The Treasure Cave: sea tales of Tiptoes Lightly (15 page)

Tiptoes was
quiet for a moment. She had finished her story.

Suddenly the
grown-ups awoke. Uncle Finn leaped to his feet.

“I saw a great
king, the King of the Sea,” he cried. “With him was the Queen of the Air and
someone full of flames. His name sounded like drums in the earth.”

“You were
dreaming the story,” laughed Veronica.

“I heard the
drums too,” said Farmer John. “Who was it? What was his name?”

“The Master
Burner and King of Flames, Ko-Ko-Roomba,” said Tom. “Wasn’t it, Tiptoes?” But
when he turned to her she was gone.

The
Maid with the sea-green Eyes

That evening
Tiptoes flew to the lighthouse. The moon was almost full in the sky and the
stars shone clearly, but far out on the horizon the sea mist was waiting for
the winds to blow it ashore. Tiptoes flew around the tiny island. No one was
outside, but the boat was in its harbor and the window to the keeper’s workshop
was brightly lit. She slipped in through the keyhole and set herself on one of
the deep windowsills. On the table a single candle was burning. She looked out
the window and watched the cliffs along the shore gleam in the moonlight. They
darkened as the mist moved in and everything became foggy and dim. Soon the fog
was so thick that she couldn’t even see the ocean, but the sound of the waves
washing against the rocks was as clear as ever.

The outside
door opened and a young woman stepped into the living room. She had flowing
hair down to her waist, lovely pale skin, and slim, delicate hands. She was
beautiful.

Tiptoes stayed
still and watched. The woman closed the door, sat down on a chair and waited.
The candlelight flickered as night settled in. At last Tiptoes heard the
keeper’s footsteps coming down the stairs. He carried a lantern, and when he
entered the whole room lit up. He hung the lamp on a hook and went to the young
woman. She smiled and took his hand. He turned his head and saw Tiptoes.

The woman
followed his gaze and gave a little gasp. “I didn’t know anyone was here!” she
said in surprise.

“It seems we
have our little visitor again tonight,” said the keeper. “Her name is Tiptoes
Lightly. She’s the one I told you about.”

The woman
smiled and gave a little bow with her head. The lamplight shone off her hair
and Tiptoes saw that it was tinged a soft sea-green, like the color of waves
before they crash onto the shore.

The lighthouse
keeper lit a fire in the fireplace and soon red and yellow flames were dancing
brightly. Tiptoes sat on the edge of a stool and the keeper and lady sat on the
sofa. They were happy to be together.

“Please tell
me more about mermaids,” said Tiptoes. “I’m sure you know more than what you
told me.”

The keeper
glanced at the lady. She smiled and gave a little nod. “Yes,” he answered,
“perhaps I can. There are many things I could say, but I will tell you a tale,
a true tale if you will believe it, of Peter the Sailor and the Sea Maiden.”

Tiptoes
crossed her legs, arranged her dress over her knees, and put her chin in her
hands. She loved to listen to stories.

Peter
and the Sea Maiden

There was once
a sailor called Peter,” began the keeper. “He was young and sailed the seven
seas. He sailed from India to Africa, from Mauritius to Maine, and from America to England. He traded in silk and satin, fine pottery and metalwork, sweet wines and
precious spices. Everywhere he sailed he bought and sold until he became rich
and owned his own boat and crew.

When he was at
sea Peter often stood on deck at the end of the day to plan his voyages and
decide what to buy and what to sell. One evening he stood by the railing and
gazed out over the sea. The sun was settling into the waves and casting a warm
light onto the clouds. It was then, as the boat rocked back and forth on the
swell, that Peter saw a woman looking up at him from out of the water. As soon
as he noticed her she turned and disappeared out of sight into the deeps.

Peter almost
called out. For a moment he thought one of his crew had fallen overboard. Then
he realized that this was impossible for his crew was only made up of men. So
he kept his peace and told no one of what he had seen.

The next
evening as he looked over the ocean he again saw the young maiden rise out of
the deep. This time her head rose out of the water and they gazed at each other.
She had blue-green eyes and long, sea-green hair floating about her shoulders.
Then she turned and vanished under the waves.

And so it was
that for seven days the sea maiden appeared when Peter stood at the railing and
looked out over the sea. He saw her lovely face and glimmering hair and often
looked deeply into her eyes, but never a word did they say to each other. On
the eighth evening she did not appear, nor on the ninth, nor ever after did the
sea maiden appear from out of the waves.

Peter’s ship reached
port. They sold their fine fabrics and costly goods and took sweet wine on
board. Then they set sail down the coast. Peter had made much money and now was
richer than he had ever been, but he wasn’t content. He stood by the railing
and looked out over the sea, and for days on end he hardly said anything at
all.

One evening he
became lightheaded and fey. He climbed to the top of the tallest mast, and
shouted:

‘I
am richer than the King of the Sea,

yet no maiden for wife has come to me!’

His crew laughed,
thinking he’d been drinking too much of his own cargo.

But they were
not the only ones to hear his words. Deep beneath the waves the King of the Sea
heard his boast and roared: ‘King of the Sea! Who thinks he is richer than the
King of the Sea? I’ll show him who the King of the Sea really is!’

He raised his
three pointed staff high above his head, and shouted: ‘Waves rise!’ and the
waves rose and became wild.

‘Wind howl!’
he cried, and the wind howled and stormed about the ship.

‘Rocks doom!’
he intoned, lowering his staff and pointing to the rocky shore. Immediately the
wind and waves turned and beat the ship towards the shore.

Peter clung to
the mast with all his strength. The storm rose so quickly that he didn’t have
time to climb down. Water pounded the deck, wind ripped the sails to shreds and
the whole ship groaned. With a thundering crash the boat smashed onto the rocks
and broke into a thousand pieces. Peter was flung from the mast far out into
the surf. Down, down under the water he went, dragged by the terrible waves
until his strength gave out and all became dark.

Peter awoke on
the shore. Beside him sat a young woman with long hair down to her waist. On
her slim fingers she had two rings, each like the other, showing two fishes
intertwined, one of silver and one of gold. He sat up with a start. He knew it
was the sea maiden he had seen in the water.

‘Where is my
ship?’ he asked.

‘Gone,’ she
said.

‘And my crew?’

‘Dead,’ she
replied. ‘My father was the one who let loose the storm that wrecked your
ship.’

Peter sat for
a while. ‘Why didn’t you come to the boat anymore?’ he asked.

‘I could not,’
she said. ‘My father was close. He is seeking me and I had to hide. That is why
he heard you when you claimed to be richer than the King of the Sea.’

She took one
of the rings from her finger and placed it in his hand. ‘If you wish to see me
again, put this ring on your finger. I will know and come to you.’

Then she
walked into the ocean and disappeared beneath the waves.”

Tiptoes looked
at the beautiful young woman sitting next to the lighthouse keeper. She sat
still, her greenish hair glistening in the firelight. She reached out and
touched the keeper’s hand and Tiptoes saw the two finely wrought rings, each of
silver and gold.

~
Thanksgiving Thursday ~

I
spy

The first one
up was Johnny Top. He ran through the rooms shouting that it was Thanksgiving
Day. It was half past five and still dark. Everyone groaned and pulled the
covers over their heads—except Tiptoes. She told him to come to the living room
and wrap himself in a blanket to keep warm. So he pulled a blanket off his bed
and sat on the sofa looking like a little Buddha with a great big smile of joy
on his face.