Meeting the Mermaids

She had always been a healer — hands that soothed pain, a heart that eased sorrow. People came to her seeking comfort, and she gave it freely, pouring her warmth into aching muscles and weary spirits. Yet even when her clients smiled in relief, she often felt a strange emptiness afterward — as though part of her belonged somewhere else, somewhere just out of reach.

Sometimes, when she placed her palms on someone’s back or neck, she would feel a pulse beneath her skin that wasn’t human — like the whisper of waves or the cool rush of deep water. At night, she dreamed of voices calling from below the surface of a still lake, voices that knew her name.

One morning, when the ache in her heart became too great to ignore, she followed that inner pull — through forest and sunlight — to where a white horse waited at the edge of the trees.

A white horse awaited her at the edge of a forest. A shaft of golden sunlight beamed down on it, as if she couldn’t already see the gleaming white mane and coat of the majestic animal. As she approached, it nodded its head and snorted, pawing at the ground as if waiting for this adventure.

As she came closer, a young man stepped out from behind the trees where the horse waited. At first glance, he looked about twelve, but on closer inspection, he looked older than time itself.

A pixie, she thought.

He smiled. She heard several giggles behind him and knew that others were watching. He held a golden rope that gleamed in the sunlight, and she saw it was braided into the mane of the horse. He held his hand out, and she heard his voice silently in her mind:

Come. We’ve been waiting. There are others who want to speak with you.

Surprised but delighted, she took his small hand and gasped as a golden rope ladder appeared across the back of the horse. The pixie lightly climbed and settled in behind the horse’s mane. He helped her up, and the golden ladder vanished.

“Hold tight,” he said, and she wound her hands into the horse’s mane.

As if taking flight, the horse sped along the edge of the forest, then turned inward. She could still hear giggling around her and dared to look back. There were other fairies on the backs of birds flying alongside her, the pixie, and the horse.

As they hurried through the forest, it took her breath away. The horse’s feet barely seemed to touch the ground. Joy lifted her spirit — a joy she hadn’t felt in a long time. The freedom of flight while still being grounded to the earth was something she had never experienced.

Time seemed to stop as they sped through thickets and dark patches of forest. Her eyes streamed, and suddenly they were at the edge of a lake. The horse gently stopped, and the ladder appeared again. She knew she must descend and was helped once more.

We’ll wait over here, came the thought. There are others.

“Where?” she said aloud.

As if answering, a ripple spread across the lake’s surface, and the head of a creature popped up — female — followed by two others.

“Mermaids,” she gasped. “But I thought they only lived in the ocean.”

No, came the reply. We live in all bodies of water that are safe for us. Come. It has been too long.

One of them splashed water at her feet, and in astonishment she watched as her legs turned into a fin. She slid into the water beside the three mermaids.

Come, they said, and grabbed her hands, pulling her down into the depths of the murky water.

Reeds brushed past as her eyes adjusted to the green glow of lake grasses and water. Deeper and deeper they went, the cool water brushing over her skin. As suddenly as the horse stopped, they stopped swimming — and she found herself floating before a stone castle.

Other merpeople swam out to see who had arrived. She was greeted as if she were a long-lost sister. Small mer-children peeked from behind their parents, and many adults smiled before going about their way.

The three mermaids beckoned her under a stone archway and into a large room where the Mer Queen sat in a shell throne. She wore a red coral crown, and her dark hair waved lazily around her.

“Welcome home, my child,” said the Mer Queen.

She couldn’t believe she was speaking to her. Pressing a hand to her chest, she stammered, “Me?”

“Yes, you,” the Mer Queen chuckled, a bubble escaping her mouth. “We have missed you. How was your time on Earth?”

Encouraged by her three sisters, she swam closer. “It has been hard, Your Majesty. I have missed dwelling in the depths with you. I had forgotten what it was like down here.”

“That was part of the agreement, my child,” the Mer Queen said gently, pressing a hand to her cheek. Warmth and love radiated from her eyes.

Pressing her own hand to the Queen’s, she closed her eyes and basked in the love she felt from her mer-mother.

You have forgotten, came the thought.

“Forgotten?” she asked.

To tell them about us. Remember?

And suddenly, she did. She remembered the day before her birth into a human body — the promise she made to the mer-people and the Mer Queen: to tell others about their realm, and why it was important to keep the waters clean.

“I remember now,” she whispered, bowing her head. “I’m sorry I forgot.”

We’ve sent reminders, the Queen and sisters said.

“I know,” she sighed. “I’ve been afraid.”

“There is nothing to fear, my child. Others are telling our story as well. Join yours with theirs and use their courage as your own until you feel courageous yourself. Tell people about us — ask them to keep our Mother and her waters clean, for us and for themselves.”

“I will, Your Majesty. I won’t forget this time.”

“You are doing great work — healing their bodies, helping them feel more grounded and relaxed.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“Go, my child. Remember your agreement, and we will see you when your time is done.”

She left the palace, the three sisters guiding her through familiar places where she had once lived before becoming human. She said goodbye to her village with renewed hope and love.

The sisters brought her back to the water’s edge. As she pulled herself out, they brushed the droplets from her fin, and her legs and clothing reappeared. She sat at the bank, wishing she could stay, not wanting to return to the human realm. But she knew she must. There were those who needed her, and she was not yet done.

She looked around for the pixie-elf and the horse and found him sleeping peacefully at the far side of the lake. What looked like small boulders around him, she knew, were gnomes — there to help her, too.

She sat for a while, listening to the pixies giggling behind her until their joy began to fill her heart. Their laughter was contagious; she wanted to dance and laugh forever.

With a start, the pixie sat up. Why didn’t you wake me? he asked in her mind.

“I just wanted to sit here a while longer,” she said.

He smiled and took her hand. Together, they climbed atop the horse. She thought she saw three heads dip below the surface of the lake, and she sent her sisters a silent farewell:

Until we meet again.

The horse sped through the forest, leaves brushing her cheeks, the wind tangling her hair. At the edge of the meadow, she dismounted, thanked the pixie and his companions, and stepped through the doorway that returned her to the human realm.

She heard their golden laughter echoing as she closed the door behind her.

Teacake Tidbits

1. Mermaids Don’t Only Live in the Sea

Although mermaids are most often associated with oceans and sailors, folklore places mermaid-like beings in lakes, rivers, springs, and other freshwater places as well. Across European traditions, supernatural water folk were believed to inhabit secluded pools and ancient waterways, sometimes appearing to humans along the banks.

2. Merfolk Were Keepers of Healing and Hidden Knowledge

Water has long been associated with healing, purification, prophecy, and sacred knowledge, and many folkloric water beings were believed to possess supernatural wisdom or magical gifts. Sacred springs and wells were visited for healing, while beings dwelling within or near them could serve as guardians of their powers.

3. Respect the Waters—or Answer to Those Who Guard Them

Folklore frequently treats rivers, wells, springs, lakes, and seas as places inhabited or protected by supernatural beings. Polluting, disrespecting, or carelessly disturbing these waters could invite misfortune or anger the spirits associated with them. Offerings were sometimes left at sacred waters in recognition of the powers believed to dwell there.