A VISIT TO THE SEA QUEEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19382, 17 July 1926, Page 4 (Supplement)

A VISIT TO THE SEA QUEEN.

BY MAKJORIE HEED. Mavis and Big Sister Grace were staying at the seaside, While mummy and daddy were away on a visit to Auckland. After a morning on the beach, they had wandered round the rocks, Big Sister settling down to read, while Mavis, with her Japanese parasol shading her from the sun, fished with the line Uncle Tom had given her for Christmas. Suddenly there was a jerk on the line, and when it was pulled in there on the end was a very big fish for a little girl to catch.. Mavis could only just pull it up. She'd no sooner got it on the rock than there was quite a stir in the water and a great deal of bubbling, and then up popped a pretty girl's head. Mavis couldn't think who she could be, and then the girl in the water spoke: — " Oh, please, little girl, let Toby go!" Mavis' eyes almost popped out. " Toby!" she gasped, " where is he?" "On your line on the rock, answered the girl in the water.

" T-t-toby ? But I didn't know fishes had names," said Mavis.

" All the Queen's pet fishes have ; and Toby is her favourite. Oh, dear, if you don't let him go free, I shall get into trouble. The Queen will have me put in prison under the island, and I shall starve," sighed the water girl. " The Queen must be very cruel," said Mavis. " What's your name ?" " Sh-sh! The soldier fish are round here and they might hear you. My name is Periwinkle, and I'm tho mermaid who looks after the Queen's, fishes." " Are you really a mermaid ? Why, 1 thought they were only in fairy tales. Have you got a tail'! I always loved the story of the mermaid in my fairy tale book at home. Whatever do you live on down in the sea ?" asked Mavis. " Little human girl, if you will only throw Toby back, I'll take you down under the waves and show you our home. Only you mustn't try and take anything away," said Periwinkle.

" But I couldn't breathe under the water," expostulated Mavis. " I'd be drowned."

" Not if you hold ray hand ail the time," answered Periwinkle.

" Well, if I let Toby down, cau you unhook him?" said Mavis. So saying she let the poor fish down into the water. Periwinkle very gently took the hook ont, and then catching hold of Toby's fin with one hand she helped Mavis down with the other.

" Won't I get all wet ? " asked Mavis.

Periwinkle took a wee bottle out of a pocket in her scales, and poured some on Mavis' hair. "Now you'll be all right," she said.

Mavis felt herself sinking through the cool green water.* To her surprise she could breathe quite easily and keep her eyes open. On each side of her were great mountains of rocks with seaweeds growing like trees ail up the sides.

" It's just like the world," she said to Periwinkle.

" I've never been out of the sea," said the .other, " except just to sit on a rock in the moonlight and comb my hair." When they touched the bottom of the sea, Mavis found the ground quite firm to walk on. Periwinkle, however, floated along. beside her.

They soon camo to a beautiful palac3 with seaweed gnowing up the wails; the doors and windows were made of mother-of-pearl, and beautiful mermaids were swimming among the lovely clumps of pink and white coral which grew in the garden. Periwinkle rang a bell, and the door was opened by a crab dressed in purple and white. He led the two girls and Toby into a room, where sat a beautiful lady, but with a discontented face. She was sitting at a table with lots of nice food in front of her—oysters and pipis and boiled seaweed, and a most lively sponge, all baked brown and crisp. Everything was served _on shells of the prettiest colour and Mavis longed to pick some up, but she remembered Periwinkle's orders. The Queen picked up a sea egg off the table and threw it at him. It just mjssed him. Mavis couldn't exclaiming, " Oil, what a bad shot! The Queen turned round and saw Mavis. " Who is this ?" she called. Periwinkle bowed. " Please, Your Majesty, this is a human child who captared Toby, and I bad to bribe her to let kim gQ free. So I brought her down for a The' Queen glared at Mavis and then turned to Toby. "Oh, my poor little fishkms. Did a nasty human put a hook in bis little moufch ?" ' Maoris laughed, but everyone else looked very frightened. The Queen was very cross and, still holding Toby, came toward Mavis, who said, " I always thought the Sea Queen would be kind." At tlueso words the Sea Queen turned quite pale, and said, " You shall be put in prison for this and kept on salt water until you turn into a fish." Poor Mavis looked at Periwinkle, who appeared very tearful, and thon said: " Poch! You can't put me in prison. I'm stronger than you," and she picked

up the Queen with one hand and shook her. And suddenly all the mermaids were dancing round her and shouting:, " The human child has broken the spell," and. Periwinkle turned to Mavis and said:

" The wicked magician Octopus put a spell on our Queen because she'd picked some of his flowers. He said she would always be cross and cruel until a human child shook her. and now you've broken the spell." Mavis' eyes danced. " Oh, lam glad," she said. "I do hope that Octopus will get killed," and she went to put both arms round the Queen, quite forgetting Periwinkle's instructions not to leave go her hand, and then she felt something smothering her and gasped for breath, just as Grace's voice said: " Heavens! The child's been asleep. She might have fallen into the water. " I'll never fish again," she said to Grace later, " I might catch another Toby, and it must hurt to have a hook in your mouth."