Page 44 - Fins Magazine: Fins Magazine Issue #4
P. 44

Fins
           Family                in    Fins
           F
              amily
                                 in

























                                                                y
                                             g
                                                           e
                                                       t
                                            n

                                                                            r
                                                                    q
                                                     r


                                                                           a
                                                      i
                                                                                 t
                                      C
                                                                  i

                                                                              .

                                          o
                                                         m
                                         o
                                                                               B
                                       h
                                            i
                                                                                u
                                                       e
                                           s

                                                                             d
                                                                  s

                                                               r
                                     “
                                                                                   I
                                                                       t
                                                  a
                                                    o

                                                   v
                                                              o
                                                                          h
                                                                        e
                                                  f
                                                a
                                                            m
                                                                     u
                                     “Choosing a favorite memory is quite hard. But I
                                                                      i
                                           h
                                                       t
                                                  I
                                                                             t
                                                        o
                                                   h


                                                                              s

                                          t

                                                                       e

                                              o
                                                      e

                                                                           i
                                                e
                                                                     y
                                               n

                                                                           f
                                                     v
                                                                            r

                                                    a

                                                                            s
                                                                      v
                                                                        r
                                                                         y
                                                                   m
                                            e

                                                           o
                                                          g

                                      h
                                                               h
                                                              i
                                                                                 i
                                                                               w
                                                                 i
                                                                                   .
                                         k
                                                               t
                                        n
                                     t think the one I have to go with is my very first swim.
                                                                 s
                                                             w
                                                                                 m

                                       i
                                                                   o
                                      A

                                                                                 g
                                                            o
                                                 m
                                                                         p
                                                                   t
                                                                            l
                                             e
                                                           h
                                                                          o
                                                     t
                                              r
                                                               i
                                               e

                                                                                  e
                                      .
                                                                           o
                                                      e
                                                    u

                                                                     t
                                      .
                                                                n
                                                                                   ,
                                          r

                                        t
                                                                 g
                                                              d

                                                             l

                                                                                d
                                         e
                                                         o
                                                                               e
                                                   i
                                     ...After mere minutes of holding to the pool’s edge,

                                                   n
                                                                       e
                                     .
                                                                      h
                                                                             s
                                                                             ’

                                                       s
                                        f
                                           m
                                                          f
                                                 f
                                     getting a feel for the rhythm, I turned and torpedoed
                                                               I



                                                                                  d
                                               e
                                                     h
                                                                       n
                                                                      a
                                                  o
                                                l
                                                    t
                                                              ,

                                                            m
                                                                        d

                                     g
                                                   r
                                                                     d
                                            a
                                                                              e
                                           g
                                                           t
                                                        h
                                       e
                                                                            r
                                                                t
                                                                                o
                                                                             p
                                                                u
                                                                  n
                                                        r
                                        t

                                        t


                                              e
                                                                           o
                                         n
                                                                  r
                                         i
                                                           h
                                                                          t
                                                                   e
                                              f
                                                      e
                                                                                 e
                                                                               d

                                                         y
                                                                 d


                                                        l
                                                         d
                                                          e
                                                                    I

                                                      w
                                                                     m
                                                                     i
                                                               a
                                                     e
                                                            e
                                                    b
                                                             d
                                                        i
                                                              (
                                                           r

                                                                n
                                                                   ,
                                                w
                                          a
                                                                                  y
                                                                         i
                                              g

                                        ,
                                                                                  l
                                                                                h
                                                                          n


                                           v
                                            i
                                                t
                                                                            ,
                                                                             s
                                                                              l
                                                                              i
                                         l
                                                  o
                                     o
                                                                               g
                                                                                 t
                                     off, leaving two bewildered (and, I imagine, slightly
                                                                       a
                                       ff
                                                                           e
                                         e
                                                                        g
                                             n
                                     frightened) mer mentors in my wake. The feel of
                                     fr i g h t e n e d )   m e r   m e n t o r s   i n   m y   w a k e .   T h e   f e e l   o f
                                                       o
                                                                i
                                            e
                                                                            f
                                                                                 t

                                                                  t

                                                         s

                                                                              h

                                                                               e
                                         w
                                                                 ,
                                       e
                                                        s
                                            t

                                                          m
                                          a
                                                                n
                                                                             t
                                      h
                                                                      d
                                                     c
                                                    a
                                                               k

                                                                    e
                                               g
                                                                        a

                                                 d

                                                i
                                                l
                                     t the water glidinacross my skin, the drag of the tail
                                                                         g
                                                      r
                                                                   h

                                                                       r
                                             r
                                                   n
                                                                           o
                                                                                 a
                                                            y
                                                              s
                                                                                   i
                                                                                   l
                                                  i
                                     b e h i n d   m e ,   a n d   t h e   r h y t h m   o f   t h e   w a t e r   r o c k i n g   m y
                                     behind me, and the rhythm of the water rocking my
                                                                               e
                                                          u
                                                                                   .
                                                              i
                                                            h

                                                           g
                                                                                 s
                                       o
                                                                                  e
                                                                w
                                                              t
                                                                                a
                                        d
                                     b
                                     body as I glided through it with newfound ease.



                                                                          u
                                               g

                                                      h
                                                                            n

                                              I
                                                      t
                                                 d
                                                 i
                                                                      e
                                                   e
                                                                       w
                                                                     n
                                                                         o
                                                                         f
                                                l
                                                    d
                                                        r
                                                                  i
                                            s
                                                                             d
                                           a

                                                        o
                                                                  t
                                         y
                                                                   h

                                     F r o m   t h a t   m o m e n t   o n   I   k n e w   w h e r e   I   b e l o n g e d .   N o
                                     From that moment on I knew where I belonged. No
                                     m a t t e r   w h a t   c h a o s   m y   l i f e   w o u l d   t h r o w   a t   m e ,   n o
                                     matter what chaos my life would throw at me, no
                                                                a
                                                                      d

                                                                              w
                                                                 r
                                                                     e
                                                                                o
                                                                        m
                                                                         y
                                                                           l
                                                               s
                                                                                  l
                                                                           i
                                                                                 u
                                                                   a
                                                                            f
                                                                  r
                                                               i

                                                                    y
                                                                            e

                                                                                  d
                                                         i
                                           r
                                            h

                                                    t
                                                     h
                                                            y
                                                            l
                                         e
                                                 r
                                                          g
                                                b

                                                  e
                                             o
                                                         n
                                              w
                                                   a

                                                       a
                                                      t
                                                        k
                                     matter how breathtakingly disarrayed my life would
                                                              d
                                     m
                                       a
                                         t
                                        t
                                     b e c o m e ,   I   f o u n d   a   h o m e   i n   t h e   w a t e r .   A s   a   m e r m a i d
                                     become, I found a home in the water. As a mermaid
                                                 a

                                                                        I
                                                                        ’
                                                                     o
                                                                      d

                                                                   p

                                                    a
                                                  s

                                                       e
                                                     m
                                         fr

                                                                                .
                                                                             e
                                          e
                                                                              d
                                      ’
                                                                                  e
                                     I I’m free, and as a member of the pod I’m loved. We

                                                                                 W
                                      m

                                              n
                                                                           l
                                                                        m

                                               d
                                            ,
                                                                            v
                                           e
                                                                           o
                                             a

                                                            r
                                                          b
                                                                 h

                                                        m
                                                                t

                                                                  e
                                                           e
                                                              o
                                                               f
                                                                                i
                                                                 b
                                                                         i
                                                         d

                                                              e
                                                   a
                                                                          c
                                                                                 n
                                                                        g

                                                 t
                                                                       a
                                                  u
                                                          ,
                                      h
                                                u
                                              m
                                                                             f
                                                           o
                                           t
                                           h

                                         r
                                                                               e
                                         e
                                                                              e

                                                            r
                                                           f
                                             s

                                                                           a
                                                                            l
                                                               d
                                                                                l
                                             i
                                       a
                                                      o


                                                        n
                                                                  y
                                                             g
                                                    l
                                     s
                                                                                   ,
                                     share this mutual bond, forged by a magical feeling,
                                                                     m
                                                                    a

                                                     b
                                                                                  g
                                                          r
                                                                  n
                                                                             o
                                                      y
                                                                   ,
                                                r
                                     and kept strong by our passion, compassion, and
                                                                         a
                                               t
                                      n
                                            p

                                                                    c
                                                                i
                                                                                  d
                                                                                a
                                                                           s
                                             t
                                        d
                                              s
                                                     b
                                                                          s


                                                                            i
                                     a
                                                  n
                                                         u
                                                                               ,
                                           e
                                                                                 n
                                                                      m
                                                   g

                                                                              n
                                          k
                                                               s
                                                                        p
                                                                o
                                                            p

                                                        o
                                                             a
                                                              s


                                                                     o
                                                 o
                                                               h

                                                                  e
                                         p
                                                                            u
                                                           n
                                                                              a
                                                            e
                                                       d
                                                                               c
                                                                             r
                                           a

                                            c

                                                                              f
                                          e
                                                      n
                                                             a
                                      h

                                                                       e
                                                          e
                                                                                  A
                                                     f
                                                e
                                                                        r
                                                                t
                                                                                 .
                                                                     a
                                                   l
                                                    l
                                     the peace we all find beneath the water’s surface. A
                                     t
                                                  a

                                                                 h
                                                                      t

                                                              t


                                               w
                                                     i
                                             e

                                       e
                                                                    w
                                                                           s
                                                                                e
                                                        b
                                                                         s
                                                                         ’
                                     merfolk’s tail does not define them - it is their heart
                                     m e r f o l k ’ s   t a i l   d o e s   n o t   d e f i n e   t h e m   -   i t   i s   t h e i r   h e a r t
                                       a
                                     t that brings the tail to life and transforms us into

                                                                                 n

                                                                                i
                                                                                  o
                                      h
                                        t
                                                                                  t
                                                            e
                                                              a
                                                                       f

                                                                        o

                                                                      s
                                                  e
                                                                         r

                                                                         m
                                                 h
                                                                d
                                                t
                                                      l
                                                                   r
                                                      i
                                                                  t

                                                        t
                                                    t
                                                                     n
                                                        o
                                                                    a
                                                     a

                                                           i
                                           r
                                            i
                                            n

                                                               n

                                                                              s
                                                           f
                                                                             u
                                          b
                                             g
                                                                           s
                                              s
                                                          l
                                                n
                                                      r
                                           a
                                             s
                                                     e

                                               a
                                                       m
                                        r
                                         m
                                     m
                                                   m
                                                         n
                                       e
                                                 d

                                            d
                                     mermaids and mermen.” ”
                                                           .
                                            i
                                                        e
                                     — Mermaid Istaria
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