Her gills functioned perfectly. So well in fact that she forgot that she was underwater. She didn’t have to think about holding her breath or breathing. She just swam, wide-eyed, and in wonder in this foreign world of water. She hadn’t swum very deep yet, so the colors were still clear and sharp—the corals and sea-life startlingly brilliant in their hues and crisp design. She was one of them, but she wasn’t sure exactly what she was.
Just minutes ago, she had been standing on the seashore, holding her mother’s hand. Her toes had gripped the shifting and sinking sand as the tide undergirded her footing, and she curled them tighter as she managed to keep her balance. Her mother had walked with smooth steady steps into the calm surf. Maybe that’s why Marina wasn’t alarmed. She had spent many happy days on this stretch of beach with its gentle waves and bright white sand. The ocean water lapped over her ankles as she and her mother had waded further in, still hand in hand. It happened when the water had reached her chest and her mother’s lower torso.
In one quick movement, her mother had plunged into the water, hand still gripping Marina’s. There was a moment of panic, of course, but something about the clear water and the reassuring pressure of her mother’s hand made Marina relax. And soon enough, the gills appeared and began doing what gills are meant to do. Then it was an easy thing to let go of her mother’s hand and look around.
She was swimming easily now, and she noticed that a thin film of skin was developing between her fingers, and her feet had elongated into flippers of a sort. She glided smoothly through the water and almost forgot that she had entered the ocean with her mother. Looking around for her—up, down, left, and right—she located her mother who was now turning and beckoning to her daughter. Her mother had transformed as well, with limbs now meant for swimming, her hair flowing about her face as she turned. Marina unloosed her braids and let her own hair fan out around her, amazed at the beauty of her own flowing auburn tresses.
When she reached her mother, she spoke, “Mama, what has happened?” There were no words, however, just clicks and whistles, all of which Marina understood completely. Her mother replied in the same secret language, “Never mind, just enjoy this moment.”
“Is it safe?” asked the girl, who struggled a bit to keep level with her mother.
“I will keep you safe, my daughter,” she replied.
“But what of sharks and jellyfish?”
“They will not bother the likes of us, my sweet. The currents are the most dangerous encounters we need to worry about, but I am well versed with them. You are safe with me.”
Mother and daughter swam on, following a sea turtle, then a school of bright sunshine-yellow tangs. They spotted an octopus hiding in its den, and they swam through a large school of sardines which parted effortlessly for the pair. They followed a sting ray as it glided across the ocean floor with gentle undulations.
Eventually, mother and daughter swam into an underwater grotto where they rested. Marina, examining her changed hands and feet was curious, and a little unsettled. “Mama, are we mermaids? Have you always been able to change your shape? Have I always had this ability? Do all people?”
“Marina, my sweet, so many questions! I just wanted to teach you this lesson today.”
The girl held tightly to an outcropping of rock, uneasy that she might be pulled back out into the open sea. She asked, “What lesson? How to be a mermaid? But Mama, why?”
“Listen carefully. It is a gift to be able to adapt to whatever environment in which you find yourself. Not that you should stop being yourself or change who you are. In difficult situations, though, it is best to stop trying to live in old ways—ways that no longer serve you. Changed times call for changed ways of living. Making adjustments and accommodations will serve you well as you face challenging situations. This is what I wanted to teach you today. Just like you have adapted to life underwater, you can adapt to whatever happens to you while on the earth. And if that life presents an obstacle that you feel is too big for you, remember this day.”
“Can’t I come back to be part of the ocean if I am overwhelmed with life on land?”
“No, Marina. Oh, rather, you can return to the shore and remember this lesson, but swimming like this is only for today. Carry it with you always.”
The girl tucked a strand of her hair behind an ear, but it floated out immediately. “And you won’t return to the sea either?”
“Yes. I will. From time to time. For I am of the ocean. You are of the land, as are your father and siblings. But I wanted to share this part of my life with you, and teach you the power and strength of adapting, something that I know well. You will surely face a life not always of your choosing, and shifting your perspective will help you to navigate.”
“I think I understand, Mama.”
Marina contemplated all of this while mother and daughter leisurely swam back to shore.
And indeed, as the girl grew and faced hardships and travails in the years that followed, she would often find herself standing on the seashore, gripping the sand with her toes. And looking out across the turquoise waters, she would remember the day that she had transformed into a mermaid.