By Sharma Krauskopf

Once upon a time on a tiny, rocky island a few miles from the shore of Fair Isle lived a young girl, named Anne. She had been born in the city but her parents, Ian and Margaret, had brought her to the island to protect her. Anne birth was the saddest day in her parent’s lives. Their tiny girl had no eyes. An adorable baby with a little button nose and a tiny mouth in the middle of her heart shaped head. It was only when you looked above her nose that you understood Anne's difference. Anne had no eyes or brows, just more forehead. At first her parents were devastated but as Anne grew she was such a happy and carefree baby they began to over look her deformity. The problem was when they took her out people would shudder and look away when they saw the child.

"Margaret, I think we should take Anne away from the city where people are not so frightened of her appearance." Ian said one morning.

"But, where would take her so no one would see her and yet she could have a good life." Margaret asked.

"My grandfather left me a small island in the Shetland group. It would be the perfect place. Small and flat so she would not get hurt and surrounded by the sea so she would not get lost. We would only allow people who understood about Anne to come visit. I would go on writing my books to support us. We would have a comfortable life but it might be lonely with only the three of us."

"Ian, it is a great idea! We could read and use the telephone and computer to contact our family and friends. I could spend my time teaching our daughter."

And so it came to pass the three of them moved to the wee island. Seven years had passed and Anne had become a lovely little girl with long black hair. She roamed the island at will since her Mother had helped her memorize every spot on the island’s surface. Being without sight she identified everything by touch, sound and smell. She knew how close she was to the shore by the sound of the waves and the smell of the sea. Making friends with the birds by feeding them pieces of dried bread; she had named them and knew them by sound. Her favorite past time was to sit under a shade her father had made to protect her from the sun and rain. For hours she listened to the sea, and the seals playing on the rocks.

Her mother discovered because of her highly developed sense of sound, Anne loved music. For her fifth birthday her parents had given her a miniature Celtic harp. It took two years until she had learned the position of the strings and how to make the sounds she wanted from the instrument. Now, she could play lovely simple songs. Often she would sit under her shade playing her harp. She felt the seals and the birds liked her music, as they became quite when she played.

One day she was playing under her shelter when she smelled a strange stench in the air. It resembled a fish, which Father has forgotten to clean. Anne was use to dead fishes washing up on the shore but this odor was stronger than any she had found on the beach. She thought maybe a whale or a large seal had been washed up on the shore so she decided to go get her Father to have him find whatever was out there.

"Don’t go." An exquisite voice said.

Anne was startled. There was no one else on the island but her parents. "Who is there?" She whimpered.

"My name is Eilla. I am a mermaid. I heard your harp and I thought it was another mermaid." The voice answered.

"Mother, has told me about mermaids. They are beautiful women, which are half fish. They play harps. Are you beautiful Eilla? Do you play the harp?"

"I play the harp some say better than all the mermaids in the sea." She replied not answering the first part of Anne’s question. Eilla was not beautiful. She had broken part of her tail on a rock; her scales were a dingy, gray color and falling out. Her hair was long and gray. Through the years various creatures and seaweed had gotten tangled in her hair so it was a rotten mess of debris. The hair was the cause of the horrible smell. She had a plain face. If you could get beyond all of Eilla's ugliness, you would notice her only beautiful feature her bright eyes. They were the color of spring grass with glimmers of dark emerald green sparkling in them.

"Oh, how exciting." Anne said. "I now have a beautiful new friend who I can play harp with and maybe will teach me more songs."

Eilla smiled. She had made a friend who did not care if she was a poor excuse for a mermaid. Because of the light she could not see Anne’s face, and did not know that the girl had no eyes.

"I must ask one favor of you." She revealed to Anne.

"Anything. Anne answered realizing how lonely she had become.

"You must not tell anyone about me or I will have to disappear back into the sea. It is the rule where I come from. Mermaids are not supposed to contact humans on shore."

"I promise." Anne replied. "Now can we play our harps."

And play they did. The music was exquisite and all the creatures of the islands stopped to listen to the magical notes. At first Anne thought it was strange her parents did not come out to hear their performance. Having so much fun, she quickly forgot her parents. Finally, Eilla said she must go but that she would return to see Anne in a few days.

Anne did not want Eilla to go but she wished her a safe journey and reluctantly went to the house.

Neither parent mentioned the music. Anne did not bring it up afraid it would lead to questions which she had promised not to answer. She did not want to lie to her parents.

Everyday Anne went to her shelter and played her harp hoping that Eilla would return. A few weeks later Anne inhaled the horrible rotten fish odor and knew Eilla was there. "Eilla, is that you?" She asked.

"Yes, Anne. I am here." The mermaid answered. She still kept her distance from Anne so she could not see that her physical appearance had gotten worse. It was obvious to anyone who could see that Eilla was ill. "Shall we play?"

"Oh, yes" Anne responded as she began to play her harp. Again the air was filled with the pure music. Anne wanted her parents to come out and listen so she asked Eilla if they could.

"Anne, they cannot hear the music. Only the animals, you, I and can hear it. It is enchanted. All music played by mermaids is magic. We are mystic creatures. Did you know at the end of their ocean life a mermaid is allowed to honor one wish before they depart for "depths?" The depths is the wonderful place where the mermaids go when their life in the sea is over. Anne, just for fun if you had one wish what would it be?"

"Oh, that is easy. I would wish that I could have eyes to see how beautiful you are since I only can smell and hear you now. It is difficult. Eilla, I do not mean to be cruel but you do not smell very good." Anne said quietly. "Not that it makes any difference to me since you do not seem to be upset at my not having any eyes."

Laughing about the comment about her odor, Eilla moved closer to Anne. The little girl was stunning but where the eyes should be was only more of her healthy and rosy skin. Tears came to the ugly mermaid’s emerald eyes when she comprehended the tragedy of this little girl’s life. Anne was so happy and loved her island world it was even more inhuman for her not to be able to see it. Eilla was so over come with grief she could not play any more. "I must go Anne but I will return as soon as I can. You keep practicing the songs and we will play again." Anne was disappointed but she wished her new friend a safe journey and took the well-worn path to the house.

Anne practiced every day but Eilla did not return for a very long time. The little girl was beginning to think the mermaid had only been a dream when one day she smelled the horrible fish odor again. The scent was worse than before. "Eilla, is that you?" She called.

"Yes, my child I am here and I have brought someone with me. Her name is Simkala. She is my youngest sister and she would like to play with us."

"Is she beautiful like you?" Anne asked.

"Simkala is much more beautiful than I and can play the harp almost as well as I can. That is why I have brought her so she can continue to teach you."

"Oh, Eilla. You are such a wonderful friend. I love you so much and wish I could see how beautiful you are." Anne exclaimed as she began to play. They played many tunes and during each song Anne improved. She did not even notice that at the end of the session only two harps were playing. She wanted to play on and on.

"We must be going" Simkala said. "But I will return tomorrow and we can play some more."

"Eilla, will you come too?" Anne asked. Anne could not see but Eilla had not been playing for the last hour. She was curled up on the beach in a ball with her tattered tail half out of the water.

"Eilla, has already gone. She was tired and left early." Simkala lied.

"Oh, tell her I hope she comes back tomorrow." Anne disappointedly replied.

"I will." Simkala responded as she pulled the tattered Eilla into the ocean.

Anne was in her shelter very early the next morning waiting on Eilla and Simkala to return.

"Anne I am here." Simkala said.

"Is Eilla with you?" Anne asked.

"Yes, Anne she is. Can you wade out in the water? Eilla wants to show you something."

"Of course. Anne replied as she carefully walked toward Simkala’s voice. When she reached the water, a cold hand grasped hers. "Do not be afraid Anne. I am going to lead you a few steps into the water so you can reach Eilla." Anne followed led only by the cold hand but some how knowing she should trust it. Finally stopping when the sea was up to Anne's waist, Simkala asked her to turn with her back toward the shore. Anne did as she was told.

"Anne" said a faint voice.

"Yes, Eilla. I am so glad you are here. Are you all right? You sound so weak and I cannot smell you"

"Anne. It is time for me to go to the depths. But, first I must tell you the truth. All mermaids are not beautiful. I am ugly and always have been until I met you. For the first time I felt beautiful as you described me. Do you remember I said mermaids are allowed to grant one wish before they go to the depths?"

"Yes, Eilla but no matter what you say I know you are beautiful and please do not go to the depths"

"Anne it is time for me to go. I am going to give you two things before I go. First, I am going to leave you my harp, which is my most valued possession. I am also going to leave you the one thing I own that is beautiful. In order to do this I must use my tail to splash you with water. When the water is all gone, you will have my gifts. You must not turn around. Do you understand?"

Anne nodded. Then a huge wave rushed over her. She was completely covered by foaming seawater. She felt as if she was going to drown but she stood still and waited.

Just a fast as the water had risen it disappeared. Anne felt in her hands a large harp. Looking down she saw a splendid harp covered with intricate designs of shells and fish. The most beautiful harp she had ever seen.

Seen!!

Anne could see. In front of her were small buildings and two figures standing in the door that she knew must be her parents. She moved her hands slowly to her face and felt. She had eyes.

Eilla had given her eyes. Breaking her promise she turned her bright green eyes and looked behind her. All she could see was what must be the sea and nothing else.

"Oh, Eilla thank you. I know you are the most beautiful mermaid in the depths no matter what you say." Anne yelled as she carried her new harp up the house to see the faces of her parents for the first time and show them her gifts.

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