“So, Irmine has sung for Nalachi and left him a token of her affection. Do they meet again? Or is she always up there searching?” Ted squinted his eyes at the cliffs. “Wait – wouldn’t it be Nalachi searching for her?”
“Good question, Dr. Macalister,” Jolie said with a smile. “Not everyone catches that. So, Nalachi heads to the water each night until, a month later, he’s shocked to find pretty Irmine dancing over the cliffs to him. It was in that moment his heart was fully lost, for she sang for him. And together, they were lost to each other, and gave each other their love under the light of the full moon.”
“I hope they had a blanket to lie on,” Ted said, squinting his eyes at the craggy volcanic rock that lined the cliff’s edge.
Jolie shocked herself by snorting, and then covered her face with her hand and laughed even harder. “I can’t believe I just snorted.” She wiped a tear from her eye.
“I can’t believe you did either.” Ted grinned at her, then shrugged. “I’m practical to a fault at times. It just looks like it might be an uncomfortable spot for lovemaking.”
“There’s a sandy beach on the other side,” Jolie said, and Ted nodded in understanding.
“Phew. Now that the logistics of that are worked out – continue?”
“Oh yes, phew, now that we’re certain our young lovers have made a comfortable bed for themselves, we may continue.” Jolie threw her head back and laughed again. “You’re something else, Dr. Macalister.”
“I can get a little stuck on details.”
“Not a problem. After our young lovers worshipped each other for the evening, Nalachi awoke alone as the sun cracked the horizon.”
“Ah, been there, done that. It’s not fun.”
“I can’t imagine a woman leaving you behind,” Jolie said, turning to look at Ted. His nearness excited her, and she found herself licking her lips, her eyes on his, wanting a taste.
“Oh, imagine it. It was more the norm than not. I guess I wasn’t exciting enough for the ladies.”
“I highly doubt that,” Jolie purred, and Ted’s shoulders tensed. Realizing she was making him uncomfortable, Jolie did something she rarely did – she backed off. “But yes, Nalachi was left alone on the beach, his heart in his hands. Yet a month later, after moping his way along the cliffs each night, Irmine returned to him for another evening of love.”
“Hmm – on the moon cycle?”
“Correct. And it didn’t take long for Nalachi to realize she was visiting him at the full moon. So he devised a plan to keep her with him. He was lovesick with missing her, you see – when she was gone, he’d barely eat, and would take to the ocean for hours at a time. It was getting so bad that he was determined to stop her from leaving the next time she visited.”
“He – he restrained her?”
“He did. And when light returned the next morning, he learned her secret.”
“He killed her.”
“Oh! No, he didn’t kill her.” Jolie touched his hand, as Ted looked genuinely upset. “No – she had turned mermaid and was dying from being out of the water, so he carried her in and let her go. Nalachi knew that if he really loved her, he had to set her free.”
“Did Irmine ever return to him? I wonder if she was angry.”
“She did return. Unfortunately, Nalachi had been called away to work on a new trade vessel between islands; he was away every full moon for the next six months. Irmine was convinced he didn’t love her as he’d said.”
“Ouch.”
“‘Ouch’ is right. Especially as she was carrying his children.”
“Really? What is the birth cycle for a mermaid? Is there any knowledge on that? Are the babies born in water or on land? Do they have gills if they’re born in water? I wonder how it all works.” Ted began patting his pockets for a notebook.
“Focus, Theodore,” Jolie said, snapping her fingers in front of his nose. “Babies are always a blessing in the mermaid world. But some cast judgment when a baby has a human parent.”
“But… aren’t mermaids half human?”
“They were a long time ago, but they don’t need humans to procreate anymore. Their species evolved.”
“Ah,” Ted said, nodding as though he really believed everything she said.
“Irmine’s father was not happy that she had chosen a human for the father of her babies. He kept her away after that, determined to save her from what he believed were destructive humans. But in doing so, he actually caused the tragic end to this love story.”
“Oh my. Controlling parents are tricky.”
“They can be, I’ve heard.”
“Go on,” Ted gestured.
“Finally, after many months, Nalachi made it home for a full moon. He raced to the shoreline, hoping to see Irmine. Ignoring the clouds on the horizon, which any sailor would know meant heavy storms were coming, Nalachi rowed himself out, hoping he would find the one woman whose song he still carried in his heart. But he was so focused on looking at the horizon that he missed the signs of a reef and cracked his hull on it. Nalachi tried to decide whether he should swim for land, but then the storm hit. Clinging to his boat, with his last breaths he began to sing the song his love had given him.”
“Oh no. Did she come for him? Please tell me she did.”
“She did. That’s our Irmine. A strong woman who defied her father’s wishes and rushed with her daughters to save the man she loved. Unfortunately, she found him as his soul left him, and he was too far gone for her magick to save him. He smiled for her, whispering his love.
“She took his soul then and forged it into a pearl to wear on a necklace. It is said that she still sings each night to warn the sailors away from danger; for those who are lost at sea, she turns their souls into pearls of the sea – singing even louder so their lovers across the water will know she’s caring for them in the afterlife.”
“How horribly tragic – yet deeply romantic.”
“She knew she was loved, though. It would be horrible, wouldn’t it? To think you were never loved?”
“I can understand that,” Ted said, his voice soft as he looked up at the statue.
“She’s the mother of the sea now. From here, she sings her songs of love and protection.” Jolie gestured to the statue once more, her heart aching for Irmine. Jolie wanted to know the love she had known.
It was written in her blood, after all.
Chapter 8
Jolie followed Ted to the cliffs while he peppered her with questions, stopping every so often to clarify an issue or to make a note into the recorder he carried with him. He was nerdy to the point that most people might find him boring, but the more questions he asked, the more Jolie found herself entranced by him.
It wasn’t any one thing in particular, she realized, as she watched him photograph and – was he really measuring the statue with a pocket tape measure? Biting back a smile, she perched herself on a rock and wound her hair up on top of her head to keep the breezes from blowing it across her face. Ted had an inquisitive mind, a non-judgmental attitude, and a body with enough muscles to make Jolie lick her lips again. She’d never been too interested in the brainy type, preferring brawn and good looks over the placid book-readers. Yet here she was, mooning after a man who was a delicious combination of both. She wondered if he had any idea how delectable he was.