’ Poppy told them she had never heard of being Gifted. The Old Mermaids were shocked. ‘This explains a great deal,’ said Sister Sophia Mermaid. The others nodded. It did explain a lot.

“‘In the Old Sea,’ Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid explained, ‘every young Old Mermaid has a ceremony, and her mermothers bestow on her various gifts. That’s being Gifted.’ ‘That sounds lovely,’ Poppy said. ‘Something like that might help Tulip very much.’ The Old Mermaids volunteered to be mermothers for Tulip. ‘And for you,’ Sister Faye Mermaid said. ‘Mother and daughter will be Gifted the same!’ Sister Faye Mermaid and Sister Bridget Mermaid organized the ceremony. Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid and Sister Lyra Musica Mermaid prepared the feast. Poppy and Sissy Maggie Mermaid made beautiful clothes for Poppy and Tulip--they looked like colorful flashy mermaid tails!”

Lily laughed. Maria was part of the darkness now, and Myla couldn’t tell if she was awake or not.

“Tulip and Poppy sat out by the pool,” Myla said, “in chairs just like the ones we have on the patio. It was around dusk. Twilight. When the veil between worlds is supposed to be thinnest. First Sister Bridget Mermaid put a seashell necklace around Tulip’s neck and Sister Faye Mermaid did the same for Poppy. Then they sang a couple of sea chanties. One by one the Old Mermaids came and stood before Tulip and her mother. Sister DeeDee Lightful Mermaid said, ‘I gift you with joy!’ She kissed the top of Poppy’s head, then the top of Tulip’s head. Sister Bea Wilder Mermaid came next. ‘I gift you with ecstatic dance,’ she said and whirled around. ‘I gift you with laughter,’ Sister Laughs A Lot said. Then she rubbed her tummy and laughed. She kissed the mother and daughter on the cheek.

“’I gift you with enough to eat,’ Sister Ruby Rosarito Mermaid said. She placed a piece of cake in their laps. ‘I gift you with guts!’ Sister Sheila Na Giggles Mermaid said. And she shook their hands. ‘I gift you with this reminder: you are a part of Nature,’ Sister Ursula Divine Mermaid said. She gave them each a walking stick made from sycamore branches she had found up on the mountain. Sister Bridget Mermaid said, ‘I gift you with poetry and music,’ Bridget said. ‘I gift you with healing and magic,’ Sister Faye Mermaid said. She turned her closed hands up and opened them. A hummingbird flew off of each palm. I heard tell they glowed, those birds, like lightning bugs. They flew up close to Tulip and Poppy, and then flew away. ‘I gift you with stories,’ Sister Lyra Musica Mermaid said. She kissed first the mother and then the daughter on the forehead. ‘I gift you with wisdom,’ Sister Sophia Mermaid said. ‘I gift you with the stars, the earth, the moon, and the sun,’ Mother Star Stupendous said. Then Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid stood before them. Poppy and Tulip got off the chairs and held hands while they awaited Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid’s gift. Grand Mother smiled and said, ‘I gift you with the mysteries of the Old Sea.’” They all cheered and laughed and recited more poetry--then they went and ate the wonderful feast.”

“Did Tulip have nightmares afterward?” Lily asked.

“I don’t think so. If she did, she probably wasn’t as afraid. She had the gifts of thirteen Old Mermaids! How could she go wrong? Tulip said she didn’t feel different after being Gifted, only more herself, and Grand Mother Yemaya said that was because she always had the gifts. That was the mystery of the Old Sea. At least one of them.”

Labels: Church of the Old Mermaids, Old Mermaids

3 comments

3 Comments:

May it be a trip that mermaids would praise!

By Will Shetterly, at 11:07 AM  

Kim, enjoy your trip to Santa Fe and return to us with all sorts of lovely tales to share. Journey wisely and enjoy beautiful enchanted Santa Fe. Love, hugs and bright blessings, Cate

By kerrdelune, at 11:25 AM  

Thanks! Away we go! (I'm so clever at midnight, aren't I?)

By Kim Antieau, at 11:07 PM  

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