On to Mermaids

I love worlds of fantasy.

As a child, I knew in my heart that my baby dolls were real. They were just being really still because if an adult saw them move they would want to put them into a real adopted home.

I know, still to this day, that monsters live under the stairs. I know that when the timing is right that they will reach out and grab my ankles and pull me under. What happens next is a mystery.

I want very much to believe that mermaids existed. I wonder if they are just an extinct species and find it odd that so many sailors say they have seen them. I find it hard to believe that a seasoned sailor would mistake one for a whale, porpuss, or manatee. I wonder if they were hunted like the witches of Salem. I wonder if they did have legs or just flippers and fins. My goal now is to create a modern mermaid tale that appeals to boys and girls.

Some sources of inspiration for this project are;
Ralph Cahoon, Cape Cod folk artist
The Narrow Lands
Long John and the Mermaid
Pirate vocabulary