Storied By Josh

When the rains came heavy the sea would turn a tumultuous gray. It would raise up and twist itself as it tried to bring the boat into itself and there would be a little bit of fear in men. But unless it became very bad and the sea became very greedy against the boat the men would joke and laugh loudly to prove to the sea that it could not take their bravery away. They would laugh and yell and if it got too bad they would sing swear words against the ocean and life. If it became the worst they would become quiet because they would drown soon and they wished not to anger their gods any more than they had.

Lorth’s grandfather told him he had only been in a situation like this three times. Twice the men were quiet and worked to keep the sea out of the boat in a terrific frenzy. They pleased the gods enough that the sun came out and the fishermen were lived. The third time Lorth’s great uncle was drunk and cursed the moon and the sun and the waves and all the women and men of the world. He was drowned when the gods sent a wave to quiet his blasphemy. The boat capsized and Lorth’s grandfather was one of only four survivors that day. Lorth’s grandfather had only told him this story once.

He told Lorth to always respect the sea and the creatures on the earth because the moment you cursed them you became the hunted. Lorth’s grandfather would become a little angry, and quiet when he told this story. Lorth knew his grandfather:, “Papa” missed his brother very much. Papa didn’t take Lorth fishing properly until Lorth turned ten. Papa said he was close enough to a man to learn the sea. Fishing was quickly becoming extinct now. The country decided it wanted fish from a different place, far away. It was cheaper. Sometimes Papa would say unkind things against the country and then he would ask forgiveness from the land.

Papa first taught Lorth to tie knots when Lorth was six. Every good fisherman must know these knots. And his strong hands would train the boy’s small hands. Papa’s hands were still strong but now they popped sometimes and shook a little.

Lorth had now been out to sea five times. Papa said he was fast becoming as good as his great uncle. “Just stay away from the drink, for it causes good men to do evil things.” Lorth had tried alcohol before, it made him feel warm and unable to feel pain. He knew what Papa meant.

This fifth time they were fishing, but Papa said the ocean was too angry to find a great many fish. The village was in dire need of the fish however, so they must trust the gods to keep them safe and do their best to bring home food to the people. Lorth was anxious. They had been fishing for four days.

The sea had been grumbling against the boat now for a day but Papa said with any luck it would not decide to test their bravery. Lorth looked out over the bow and saw fins in the water splash against the surface. “Those are mermaids?” Lorth asked.
Papa smiled down through his beard. “No, those are great fish.”
Lorth nodded. “Gilt says mermaids are not to be trusted. Have you ever seen one?”
Papa looked at him for a moment. “Who is Gilt?.”
“A boy from school.”
“Yes I have seen a mermaid.”
“Did they try to steal you into the ocean?”
“Our mermaids never do this. They warn us of dangers and trials ahead.”
“But aren’t they dangerous?” Lorth asked.
“Ja, but all great things are dangerous.” Papa replied. He motioned for Lorth to come sit beside him. The boat rocked a little from the waves but Lorth was used to it and he sat beside his grandfather with little trouble. “I was a few summers older than you when I saw my first mermaid. She was more beautiful than the sea and looked so young, but as mermaids are, she must have been older than our village.”
“That is very old. Did she speak to you?”
“She told me that I would see trials and my heart would break but then I would live to see the world begin anew.”
“What did she mean?”
“This is something no man can explain to another. It is something only age can see.”
Lorth furrowed his brow as he tried to understand. “What did she look like?”
Her hair was thick and course together like seaweed. She was freckled like a beach and her skin was soft ivory, like the tusks of a walrus. Her eyes were the sea.”
“Did she show you her tail?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because she had to swim with it of course!” Papa chuckled.
“Do they have gills?”
“No they are not needed. Mermaids do not breathe like you and me or the animals for they are the children of the gods.”
“But I thought we were the gods’ children too.”
“They are in a different way.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Lorth said.
“Not yet. She was sad you know.”
“Why?”
“Because all mermaids are. They see the future and this makes them melancholy.”
“Why would seeing the future make them this way?” Lorth asked.
“Because they see it as we see the past. It is like a memory and like the past they cannot change it, but it is worse for them. They cannot avoid it, even their future is known to them so they watch us make the same mistakes and they wish they could change the world, but they are not allowed to. They are only allowed to warn.”
“Will I ever see the mermaids?”
“Maybe, but their time is coming to an end so they will be very hard to see soon.”
“Papa can I ask you a question?” Lorth said.
“Yes.”
“Did they tell you about…about Uncle?”
Papa looked away for a second. Then quietly and forceful, “Yes.”
“Did you not tell him?”
“I tried.”
“I’m sorry.” Lorth touched his grandfather’s arm. Papa reached with his wrinkled hand and held Lorth’s.
They were quiet as the rest of the men began to pull the nets out of the water

That evening The sea became angry. It smashed the boat this way and that way and Papa laughed with the other men. Lorth tried but he was too frightened because the sea had never been this angry. Papa’s beard was splashed with waves after waves. His grandfather ordered him to begin pulling the sea out of the boat with a bucket. Lorth did as he was bid to. He pulled bucket after bucket and poured it over the side only to have much more pour in. Lorth’s arms ached. The mast began to bend and Lorth was afraid it would break.
“Do not fear, Lorth!” His grandfather called against the waves. Fear will give the storm power!”
“I am not scared of the Shitty Boot’s storm!” Lorth called out. Papa and the men howled and laughed at this showing of his bravery. Lorth laughed too.  He felt better when he laughed and so he began to think of Gilt from school. How he wore the girl’s clothes and the girls would chase him around the village screaming at him but he was too fast for them to catch. This made Lorth laugh and the storm was weaker against him. He felt a great strength from somewhere deep inside of him growing. A wave smashed against him and the cold sting of it caused him to gasp. He began to laugh again at the pitifulness of trying to keep an ocean of water out of a tiny boat. Another wave drenched him through his clothes. He raised his arms into the air as rain and wind smashed against him
“Hør meg, guder! Jeg har ingen frykt i magen! Den er full av sjøvann!”
The men shouted “Ja! Gutten er en mann og snakker!”

The storm went on for a while but just before dawn the sea became content that the men were brave enough to sail upon it and eventually it let them be. After almost an eternity the sea was quiet and the air was quiet. Papa looked tired and Lorth’s arms burned to the bone. He was soaked but did not feel cold.

“Lorth, come to me.” Papa said from the bow. Lorth walked to him, his legs felt weak. “This is a good sign. You still have the spirit of the old men in you.”
“Papa, I am not afraid of this ocean now.”
“This is good. But you must always remember to respect it.”
“Yes, Papa.”
“Go sit by one of the men and take a break, we will head home now. There are no fish today.”

When they returned after the sun shone a small group from the village greeted them as they always did when a fish boat came home from an angry sea. Lorth’s mother’s face relaxed when she saw the two of them cross the docks.
“Gods bless, you are home.” She said.
“Gods bless, we are home.” Papa replied.
“No fish?”
“No, but in two days we will go again. They were wise and avoided the angry waves.”
“What can my father be if he is not as wise as a small fish?”
“Strong, just as your son is.”
“I learned to not fear the ocean.” Lorth proudly proclaimed. His mother looked at him and pulled him into her arms.
“We will slaughter a pig tonight.” Papa said. “It will be a feast for the lucky of the village.
“Why is the village lucky if we caught no fish?” Lorth asked.
“Luck is not just about fish,” was all Papa replied.

The feast was a grand affair. Half of the village took part. Lorth saw Papa drink beer for the first time in years. He laughed with the other sailors and fishermen. Lorth’s mother gleamed with pride. He wasn’t sure if anyone else knew why they were celebrating, but it had been a long time since a feast had been thrown in the village and the people needed it. Half way through the feast it moved to the village square from their house and when the pig was ready Papa called for a toast to the mighty sea, the land that sustained them and to the young who would carry the torch of the future. Late into the night the crowd dispersed, some drunkenly, all jovial, to their own homes.
Lorth slept well that night.

Papa sat on the edge of the fountain in the middle of the village long after the crowds dispersed. He drank from his cup. After it was safe to do so he began to walk aimlessly through the village. The chickens squawked as he walked past them. He looked at many of the houses he and his brother had helped build with their own hands. He walked past the fish market and eventually he made his way to the cemetery. His brother’s grave lay before him. He slowly bent to his knees as they groaned in protest.

“God kveld, min bror. We had a feast today. You would have been proud.” He told his brother of the fish that had left. How during the storm he had seen the same mermaid that warned him about his brother’s death. She danced away from the boat and Lorth had seen her. “I told him she was a fish because no boy should have to know the future and the mermaid’s sorrowful song.” He told his brother of how strong Lorth had been in the storm. How Lorth had called out to the gods that he was not afraid. “Oh my brother. My hands are weaker and shake now. They hurt in the cold. My strength leaves me more every day. Youth has left me and found a better friend. I miss you. I find increasingly that I wish only to find the rest that you must know.”

He touched the ground. The land was good and fertile. Papa used to know how the world would work but now it seemed ever more foreign to him. Even the sea was becoming but a stranger. “She told me I would see the world begin anew. It has today. I wish you were here to see it with me.” He felt the tears fall down through his beard. “I have drank this evening and I fear it is too much. But I drank for you.”He stayed there for a time and let his brother share memories of them together when they were young. Then as the sky became cloudy and the cold began to push through his clothes he stood.

He looked at the grave and whispered “Wait for me brother. I will be along soon enough.” Papa walked away from the grave toward home.

The Sjøen slowly pushed against the shore.