Shabana Chowdhury Ahmed, Brussels.
Mankind has been enchanted by the mysteries of the seas and oceans for centuries. Tales of Mermaids sighted by sailors in sailboats of long time ago have been told over and over again. Dreams of treasures hidden in the sunken ships of pirates still fascinate us. The treasure hunters search the seas and oceans for buried treasures of gold and precious gems. Treasures under the seas and oceans have been and can be found but do Mermaids exist! Marine scientists say, there is no evidence to support this. They also say that only a very small fraction of the oceans has been discovered. As such what if by the process of metamorphosis humans undergo a sea change and start living and breathing under water like sea creatures. The story teller tells her tale.
Cordelia and Triton lived on the Greek island of Crete. Their families were good friends and so they grew up together. Their love of the sea and sea life attracted them so much that they decided to study at the Hellenic Centre of Marine Research. They graduated from the Hellenic Centre and were offered jobs at the same place. They decided to marry and work together. Their families were thrilled. A wedding on the beach took place and as the couple watched the waves break upon the beach, they felt that the sea was beckoning them.
After the wedding they began their lives together working at the Hellenic Centre of Marine Research. They were given training in scuba diving and handling of the equipments. Once they had completed their training they were given a boat with equipments to collect specimens from the sea and to study the living sea creatures. Their assignment was of two weeks on the boat at sea. Each morning they listened to the weather forecast of the sea. A rough sea was not a good option to be under water.
In the days that followed they saw the amazing wonders of the sea and collected specimens as scuba divers. At night they spent their time together watching the stars. On the last day of their two weeks on boat they plugged into the sea for a last time. In a hurry they forgot to listen to the day’s weather forecast that announced a sea storm heading their way. Boats were advised to go to the nearest harbour for safety. Unaware of the incoming storm Cordelia was under water collecting specimens. Triton moved further away from her as he spotted some colourful fish swimming in another direction. He did not see the large sea turtle that came suddenly towards Cordelia and knocked her down with such a force that she fell hard on the sea bed. The impact of her fall caused a crack on the sea bed under her. As she tried to get up the crack widened and she fell deep into it. A moment later the crack disappeared. After a while Triton came back to the spot, where he had left Cordelia. There was no sign of her. He thought that she must have gone back to the boat, so he surfaced and went back to the boat. Cordelia was nowhere in sight. As he was about to dive back into the sea, the storm hit hard.
After the storm passed the coast guard’s boat came looking for survivors. They found Triton unconscious on his badly damaged boat. It was a miracle that he had survived the storm. He woke up in the hospital. He was told that there was no sign anyone else on his damaged boat. Cordelia was listed as lost at sea. Triton returned home to live with his parents. Every day he would go down to the beach and stare at the sea for hours. He neglected his health and died soon after.
Meanwhile the mysterious sea kept the strange secret of Cordelia. After she fell deep into the crack on the sea bed she remembered nothing till she woke up in a dimly lit under water cave. She was covered from her waist downwards to her toes in a green thick liquid. After a while her eyes grew accustomed to the green light and she saw the tail of a large fish. Looking more carefully she saw a woman’s body from the head to the waist and from the waist downwards was a fish tail. She was looking at a live mermaid, who was a mythical creature on earth. The mermaid removed the liquid from Cordelia’s body and she was transformed into a lovely live mermaid. Telepathy was used to communicate with each other. Cordelia found many mermaids and Mermans swimming around.
A mermaid told her the story of how they turned into the Sea People. Centuries ago their ancestors lived on land. They were very advanced in science and technology. They could hold their breath for long hours under water. Their bodies adapted to breathing under water but they also undergo a sea change like growing a fish tail. The volcanic eruptions raised the sea levels and their city went into the sea. Was this the Lost City of Atlantis!
Life is full of mysteries. Open your third eye and look into your soul. Imagination has no boundaries it can even turn to reality.
