Ella At the Cottage

The next morning Evan left to sea before Ella was up. But when he was coming back from the village he could smell stew. He and Ella sat down to very tasty dinner together. The next morning Ella was up and about when Evan left. That day when Evan came back the cottage was spotlessly clean. After dinner Evan asked Ella if she would stay and keep house for her in exchange for room and board. Ella said she would and they shook hands on the agreement.

As the days got shorter Evan spent more of his time at the cottage. Evan realized that the out building must be getting cold as the winter was soon to start. He decided he would build Ella a room. It was fairly simple to do. He just took some stones from the cottage, and the ground (for Ireland has many stones) and used them to make new walls. The first day Ella kept her questions to herself, but the next day she came outside, wiped the flower off her hands (she was making biscuits) and asked Evan what he was doing. He said winter was coming and she would need a real room to stay in. And that he thought the cottage could use another bedroom. Well presently Evan finished the room.It was on the small side, it could only really fit a bed and the small bookcase Evan had made for Ella. She said it was fine seeing how she would not be spending a lot of time in the room.

That winter Ella made some of her own improvements in the cottage. She got candle sticks for the table, and yes the windows did need curtains. Evan admitted the walls did look better white washed. Evan helped Ella make a flower bed across the front of the cottage. Ella put all types of bulbs in it. During the long winter they spent the evenings in front of the fire talking of every thing from potatoes to castles and kings. One evening Ella asked what was in the shell case on the fire places mantel. Evan took it down and showed her the ring. As Ella looked at it, while he precede to tell her of his love; the blond hair blue eyed lass, and of the mermaid, and of what the merking had said. Ella believed what Even said about the mermaid (it would have been rude not to)then asked him what day it was exactly when he had spoken to the merking. Then she made a calendar of all the days left until he would gain what his heart truly desired.

The Storm

One day when it was changing from summer to fall. While Evan was at sea, out of nowhere came a violent storm. Big black clouds rolled over the horizon, and the sky turned an eerie yellow green. Evan saw the clouds and started to shore. But then the wind that was moving the clouds reached him, and started tossing the boat. The waves became choppy. On top of that the rain began to fall. Now it was a full fledged storm. The wind was thrashing, the waves were crashing, and the rain kept poring out of the sky. It was all Evan could do to keep himself from being forever lost out at sea. The boat almost flipped a number of times till at long last Evan managed to get it to shore. He glanced up at his cottage there was something dark at his door step, but he had no time to think of it. He grabbed his nets and carried them up to his out building. Those being put away Evan went on to his cottage. The wind was now blowing the rain side ways. Evan saw the dark mass was still on his door step, it looked like seaweed that had been blown up there by the wind. But as he got closer he realized what it was. Evan bent down, and touched it. With a start it scrambled onto its feet. It was in fact a ...girl!

She looked just a few years younger then Evan, and only stood to about five feet high. She was not small in her features. But her eyes, a book could be written about her eyes alone, they were green, gray and deep blue all at once, looking into them was like looking out at sea, always the same, yet always different, and always feeling something deeper then you could see. It was her hair that had covered her, it was dark brown almost black, and its length went all the way down to her knees. “Oh I am sorry," she exclaimed "I was lost and it started raining, I thought if I was by the house it would block some of the wind. But I will move on now if you wish." "No, no come in at least till the rain stops." So Evan started a fire in the hearth, and gave the girl some blankets to wrap herself in for she was drenched to her core. She attempted to say more but she was coughing so much Evan stopped her and said she was in no condition to say anything till she had something warm inside her. He gave her some hot broth then let her tell her tale this is what she said;

"Well my name is Ella. I am the daughter of a man who lives about three day’s trip inland. My mother died when I was just a wee lass. Two months ago my father married a lady just a few years older then myself. When they wedded I was excited, I thought everything would be splendid. But she has turned out to be extremely mean and selfish. At last I could not take it any longer, so I left my fathers house, determined never to return while his new wife lived. I had no real plan of what I was going to do, I just started walking. I have been wandering a few days now. When I saw your cottage I thought it might shelter me from the storm."

While Evan listened to the girl he saw she was in no condition to keep 'wondering the world'. She had been coughing and looked like she had not eaten for the past week. "That is a sad story indeed but what shall be done now?" he asked Ella. She looked out the window mournfully "Well I suppose I will be leaving now that the rain has stopped." Evan also looked out the window the wind was still thrashing the land, and clouds of charcoal tint were still overhead. "But only to soon start again, you are not well, stay here until you get better I have an out building that is dry and out of the wind there you will be warm" Ella agreed to it. It was a good little building no cracks in the wall, and a well thatched roof over head, and if you don't mind the smell of fish, it would be quiet ideal.

“Look to the heathen with out Christ, and you will find an alter... and may God help you to be a sacrifice.” -Biship Hill

The Land of the Merpeople

One summer day when the sea was as still as glass. Evan was pulling in his nets, when the scales of a fish caught his eye. It looked like it was made with emeralds with some rubies and sapphires. Then Evan realized it must be a mermaid. Sure enough it was. "Please," the young mermaid pleaded. "Please let me go, my father is the king of the merpeople. He can give you anything you desire from his treasure room full of hidden things of the sea. If you will just let me go free!" See in those days they would put merpeople in the circus if they happened into a fishermen's nets. "Of course I will let you go free. Though the treasure my heat desires your father could not have.” said Evan in such an empty hearted way it lead the mermaid to inquire what it was he longed for. Evan told her of the blond hair, blue-eyed lass, and how she laughed at the love he offered her. The mermaid wishing she could do something for Evan, told him her father might be able to help. So Evan swam with the mermaid down to the heart of the sea, to the land of the merking. What Evan saw was more then hard for him to believe. There were houses made of shells of every kind of shape. He saw merpeople of so many different ages, and they all had gems on them. Evan found himself wondering if the merpeople put the gems on them selves or if the gems came from he merpeople. Then when Evan thought he could not see anything more dazzling there it was, a palace made of pearls, pink pearls, black pearls, white pearls, to sum it up it was grand. They went though the gates and the large front door. The mermaid led Evan into a grand hall, at the end of the hall was a very stately and wise merman, and it was the king. When the king saw the mermaid he was overjoyed "Daughter of mine, I am so glad you are safe. What happened to you? I sent the guards out to search the whole sea and they could not find you." " I was foolish enough to get caught in a fishing net. But the man who caught me was kind enough to let me go. I have brought the man here, I thought you would want to meet him." Evan and the merking joined hands. The merking ask if he could give Evan something to show his thanks. The mermaid spoke up and said Evan had a problem she thought he could help Evan with. Evan told the king of the blond hair, blue-eyed lass he loved. The king thought for a moment then left, when he came back, in his hand he held a box made of shells. He handed it to Evan and told him to open it. Inside was a coral ring, and on the coral ring was set a pearl. Evan gasped, then asked what good a ring would do if he had no one to give it to? The king explained it was a magical ring. That in one-year and a day if he gave it to the one his heart truly desired she would surely accept him. Evan thanked the merking for his gift. The mermaid showed Evan the way back to his boat. When Evan got to shore, he pulled his nets in, and went up to the cottage. Evan reached into his pocket and pulled out the shell case, and inside, yes the ring was still there. Evan wondered how a ring could help him. He closed the case and put it on top of the fireplace mantel. Evan though he had a magical ring given to him by the merking, he still had to eat, so fish he kept catching, tending his nets, and so on like I have said before.

Blue Eyes

A long time ago in the land across the sea on the southern coast of Ireland was a fishing village. There lived a young man; he was of sturdy build with black hair and eyes. His name was Evan. In that village also lived a girl with blond hair and blue eyes. Evan for some time had fancied this blond hair blue eyed lass more then any other girl he knew. One day he got up the courage to tell her how he felt. When he did tell the blond hair blue eyed lass, she just laughed, called him a silly boy, turned and left. Evan could not bear being in the village any longer, so he put what few things he had to call his own in to his boat and sailed up the coast till he came to shores he did not know. There on the side of the hill close to the sea Evan got a cottage. He spent his days there quietly. Getting up. Having breakfast. Going out in his boat. Coming back to shore. Bring in the nets. Go to the nearest village to sell his fish. Come back. Tend the nets. Have dinner. Go to bed. Then do it all over again the next day…