The whole Merlungh episode started at home one evening when
John told me about the other lake. I'd
had a dark moment and suggested summoning something from the haunted lake. Thinking I was being serious the mouse
quickly set himself and the Subbuteo ball into motion and told me of another
lake known as the Great Lake.
This lake, John informed me, was very different from its
forest brother. Sunshine rather than
semi-darkness reigned above it during the day, its body of water was perfectly
clear in every sense rather than dark, murky and misty. It was six times the size, too, and much
deeper, some saying there is no true bottom.
Certainly there are numerous villages in its depths the little white
mouse said.
Most importantly for us, the Great Lake was teeming with
life of all sorts and sizes. From the
smallest of fish to mermaids and men, giant pikes and, John told me, water
unicorns. For us, however, John
suggested the Merlungh (before telling me anything of them, though, he spent
some time explaining the pronunciation and how the ‘gh’ ending is formed with a
click at the back of the mouth).
The Merlungh are the semi-land based cousins of the Mermaids
and men. Part man, part fish creatures
blessed with lungs as well as gills (the Great Lake Merpeople have only gills;
legend and Disney would suggest others do, however, have lungs). The other main difference to the mermaids and
men is the legs that allow them to live their lives partially out of the water,
albeit not entirely, as their skin, particularly the scale-covered parts, is
prone to dry out and rip apart if just one night is spent out of the
water. As such they always sleep
underwater.
At one time the Merlungh lived as much in the forest as
under water (except during the night, of course) living on squirrels as well as
fish. That was until something happened
that made them stop coming out so much.
When John told me how a Merlungh might be able to help I
couldn't quite believe these lake folk had never been mentioned before. You see the Merlungh are famous both in the
lake and out of it as sea- and horse tamers of great repute. Within the lake they, and other creatures,
use seahorses (specimens somewhat larger than are found in the sea I should
think) for transport. Both there and on
land the Merlungh have been employed for hundreds of years to tame the
wild. John told me that nowadays when
they do come to the surface it is generally to tame horses for humans, who
travel great distances for their services, or to train the next generation in
the art.
*
Cut to the next Saturday and I was on the edge of the Great
Lake taking its splendour in. It seemed
to rest in its own enormous bowl within the forest. All around its circumference (on all four
sides) great tree infested hills rose up, a blue sky and white clouds hovering
above. Where I stood there was a small
pebbled beach. I could see a few others
but mostly the slopes ended in the lake.
I walked down the beach, carrying a large container within which
were three large salmon on ice. This was
the only freshwater fish unavailable to them (that they desired to eat -
Piranhas weren't available to them and for this they were grateful) and, as
such, was an accepted form of payment for their services. I waded out until the water was up to my
thighs and placed the salmon on the lake's bottom, the ice peacefully melting
and drifting away as I made my vigil.
One soggy half hour's wait later she appeared. First a head covered in auburn hair, falling
half way down her back in one long plait.
Due to this tying back I could see the gills on either side of her neck,
looking like three nasty cuts. The water
ran off this hair like off a duck's back and onto broad square shoulders, a
simple shirt clinging to them as it did her chest, more muscular than
curvaceous. I knew then she could be my
girl. Years of training on land had made
their mark. This top half had skin like
mine or yours but much better and clearer thanks to a lifetime of watering.
Her bottom half, when it appeared, was a little
different. It went unclothed for one
thing. Probably because of the scales
that seemed to act like trousers - her sex could not be determined between the
legs and no crack appeared round the back, only smooth scale-covered
bumps. (A little later I read George Joy
and found my trouser thought wasn't too far from the truth).
She eyed me up and down before squatting down and picking up
the salmon to inspect that. Once done
she put it back down and stood once more.
“We meet well, human. A fine
large meaty specimen this is,” she told me in a slightly flirtatious way. She gave me another scan and nodded to
herself, “I’m pleased they sent me.” I
probably turned a little white from embarrassment but a deal was certainly
forged.
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