A Pearl Of Wisdom (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 4: Mythical

"Anise! I was starting to get worried for your safety! You really should start heading back sooner especially because the sun is setting and soon you will not be able find your way back with all these jagged rocks around here!" mom exclaims.

I take her hand and I tell her "I agree, it was getting late and I should have headed back sooner, but I was unable to catch anything today so I was staying later than needed" I lie to her. I will never tell her about my meeting Maris. I play with necklace Maris had thrown around my neck. I am not sure how I am going to explain that so I hide the necklace under my shirt for now.

My mom starts playing with my hair, "Anise, I think we will have to dye your hair again the roots are starting to show again!".

"I agree, the dye seems to come out and fade so much quicker every time I go in the water."

"That is why I think it would be easier on the both of us, if you didn't spend so much time in the water!".

"I'm sorry but that is the only place I enjoy around here, I don't think I could give that up so easily!" I reply seriously. The one problem I do have to worry about is that I was born with purple hair and no one from Cerulean has this color of hair. Everyone has blue hair here and no other color exists. My mom was very shocked when a purple hair baby was put in her arms. The only people who know of this is my family and the midwife that helped deliver me. The midwife has long passed away now and so it is a secret and burden that I carry along with my family. My mom is a very seasoned seamstress and so she often has color dyes that she collected from plants to help dye fabrics. She understands dyes and so she used the same technique on my hair so thankfully I can keep this a secret.

"Okay I will go collecting some of the plants for the dye tomorrow because I know that we are running out!"

"That should be fine Anise, lets go back to the house now, you know the boys will not want to wait long for supper!"

We walk home and talk about just everyday regular things. When we get home I help mom finish supper and we sit down all together.

"I heard some news today that everyone was concerned about in town today" my Dad says.

"Really what did you hear" Heath asks.

"I am not sure if this is true but the King has died and his son is going to take over the throne?"

"So is this going to cause any problems now?" I ask concerned.

"I am not sure? I would hope not? I mean we live so far away it is hard to get any news and we will not be the first to be affected by these changes, the other provinces feel it first. Maybe we will have more warning before anything changes for us?" My Dad answers.

I try not to worry about it because like he says we live on the boundary. That is why we have never even seen people of the other provinces. We live so far away that no one really comes out to our parts. I have heard that people in the kingdom even intermarry among the provinces. I have never seen it but I think it would be really interesting to visit other parts of the kingdom.

I help clean up and then head to my bedroom. I take out my necklace, I run my hand along the 3 large pearls and feel the smoothness. I wonder why she gave me this necklace. I bet she was just pulling my leg about the wishes. It will still fun to imagine what I could wish for even if it could never happen. That could be why she gave me the necklace because she felt bad about the wishes. I will wear this everyday I think it is a beautiful reminder of Maris. I hear a knock at my door and I quickly put the necklace back on and hide it under my shirt.

"Come in" I yell.

"Hey Anise" Heath says as he walks in.

"Hey Heath, what is happening?"

"Oh nothing, I just was wondering what you were doing?" Heath asks as he sits next to me on the bed.

"Oh nothing, I was just resting from the day, Oh I was wondering with all your reading have you come across mermaids?" I try to ask innocently.

"I guess they pop up every once in a while? why?"

"Oh no reason, I was just thinking about it when I was in the ocean today and though how cool it would be if they were real?"

"Yeah mermaids, they were reports many years ago that they were real and they had magical properties to them. There has been no reports on them for at least 50 years so maybe it was just a mythical story. There are reports that they can grant wishes if you sing them a song that pleases them. There are also reports that they are very dangerous and will drown people."

"No way, I think they would be nice, I can't see them doing something so awful."

"Ha haha, Anise you sound like you have met them before!"

"Ah, yeah, no I just imagine them to be beautiful, and full of kindness, I guess that is an ideal that I would wish for!"

"Well for ideals, I would love to work in the royal court and just spend the day in the books, or writing out the history of the kingdom. I feel like I could be doing so much more with my life, but feel tied down to this home!"

"Oh Heath, that is really wonderful plans, but maybe you could start off with smaller like working for our town as a historian. Then you wouldn't have to leave me!" I say as I throw a pillow at him.

"Hey! watch it".

"I just think you should loosen up, and relax a bit!"

"Really?" he grabs my feet and starts tickling.

"Ah, AAah AHHH! stop! stop! I have to go to the washroom"

We fall on the bed again.

"Seriously though, I would miss you terribly if you were to leave home!" I say in a serious voice.

"I know Anise" He replies in a quiet voice.