Attempts to Capture and Tame a Unicorn (39): The Era of Animal Help, No 8: To Employ A Merlungh

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.