Page 33 of A Secret Cornish Wish
‘Well, technically she didn’t, but – look, just let me tell you the rest of the story.’
‘Go on, Claire,’ Rob says encouragingly.
Claire is clearly enjoying having us all hanging on her every word for once. ‘So, as you can imagine, the maid got pretty drunk, or should I saymerry, as a result of drinking all this alcohol, and when she went to throw her barrel full of jewellery into the sea, she slipped and fell off the rocks into the waves and was never seen again. But . . . ’ Claire holds up her finger to keep our attention. ‘And this is the really interesting bit – it’s said she didn’t actually drown. The story goes she was actually rescued by a passing merman, who took her down to the bottom of the ocean along with her treasure. The maid fell in love with the merman and was transformed into a beautiful mermaid and was never ever seen again on the land.’
We all stare silently at Claire for a moment.
‘That’s where the Merry Mermaid of St Felix came from?’ Eddie asks, looking puzzled. ‘Not much of a story to name a pub after, is it – a woman who drowned?’
‘That’s not quite the end of the story,’ Claire says, ‘and this is the bit I can’t believe none of you know – there’s a proverb!’
‘Which is?’ Suzy asks, looking doubtful.
‘ “If a mermaid’s treasure washes up on the shore. Return it to the waves and be happy forevermore.” No?’ Claire asks when we all look blank. ‘None of you have ever heard it? My mum told me it years ago when we were on the beach one day.’
‘There’s an engraving saying that in the pub,’ Rob says. ‘It hangs just above the door inside.’
‘See?’ Claire says. ‘I told you the two were linked. Mum said it means if you ever find the mermaid’s treasure, you must throw it back into the sea and the mermaid will grant you one wish.’
‘Is it some sort of test?’ Eddie asks. ‘Because the barrel is supposed to be full of treasure?’
‘Yes!’ Claire says keenly. ‘If you throw it back to the mermaid, it signifies to her that you are worthy of a wish.’
We all turn and look at the worn-looking barrel.
‘But what makes you think that’s the same barrel?’ I ask. ‘There could be loads of empty whisky kegs floating around in the sea just waiting to be washed up on shore?’
‘The year the maid went missing was 1824,’ Claire says. ‘The same date as on your barrel over there.’
‘She’s right,’ Rob says, confirming this. ‘It says that date in the pub too.’
‘So you’re saying we should throw it back in the sea?’ I ask.
‘Yes,’ Claire says. ‘That’s what the proverb says we should do.’
‘But it could be full of treasure!’ Mandy says, not sounding that convinced. ‘If what you say is true, Claire, there could be jewellery in there.’
Again we all stare at the barrel.
‘If that tale is true, and this is the barrel, then we could make a wish,’ Eddie says quietly. ‘All of us, if we all returned the barrel to the sea.’
‘I’d much rather have a wish than some treasure,’ Suzy says wistfully.
‘I’d rather have the treasure,’ Mandy says, practical as ever. ‘Or the money that the treasure is worth.’
‘It won’t be our money, though, if that barrel did contain anything valuable,’ Suzy tells her. ‘We’d have to hand it in to the authorities and then it would belong to them or the original owner. I collect things off the beach all the time; there are laws covering anything valuable.’
‘She’s probably right,’ I tell the others. ‘If that jewellery was stolen from the castle, then technically it would still belong to them.’
‘But that old fella lives there now, doesn’t he?’ Mandy says. ‘What is it my mam calls him? Oh, yeah, Mad Stan the pasty man! I doubt he’d even know it belonged to his ancestors if he’s a bit doolally.’
‘I think you’re all getting a little carried away,’ Rob says. ‘The chances of that story actually being true are low to begin with, let alone there actually being treasure in the barrel. I think we should open it.’
‘No!’ We all shout at once.
Rob looks surprised at our outburst.
‘You haven’t lived in Cornwall very long, have you, Rob?’ Suzy asks. ‘The one thing you learn when you’ve lived here a while is that this area is brimming with myths and legends. Some of them might be made up or embellished over time, but some of them . . . well, you just can’t explain.’
