The Treasure Cave: sea tales of Tiptoes Lightly (22 page)

“This is for
you,” she said to Tiptoes. “You can sit on it to tell your tale.”

So Tiptoes sat
on the cushion and began.

“Oshi was
already King of the Sea in the days when the Earth Mother gave birth to the
moon. Great was her groaning! She tossed from side to side in her labor and the
seas went wild. They crashed upon the rocks and ran upon the land. Whole
islands sank and others were raised to the sky. Finally the Earth Mother gave
birth and the moon rose into the heavens and shone full and round every night.
Then the oceans ceased their wild heaving and the days of quiet began.

Oshi watched
as Iluna the Bright gazed upon the moon and its full round face. He watched her
gather moonbeams from the misty air, from the rivers of ice that lay upon the
mountains, and out of the waves of the oceans and seas. Oshi the Sea King
watched as Iluna spun her web of finest silver into a long ladder.

‘What are you
weaving?’ he asked. ‘It looks so fine.’

Iluna didn’t
answer; she was too busy. But Oshi no longer watched her spinning. He saw
instead how she moved, he saw her delicate form, her tender touch as she wove
the moonbeams. More and more he had eyes only for her and Oshi the
Ever-Restless fell in love with Iluna the Silver One.

Iluna never
noticed. She wanted to touch the moon as much as Oshi had wanted to touch the
sea. Night by night she gathered the moonbeams, and day by day she wove them
until her ladder grew long and tall and wonderfully strong.

Oshi saw what
she was doing, that she was weaving a ladder to the moon, and he cried: ‘Oh,
Iluna, my Silver One, do not go to the moon.’

Iluna the
Weaver did not hear him; she was too busy and had eyes for nothing but her
task.

At last, on a
night so clear the stars shone like fire, Silver Iluna finished her ladder and
climbed to the moon.

‘Iluna, Iluna,
my Bright One,’ cried Oshi the Sea King as she left the earth, ‘do not go.’

But the
Iluna’s eyes were turned to the moon, and upwards, ever upwards, she climbed
until she reached out and touched the Moon Child’s face.

Then the days
of the Sun Father’s anger began. He burned and shone so fiercely that Iluna had
to lead the moon into the shadow of the Earth Mother. But Asherah wept, for her
child was in the shadows and she no longer saw her. Then day by day, and night
by night, Iluna led the moon into the sunlight until she shone full and round
for one night. After that, she led the Moon Child back into the darkness again.

“And so it has
been ever since, and will be for many years to come,” said Tiptoes. “Father Sun
and Mother Earth are pleased, but Oshi the Restless Sea King longs for Silver
Iluna. On full moon nights he longs for her so much that the sea itself is
restless and rises and falls to its highest and lowest. And when the moon is
new and hidden Oshi misses Iluna terribly and again the sea rises and falls to
its highest and lowest.”

“That is what
is happening tonight,” said Tiptoes. “The moon is full and the ocean heaves to
its highest as the Sea King wanders the waves longing for Iluna.”

“Doesn’t Iluna
see the Sea King now?” asked June Berry. “She must see he loves her.”

“Yes,” said
Tiptoes. “She looks down upon the earth and sees the love Oshi the Restless has
for her. She sees his longing and her love for him is growing. Year by year her
love grows. In far distant days her longing will become so strong that it will
draw the moon back to the earth. Then Silver Iluna will wed the Sea King, Oshi
the Ever-Restless, but the earth will be changed utterly.”

Tiptoes
finished her story. Outside the storm-wind groaned and the sound of the sea
rising on the shore became ever louder. After a while they couldn’t tell the
difference between the thunder and the wild waves crashing against the rocks.

June
Berry meets the Sea Maiden

That night
Tiptoes woke June Berry. She sat up and listened. The grown-ups had gone to
bed.

“It’s time,”
said Tiptoes.

June Berry
dressed in warm clothes and snuck to the mudroom. She put on her raincoat and
boots and slipped out the door. Outside the wind was fierce. It caught her and
pushed her around. Overhead, the full moon raced through the clouds. The storm
front had passed and now the lightning played on the mountains and the thunder
sounded in the distance.

Tiptoes led
the way across the sea meadow to the bluffs and down to the beach. O, how the
waves roared! They were huge and the tide was still rising. Far out to sea another
front was brewing and lightning flashed and crackled back and forth. June Berry
stayed by their ship. The waves were so wild she was afraid to go close to the
water. Tiptoes left and she waited. She put her hand to her neck and felt the
pearl necklace against her skin.

Up the beach a
woman came walking in the flickering moonlight. She had long hair which blew in
the wind and she wore a light dress. The wind and weather didn’t bother her at
all. She came to June Berry and stood before her. She was more beautiful than
anyone June Berry had ever seen. She was slim, and had long, delicate fingers.
On one hand she wore a ring with two entwined fish. She smiled and June Berry
smiled back.

June Berry
lifted the necklace over her head and handed it to the woman. She held it in
her hands and gazed at the pearls. Then she put the necklace around her neck.

“You’ll have
to fix the clasp,” said June Berry. “It was broken when we found it.”

“I’ll get
Peter to fix it,” the woman said. “He’s good with his hands.”

“Where is he?”
asked June Berry.

“At the
lighthouse,” said the woman. “He has to tend the light. Besides, it’s better if
he isn’t on the sea during storms. My father is restless when the moon is
full.” She ran her fingers along the pearls and smiled. “Thank you,” she said.
“I haven’t seen this necklace for a long time. It means a lot to me—both sorrow
and joy.”

Then she
turned and walked down the beach and into the waves. June Berry wanted to cry
out, but already the first breaker had curled over the woman’s head and she was
gone.

Tiptoes
says goodbye to Obaro

Tiptoes led
June Berry back to the cottage and then returned to the beach. The tide was
nearing its height and was reaching up to the ship. The second storm front had
grown. From horizon to horizon a massive wall of black cloud stood a mile or
two out to sea. It growled like a beast. Tiptoes slipped into the cave.
Suddenly the storm seemed far away. She looked about and went to the second
chamber.

“Looking for
me, are you, are you?” asked Obaro, suddenly appearing.

“I wanted to
tell you about the necklace,” said Tiptoes. “June Berry gave them back to the
Sea King’s daughter.”

“She did, did
she?” said Obaro. “So the tale goes on, and on. The pearls were lying here for
so long I began to think of them as mine. Mine. But that’s silly, of course.
Only the Sea King’s daughter can ever own those pearls, those pearls.”

“What will you
do now?” asked Tiptoes.

“Do now? Do
now?” said Obaro. “If the cave is here, I am here. I am here. If the cave is
not here, then I am not here. Not here.”

“Where would
you go if the cave wasn’t here?” asked Tiptoes. Tiptoes couldn’t imagine
staying in one place for so long.

“Go? Go?” said
Obaro. “What an adventure that would be! To go—that would be fun.”

“But where?”
asked Tiptoes again. She had met lots of gnomes before, but Obaro was by far
the strangest she had come across. She knew her gnome friends back home would
want to hear about him.

Obaro was
silent for a moment. He was thinking.

“I would go
wherever I am told,” he said at last. “Wherever I am told. You, little Tiptoes,
have been with those human beings far, far too long. You are getting to be like
them. You are getting willful and rushfull.”

“I suppose,”
said Tiptoes. “But who would tell you where to go?”

“You are small
but persistent,” said Obaro, chuckling. “Very persistent. Who do you think?
Think!”

Tiptoes
scratched her head. “Asherah the Earth Mother,” she guessed. “She would tell
you where to go.”

“Yes! Yes, of
course,” boomed Obaro. “Who else? Who else!”

Tiptoes gave a
little bow. “Thank you for telling me,” she said. “I have to say goodbye now.
We are leaving tomorrow.”

Obaro gave a
little bow too—though it looked more like he was bowing into his hollow space.
“It’s been an adventure meeting you. Oh, what fun—but far too quick, too
quick.”

He shifted and
hovered over another spot.

“Before you
go, have a look in the sand over here,” he said. “You’ll find something your
little lady might enjoy. Enjoy.”

~
Saturday ~

Salty
Jack

Tiptoes was up
early the next morning. The storm had cleared, the clouds were gone, and the
wind was gentle and warm. Out the door and high in the air she flew. She saw
the sea sparkling in the morning sun and the lighthouse far away on its little
island. Seagulls were circling round and round it, mewing and calling. A gull
with a snow-white breast flew past. He came so close that Tiptoes heard the
wind in his wings. Quick as a wink she grabbed his tail.

“Hey!” cried
the seagull in surprise. “Wha’cha doin’?”

“Hitching a
ride,” said Tiptoes cheerfully.

The seagull
whirled and dipped to shake her off, but Tiptoes hung on tight.

“If you’re not
going to let go you might as well sit on my back,” said the gull at last. “I’m
flying to the lighthouse.”

So Tiptoes sat
on the gull’s back and off they flew until they joined the flock circling the
tiny island.

“Hey! Salty
Jack,” cried the gulls. “Who’s that on your back?”

“Donno,” said
Salty Jack. “Some kinda butterfly what talks.”

“My name is
Tiptoes Lightly,” called Tiptoes to the flock. “I’m not a butterfly, I’m a
fairy.”