Ocean Therapy

The slight boy kept his head down, allowing his long curls to curtain his face. Spurning his classmates’ raucous game of Who can scare the fish? Kaleo opted not to slap obnoxiously on the glass of each exhibit they passed. They better not do that when we see her.

He gazed long at the lionfish, wishing he, too, bore spines to poison his predators.

Jayden and his crew, the pirates of fifth grade, walked by and thumped Kaleo on the back, almost knocking him over, laughing confidently at their perceived comedic genius. The only thing stuck to Kaleo’s spine was a sign that said Worm for Shark Bait. Rolling his eyes, he crumpled it and tossed it in the recycling bin.

Wouldn’t a stinger be nice right about now.

While others crowded around the shallow blue pool to pet the rays, he hung back. Leaning against the wall --which was painted like a tropical cabana -- arms folded, he heard Sophia ask Mrs. Hemingway for the zillionth time, “When can we see her? Is it almost time?”

A youthful twinkle played at the teacher’s eyes. “Soon, Sophia! I’m excited too. It’s history unfolding before our eyes! Ever since I was a little girl, I hoped to see one someday. Many people feel that way, so we must wait until it’s our turn. Next, we’re going to see the tiger!”

The tiger lived in an Amazon jungle exhibit with other rainforest creatures. The capybara looked like a giant rat, and there was a sloth that they were allowed to pet. Kaleo found the crocodile floating placidly in greenish water. The great hunter looked bored with no antelope to stalk by the riverbed. Not even the otters across the hall feared him here.

There was a python and Komodo dragon, sunning contentedly. At the tank filled with piranha, a caretaker fed them a big bucketful of chunks of other fish. Cannibals. Zombies. Kaleo was good at name calling too, but never out loud.

Next came the shark tank, with an escalator descending through a long tube. A sawfish swam overhead, and there were jagged toothed sand-tiger sharks, a bull shark, and several white-tipped sharks. “Do you have a great white shark?” Jayden called. Then, in a lower voice just over Kaleo’s shoulder, making sure Mrs. Hemingway was distracted, “We could feed you to it!”

The employee explained that only one great white had ever survived in captivity, and only for about six months before it was released to the wild. “They just aren’t made to be contained,” she commented, with a hint of awe in her voice.

Our boy felt a burning rise in his chest, a wave of grief threatened to overcome him. No one is made to be contained.

Kaleo and his older cousin, Kailani, had escaped the invasion, but his mother and father had not -- still no word about Dad nine months hence. They heard Mom was sent to Denver, but no date of release was projected. Kailani had spent more time here, so she understood the language and the customs of this strange place. She was working hard to find the family between her shifts at the Seafood Star restaurant.

Moving to Denver after the loss had been anguishing. Kaleo was still struggling to learn the language and find connections with his peers – a weakness they hungrily preyed upon. He felt more captive than he ever had before, especially since Mom had been so good at adventuring.

As they descended toward the deep-sea tanks, hanging banners began to announce, “A fairy tale come true…”

They passed a cylindrical tank filled with bioluminescent squid.

Another banner: “Queen of the seven seas…”

An enclave displayed a cluster of tiny jellies.

“A creature from ancient mythology, mystery of the deep…”

Then came a lanternfish, baring its needle teeth.

“Make a wish and whisper it to our very own little…”

Miss Hemingway drew in a gasp as they rounded the corner. Collective exclamations flooded the room.

Sophie rushed to the glass and pushed her face to the dark gray water. It was only a blurred shadow in the distance at first. “There she is! She’s…beautiful!” the girl whispered in a trance. “A real…

live…

mermaid!”

Questions were cast like nets on the air and the guide put up her hands, “Okay, okay, I know it’s thrilling! One at a time, please!”

Telling fifth-graders to go one at a time was like telling a school of piranha to slow down on the fish chow.

Pulling away from the class forming a feeding frenzy around the frazzled guide, Kaleo leaned against the glass, sensing the cool of the water, longing to reach out and touch it -- and her. It was too big a risk. For now, he could only look through glass.

Sophie was beside him, hypnotized by the sight of her fantasy come alive. “I dressed as you for Halloween three years in a row,” she whispered, only love and admiration in her voice.

How could people treasure something so much and still want to hold it prisoner? What they said about the great white’s inability to survive in captivity worried him deeply for the siren. You were never meant to be contained.

“Why can’t she come up for air?” Sophia wanted to know. “I want to shake her hand, but the glass goes to the ceiling.”

“She can surface inside her enclosure, but they don’t seem to do it very often." The guide's voice shook a little, she knew less about the new resident than she was willing to admit. "We thought it was better to be on the safe side until we know more about her temperament, since they’ve been said to cast a spell on sailors and drown them. We don’t want any of you being pulled under!” she gave an awkward giggle.

Kaleo scowled at the guide’s ignorance, but he didn’t dare speak.

“Her name is Sirena!” the guide called out the answer to their biggest question. “Yes, she sings, but usually only at night when everyone has gone home.”

Sophia caught her breath. “Will you sing for me, Sirena?”

Kaleo could keep silent no longer. “Her name isn’t Sirena.”

Surprised, Sophia glanced at Kaleo. She couldn’t remember hearing him speak before.

Kaleo met her eyes, something else he didn’t do often. “Her name is Kamealoha, but her family calls her Kame. Kamealoha means beloved one,” his voice broke. “Her family loves her very much.” He knew the siren felt him, but couldn’t endanger him, not here. She would do anything for him, but why did it have to be this? A tear trickled down his cheek. He noticed Mrs. Hemmingway dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief.

“Why is she hiding at the back?” Jayden, the piranha-mouth, rushed to the glass and pounded with his fist, echoing in the room -- and Kaleo knew, in the water. Pirate.

What happened next silenced the questions, the laughter, even the one girl singing the song from that mermaid movie nonstop. A low, mournful tune began from the belly of the enormous tank. The shadowy figure swam closer, the song became louder, reverberating beyond the walls of the enclosure, not painfully. The music without words was peace, comfort.

“It’s what I always imagined the stars would sound like if they could sing,” the teacher murmured.

Tones unheard by most human ears washed over Kaleo like an embrace. The mermaid went to him, pressing her webbed hand to the glass; her forehead, glowing with bioluminescence, against the barrier. He leaned in, hand to hers, head to hers, and closed his eyes. Neither moved. They spoke a language only they could hear.

I miss you.

My Leo. I will be alright. How is my strong niece?

She’s fine, she’s looking for Dad. When she heard you were here…Mom, they’re planning. They won’t let their queen languish in a human container -- that's what Kailani said.

And how is my son?

…I don’t know. Kailani told me not to come on the field trip. She was going to call the school and say I was sick, but I…

You are a prince of the sea, a survivor. You will be brave.

I am brave, but –

--Be wise then. Let go now. They are looking concerned.

She pushed away from the glass and Kaleo felt Mrs. Hemingway’s hand on his shoulder. “I’ve never seen him show so much emotion,” she whispered to the guide. “The special ed team has been working so hard with him. They think he’s experienced some kind of trauma, but he won’t even speak to the counselor. Maybe he needs more trips here, I think they used to live on some island near the water. I’ll talk to his cousin about it.”

The guide nodded solemnly, “I call it ’ocean therapy’! It’s the most rewarding thing about what we do here -- the way people connect with our creatures. There’s something calming about watching things swim, and with Sirena -- so many people have dreamed of this moment. We’re making history here.”

“That’s what I told Sophia!”

Sophia observed Kaleo wordlessly, and the being now shrinking again into the shadows. Something deeper than the deepest sea had happened at the aquarium that day -- something only he knew. Did he also know about hiding?

She placed an arm around her classmate’s shoulders and together they regarded the first public proof of living mermaids. Sofia would never forget this moment; something in the merqueen’s eyes moved her to wonder— about all kinds of things.

A chime signaled the end of the group’s visit.

Kaleo lingered. Goodbye, Mom.

No answer returned from the dark water.

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the giant windows across the front of the building as the class ascended to the ground floor. The next crowd was lined up to view the main attraction.

Capitalizing on their popular new resident, the snack shack advertised: Mermaid-fin smoothie! Kaleo almost lost his lunch. Though the sign made it clear the smoothie only contained mango and coconut, he ruminated on what the future might hold for the mer-colonies. Human ability to rationalize barbaric acts was always on the menu.

A sign over the exit bid, “Farewell, voyagers on the seas of life. Adventure awaits you! We hope to ‘sea’ you again soon!”

In the parking lot, Jayden nudged, “I saw you crying, baby. Wanna call your mommy to give you a big kiss?” He made smooching noises, cackling.

Kaleo could bite him. He really could, but if he got into trouble, it could mean trouble for all the family. Their time would come. Be wise, Mom had warned.

Sophia gave another dreamy sigh as they made their way back to the bus. “Today, all my wishes came true!”

Mrs. Hemingway smiled nostalgically and tried to hum the siren's song.

Kaleo watched out the window. He would grow lionfish spines someday --he just had to find a way.