Her mother curled in an abalone-lined clam shell the day she gave birth to her. Five miles deep, far from any trawler’s net, human hook or harpoon, bubbles streamed from her mouth as her default night vision captured the fluorescent anemone waving welcome to her entry into the womb of the sea.
Merfolk grow so much faster than human infants because the dangers are greater in oceans. At the end of one moon’s cycle, Serena reached adult size. What many don’t realize about Merfolk is that each lock of hair is a sentient companion to them. They are trained in movement and song and do the bidding of their master or mistress. Mermen have beards that can act as shields and as weapons for hand-to-hand combat against anything from jelly fish to barracuda and giant squid. Mermaids’ hair serves the same function – and beyond. Their hair dances and sings to mesmerize enemies and prey alike, as well as to seduce.
Even though Serena was adult-sized, she had little knowledge or experience with which to navigate her new world. Sea Pods of seasoned adult Merfolk held responsibility to teach her. The first rule Serena learned was to stay away from the surface unless she was going there for a specific purpose or mission as outlined by the elders. The biggest danger to Merfolk had always been humans, who loved to capture them and enslave them to their unethical purposes. Many an unwary Mermaid rolled away in a circus cart, traveling from village to village, far from the sea, a freak to be pointed at while gasping in a dingy green-watered tank.
Serena also learned that humans had their uses. She learned how to teach her hair to dance and sing to mesmerize the humans into getting into the water with her. Some were quite dashing to regard and acted anything but dangerous as her coils drove them to a frenzy of infatuation. She almost felt regret as the barb from her puffer fish-infused lock stung them into unconsciousness. You see, Merfolk territory is limited in range and they depend on schools or pods of food to come to them. At certain times of year, pickings are scarce in the sea. It is at those times, the Mermaids rise to the surface – to hunt land food.
Paula Light is the host of Thursday Inspiration. Paula says:
This week’s theme is hair and the picture is below. Here is the song snippet from “Hair,” a song written by James Rado and Gerome Ragni for the 1967 musical Hair.
Darlin’, give me a head with hair, long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen
Give me down to there hair, shoulder length or longer
Here, baby, there, momma, everywhere, daddy, daddy
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it, long as God can grow it, my hair
Tao Talk 
If I didn’t read it on the internet, I would find this hard to believe.
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So, because you did read it on the internet, it’s believable?
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Yep, otherwise it would not be on the internet.
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:)
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Oh, now I’ll be weary of 🧜♀️ mermaids. Great story Li
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Thank you very much, Sadje. With good reason!
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You’re always welcome 🙏
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that hair song brings back memories …
what a vivid imagination you have, it’s enough to keep me away for the sea :) for a few hours at least :)
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lol :)
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I’ll be on my guard now! Great take on the prompt, Li
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Thank you!
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My pleasure 😃
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Very imaginative!
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Great insight into the world of merfolk, Li. I’ve been writing about a scary selkie and a troubled water maiden in the novel I’m working on.
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Thank you, Chris. I’ve seen a couple of movies about them where they weren’t all warm and fuzzy. When I looked for a song to go along with the story, I see there is/was a tv series about merfolk. I bet the research is interesting on them.
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There was a series on the BBC but I didn’t manage to catch it unfortunately. Maybe it’ll be on again. I can call watching it ‘research’. ;)
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Of course :)
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Hi, Is there a way to send you a private message?
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yes email at ms_jade_li@hotmail.com
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I’m quite sure the menfolk aren’t at all like we’ve come to picture them. Everything mysterious been Disneyfied. (K)
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Excellent observation, Kerfe. I think you just coined a new term.
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