Week 1 Storytelling: The New Years Fugitives

Tall ships: Wikimedia



It was New Years Day, the ocean water ranged from the most beautiful shade of dark blue to the brightest of turquoise. Josiah had never seen the water look so spectacular. He sat on his boat with his prized paint collection, an easel and the sun as the most natural lighting, in an attempt to recapture the beauty of the water. He was so captivated in the beauty that surrounded him that he almost did not notice the three ships that were approaching him.

Josiah became frustrated by their oncoming advance to his boat. He thought they were disrupting the beauty of the scene and his painting! "How dare someone disrupt a painting of this magnitude?" he yelled aloud. The boats were in a hurry as they made their way across the water. Josiah was taken back by how quickly they appeared to be moving. As they got closer he noticed they weren't the biggest ships he has ever seen, but the cargo it carried was something unexpected.

Each ship carried a beautiful woman. Josiah was thrilled as stared in awe of the three beauties coming to him! The three ships stopped in front of Josiah's small boat. The three women each had their own talents, one could sing. Even when speaking she had a voice that made you want to listen to anything that she said. Her name was Rose. She called to Josiah by asking what he was doing in the water that day. He responded with "I was trying to show everyone the beauty of the water." The second woman, Cecilia, whose talent was drawing, was thrilled to see another artist who enjoyed the water. The third woman, Chloe, the smallest but the sweetest who was talented at playing the harp, was lightly strumming the elegant harp giving the mood light feeling.

Josiah's curiosity got the best of the them when he asked, "what are you three doing in separate boats and travelling so quickly on this New Years Day?" The three women looked at each with uncertainty, wondering if they should tell him the truth. They figured they had nothing to lose so why not? Cecilia, said "we are trying to out run our father." The three women were on a mission to outrun their father because their father made a deal that if they can reach land by 11:59 pm on New Years Day, then they can remain human. However, if they fail they will return to the sea to live the rest of their lives as mermaids. The women didn't mind being mermaids, they did mind being under their fathers control. The women told Josiah what their mission was and Josiah agreed to help the women.

The plan they decided on was to put everyone on one ship and move as quickly to Josiah's home as possible. They had to make the boat as light as possible, they threw everything that was considered important over board and began the trip. Of course the girls father would find out about their assistance. Their father made the waters so rough the women and Josiah thought the boat was going to break. Chloe did her best to hold on but was sent flying into the ocean, where she was turned back into a mermaid. Cecilia told Rose to go the land with Josiah and she would return back to the ocean with Chloe. Cecilia jumped ship and the water began to relax. Rose thought it was smooth sailing until a huge wave hit the boat and her father appeared before her. He threatened Josiah's life if they made it to the shore. After many tears and pleas for Josiah's life, Rose returned back to the sea to save it. Rose quickly changed back into a mermaid. Josiah was sitting on the boat feeling defeated, he lost his paints and 3 beautiful and talented women. As he navigated home, he drew on Cecilia's sketchbook, when suddenly the boat tipped over due to a wave that would rival a tsunami. Josiah was so scared, he was stuck under the boat and drowning. He was starting to see black and the end of his days. Josiah woke up, lost at what he was seeing. Three beautiful women with tails were staring at him but they were not the only one with tails. Josiah was now a creature of the sea that he found so magnificent on the surface..

Mermaid: Wikipedia


 

 The original rhyme:
I saw three ships come sailing by,
[119]Come sailing by, come sailing by;
I saw three ships come sailing by,
On New Year's Day in the morning.

And what do you think was in them then,
Was in them then, was in them then?
And what do you think was in them then,
On New Year's Day in the morning?

Three pretty girls were in them then,
Were in them then, were in them then;
Three pretty girls were in them then,
On New Year's Day in the morning.

And one could whistle, and one could sing,
And one could play on the violin—
Such joy there was at my wedding,
On New Year's day in the morning.

 Author's Note: This story was based off a nursery rhyme called "Three pretty girls were in them then." The Rhyme came from and can found in the Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang (1897). In the story that I wrote, I let some details remain the same however,  my own curiosity was peaked when I read three women were traveling in ships, with no real purpose. I enjoy the thoughts of mermaids being real. I let the story have a semi nice ending, rather than the morbid ending that I  was planning on. Once I realized I could use mermaids the entire story was then focused on how they were going to be put back in the ocean to return to their original state.