Fire and Water

Long ago, in the days when magic and enchantment were as common as the wind and rain, there was a mermaid named Nerina. When she was a young sea child, she lived with her family in a beautiful mother-of-pearl encrusted grotto beneath the waves.

There was nothing Nerina loved more than learning about the world. Every day, she would explore the waters around her grotto, being careful not to stray too far. And every night, her mother would tell her tales of the sea beyond where Nerina and her siblings ventured.

One bright day, Nerina was swimming near the surface when she saw a flash of golden light.

That’s odd, she thought. It’s broad daylight, but there’s a shooting star in the sky!

She followed the golden streak with her eyes.

That isn’t a shooting star. It’s not moving right!

She wanted to follow the light, to find out what it was, but as she watched the light disappear in the distance, fear overwhelmed her curiosity. She was very young and had never gone far from the mother-of-pearl grotto she called home. So, she watched the light until she could no longer see it, then she dove beneath the sparkling waves and swam home.

This was the way it went for the next three days. On the fourth day, Nerina’s curiosity finally outweighed her fear, and when she saw the golden light again, she gathered up her courage and swam after it. It was a long swim, and her tail grew sore from the effort. But she had to know what this golden light was. She followed it until she saw it descend onto an island. It was a small island, but it was full of life. It sat in the distance, a green jewel on a bed of aqua satin. Nerina paused for a moment after she saw the golden light disappear into the island. But she noticed a glimmer of gold coming from the side of the island that was facing her. So, she gathered up her strength and made a final push to the island to solve the mystery.

When she reached the island, she saw that the light was coming from inside a cave that opened into the sea. She swam into it, following the light, and being careful to avoid the sharp rocks that lined the sea cave’s walls. At the end of the long passage, she finally saw the source of the light. It was a large, golden creature, unlike anything she had ever seen. It was perched on a ledge, grooming itself after the day’s flight. Nerina knew from its shape that it was a bird. Of course, she knew what birds were. She often played with the seabirds that fished near her home, and sometimes, they would bring her gifts from the human lands. But she had never seen a bird like this before. The sunlight often reflected off the white feathers of the seabirds, but this one created its own light. As she cautiously approached it, she could feel the cave getting warmer the closer she got. When she reached the ledge, she had to dive under the dark water for a few moments to cool off. But she didn’t leave. The bird was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she wanted to stay just a little longer to watch it. She thought she was well-hidden near the cave’s walls, and that the bird couldn’t see her.

Of course, they could see her. She was hard to see, but after the third time the young mermaid dove to cool off, the phoenix, Lucent, saw her gazing at them in wonder with large, dark eyes. They could sense her fear as well, so they pretended not to see her, as they did not wish to frighten her.

She watched the magnificent bird go about their evening grooming ritual until the bird’s light dimmed, and Nerina realised they were going to sleep. Before they did, they gave one last flap of their great, golden wings. Nerina saw a single golden feather fall from them, and land within her reach on the rocks at the bottom of the perch. She looked at it, glowing softly in the now darkened cave, and when she was sure the golden bird was asleep, she swam over to the feather, and snatched it off the rocks. She tucked the feather into her hair, left the cavern, and began the long swim home.

When she arrived back at her grotto, an excited Nerina told her parents and siblings about her adventure. She described the wondrous golden bird to them, and they listened with rapt attention. But when she went to pull the golden feather out of her hair, to her dismay, she found only a spot of soot and slightly singed hair.

“It must have fallen out while I was swimming!” she cried.

“It sounds to me like the bird you saw was a phoenix,” said Mother. She was a scholar among the merpeople, and knew of many creatures who were never seen beneath the sea.

“Phoenixes are fire birds, little one, and fire and water don’t mix. The feather probably dissolved when you dove under the water.”

Perhaps, thought Nerina. Or maybe it dissolved because I stole it. If I ask, maybe the next feather will keep its form.

The next morning, however, she had a better idea.

An exchange! Yes, she would choose a treasure from her collection to bring to the phoenix in exchange for one of their feathers.

She searched through her collection of seashells to find the perfect one to give to the phoenix. After a while, she found it. It was a beautiful whelk shell that had been smoothed to a gleaming, iridescent white by the waves. It was a true treasure, for whelk shells were usually broken upon the shore. But this one remained whole, and Nerina decided it would be a perfect gift for the phoenix.

Wrapping the shell in a cloth from a shipwreck, she went to the surface to wait for the firebird. At last, she saw them flying overhead. Once again, she followed the phoenix to the sea cave, and once again, she hid along the cave’s walls, too timid to introduce herself. But the phoenix saw her again, and this time, they spoke.

“Little sea-maid, you need not hide yourself. I do not wish to harm you.”

Nerina peeked out from the nook in the wall where she was hiding.

Lucent looked at her kindly.

“Come closer, little one. Show me what you have brought.”

“How did you know?” Nerina said in surprise.

"I see many things," said the phoenix. “I saw you when you followed me here yesterday, but I said nothing, for I did not wish to frighten you. It is rare that my kind meets merfolk.”

Nerina cautiously swam closer to Lucent’s perch. She untangled the small parcel from her hair, unwrapped it, and held it out for the phoenix to inspect.

They picked up the seashell in their beak and then transferred it to their clawed foot.

“It’s beautiful,” they said, while looking at it.

“It’s for you, if I could only…”

“If you could, what, little one?”

“If I could only have one of your feathers. They’re so beautiful, each one is worth a hundred whelk shells!”

Lucent chuckled.

“Is that all you want? Yes, I think I could spare one of my feathers.”

Nerina blushed and looked away from the magnificent bird.

“I took one of your fallen feathers yesterday,” she confessed. “But it turned to ash before I got home.”

“Easy to solve,” said Lucent. “I know a spell that will keep my feather as whole underwater as it is on land. It cannot protect me from the water, but it will work for a single feather.”

Nerina’s face lit up. “Oh, thank you… errm, what’s your name?”

“I am called Lucent.”

“Thank you, Lucent! It’s nice to meet you. I’m called Nerina.” Nerina knew she needed to remember her manners in the presence of such a great being.

“It is a pleasure to meet you too, young Nerina.”

With that, Lucent plucked one of their long, curling tail feathers and let it drop into the water. There was a flash as the feather hit the water’s surface, and then a gentle glow as it floated in front of Nerina.

“There, now you can bring my feather to the realms under the water.”

Nerina carefully grabbed the feather. In awe, she looked at it and then up at the phoenix.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Thank you for the seashell,” replied Lucent.

Nerina hesitated for a moment, then she asked, “May I come visit you again tomorrow? You must know many stories about the surface world.”

“Indeed, I do,” said Lucent. “And I would be happy to tell them to you. But now, the sun is setting, and I must sleep. And you, my young friend, must go back to your home.”

Nerina nodded and thanked the phoenix again for the feather.

The mermaid waited until Lucent’s light dimmed in sleep, then she left the sea cave, with the feather wrapped in the cloth and tucked safely into her hair. She followed the stars back to her grotto, and once she was back in her sleeping area, she unwrapped the feather and placed it where the polished whelk shell had been.

Nerina continued to visit Lucent, and as promised, they told her many wondrous stories about the world beyond the sea. Until one day, Lucent told her that this would be their last chat for a little while. They looked haggard, and their feathers had become dull.

“What will happen to you?” asked Nerina.

“I will burn to ash, as all phoenixes must,” replied Lucent. “But fear not, Nerina, for I will be reborn from the ashes and, before too long, we can continue our conversations. Until then, goodbye, my friend.”

With those words, the phoenix suddenly burst into bright orange and yellow flames. Nerina quickly dove under the water to avoid getting burned. When she resurfaced, all she saw of her friend was a pile of ashes, just as they had said.

Nerina wept for the loss of her friend until she heard a cracking noise. She pulled herself onto the ledge to get a closer look at the ash pile. There she saw a black and red egg. There was another loud crack, and the egg split open to reveal a little golden chick. Nerina watched as the chick kicked away the remains of the egg. They then stood up on wobbly legs and looked at the astonished mermaid. They gave a chirp of acknowledgement, then they turned and hopped away to a part of the sea cave that Nerina couldn’t see.

That must be where their nest is, she thought. Then she smiled and said goodbye to the phoenix. She would come back tomorrow to see how the chick was growing, if she could.

And so the cycle continued. Nerina returned daily to the sea cave, and the chick Lucent would hop down to greet her. She told them stories about her home under the sea, and of all the wonders that were found down there.

In time, the reborn Lucent had become an adult, and they remembered Nerina from their previous incarnation. In more time, Nerina had a family of her own, and she brought them to the sea cave to meet Lucent and to learn that sometimes, fire and water could get along.