LEGEND OF THE MER by Sheri L. Swift Read Free Book Online

thousand years.”
     
    “Wow, I never realized I would get that old!  King Titan doesn’t even look that old ! ” Lana was amazed.
     
    “Lana, you’ve seen King Titan?” asked her father surprised by it.
     
    “Yeah, I met him in the cavern.  He was worried that you might get mad at them and he pretty much made me go home . ”
     
    “I’m grateful to him.  You must know what an honor it was for you to meet him.  He doesn’t usually show himself.  That’s why he’s lived so long.  Okay, now I’ll tell you how I met your mother.  It was in the fall, we had a terrible hurricane that year and it nearly destroyed everything on the island.  A lot of the debris was as far out as Gull Island .  After my dad and I cleaned up as be st we could here, I was sent to Gull Island .  The mer don’t a lways stay there.  Some seasons they migrate to warmer climate and I hoped they’d already done so.  They hadn’t and some of them were injured.  This storm was like no other, it came with v ery little warning.  The mer aren’t usually caught in a storm, but this time they were.  Your mother was one of them that got crushed against the rocks and reefs.  She needed more care than they could give.  You know we keep antibiotics in the lighthouse for when we come across injured animals.  The more serious ones we send to the mainland shelter for care.  As you can imagine, there was no sending your mother anywhere.  They asked me to care for her in the cavern.  I was a young man of twenty-three and had never really been that close to the mer before.  She was so beautiful, like nothing I’d ever seen.  Needless to say, I enjoyed caring for her very much and came almost every day f or the next two weeks.  By then you could say that I was hopelessly in love with her.  I discovered that when I was near the mer, I could read their thoughts and I knew that she had come to care for me too.  I know this all sounds so crazy, but that’s really how it happened . ” H er father smiled brightly.
     
    “No Dad, I think it sounds so romantic.  A few days ago, I might have thought a lot of things strange, but not anymore . ” B eamed Lana with a sigh .
     
    “It wasn’t long and King Titan realized what had happened.  How could he not, when you can’t even have a private thought.  He knew that I’ d be the future guardian after my father and he also knew that I was a descendant of the merwalkers.  He agreed to our union and it was the most beautiful wedding.  We had to hold it in the cavern, because even though I can swim deeper and hold my bre ath longer than most humans, I’ m no mer.  My father was there too and your mother’s parents,” he said as his voice began to change and tears began to fill his eyes again.
     
    “It’s okay Dad, I’m sure it was so special,” said Lana compassionately.
     
    “Yeah it was.  Kid, I’m afraid that’s all I’m good for today.  I want to tell you everything, but just not today, okay?”
     
    “Sure Dad.  Thanks so much for today.  You’ve made me so happy to know our history . ” Lana went and hugged him once more and he headed out the door.
     
    What a beautiful story her father had told her.  It was so good to hear how much her parents loved each other.  She never knew if they had ever been happy; how sad it was that it didn’t last that long.  Lana felt so contented and she was filled with love for her father.  She could tell that it wasn’t an easy thing for him to talk about, but she was so glad he did. 
     
    Lana wondered what her life might have been like if her mother had lived.  Now she knew that what King Titan had told her was true; her mother really was a mermaid and a Princess.  Lana found it hard to believe that she was a Princess too.
     
    The hardest thing for Lana to accept was the agreement that her parents and King Titan had made with Prince Titus.  Lana didn’t like such a decision being made for her.  He seemed to be