Jack and the Devil's Purse (19 page)

There in his net stood the most beautiful being he’d ever seen in his life – long golden hair, blue eyes – the most wonderful person he’d ever seen! The fisherman was aghast.
And he said, ‘This is something that must be sent to me,’ and he pulled the net in, took this person out of his net.

And the person seemed so very friendly. He was a man younger than himself, not more than a boy, about fifteen or seventeen years of age. And his fingers were beautiful, his nails and his hands were beautiful, his toes were beautiful and he was dressed in a suit of seaweed. The fisherman, who was way up in his thirties or forties, was so amazed. He’d heard many wonderful stories about mermaids, but never in his life had he ever seen a merman. And the merman just stood and looked at him with the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen . . . and the fisherman was aghast. He thought, what shall I do with this person? Will I send him back in the sea or will I take him home with me? If I go back to my wife and tell her about this wonderful person I’ve caught in my net, would she be pleased or angry? Would she say, why didn’t you bring him home and show him to me to prove to me that such a person exists, or is this another story because you’ve prob’ly fell asleep while you set your net and brung me home no fish? And the fisherman made up his mind he would take him home with him.

But the man he had took from his nets never said one single word. He just stood there as if he were carved of stone. And the fisherman took him by the hand and he led him. His hand was cold, as cold as if he were handling a fish. And he never said a word. The fisherman led him up across the shore-way. And he walked on his feet. The fisherman looked down; his feet were just like everybody else’s but his toenails was as clean as clean could be.

And the fisherman felt a wee bit ashamed, a bit sad to capture such a beautiful person. He thought, I can’t take this person back to my wife. But if I don’t, she’ll never look at me again. The young man he’d tooken from his nets had never
said a word. When the fisherman had rolled up his net he’d just stood there. He didn’t want to escape in any way. He didna want to run away – as if he would have been sent to the fisherman. And the fisherman had said to himself, ‘I’ve caught many a fish before . . . I’ve heard of mermaids, but never in my life have I seen a merman.’

And now the sun came up, the sun was shining and the young man’s hair begint to dry – and his hair was glittering like gold! And his seaweed dress begint to dry with the sun, and the fisherman fell in love with him. He couldna let him go, in no way would he let him go. So he had only one thing he could do . . . to bring him back to his wife.

He took him by the hand, led him along the beach and took him into his little cottage by the shoreside. When he led him in his wife was busy working in the kitchen. She was very poor.

She says, ‘Have you got me something today?’

‘Oh yes,’ he said, ‘I’ve got you something today.’

And his wife turned round, she looked. And there before her stood the most wonderful being that she’d ever seen in her life.

She says, ‘Husband, what have you brought me?’

‘Well,’ he says, ‘look, I’ve caught no fish today. But I’ve brought someone – I found him in my net.’

And the woman stood amazed before him: ‘You mean to tell me you’ve—’

He said, ‘Look, he . . . I found in my net. He was caught in my net, and I didna want to let him go because you wouldna believe me. I didna want to let him go, because I knew you would think I was wasting my time and cast my nets for nothing. But believe me, when I cast my net this morning this is what I found in my net – this man.’

She says, ‘What is he?’

‘Look,’ he said, ‘I don’t know what he is, but he’s never said a word since I took him.’

She said, ‘Husband, he’s a merman.’

‘A merman?’ said her husband.

‘Yes, husband, he’s a merman. But what are we gaunna do with him?’

‘Well,’ he said, ‘you were always upset because I couldna catch enough fish to bring back to ye. But I brought this back I caught in my net today, and I fought a battle with myself: either let him go or to bring him back and come back to you who would scold me for catching nothing. If I told you what I had caught and let him go, you would never believe me.’

‘Well,’ she said, ‘I’m glad you’ve brought him back. Bring him in and sit him down by the fireside!’

And by this time the seaweed vest that was on him begint to dry, and the more he dried the more beautiful he became. He became so beautiful that the woman . . . the tears were running down her cheeks to see this merman!

She says, ‘Husband, this is the most wonderful being in the world!’

To his wife he said, ‘Look, this is a merman. And, what are we gaunna do with him, in the name of the world, what are we gaunna do wi him?’

She says, ‘We’ll keep him to wirselfs.’ She put on the kettle and made some tea. She offered him some.

His fingers was as good as your and my fingers, his feet was as good as your feet and his hair was the most beautiful of any in the world! And she gave him a bowl of tea. He took it in his hand and he drank it up. And then he spoke to them.

He said, ‘
I am La Mer la Moocht
.’

And the husband and the wife sat back by the fireside. He
said, ‘Of course I can speak. I am La Mer la Moocht. I am the King of the Mermen.’

‘You can speak!’

‘You are the King of the Mermen?’ said the fisherman when he found his voice. ‘You are the King of the Mermen?’

He said, ‘
I am the King of the Mermen, and you have caught me. I am your prisoner. And it’s up to you to do what you like with me
.’

The fisherman and his wife stood there aghast. And they
loved
him – anybody could love him. They were so amazed. They took him, they kept him and they taught him to say the words, spoke to him, and they loved him both. They were afraid to show him to anybody in case they both would take him away. He was just . . . out o’ this world. And he was only about seventeen or eighteen years of age. They had never had any family and they just loved him by their heart.

Then one day, things was very bad with them. They had no more food left and no fish to sell . . . They couldna even let him sleep; when he fell asleep they sat beside him and watched him. When he fell sound asleep they sat beside him, and they were suffering without sleep theirselves! But they were afraid to let him go in case he would disappear, they were so much in love with him. They loved him so much they just couldna part with him . . . Till they got hungry and they got poor.

And then they turned round to him, they said one day, ‘La Mer, we’re poor.’

‘I know,’ said La Mer, ‘you’re poor.’ He said, ‘You want fish? I’ll get you fish, come with me and I’ll take you to fish.’

And the fisherman’s wife said, ‘If you’re goin, I’m goin too!’ She wouldna even let him out of her sight.

So the three o’ them walked to the beach. And he took the net, said:

‘Give the net to me!’ and La Mer cast. He threw it out like
that
. And he clapped his hands. The net sank into the sea. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘pull the net in!’

And they pulled the net – it was loaded with fish of all descriptions! Fish that the fisherman had never seen before in his life. There were more fish than they could ever use. And La Mer stood while they pulled the net in.

And the fisherman said, ‘Look,’ after they’d pulled, took all their fish, more than they’d ever need, ‘we must sell some of these fish in the village.’

And La Mer, he never spoke very much, but he said, ‘If you want to go to the village, then let’s sell some fish!’

They pulled them in, hundreds o’ fish in the net! They kept some for theirself and the fisherman packed up a bag o’ fish, a large bag. And they walked to the village. Fish was in fair demand in these times.

La Mer said, ‘I’ll go with you!’

And the fisherman’s wife said, ‘Please, please, please, take good care of him!’ He was so beautiful she just hated to see him go. But she said, ‘Please, please bring him back!’

So, the fisherman and La Mer walked into the village. When he walked in the village he was tall and straight, so handsome that everybody looked. The fisherman was carrying the fish on his back, and everybody looked. Heads were turning every direction tae see this so beautiful man who walked with the fisherman. And they came to the market, they sold their fish. But lo and behold at that very moment, who should drive down through the village but the princess and her father.

She drove down through the village in her carriage and she’s looking, she’s waving to the people. The princess,
the only daughter the king had ever had, and she passed by through the market where people were selling fish. The king was sitting, the footman was driving the carriage. And when she came there – who was standing – La Mer! He’s standing beside the fisherman waiting to sell his fish. When lo and behold the princess espied him, she looked: there before her stood the most wonderful being she’d ever seen in her life! She demanded the coach should be stopped immediately, demanded that the coach be stopped!

And the footman stopped the coach, and the king said: ‘What is it, my daughter?’

She said, ‘Look, Father, look what I see! Do you see what I see?’

‘No, my daughter,’ he says.

‘Look, Father, look, look! What do you see – who’s standing there by the place selling the fish – have a look!’

And the king looked: he saw a person that he’d never seen before in his life, the most wonderful person in his life. And the daughter couldna wait.

She jumped out, she ran down to La Mer and she stood before him, said, ‘Who are ye?’

He says, ‘
I’m La Mer la Moocht
.’

She said, ‘Who owns ye? Who was yer father? Who are ye, where do ye come from?’

He said, ‘I come from nowhere, I come from the sea. And I’m here with my friend the fisherman.’

She says, ‘Come with me!’

By this time the fisherman had stood up and he said to the princess, ‘Look, Your Majesty, this is my friend and we are fishermen. We are very poor. Can we please go home? We don’t want to interfere with you in any way.’

She says, ‘I must have this man, I must have this man!
Come to me – come up to my palace tonight. And I want to see you once more. I want to see ye wonst more. I
love
that person!’

And the fisherman said ‘So do all we,
so do we all
.’

‘Please,’ said the princess, ‘I haven’t much time to wait. My father’s anxious to get on. But give me your promise you’ll bring him here tonight!’

And the fisherman said, ‘I’ll be there.’ But he never said he would bring La Mer.

So the fisherman and La Mer walked home with all the money they got from the fish. He took him home. And his wife was very pleased. They bought many things on their way home for his wife. La Mer never said a word. And the fisherman turned round. He says to his wife:

‘Look, we’ll have tae do something about La Mer. We cannae send him off to the princess, she’s in love with him.’

And his wife said, ‘I’m in love with—’

He said, ‘
I’m in love with him too
! I am in love with him too! We can’t send him off. If we send him to the princess we’ll never see him again. What are we gaunna do?’

And his wife said, ‘We love him. We don’t want to hurt him.’

And La Mer said, ‘I know yer problem. I don’t want to go and leave youse; I don’t want to go to marry a princess. Come with me back to the sea. Come with me and set me free!’

And his wife said, ‘Please, take him back and set him free.’

So La Mer and the fisherman walked back to the same rocks where he catcht him. He said, ‘La Mer, you’re free. Go, La Mer!’

And La Mer turned round, said, ‘Won’t you come with me, old man? Come with me to the sea. I’ll take ye to a place where you will never need to fish anymore, where there are
diamonds and pearls, where the land – you will be free – where everything is a wonderful place.’

He said, ‘I couldn’t leave my old wife.’

‘Walk with me,’ said La Mer, ‘please, come with me! Just put your feet in the sea and I’ll take you with me.’

‘I’ll walk with ye,’ said the fisherman. ‘I’ll see you off, because I don’t want tae give you to anyone. Because we love you dearly.’

So the old fisherman walked into the sea with La Mer behind the rocks. And then lo and behold La Mer turned round. He catcht the old fisherman by the hand – he held on to the fisherman’s hand.

‘Come with me!’ said La Mer. ‘Please, come with me – you have been good to me and you treated me so square and so wonderful. Please, come and join me in my land, come, please . . .’

And the old fisherman went in to his waist. Then the old fisherman went up to his neck, then the old fisherman went up to his head and the water came into his eyes. But La Mer just was like a fish and the water didna seem to affect him any way. But the water is gaun into the old fisherman’s neck and he begint tae feel that he wis drownin. He said, ‘Please, La Mer, please, La Mer, let go your grip! Ye’re far too strong for me!’

‘
Come with me
!’ says La Mer, ‘
and I’ll take you to the bottom o’ the sea, where you’ll never need to worry, where everything is free
!’

‘Please, please,’ said the fisherman, ‘let go your grip. Ye’re far too strong for me.’

And then La Mer let go his grip. The old fisherman walked back to the shoreside and La Mer was gone. He walked home and he told his wife.

She said, ‘Where is La Mer?’

He said, ‘La Mer is gone . . . fir evermore, but someday I’ll gae back tae the sea.’

She says, ‘Look husband, if you go back to the sea,
will ye take me with you
?’

And that is the end of my story.

A long time ago an old woodcutter lived in the forest and he cut timber for a living. He took it with a little handcart to the village to sell it to the local community. His wife had died and left him with three little boys, and he loved these children from his heart. But oh, he missed his wife terribly. Every evening when he’d put the children to bed he would sit there lonely by the fireside, put some logs on, and say to himself, ‘I wish she was here to direct me and tell me what’s to happen in the morning. Well,’ he said, ‘there’s nothing else for it, I must rear the boys up the best way I can.’