Aye-Mee and the Mermaid
BY LELA OMAN
(Concluded from Last Issue)
When the mermaid failed to
capsize the canoe she stuck her
aead out of the water. She bared
her teeth and let out water, as in
3 distasteful and infuriated spit,
from her mouth. She breathed
loudly through her nostrils, then
unged forward to reach for Ave
nee’s canoe. When she failed to
capture the one in the canoe, she
ivent to some more furious strug
gle. Amidst the frightening con
fusion, Aye-mee was undecided
jf what to do. If she ran for help,
the creature she caught might
sake her net away. She noticed
shat the mermaid was strong. She
vas afraid of it, still felt sorry
for it. Creature like this, half
auman and half fish, was some
king one could not encounter and
lot feel afraid of There were
stories that she had heard of,
ibout how the mermaids lured
nen. When a man is marked he
could not survive. A mermaid
showing herself to a man and he
vould jump into the water to go
if ter her. Later his body would be
ound floating on the water.
After violent thrashing and loud
slapping of the fish tail, the mer
naid seemed to have spent her
energy. She stuck her head out,
’lung her arms into the air and
seemed to give up. As it sank,
juietness settled around Aye-mee.
she paddled close to her net.
Presently one with long hair came
ip to watch her.
“I could set you free if you
vould let me,” Aye-mee offered.
The mermaid bared pretty,
vhite teeth and breather loudly
hro'ugh her nostrils. She was
jeautiful. Her hair, slightly wavy
iround her temples, also clung
latteringly around her delicate
eatures. As she paddled about
o keep her head out of the water,
ter arms looked white and ripples
nagnified them into grotesque
igures.
•‘Just stay quiet and let me un
angle your beautiful hair. I will
tot harm you. I am a woman
ame as you are. If you capsize
ay canoe we both will drown. I
tave a family and they need me
try much.” This time the mer
aaid did not bare her teeth. She
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just closed her large brown eyes
slowly and submerged.
Aye-mee, with her heart throb
bing loudly, went close to the net
and stuck her paddle down to
touch it. However, the carmaid
did not object to this. Still she
hesitated to pull the net up. She
sat in her bichbark canoe to' see
if at length the mermaid would
begin her struggle. As she
watched, the one caught in her net
surfaced and like one with fury
spent, she paddled about. After a
tipae Aye-mee was certain that
the mermaid had understood her
intentions, so she pulled the net
up with her paddle and began to
untangle the long, clinging fine
strands of black hair. As she dili
gently worked to get the hair free
from the finely twisted fibers of
the willow-bark net, she talked to'
the mermaid. She had to talk in
order to cover up the nervous
state she was in. If she made a
move that the mermaid did not
like, she was afraid that her canoe
would be capsized. She was pre
cariously close to this creature
which could prove unpredictive.
“You are the loveliest woman I
have ever seen. No wonder men
drown to go after you.” The mer
maid only breathed loudly
through her nostrils, but Aye-mee
noticed that she was smiling with
her large brown eyes.
“I have heard that your kind
was most irresistible to men,
among all women of the earth.”
Aye-mee must make the mer
maid feel superior to herself in
order to keep peace with her. But
what she was saying she meant.
The mermaid was the most beau
tiful creature she had ever seen.
She was perfect, except for the
fish tail that was part of her. The
fish tail that was hopelessly tan
gled in the net, Aye-mee could
see through the water. As she
sized up its condition she involun
tarily shuddered a little, and
hoped that the other did not ,
notice it.
“Wo are facing hard times. Our
men have caught but few seals
and oogruks. It is now autumn,
still we have not put up anything
against the cold, stormy days of
the winter.” Aye-mee was speak
ing of what was most in her mind.
As she worked with every senso
on the alert, her mind groped for
what to say. If only the other
would show a little sign to' give
her an indication that she was
being understood. Here she pad
died about, after deep breaths she
went under the water and stayed
there momentarily. When sho
came up Aye-mee would let out
many words, some that did not
make sense even to herself. Then
suddenly she remembered hearing
that when one catches an extraor- |
i
dinary creature he could beg for
help. Aye-mee and her people
needed help indeed!
“Our men have not caught many
sea animals this year. They went
hunting but could not find any
thing to kill that we could save
for food. We are facing hard times
ahead. In desperation, I set my
net to see if I could catch white
fish, but I caught you instead. I
did not know that this area you
were taking as your habitat. If it
is in your power to govern the
fish life, I wonder if you could
bring many whitefish to this la
goon.”
Aye-mee, -by this time, had fin
ished untangling the fine strands
of hair. She lifted the net by the
float line. Lifted it high and as
she did so the fish tail spun in
the water, it rolled out of the
willow-bark net. This made the
mermaid roll in the water.
“Now see if you can pull away,”
Aye-mee instructed. The mermaid
made a quick forward lunge and
was free. Then she began her joy
ous frolic in the water. After what
seemed a lengthy splashing about,
she sat upright on the water and
ran her tapering fingers along her
hair. Aye-mee watched her in
fascinated interest. The mermaid
indeed was a beautiful creature.
After finishing her self-grooming
the mermaid made a few deafen
ing slaps on the water with her
tail and swam toward the slough
that wound its way out to the
Hotham Inlet. Aye-mee watched
her as long as she could see her.
Directly above the mouth of the
slough, the sun hung low in the
east. Where had the time gone?
She had spent a whole day with
the mermaid. Being with the ex
traordinary creature was in itself
an enchantment that could have
shortened the day. There were
many strands that had woven
themselves around the knots of
the finely twisted willow-bark
net. She was very careful that she
did not break even a single strand.
Now, with the excitement, some
what very unique, over, her head
throbbed. She was about sick
from talking too much. Now she
was thinking all that blabbering
was quite unnecessary after all.
Aye-mee decided that she would
keep, as a secret, what had come
to pass. But she was not given
this opportunity, for the very next
day the lagoon was full of white
fish. Her net was so' loaded it
sank to the bottom. She ran home
to tell the other families to set
their nets out.
All during the frosty autumn,
the people caught fish. Many racks
were filled with shiny, slightly
bluish fish that froze at night and
dried a little when the sun came
out. Which made the meat flaky
as they bleached in the icy morn
ings. When the water of the la
goon became locked in the grip
of winter ice, the people set their
nets under it and there were
many piles of frozen fish.
The Kotzebue Lagoon became
the reserved playground of the
mermaid. Not only one, but two
mermaids were often seen during
the summer. This lagoon was for
bidden to people. Was sometimes
guarded in respect to the mermaid
who had saved the growing Kot
zebue village. When one dares to
swim in this lake, he could easily
get his head snipped off, that is,
if the mermaid did not drown him
in the first place.
Accumee
(The End)
Emilie Dionne, One of Famed I
Quintuplets, Dies of Epilepsy I
MONTREAL. (.?>—An epileptic’
stroke caused the death of Emilie
Dionne, one of the famed Callan
der quintuplets, Dr. Rosario Fon
taine announced after an autopsy.
Dr. Fontaine, Quebec’s leading
medico-legal expert, said the girl,
who died after three strokes Fri
day in Ste. Agathe, Quebec, had
suffered from epilepsy for some
time.
"■The epileptic stroke was
brought up by pulmonary conges
tion, particularly in the pituitary
gland in the brain,” the doctor
said after a l34-hour autopsy.
The autopsy was described as a
formality necessary because of the
prominence of the 20-year-old
girl and the fact no doctor was
present when she succumbed.
She died at Ste. Agathe Hostel
for old folks and retired Roman
Catholic clergymen.
Dr. FonL^ne's announcement
was the first official word that
Emilie had been subject to epi
lepsy. The ailment never was
mentioned publicly in connection
with Emilie until after her death
Friday.
A dispute arose, meanwhile,
over a surprise report that she
had been stricken with polio as a
child.
An elder sister, Mrs. Maurice
Giraouard, said Friday Emilie had
polio 17 years ago and since then
had been afflicted with fainting
spells. The sister explained she
was not familiar with the medical
term for the attacks but believed
they were epileptic. Others who
knew her also said she was a vic
tim of epilepsy.
In Callander, a parish priest
who acted as spokesman for her
father, Oliva Dionne, said she
died from a stroke. He said she
had had a “weak spell” when she
was six.
"It was never diagnosed,” he
added, “but polio is out.”
Emilie—at birth the second
smallest of the sisters—was
known as the most carefree of the
five when they were youngsters.
The girls celebrated their 20th
birthdays together last May 28.
The four survivors—Yvonne,
Marie, Cecile and Anette—as well
as Emilie’s parents and seven
other brothers and sisters were
reported deeply shocked at her !
untimely death.
Japanese Army Refuses
Part in Motion Picture
TOKYO, JP>—Japan's infant
army Saturday turned down a
movie maker who wanted to uso
troops in a picture.
Reason: the army was supposed
to lose.
The movie maker wanted to pit
the self defense force against a
huge “gojilla”—a cro'ss between
a gorilla and kujira or whale—in
i a fanciful thriller.
The "gojilla” was to be equipped
with death—ray flames and bullet
proof skin. The script called for it
to capture Tokyo despite the
army's best efforts. I
Keikichi Masuhara, No. 2 army
chief, snorted:
"Why should we lose? Coopera
tion is out of the question.”
INVITATION FOR BIDS
Sealed Bids in single copy subject to !
the conditions herein will be received
by the Director of Aeronautics of the
Department of Aviation. Territory of
Alaska, until August 16. 1954 and then
publicly opened for furnishing all labor
and materials and performing all work
| for grading and improving of the Air
! port at Kotzebue. Alaska.
, Plans and Specifications and project
; documents may be obtained from the
! Director of Aeronautics. Department of
j Aviation. Room 202, Glover Bldg., An
! chorage, Alaska.
, Bids will be opened publicly in the
| office of the Director of Aeronautics,
Glover Bldg.. Anchorage. Alaska at 10:00
l a.m. A.S.T. Aug. 16 1954.
Performance bond will be required for
i an amount not less than 50 per cent
1 of the contract. Payment bond will be j
i required for an amount not less than
I 50 per cent of the contract,
j The right is reserved, as the interest
[ of the Territory may require, to reject
any and all bids, to waive any informal
ity in bids received, and to reject any
( item of any bid unless such bid is
qualifified by specific limitation. j
HERMAN PORTER. j
Director of Aeronautics
Department of Aviation
Territory of Alaska.
Publish July 26, 28. Aug. 2 4. 9. 11. 1954
'■ I