LEGEND OF THE MER (2 page)

~~~

The months passed quickly by.  The holidays came and went and it was like Lana was enjoying every day as if it were the first.  She didn’t even mind staying home during the holidays and not having swimming practice.  It gave her time with her father.  He seemed to try harder to give her attention during these days.  She always longed for his attention.  He was a good dad.  Most kids wouldn’t mind their dad not being around that much.  Being a lighthouse keeper
and helping out at the
Marina
kept him busy
all year round;
he seemed to like it, but Lana was left alone a lot.  There was so much she wanted to ask him about her mother.  He always got so serious and left the room whenever she trie
d to talk about her.  Sometimes
he would even go down to the Billows Bar and not come home for hours.  Then when he did, he was usually drunk and Lana hated it when that happened, she would stay in her room and avoid him.

Lana
was in the kitchen one morning
making her dad coffee when he came in and stood staring at her, “Lana,” her dad said her name so strangely.

“What?  Why are you looki
ng at me like that?”

“It’s just that I haven’t seen you without all that make-up in a long time,” her father said still staring at her.

“Dad, it’s okay, it’s me.  I just thought I’d do something different,” Lana said, a little uncomfortable with the look on his face.

“Sorry kid, it’s just that you look so much like your mother.  I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all,” he said while grabbing a coffee cup from the cabinet.

“Really Dad you’ve never told me what she looked like before.  Did she have white hair and silver eyes?”

“Yeah
, she had your hair, skin, eyes.  You could be her at that age
.
”
N
ow her father was getting misty-eyed and solemn.

“Sorry Dad, I didn’t mean to remind you.  It’s just good for me to know.  Thanks for telling me,” said Lana as she kissed his cheek and headed out the door for school.

Cole Prentis sat at the kitchen table sobbing while he ran his hand through his black hair, “You
can’t help but remind me
little one, every time I look at you.  I can’t believe how quickly time has passed.  I
’
ll have to keep watch even more now,” whispered Cole as he stared out the window overlooking the ocean waves.

~~~

It was the beginning of April and Lana had become an adept swimmer.  This afternoon, during her usual laps in the pool, the Island Chieftains swim team cam
e in and saw Lana.

“Is that Lana Prentis swimming in the pool?” Jody Harper asked surprised.

“Why yes, it is,” answered Miss Perry
proudly
.

“I thought she couldn’t swim,” said Elaine Johnson.

“She couldn’t,
she’s been taking lessons
.
”
Miss Perry
grinned
.

Lana caught a glimpse of the teen
s and stopped her laps and swam to the side of the pool nearest Miss Perry.

“Lana, I have a favor to ask of you.  Would you mind racing Mr. Jody Harper?  Only a few laps,” Miss Perry challenged her.

Lana was shocked that she would ask such a thing, “Miss Perry, how could you.  You know I don’t want to do this.”

“Miss Perry, I hardly believe that Lana could beat Jody, he’s the best on our team
,
” s
ai
d Rick Taylor
with a grin
.

“Lana, will you take a risk?” Miss Perry asked with a grin
of her own
.

“I guess so, if Jody doesn’t mind,” said Lana feeling suddenly brave.

“Sure, it’s your loss.  No boy, let alone girl, has ever beaten me,” bragged Jody.  Then he hopped into the pool to adjust to the temperature and then Jody and the reluctant Lana took to the blocks and readied their position.

“Okay guys, when I blow the whistle on the count of three
.
  One, two, three
!
”
T
he shrill of Miss Perry’s whistle blew and Jody and Lana leapt forward diving into the water.  None of the rest of the swim team could believe it as they saw Lana racing ahead by half a lap at the first turn.  Jody Harper could believe it even less.  By the second turn, as Jody popped his head up, Lana was making the third turn.  Lana realized what was happening and she slowed her pace and stopped as she reached the wall.

“I told you Lana, you are that exceptional,” s
ai
d Miss Perry
with a
smile
.

“Wow
Lana, you should be on our swim team!” Elaine shouted.

Jody swam to the wall breathless and said, “I agree.”

“Thanks, but I’m not sure I want to do that,” said Lana with a forced smile and
then
she quickly grabbed a towel
covering her hands
and went into the changing room.  She had the overwhelming feeling that now she would be even stranger in the eyes of her classmates than she had been before.  She really didn’t like all the attention.

The kids on the swim team did stop asking Lana to join them, but they had a new found respect for her and she did like that.  They even spoke to her in the halls and in the lunch room.  That had never happened before, unless it was to tease her.  She was even invited to a swim down at the pier on Satu
rday.  She decided that somehow
she would go and take her first swim in the ocean.

~~~

Saturday couldn’t come fast enough for Lana.  She did tell her father that she was going to the pier with friends from her study group.  He didn’t question
it;
she had been at the pier several times before.  Only, she knew that he would never guess that she would be swimming.

“Hey Lana, glad you came!” Elaine called from the pier as she saw Lana walking up.

“Yeah
me too, but I’m still a little nervous
.
” Lana
smiled
.

“There’s nothin to it, just like in the pool,” s
ai
d Jody.

“Last one in is a loser!” Rick shouted as he jumped in with a cannonball that splashed everyone.

Lana watched each one
go in
and then followed.  The water felt cold, but so smooth.  She guessed that it must be the salt content that made it so.  It was so refreshing, she felt as though she belonged here.  She was surprised by the fact that she was no longe
r afraid.  She should have been
with the far reaching deep water, but she wasn’t.

In no time, all were seeing how far they could dive into the water.  Lana followed their lead and couldn’t believe how beautiful it was down below.  There were such vivid colors and small fish swimming everywhere.  She was surprised how clearly she could see it all.  This surpassed her best dream.  Just to be here, under the water, gave her such a feeling of belonging. 
Wh
y haven’t I
felt this way before
?
As hard as it was, she forced herself upwards to the clear blue sky and the smiles of all her friends.

“Do you like it?” Elaine asked still finding it hard to believe that it was Lana’s first time in the ocean.

“Yeah, I love it! I wish I’d done it sooner
.
”
Lana
smiled
.

Soon
all were diving even deeper and challenging each other to swim out to the buoy.  It was so thrilling, like nothing Lana had ever done before could compare to this moment.

“Beyond the buoy is an old sunken ship.  It’s about twenty f
eet down and sometimes there’s
tiger sharks.  Anyone want to go with me?” Jody dared everyone.

“I’ll do it, if I can,” said Lana surprised that she was willing.

They both swam out past the buoy to where Jody said the ship was.  Jody took a deep breath and plunged down, Lana followed his lead.  The sun was filtering through the water and shone streaks of light on the old wreckage.  There were odd looking fish all around the wreck, but thankfully, Lana didn’t see any sharks.  Jody touched the rail of the ship and then quickly spun around and kicked back up to the surface.  Lana began to do the same, but just then, a hawksbill turtle caught her eye and she followed him into the large hole in the starboard side of the ship.  It was amazing to see the ship’s interior and to imagine what the people must have been like that sailed her.  The turtle seemed to enjoy her company and he brushed up against her side.  How wonderful it was to be so near this living creature and have it not be afraid of her.

Lana followed the turtle even further into the hull of the ship and she spotted
,
what she believed to be
,
a barracuda swimming out of an old cupboard
(locker)
along the wall.  It was long and thin with sharp teeth.  She knew to stay clear of it, but again, she wasn’t really afraid of it either.  The turtle swam on and out another hole in the stern of the ship and Lana couldn’t help but follow.  She couldn’t believe how beautiful the coral reef was with so many shades of pink.  She guessed that it was what had battered even more holes in the ship over time and currents.  The water became more beautiful as Lana went deeper following the turtle.  It was all so intoxicating and she forgot how long she had been beneath.

Suddenly, Lana froze beneath the water as she realized that she had been below for some time now. 
How could I have
?
  She noticed pain in the sides of her neck, just below her jaw line.  She quickly looked up towards the sun and kicked her way to the water
’
s surface.  When she reached the top, she could barely make out where the buoy was.  She couldn’t see any of her friends, but what she did see made her ill.  It was her father rowing towards her in the dinghy.  She swam cautiously to him.

“Well, I hope you’re ha
ppy.  Y
ou’ve frightened all your friends and scared me half to death as well,” he said sternly, then helped her into the boat.