Diving in The Pearl Sea Part VI
Posted by Martha · Aug 01, 2013
Annie swam to the ladder. Marcella followed. The mermaid wound her tall gently around the Whimble. The two embraced, one new friend from land and one from sea.
"Surely I'll see her again, won't I?" Annie B questioned to herself. Her falling tears washed away into the sea as she reached for the lowest rung of the ladder.
Marcella swam round and round while her friend climbed upward. When the mermaid saw a small hand appear to help Annie into her Thimballoon, she stopped, turned and swam into deeper water.
After Annabelle took off her helmet and breathed in the pure sea air, she smiled broadly at her Companion standing before her. "Oh, Gillian!" the Whimble exclaimed. What a wonderful world I saw under the sea. You will never guess who I met!"
"A damselfish maybe," the field mouse answered. He was so relieved to see her again, he didn't care how many tall tales the Whimble spun about her adventures underwater.
"I met a mermaid, a really beautiful mermaid. Her name is Marcella, the coral reef princess."
"Oh, yes, sure she is, Annie. And, I suppose she gave you the pearls you were looking for?"
Annabelle withdrew her pouch. Dangling it in front of Gillian, she pulled the drawstrings open and removed one large pink pearl. Gillian's eyes widened.
"Lovely, Annie!" he uttered in amazement, ears and whiskers twitching in unison.
Just then, the watchmouse heard splashing nearby. He peeked over the side of the Thimballoon and began hopping up and down.
"Oh Annie. Come see. Marcella is right here!" he cried.
The mermaid swam close to the water's surface. Round and round the Thimballoon she spun. While Annabelle and Gillian watched, a large sea turtle glided into view. He skimmed the surface, then swam under Marcella who straddled the large animal's shell. Together they dove down toward the sea bottom. Hundreds of bubbles rose upward toward the light in a final gesture of farewell.
Annabelle sniffled. Her shaking snoot bobbed up and down. Gillian gently patted her cheek with his handkerchief.
Drying her eyes, the Whimble asked falteringly, "Gillian, do you think I will ever see Marcella again? How I would love to meet that fine turtle she was riding!"
"Why I'm certain we will come again, Miss A, if you wish, but right now it's time we returned home," he declared emphatically. "Look. The sun is setting."
Soon they were underway. While they sailed over the deep waters, Annabelle very carefully opened her pouch. One by one, she removed the lustrous pearls. They gleamed under the moon's light. Reaching into the pouch one last time, she felt something else, something small and sharp. She withdrew it. Fingering the angles slowly, she suddenly recognized the blue iridescent object laying there in her hand. It was a mermaid's scale,the finest gift of all from her newest friend with whom she went diving in the Pearl Sea. (la fin from The Pearl Sea - Caelumen)