An Octopus’s Garden

It is a little-known fact that the location of the garden is the most heavily guarded secret of all time. As a matter of fact, not many humans even know that it exists. Most merpeople don’t know where it is. However, at some point in the life of every merperson, they are somewhat drawn to it.

It is also a little-known fact that most merpeople tend to avoid the gillless, as they call them. Humans tend to annoy them. That is why it seemed strange for a group of mermen to track down John Shutters with a very important matter. On the day that the mermen king died, the kings evil brother went on a rampage, killing off the rest of the royal line. Everybody knew that he killed his brother, but nobody could prove it. He was determined to be king since childhood. And now he had his chance. Only one little mermaid stood in his way. This is not the story of a mermaid who desires to be human. This is the story about her unique journey to the Octopus’s Garden.

I think it happened on a Sunday. It might have been a Saturday. Whatever day it was, John Shutters was off work that day. He normally spent his off days at sea. He had everything he needed to see where the fish was biting. He had his depth finder with GPS. He had sonar. He had underwater cameras and microphones. The top fishers in the world would envy him. But he wasn’t doing this to go fishing. He didn’t even eat fish. He just enjoyed being on the water. He loved to watch sea life. The funny thing is that he couldn’t swim. He was just drawn to the water.

John was the founder and CEO of a not-for-profit organization known as PTO, that is “Protectors of the Oceans”. He was collecting information to show how sea life was diminishing. PTO, on more than one occasion, petitioned the government to ban mass fishing. This caught the attention of the wrong crowds. On one hand, you had the crazy environmentalists. They wanted to force the entire world to be vegan and ban eating meat in any form worldwide. You also had the fishing industry, who wanted to destroy PTO and anyone that supported them. But there was a 3rd group. One that, for the most part, wanted to remain unknown. John was about to encounter this group for the first time.

Out in the middle of nowhere, while he was enjoying the peaceful calm of the sea, he noticed that all of his equipment went blank. The microphone had stopped recording the voices of the whales. The camera was no longer picking up the beautiful colors of fish swimming by. He did not notice, however, that the sea was starting to stir. Just a little at first, anybody would miss it. But soon, it was in a complete uproar. The waves almost capsized the boat. John tried his best to keep the boat afloat. Suddenly, everything went calm. What John DID notice was that out of the waters rose 3 mermen. One of them was holding a small child.

The average man would have had a heart attack at seeing such a sight. John seemed not to be phased in any way at all.

“Hello!”, he said.

“John Shutters!”, says the merman holding the child.

“That’s me.”

“You have been chosen.”

“Me! Chosen! For what?”

The mermen tell him the story of a king, killed by his own brother. The brother then went after the rest of the royal line to place himself as king.

“We’ve been watching you. We know that you will keep the child safe. She must remain in your care until the 16th anniversary of the day she grows her legs. This is the only way to stop the king’s evil brother from taking over the entire ocean. For he will not stop there. If he controls the ocean, he can control dry land as well. So, take the child, Raise her as your own. Keep her away from the sea until it’s time for her to return.”

“What happens then?”

“She will be drawn back to the sea. She will travel a great distance from here to find The Garden of the Golden Octopus. All mermen return to the Garden sooner or later.”

As they say these last words, they disappear into the sea. His equipment comes back to life. With the exception of the child, there is no sign they were ever there.

“What am I going to do with a baby mermaid?”

At this point, the shock of what happened hits him. He’s found later that day with the young child wrapped in a blanket, washed on shore.

“John!”, calls Leroy, an old friend. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I was out in the boat, when….”

He stops and thinks before telling the story of what really happened. Who would believe such a wild story. If they did, what would they do with the baby?

“There was a wreckage. The other boat was completely engulfed in flames. There were no survivors. Then I saw this baby floating on a piece of wood. I got her out of the water. The next thing I know, I wake up here.”

“We got to get both of you to the hospital.”

“No! I’m fine. I’ll take her myself.”

“I insist.”

As he grabbed the child, John saw that her fins had turned into legs.

“OK! OK!”

At that he passed out.

Flash forward about 14 years.

John and his adapted daughter, Moselle, now live in a farming community far away from the ocean. He realized that if at any time her feet touch salt water, they just may turn back to fins. So, he is determined to keep her as far away as possible.

This is not easy. Moselle knew that she was named after the Bible character, Moses, whose name means, “one who was drawn from the water.” She knew the story of how she was found. At least the story that John told people. She heard stories of the horrible thing that happened to sailors. But she was not deterred. Her whole life, all she wanted to do was dip her feet in the ocean. Now, her whole life was about to change.

At school, a young boy happens to meet her. By some strange coincidence, his name was Moses. The 2 became best friends right away. They both had similar backgrounds. They were both orphans. They both dreamed of being in the ocean. But now she started to have a new dream. A dream about a garden.

Moselle didn’t tell John about the dream. Although she did love him. He was the only father that she could remember. This was not something you talked about with your father. This was something you talked about with a friend. And now, Moses was her best friend in the world.

The garden was huge. In the middle, there stood a large statue. What it was, she could not remember. Everyone there was friendly and happy to see her. She felt more welcome there than anywhere else she had ever been.

Moselle and Moses grew closer and closer as time went on. John was torn. On the one hand he was glad to see that his daughter found someone that made her happy. But he worried if he would take her from him.

Time came for high school graduation. Many of the graduating students had planned a trip to a peaceful seaside town on the east coast. However, still a minor, Moselle could not go without her father’s permission.

“No! Way! No child of mine is going off unsupervised.”

“But Dad, my birthday is in 1 week. I’m almost an adult.”

“Then you can almost go. But not this time. Besides, you’re an adult at 21 not 18. You still need my OK.”

John was more than well aware that she would soon be leaving him. There was nothing he could do about it, but he wanted to keep her with him as long as he could.

“I’m sorry Moselle, but my word is finale.”

She didn’t take these words lightly. For the first time in her life, she was really upset with her father. She stormed off to her room and slammed the door. He followed after her and found her crying on the bed. He chose not to bother her now, give her some alone time. The ruse seemed to work. The moment he closed the door she got up and went out the window.

John was not dumb. He knew that she would try to sneak out. From the day he received the child, he knew that she would leave. He just didn’t think it would come so quickly. But as I’ve already said, this is not the story of a mermaid who desires to be human. This is the story about her unique journey to the Octopus’s Garden.

“I had the dream again”, she said to Moses as they drove away. “I could see it so clearly this time. The large statue in the middle! It was an…”

“Octopus.”

“How did you know?”

“I don’t know. You told me about it so many times I guess that I’ve started to have it myself.”

“Amazing! Yes. It was a large golden octopus. What’s more, the garden was under water. I really felt that I’ve been there before.”

“You wish to be under the sea, in an octo…..”

“I hate that song. Stop please.”

“Well, it fits.”

The two of them drove a little distance before picking up a few friends. There were 6 of them in all. 4 boys and 2 girls. They were not able to get a last-minute plane ticket for Moselle, so they decided to drive the 5 hours to Sea Haven, the same town where she first came into John’s life.

They did not know that John was following close behind. He kept a distance close enough to keep an eye on them but far enough as not to be spotted. The closer they got to Sea Haven, he knew where they were going. At some point, as they stopped for gas, John drove ahead of them.

They arrived at a small hotel not too far from the ocean. As soon as they checked in, Moselle ran to put her feet in the salt water of the ocean. It was the best thing she ever felt. The salt in the air was the best thing she ever smelled. Without removing any clothes, she laid in the water. She had been in fresh water. But this was different. This was wonderful. She was in heaven. Nothing could spoil her joy. Then her father walked up.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” she said with a strong voice, not bothering to get up.

“I knew that this would be the beach you do to. Out of all the beaches in the world, this is the most special. I, too, wanted to see it. I wanted to see you here, again.”

“Again!” she said in a calmer voice.

“These are the waters where I found you.”

She knew the details of how she came into John’s life. Well, at least what John told her. You can imagine that he left out the part about the mermen.

“There’s something that I left out. But I can’t tell you now. I promise to leave you and your friends alone. But please, meet me here on your birthday. Do not get in the water till we talk. Promise me that.”

“That weird dad.”

“Just promise me.”

“I promise. I won’t get in the water on my birthday until I talk to you.”

Her birthday came. She got up early in the morning ready to put her feet in the water. Her father was waiting there.

“Sweetheart. I just wanted to be here when you find out.”

“Find out what?”

This is when Moses walks up.

“How sweet. Spending time with Dad on your birthday.”

“Moses!” said John, “No. You have to go. You can’t be here now.”

“Oh no! I’m getting my early morning swim.”

Moses jumps in the water. As he swims away, unknown to him, his legs become fins. Both John and Moselle are shocked.

“Is that what you wanted me to find out?”

“Not quite.”

“Something more shocking than this?”

“Sweetheart. Step in the water.”

It takes a moment for the initial shock to go away. The shock from seeing Moses had not yet left.

“I’m a mermaid! How could you not have told me. This is some major, need to know, information. How could you keep this from me.”

For the first time, John tells the full story. He told her everything. The fishing trip, the equipment going blank, the mermen, everything. Even the part about the king’s evil brother. He started to tell her about the garden, but a look of shock came across her face.

“Moses!” she calls, “It’s not just a dream. It’s real. The garden. I know what it is. I know where it is. We can go.”

As they are about to swim off together, John screams out, “No! I have more to tell you.”

John had a dream the night before. It seems that the king’s evil brother is still looking for her. If she makes it to the garden, she could take her rightful place as queen of the merpeople. There was no way he would allow that to happen.

“A battle ground.” Said Moses, “That what it is. The Garden of the Golden Octopus. The Octopus’s Garden. It where the battle is to be fought.”

“No.”, Moselle said, “The garden is sacred. They wouldn’t fight there.”

“Moselle!”, said John, “Get out of the water. You can’t go. Not yet.”

The words, “She will be drawn back to the sea” echoed in his head. “I’ll get a boat.”

John knew from day one that he could not stop her from looking for the garden. But as there is an old saying that if you can’t beat them…

Since he promised to keep her safe, joining them was the only way to keep her safe.

Moses and Moselle got back on land and instantly, they had legs again. John was just as shocked as he was the first time he saw it. With a simple phone call to his friends at PTO, they had a boat. The Ariel wasn’t the world’s largest yacht. It didn’t even make the top 100. But at 290 feet, it was more than big enough to carry these 7 people to an undisclosed location somewhere on the ocean.

It wasn’t hard to convince 4 graduates to take the trip. Although none of them knew about the merpeople. It was very important that they didn’t find out. But a stay in a seaside hotel versus a yacht at sea, it was a no-brainer.

The trip started off great. The sun was shining brightly. The smell of the warm salty breeze filled the air. The water was calm and peaceful. They were all laughing and enjoying life. They had no idea where they were going, and they didn’t really care. They were just having fun.

The kitchen crew served them virgin pina colada, margaritas, and Mai Tais. They ate shrimp and lobster. To make a long story short, they were treated like royalty. Who wouldn’t enjoy this?

Mike, one of their friends, realized that Moselle was not with them. She was with the captain, giving him directions where to go.

“What are you doing?”, said Mike. “Why are you here instead of with us?”

“Because I know where we’re going.”

“And where is that?”

“Have you ever heard the song about an octopuses garden?”

“No!”

“Well, that’s where we’re going.”

It didn’t make any sense to him, but he realized that he wasn’t able to get her to join them. She was determined to guide the way.

“She’ll be down with us when she’s finished playing captain.”, he told the rest of them.

As the graduates enjoyed their time on this large yacht, nobody realized that the sea had started to become agitated. It was just a little at first. But the more time passed, the worse it got. Although there was not a cloud in the sky, the water acted as if a hurricane was brewing. The boat was in danger of capsizing.

“I’ve got to steer around this, whatever it is.”, the captain said.

“No!”, Moselle screams. “Drop anchor here. I was expecting something to happen.”

“How could you expect this?”

“I just felt it. It’s been calling to me my whole life.”

At that point there was a scream and a splash. Laura, one of the graduates, had fallen into the water. Without a second’s hesitation, Moses jumps in the water to save her. She was sinking quickly as if something, or someone, was pulling her down. But Moses was moving quicker. There was, however, one small problem.

The other 3 still on deck watched in amazement. Their friend they’d known for years changed right in front of them. They saw his legs become fins the moment they touched the water. The shock was too much. They couldn’t even scream. Just stare.

It took about 10 minutes for the shock to completely wear off. That’s when Moses returned with Laura. Both of them were safe and unharmed. The 3 onboard helped pull them up. Moses tried to act like nothing happened, but he knew that everybody saw it. He leaned over the rail trying to think of a story to tell them but that’s when what appeared to be a tentacle reached out of the water, grabbed him, and pulled him in. Moselle saw it. She tried to jump in and save him, but the rest of them grabbed her.

“No!”, they said. “There’s something you need to know about him.”

“What?”

“He’s a mermaid. A merman. A merperson.”

“He’s part human, part fish.”, said Mike.

“Yea”, she said, “That was supposed to be a secret.”

“You knew about this!”

“I found out this morning. Really, he just found out this morning.”

“And you’re OK with this!”

“The truth is…”

Before she could finish her sentence, with a loud splash, 3 large mermen rose out of the water.

“Hand over the mermaid princess or be destroyed.”, said the one in the middle. His appearance was terrifying. He was much larger than the other 2 and had a crown on his head. His voice was like thunder. The clouds became dark around his head.

“Everybody, go below deck.”, John shouted. But nobody moved.

“The evil brother”, Moselle whispered.

John loads a harpoon gun and fires, aiming at his chest. Ebe (E.B. or Evil Brother), as they called him, moved out of the way and was struck in the arm. John tried to reel him in but broke free and swam away. Before submerging completely he said, “I know where you are going. I’ll be waiting.”

Moses climbs onboard from the rear of the boat. He walks up like everything was fine.

“How did you like the show?”, he asked. He did his best to pretend that it was all an act with special effects. But Laura was not convinced. She would be willing to believe that the fins were fake. She may have been able to accept the 3 mermen were illusions. But she was dragged under water by something. She was drowning until Moses showed up. She wasn’t holding her breath. She was breathing, under the water. That was no special effects.

“Wait”, said Laura. “The merman king said he know where we are going. Where are we going?”

“The Octopus’s Garden.”, Moses replied.

“The what?”

Moselle and John told the whole story.

“And you dragged us with you?”

“Remember, most of the details of this just came to us this morning. We couldn’t just leave y’all alone.”

“But we’re still going. We need to be heading back.”

“I have till the end of the day to sit at the base of the Golden Octopus.”

“You’re going to battle that, thing, to get there?”

“We may not have to. If I can get there safely without him knowing, all will be fine.”

“And then what?”

“I will become queen.”

This changed the entire mood. Now, everyone was more willing to help. Although they didn’t know how.

Jerry, who had been quiet until now, came up with the plan.

As they continued to sail, they all saw that the ocean started to glow. It wasn’t much, but they could tell that there was something under the surface. The closer they got, the more prominent it was. Then the captain called over the loudspeaker.

“OK people, our destination is right ahead. Null Island.”

Null Island is that spot on the map where north meets south and east meets west.

It’s location is listed as 0°N 0°E and there is no land there. But Moselle and Moses knew that this was the right spot.

The moment they jumped into the water, they could see the garden. It was beautiful. It was magnificent. The greatest thing they’d ever seen. It was amazing that nobody had ever seen it before.

As they started to swim toward the garden, Ebe was in hot pursuit. They started to swim in the opposite direction to get away. Suddenly, he had his evil army behind him. They would have caught them if it wasn’t for the fact that a second army came to fight against them. These were the merpeople king’s royal guard. They swore with their lives to protect the princess. With them was the same merman that gave John the child.

As the battle raged Ebe broke free and went after Moselle. He dove down low and jetted ahead of them. As he overtook them, he said “You lose. Give me the princess.”

They managed to swim away and make it back to the boat. As they were climbing onto the boat it was obvious that the girl was not Moselle. It was Laura. Human’s breath well underwater in the presence of a merperson.

Moselle was almost at the Golden Octopus and Ebe charged at her at top speed. John jumped into the water to help her. He was swimming even faster than Ebe. That, however, was due to the fact that Ebe froze in his tracks as he was the only one to notice that John had fins. It even escaped John’s notice.

Waking out of his shock, Ebe picked up speed. But it was too late. John had placed Moselle on a chair at the base of the Golden Octopus. The chair started to glow and 2 of the octopus’s tentacles dropped slowly and placed a crown on her head. The entire garden started to glow a brilliant yellow. The eyes of the octopus were red. At that moment, a beam from the eyes struck Ebe and his army. They were never seen again.

The king’s guards took their new queen back to the valley of the merpeople. They thanked John for his service and offered him the position of head of the guards.

“No thanks. Not right now, at least. But you will all see me again.”

The next request was from Moselle.

“Moses”, she said. “Please, stay with us.”

He didn’t give it a second thought. He went with them right away.

The ride back home was quiet. Not much was said. The sea was calm. There was one thought on everybody’s mind.

What would we tell Moses’ parents?