Page 128 of A Secret Cornish Wish
‘Mermaids? You think there’s more than one?’
‘I know there is. I’ve seen them.’
I’m about to ask what they look like, and did she ever see more than a tail, when she continues. ‘The reason I know that story is made up is because a mermaid’s treasure would never be a set of fancy jewels, as is depicted in that version. Mermaids live a much simpler life. Their treasure is always made up of natural objects – like shells, and items found in the sea.’
‘LikeThe Little Mermaid?’ I suggest. ‘I used to watch that movie a lot with my daughter, Rosie, when she was young. Ariel’s treasure was things she’d found in the ocean.’
‘Ah, you are referring to the animated film.’ Muriel gives a little shrug. ‘A good attempt, but about as true a tale as the drunken maid version is.’
‘What is the true story, then? And how do you know so much about this, anyway?’
‘I don’t suppose you have a kettle here, do you?’ Muriel asks, looking towards the back room where I do all my painting. ‘I’d love a cup of tea if you could spare one?’
‘Of course,’ I say. ‘Give me a couple of minutes.’
I make Muriel and me both a cup of tea and then I pull up another chair and sit down next to her in front of the painting.
‘Lovely name your daughter has,’ Muriel says as she admires the painting again while sipping her tea.
‘Thank you. I named her partly after someone I used to know, and partly because Rosemary, which it’s short for, means “dew of the sea”. When she was born I lived in Glasgow, so I felt a long way from my home here by the sea.’
‘That’s lovely,’ Muriel says. ‘It’s surprising how many names have a sea meaning, isn’t it? My own does too. Muriel means “of the bright sea”. It’s a little old fashioned now, though. You chose well with Rosemary or Rosie. I’m sure it suits her much better. Now,’ she says after another sip of her tea. ‘Let me tell you some more about mermaids. That’s if you’re still interested?’
‘Yes, of course I am.’
Muriel looks pleased. ‘Right then, I have been studying mermaids and the stories that surround them for many years. It’s quite the passion of mine.’
‘That’s why you wanted all the mermaids in the painting?’
‘Partly. The true story of the St Felix Mermaids, I believe, is as follows – Mermaids are said to live for hundreds, sometimes even thousands of years. Again, to use the angelic realms for comparison – an angel needs to earn their wings by looking after humans for a certain amount of time. A mermaid needs to do the same, but instead of wings they try to earn their legs.’
I’m about to useThe Little Mermaidagain for reference, but I think better of it.
‘To become human?’ I ask instead.
‘Oh, no, why would something as beautiful as a mermaid want to become human? No offence to you, but humans are considered much lower beings in terms of the universe as a whole, than say something like an angel or a mermaid.’
‘But you said they want to earn their legs. What would be the point in having legs if you were going to carry on living in the sea?’
‘Earning your legs isn’t about becoming something else, it’s about having the option to.’
‘I don’t really follow . . . ’
‘It’s quite common knowledge that mermaids are often able to shapeshift. That means they are able to take on the form of another living being. But to do that they have to earn their “legs”, i.e. the gift of shapeshifting.’
This conversation is getting stranger by the minute. But I’m finding it incredibly compelling too. Muriel doesn’t seem particularly eccentric or batty, she just seems very knowledgeable about her passion – which is clearly mermaids in all their guises.
‘How do they do that?’
‘When a mermaid, or a merman for that matter, reaches a certain age, it’s their chance to prove themselves. To move up the echelons of merpeople so to speak. A bit like when a human reaches eighteen, or twenty-one as it used to be, they become an adult. Humans are bestowed with certain privileges in life at that age, and we hope they use those privileges sensibly and to the best of their ability. Many however do not, and they are often the ones that need the most help. That’s when the more experienced beings are needed – your winged angels and the like. But whatever type of being you are, when you are just starting out on your spiritual journey, you need to choose humans to help that have slightly easier problems to fix. But the more you can help, the more you build up credit – let’s call it – so eventually the gift of wings, or the ability to shapeshift is yours as often as you need it.’
I drink my tea while I listen to Muriel speak, part of me thinking I should be finding everything she says totally beyond belief, and simply the words of a little old lady who clearly takes great comfort from her own notions and beliefs. But she speaks with such confidence and total conviction, that I feel myself completely drawn to her every word.
‘Go on,’ I say when she pauses to have a drink.
‘I’m glad you’re so interested.’ She smiles at me. ‘There’s many folks who would simply put my thoughts and observations down as the fantasies of a silly old woman.’
‘I am interested – genuinely. I might have seen something strange too when I’ve been in the cove.’
