Deuteronomy 33:19 "They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand."
"Mother, what is a mer-maid?"
"Why, Kasha, why would you even ask a question like that?"
"Jagger said his father saw one."
"How many times have I told you not to speak with that boy? Mermaids are not real, but of the imagination. You mustn't think about them."
"Why mustn't I?"
"Because they're evil. Now Kasha."
"But mother! How can they be evil if they do not even exist?"
Kasha looked upon the ocean and shuddered. She couldn't get on that ship. She couldn't. She twisted her light colored braid around and around her fingers, weaving the end of it between her whole hand. Those waves. That water. It looked dark and evil. How could that bring safety?
"Be brave," Her mother whispered, holding onto Kasha's brother's hands. "For all of us. For your father's sake."
Kasha nodded holding back tears that she would not shed. She was brave. When it came to rational, sensible things at least.
But the ocean was neither rational nor sensible. Still she tried to shake the fear away.
"Here," Kasha's mother pushed the young boy towards the girl. "Take care of Patrick with all your might. Don't let him out of your sight."
Kasha took the his arm. But he didn't seem to acknowledge the change. He looked at the sea with fascination. He obviously loved it.
"Goodbye children! God be with you!"
"Goodbye, mother." Kasha looked over her mother's shoulder. Kasha could not look into her eyes, nor return the blessing. She didn't even want to think about God.
The mother hugged the boy tightly. He returned the hug somewhat. Then Kasha hugged her mother also.
"You'll be fine once you reach your cousins'. I'll come as soon as I can. Then all this craziness will be over."
Kasha nodded. She tried to hide her disbelief. Life could never peaceful for them. Never. Why even try? She just wanted to stay home.
At that moment the captain walked up, keeping Kasha from breaking her resolve to not cry. "Ma'am, I'll take very good care of them. No need to worry."
"Thank you sir." Kasha's mother bowed her head then stepped back, a final act of bidding farewell.
And then they boarded, Kasha holding tightly to Patrick.
It didn't take Kasha long to find her cabin. Once she did, she pulled Patrick in and sat him against the wall. "Stay there," She said.
He did so, and started picking at his coat. She sat herself down beside him and cried.
"Oh, Perry!" Only she called him by this name. She had a special connection with him that not even she understood. The boy looked up startled, suddenly noticing his sister's tears.
"You ookay?" He slurred.
She looked at him through her tears. She loved her Perry, but it was because of him that life was so bad. He could have been almost handsome, she thought. His beautiful red hair was worth dying for. But he had been born with out a mind. Daft.
At fifteen he acted as id he were two.
"Yes. I'm all right. I suppose. But I'm glad you're here. We'll both be okay."
"I biggg!"
Kasha laughed and wiped away her tears. "Yes, Perry, you are big. We both are. That's why we mustn't cry."
"I vreeery biggg. I issh ffaarteeen. I don't cry."
"Yes, Perry." And Kasha smiled. She leaned her head against her younger brother. They'd be okay. Both of them. She closed her eyes, keeping the rest of her tears shut in.
Patrick thrived on the sea. He ran around the deck, his red head in all sorts of mischievousness. He followed the men around irritating them beyond endurance.
And Kasha could do nothing. Except vomit that is.
She was sure that the last two weeks of sea sickness were worse than anyone ever had. Especially with her fear of the ocean added up on it.
Or maybe she had just got Patrick's share.
Despite being, she kept her eyes on the boy. He needed constant watching and supervising, sick or not.
They were traveling on a merchant ship. There were no other people aboard the ship beside the crew. For Kasha this was both good and bad. Good that she was at peace from judging eyes. But she didn't quite feel comfortable being the only girl aboard.
The Captain had been very good to take them on. Kasha suspected he'd done it out of guilt. He'd done nothing to help her father.
Until now-after he was dead. She tried t not hold this against him. Tried very hard.
Patrick came running over to where Kasha sat on the deck. "Loooksh Kaaashu! I have uh coin! I biggg." He puffed out his chest and held his hand out for her to see.
"My, yes, you are big." Kasha grinned. But her grin turned into a small, polite smile as she saw a sailor approach.
The man had been staring at Kasha too much lately. She didn't really like that – or him.
"See?" Patrick asked, drool oozing from his lips. "Him. He nice."
The sailor grinned. "I'm glad you like it. I'm Tom by the way." He directed this last statement towards Kasha.
"Kasha." She held out her hand for politeness. But instead of shaking it, the man kissed it.
Kasha pulled her hand back quickly, a blush breaking strongly over her face and neck. But the sailor seemed not to notice.
He plopped himself down between the girl and brother.
"So, where be ye goin'" Kasha caught herself liking his speech. It was exotic....no, dirty, lazy and uneducated. She did not like it. She wished the captain would come and take this man away. Tom should know better than to make conversation with people of her class.
"The Americas."
"Is that so? Whet providence, and whet fer?"
Why was this any of his business? But still she answered. "Virginia. I am going to live with relatives. Our mother will come once she takes care of some important business." Like being able to leave Scotland. But that was definitely none of his business.
And Kasha could tell he did not care anyways, for with his next words he began to tell her about himself, mostly bragging about all he had seen and done in a probably very exaggerated way.
"Perry, don't look over the edge." Kasha pulled the boy back on his feet. "What were you thinking?" Her heart thumped wildly. She needed to watch closer. Kasha glanced into the waves. How had she just allowed him to get so close to drowning?
"Perty." Patrick grinned.
"Yes, but you can see it all from here just as well." She shuddered at the waves threw themselves against the side of the ship. Those were not pretty.
"No, perty griirl."
The sailors were starting to stare. A couple men were laughing. Kasha tried not to blush.
"It's all right, Perry. Let's just go nap."
He resisted a little, insisting to see the "perty girl" again. The sailors were laughing loudly now. Kasha felt hot and pulled harder on Patrick's arm.
Tom walked over to Patrick and grinned. "Ya seen a mer-maid?"
The boy, puzzled, looked open mouthed at him.
Tom turned his wrist over and pointed to a tattoo. "That?"
Patrick nodded. "Perty grirl! See Kaashu!"
"Yes, I see." Kasha glared at Tom and pushed him aside. "Come along, Perry."
Tom laughed and spoke to the two as they walked away from him. "Lucky lad. Most men don't e'en get to live ta tell of seein' one of those." He winked.
It took a bit to get Patrick to lay down, and even longer to get him to take a nap. Once he was asleep Kasha left the room and took in a breath of fresh air. "Ahh!" She needed to talk to the captain about Patrick.
The ocean might be horrid, but at least the air smelled clean. With a touch of salt. She wrinkled her nose.
"Sorry about that."
Kasha turned around suddenly. There was Tom. She'd be glad when this trip was over. He was everywhere.
"I didn't mean fer ta make ye mad."
That is because you don't think at all, she wanted to say. And she couldn't say it was okay, or he would just continue irritating her, so she just nodded.
"But ye see I weren't jest funning him. We sea people believe in ladies of the sea....and other such critters. Because we seen them." Tom spoke in a very serious tone.
"You've seen a mer-maid?" She couldn't keep the contempt or unbelief out of her voice.
"Well....not ezackly."
Kasha had a smug look on her face.
"But an old feller I use ta know – he did. He see them all the times. We were always havin' to stand at hand becuz he was talkin' over....you know if you stare at a sea person too long their magic will draw ya in to drown ye."
"Where is this man?" She couldn't believe Tom would actually believe all this nonsense. But then, he was pretty crazy.
"One day he fell in. Never saw him agin." Tom chuckled a little.
"Likely." Kasha said. "Well, excuse me, sir, I have to speak with the captain."
"Been a pleasure," Tom grinned. "Talk more later."
Hopefully not, Kasha wanted to say. But instead she just nodded and smiled. How she hated that man.
She took another breath of and looked around.
She made her way over to the Captain's cabin door swiftly before any more of the crew could stop her to talk.
Her fingers tapped quickly and lightly. It was only when he said to come in that she began to think that maybe he would be busy or not want to talk. Or maybe this just wasn't a good idea. But then she thought of Patrick.
The Captain's quarters were second only to Kasha's in comfort. But beyond that they were amazing.
He lived on the seas, he had no family. Thus all his treasure was on this ship, most of it displayed upon his walls. And it wasn't little or few in number.
"What can I do for you, my girl?" He smiled kindly, sitting in an armchair, a book on his knee.
Kasha looked a way from the walls displaying golden medallions. "I've just come to ask a favor – one for Patrick."
"Anything."
"Is there some sort of way we can leash him? Mother never liked to do it, but I fear for him falling into the sea."
"Certainly. I was just wondering about that the other day. He seems to like playing close to the edge."
"Thank you, sir." Kasha did a small curtsy and turned to go.
"Wait, just wait one moment. I'm not needed at this moment. I've heard little of your family since my travels have taken me away these last 15 years. I've never known what actually happened."
Kasha sat down.
"But forgive me. It's none of my businesses. I shouldn't be asking for you to bring hurtful things up."
"It is nothing to me. I was so little. And you need to know, for you have been so good." Kasha was good at one thing – lying. This man should have helped her father.
"Pardon me, but for a girl of seventeen, you have a very good sense about you. I know God has a great life planned for you in the Americas."
"Thank you. I hope so." Kasha blushed a little. But she didn't think God would have much to do with her life. She went on to tell of what had torn their family apart. "It was Patrick. When he was two it was certain that he was different. At first the priests feared he was sick. But nothing could be done for him.
That's when the church commanded my father to pray and buy pardons for our family's supposedly committed sins, for it was believed that the boy was demon possessed."
The Captain nodded, following along.
"At first Father and Mother complied. Though both felt tricked and taken advantage of by God or His angles. We had committed no sin greater than any one else. We had lived holy as we should. But Patrick was different.
"And then Mother had a dream. God told her we had done nothing wrong. We were not to hate His gift, but love it – for that is what Patrick is, a special gift to us, not a curse.
"Mother told Father. It took them a while to sort out what they thought of this dream. But finally they accepted this as of God, and they told the church that nothing else would be done for the purging of Patrick.
"He was our blessing." Kasha rubbed her knuckles. Oh, yes. The boy was a blessing, despite his troubles. Despite that she hated her Father for the whole thing. Despite the fact that God had nothing to do with this, she loved Patrick.
"But the priests were angered, and because Father would not listen, we were excommunicated."
She held back her tears. There was no need to tell more. It was obvious why her father had not been able to find work.... None would want to risk being excommunicated themselves.
"I pray that Mother will make it safely. But I fear she will never come," Kasha blurted out. Until now she had not made her thoughts real in this matter. "The church has taken offense at Mother's sermons to the people."
"Ah, I did not know. I found it odd she would send you off alone."
"Yes, she will not leave those that needed us. But it was no longer safe for Patrick and I to remain in Scotland."
The Captain looked down stricken. "And all this while I thought you were rebels. Dear Kasha, for all your sakes, I promise to escort you beyond my duty – to absolute safety."