The Story of Marcia Mermaid and her little shell-fish, Shelly!
By Maria Iadonisi and her son, Matthew Charboneau.
Long, long ago in a land far, far below the thick kelp bed of the Atlantic ocean lived a city of Merfolks. Their homes were settled among the coral reef, much like the Indians adobes among the canyon walls. King Neptune ruled the Merfolk and sea creatures with a firm, but loving hand and having a powerful staff didn’t hurt either. But none gave the King more challenges than his own daughters. Had he realized what was to come as they grew older, he might not have had quite so many. He lost count at 25 and they were all as different as night and day. They each had their own special God given gifts, some painted, some sculpted, others wrote, and some even raced. Diversity was not a problem in the Merfolks town.
The oldest daughter, Marcia, was very responsible and went out of her way to help others, and the ocean folk soon began to depend on her for everything. She helped Ollie Octopus with a sprained tentacle which got caught in a fisherman’s net, and Samantha Starfish when she lost two tentacles in a close call with a sea otter, Sister Deloras who was having a bad hair day these are just some examples of her kindness. Yes, Marcia was very popular among the Merfolks, and sea creatures. Somewhere along the way she forgot to how to say “NO!"
Her Shellphone still rang off the hook, and the doorbell seemed to go non-stop with everyone who had a problem they wanted her do deal with. You see she had done so much for everyone that they no longer did anything for themselves. Marvin Mollusk wanted to be carried through town to visit Carl Clam and didn’t want to wait for the tide. Dolly dolphin wanted her fin scratched.
Marcia was so busy swimming back and forth she didn’t see Lily, the Loggerhead turtle until she tripped over her. She apologized and hurried on her way, daydreaming of what it would be like to be able to slowly swim around and enjoy the day. Her days didn’t seem to have enough hours to get everything done. One day she noticed Lily, headed for the surface just as evening was settling on the town. King Neptune assured her Lily knew what she was doing and would be back before long. As Marcia headed out the door the next morning, she glanced over head and sure enough there was Lily. Marcia swam to Lily to make sure everything was all right.
Lily smiled, “ I am perfectly fine, it was time to go ashore and lay my eggs. I will be around a few more months before I head for warmer waters for the winter.“
”But what will happen to your children?” fretted Marcia.
“They are in God’s hands now. They will hatch, dig their way to the surface and follow the moon to the surf, where they will fight the current, gulls and sharks to reach deeper waters and begin their life at sea,” Lily explained.
“Aren’t you going to take care of them? What if they get lost? Or eaten? Don’t you even care about your babies?” exclaimed Marcia.
Again Lily smiled. “I have faith that those that make it are supposed to and whose eaten were due to be part of the food chain of life. I hope to meet a few of my children on day on our travels in the deep waters, but I can’t change their fate or course their lives will take once they are born, I love them enough to believe in their abilities, and what will become of them is what is meant to be. Now, if you will please excuse me I am very tired from my journey ashore.” And with that she swam to the sea floor to rest.
Marcia was so put out by Lily’s careless attitude. How could she not take care of her children? How could they not live together? Who would take care of all the baby turtles when they hatched? Marcia rushed to the King for an explanation, she couldn’t imagine what she would do without her family. And yet there were times when she would love to have some time to herself to do what she wanted and visit her friend who had quit calling her after awhile. Her father assured her things were as they should be and Lily was doing what all sea turtles did. This still did not settle Marcia down and she headed for the deepest part of the ocean to get away for awhile and compose herself.
Marcia was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn’t see the little fish perched on the corals edge. Luckily, Shelly shell-fish did see her and quickly darted to the left. “Hey, watch where you are going Lady!! You’re not the only fish in the sea.”
“Excuse me I didn’t see you there.”
“ That was obvious, What has your fins all wrinkled today?” Marcia told Shelly of her encounter with Lily and how worried she was about the baby turtles. Her feeling were hurt even more when Shelly just laughed at her. Shelly knew of Marcia, as her reputation was known throughout the ocean.
“Marcia, you are known as a goodie two shoes, a Saint, and a do goober. You take on everyone else’s responsibility and do EVERY THING anyone wants you to do. WHY? Who are you trying to Impress? Do you even know what you are good at, what talents God has blessed you with? No, of course not that would mean thinking for yourself for a change.” Shelly flailed her fins as she talked and revealed a glimmer of something hidden in her lap.
“What do you have there?” Marcia inquired.
“Just never you mind!!” Snapped Shelly. Marcia was taken aback, no one had ever talked to like that before.
“What is wrong with you? I haven’t done anything to you? You have intruded on my time to myself.”
“Isn’t that being a little selfish?
"I didn’t mean to bother you, I came down here to sort out problems of my own.”
“ I thought you said you were worried about the plight of the sea turtles?”
“I am.”
“Then it wasn’t your problems you were worrying about, but someone else as usual. And you haven’t heard a thing I said.”
Marcia hung her head, for Shelly was right. Slowly Shelly uncovered the largest most brilliant pearl Marcia had ever seen.
“Every few days I sit quietly and polish the pearls from the oyster beds close to the shore. It’s what I was meant to do, and I am good at it. My bed of oysters has the most brilliant pearls in the world, of all different colors, white, black, pink and green. Taking a dull pearl adding some more sand and polishing it to perfection gives me a sense of accomplishment, and I feel good about myself when I am done. Then I can help others, and I can also learn the direction in which I am to go next.”
“Let me try!!” demanded Marcia.
“NO!! I’m sorry I will not share this with anyone else.”
“Isn’t that being a little selfish?” asked Marcia.
“ Yes this Shell-fish is being very selfish. But only where pearl polishing is concerned. It is like an artist with a brush, or sculptor with his chisel, or writer with his pen, some folks go to the gym. They all do these things to use their God given gifts and find their own personal center. Everyone is unique and must find his own way much like the baby turtle finding their way to the sea.”
Marcia hadn’t thought about life like that before, nor had she thought she had any gifts to contribute to the life of the merfolks.
“You are selling yourself short, we all have gifts, you just have not taken the time to find out what yours are. Answer these three questions: #1 What are you good at?, #2- What do you enjoy? And finally, -What are your God given gifts? When you find the answer to these questions you will find your way. Try many things until you find the answers, and soon you will do one thing more than every and you will have your gift to replenish yourself. Then you will be more rested and able to sort out who is using you to be lazy and who really needs help. And stop doing everything your asked it has made the town lazy. The Merfolk and Sea creatures need to learn their own lessons, and I know your father has asked you to stop before, I have heard him and the elders calling after you as you hurried across town. And you just nod, never heading a word they said. Stop and take time to listen to elders they know things that will help you in your journey, as they were young once too!! I have to go now I have to teach a school of tuna this afternoon, and I now have the energy to tackle the task..” Without waiting for a reply Shelly swam for the Oyster bed, Pearl gleaming in her fins.
Marcia had a lot to think about, Maybe Shelly was right it was time for her to be a little selfish, like the shell-fish. She missed her friends and in all the commotion she just had not missed the ringing of the shell phone, which in her haste she must have dropped somewhere along the way. The quiet was calming and she was ready to find the answer to Shelly’s questions and find out what she was meant to do with her life. Starting with learning to say “NO!”
