Gillian Brownson: 'The Mermaid's Purse' (2021)

Description

Lede
Holyhead writer and performer, Gillian Brownson combines art, poetry, beachcombing and creative storytelling at the coast in this piece suitable for children between the ages of 5 and 8.

Story
“C’mon, we’ll go down The Mermaid and collect some firewood on the way.”

They’re my Grandma’s words. She lived in Brynsiencyn near the banks of the Menai Straits. ‘The Mermaid’ was the name of the pub that stood at the small ferry port, where the local ferry would run over to Caernarfon when my Dad was a boy. Over time though, long after the pub had called its final time, it became the colloquial name for that beautiful stretch of shore, and the place where my sisters and I would walk with our dear Grandma. So, whether it was a testament to Brynsiencyn people’s love of a pint (My Grandad could often be found in that pub!), or simply the aptness of the name for the mystery of what lay beneath the swellies of the Straits, it stuck. The Mermaid.

Imagine what this meant for a small girl. Every time I looked out to the water, I saw something. A bird, some lonely sea lion, flotsam and jetsam, or ‘her?’

“Look, Grandma, is that her?”

Grandma never answered ‘yes,’ but she didn’t answer ‘no’ either.

THE Mermaid. Just one. Always there. To my young mind, she watched us on the shore as we combed for the things she might have left behind. The shore was a treasure of finds, as shorelines always are. I’ve been back many times with my own children, and we’ve found bird skulls and crab claws, sea glass and pennies, and of course, we’ve found her purse, many times. Sadly, we’ve found many other things that don’t belong there, and that I’m sure she’d be unhappy about.

This story is written for her, the Mermaid, and my Grandma, who kept her alive for me. Found objects are brilliant for inspiring stories, songs, plays, art or a combination of all of these things. We found a fish egg pouch, and I turned it into ‘The Mermaid’s Purse’. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be using this story to inspire school children and families to do the same – to go out along the shore, find brilliant sea stuff and turn it into something magical. I’m looking forward to collecting lots of community sea stories for the Ports, Past and Present archives as we move along on this journey.

• https://perma.cc/ZFU6-ET44 (link opens in new window)