There once was a fairly attractive maiden who had become very dull. She had learned to effectively turn herself off and lived rather smoothly in that eternal state of cruise control that everyone likes to pretend they aren't on. She had the memory of something lodged in her head, some glimmer of something she thought might actually be rather nice if only she could clearly remember what it was. She'd get a flash of it every now and then, but it was as if each flash appeared on a thin veil of smoke, it was wispy and wavy and quickly disappeared. She had forgotten how to smile, but didn't realize it.
Then the maiden went on vacation and she remembered something. She remembered she was beautiful and creative and magical. She started to remember herself again, she started to smile. But there was still a part of her that was missing, something integral to her being, but she still couldn't put her finger on it.
She came home and smiled again. She came home and started to create, and the more she created, the more she smiled.
One day she was sitting on the beach and a quirky, yet dashing Sea Captain said to her "Morning Miss Mermaid, how are you today?"
Then she remembered. She remembered that she had been a mermaid and it all came rushing back to her, each glorious memory of independence and failure and triumph. Each mermaid moment of beauty and despair. She remembered. The Sea Captain made her remember. She remembered she was lured to the land years ago by another Captain who had been lovely and sweet and kind. Miss Mermaid had shed her tail to be with him. At first she still remembered how to swim and be beautifully mermaidish, she visited the water often to float and frolic, but as time wore on she went less frequently. Slowly she started to forget how to swim, and little by little she forgot that she was magical.
Oh how wonderful it was to be a mermaid again! The water flowing over her body and hair never felt better. She dove and and danced through the waves racing Mother Nature. She sat on the rocks sunning herself and her creativity poured through her veins. Magic! She vowed that she would never forget again that she was a mermaid, never, ever, ever.
She was so happy, and she thanked the Sea Captain who turned out to be rather lovely and sweet and kind as well, this Sea Captain who had seen the mermaid in her. She was amazed that he saw through it all and recognized it, and she was so proud again to be a mermaid. She flashed her tail proudly and swam, but there seemed to be much fewer mermaids in the water this time, much less than she remembered.
As the Sea Captain turned out to be rather interesting, she found herself wanting to spend more time on land however. He was funny, and very smart in that "interesting smart" kind of way. He was stoic and intense and she sensed he had a soft vulnerability hidden somewhere under all of the neatly laid layers and lacquer of his being. She was intrigued by him and though it started rather slowly, she started to spend more time on land.
One day Miss Mermaid was lounging on the land thinking about the Sea Captain, and BAM, a force of clarity hit her full on. She realized why there were less mermaids in the water, she realized it was because of Sea Captains. The mermaids were going on land to be with the Sea Captains and forgetting they were mermaids. Once the mermaids began to forget they were mermaids, the Sea Captains forgot as well. It was all rather sad. For you see, it's usually the mermaid that joins her Captain on land, rarely does the Captain join the mermaid in the water, that's why you don't hear of many mermen. The mermaids just slowly adapt, assuming that it's part of their nature.
Dive back in. Dive back in.
love. *dives in*
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