She had scales that shone like a rainbow and long golden curls that match her glistening skin that glowed in the sun like a thousand diamonds.

Before the sun rose to kiss the earth she was the first to wait dawn on the rocky hills singing sweet melodious tunes of the coming day and when the sun set she was the first to welcome the moon as the sweet voice sang away into the fading sun.

Tau, the enormous raging eagle, perched on her shoulder to tell her tales of his most exciting and ambitious journeys, telling her sweet and adventurous tales of the world over.

Sibona longed and longed with all her heart to follow the tide to the faraway lands that hold great mystery, wealth and wonder that she sometimes overheard from passing sailors.

Stories of the big lagatois sailed by brave warriors with curly jet black hair that made great voyages laden with clay pots and ground pans, sago and betel nut to trade with other warriors on a foreign coast.

The old-timers on board pushed young sailors hard to be strong and face the sea as warriors of their clan and ambassadors of their tribe. For some, this may be their first and last journey depending on the weather and the seas.

They sailed past Sibona without noticing the little mermaid, as she hid among the sea weed to peek at the great canoe and eavesdrop on the stories the sailors told.

As much as Tau would come back from his long trips to tell Sibona of his fascinating journeys, she longed with all her heart that papa would let her go.

Whenever she mentioned something of the faraway lands and the brave tales of Tau the mighty eagle, papa would put a stop to her talk saying it was too dangerous to venture alone a long way from home and, moreover, she was too young.

He also called Tau was a manipulative dreamer and said she shouldn’t hang around him as he was bad company.

Sibona brushed aside her papa’s words, clenching her fists and telling Tau that one fine day she would make the journey with the passing lagatoi when it came by.

True to her words the big canoe came one morning as she was sitting on the rocks singing and brushing her long golden curls. She hid among the weeds and saw that papa was not around to stop her and she swam closer to the canoe so as to feel safe,

As the waters chilled and darkness rapidly approached she began to wish that she had listened to papa and not come. But now was not the time to bargain and she tried to calm her beating heart and  listened attentively to the sailors onboard telling stories.

Some old sailors told stories of bravery to encourage the new sailors about the dangers they were going to face. Some listened attentively while others murmured their uncertainty about making it back alive.

All the what ifs clouded their restless minds: what would become of the newly married girl or the mother of so many children the grandmothers who had sons and husbands making this voyage. Great hopes were based on the wise man’s prediction of the wind and the weather.

Sibona felt pity as she eavesdropped on their stories. Then, still swimming, she dozed off.

Suddenly she felt a bump on her head and felt the raging sound of the wind and thunder and the seas rough and black like charcoal. She couldn’t make out where the big canoe was as she swam around frantically trying to locate it.

Sibona searched and searched to no avail as another large piece of drifting wood bumped her head and she fainted.

Dawn broke and Sibona was confused and unsure of what had happened the previous night. In a daze she heard a familiar voice, the deep sound of papa’s voice. She thought it was a dream as she frantically tried to call but no sound came from her lips.

She felt strong arms lifting her up and she knew that it was papa and she collapsed into papa’s dear arms.

Days and weeks passed as papa nursed her back to health and she tried to remember what happened that night. She apologised and begged papa’s forgiveness for if papa had not come looking for her she would not have survived the storm and she would have perished along with those unfortunate sailors.

She recalled the last tales she had shared that night and her heart felt cold with sadness.

Some weeks later, while sitting on the rocks, Sibona overheard some village girls exchanging stories that it was a month past and the voyaging lagatoi had not yet returned and the elders were saying it should have come home by now.

It was believed the journey was unsuccessful and would be declared as such but those who had loved ones on board did not want to believe this.

Sibona wanted so much to join the conversation to tell them the tale of that fateful night and of how brave these men were till the end, but how could she when she was only a creature of the sea and could not be in communication with humans.

Sibona shrieked in pain as her heart broke for the new widows, the children whose fathers had perished, the sisters whose fathers and brothers would never come home and the mothers and grandmothers who would never get to hold their husbands and sons again.