Alcina, the Water Nymph

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Prologue

O, that I were a Shakespeare, a Dickens, or a Homer
That I could scribe the writings of Greek myths.

There would be a verse to arouse your senses,
To relate the sorrows of unrequited love,
To plumb the depths of the human heart and see
What lofty heights and lowly depths love
Can bestow upon the human condition.

But not to have encountered love’s sorrow
Is to have not lived.

Chapter One

The fair Emerald Isle of Ireland, lost to the antiquity of time: lush with greenery and folklore where fairies, nymphs, goblins, and queens of the night make their abode. Such is our scene, where a chance encounter has devastating consequences.

By Ballyhass Lake there stands Ballymore Castle. Prince Albert is to be betrothed to the Princess Magdalena, and to all concerned, it’s sure to be a blessed union for the young couple and kingdom. They spend their days in blissful contemplation of their future happiness.

All is going as planned until the prince, as is his wont, is in quiet contemplation by the lake. It is drawing towards dusk and as he sits he swears he sees a movement in the water, a slight ripple that catches the melting sun. He stares with deeper intensity and as he does so, a nymph rises from the lake’s surface to glide across it and sit some distance away. The prince is enamoured by her beauty and mien. They gaze at each other for what seems an eternity. When he can take it no more, the prince straightens and treads the lake’s shore to sit beside this apparition.

She makes no effort to return to her watery home. To his amazement, she speaks: “I am Alcina.”

She has the voice of an angel, he is sure. “And where do you live?”

“I live at the bottom of the lake with my father, five sisters, and the rest of our family.”

He has so many questions, he’s not sure what to ask. And the pure intensity of her eyes takes his breath away. “Do you venture much unto the land?”

“Just at night to have our jamborees and frolic.”

“Are there male nymphs?” he asks with trepidation. Surely such creatures could not be sullied by male attention.

“Of course, we have to populate,” she laughs. “Why don’t you come into the water with me?” She smiles alluringly.

“I’ll have to change my clothes.”

“Just get undressed and come in,” she beckons.

To watch this nymph in the water is poetry in motion, she swims with an elegance that defies belief, one minute she is here – the next she is gone. When they exhaust their energy they both wade onto the shore and collapse upon the grass.

“Can I see you here tomorrow?” asks the prince, boldly.

“If you wish.”

“What can I bring you?”

“A gift of fish.”

“I must go,” he says reluctantly. She says nothing, but stares fixedly at his parted lips. In one fluid motion she is suddenly pressed against him and Prince Albert is smitten.

Weeks pass.

One day as the evening’s silky darkness begins to pull at the edges of the sky, Alcina’s father appears next to her on the bank.

“Alcina, dear child, what are you doing here?”

“Father, I’m tired of the water life, I want to be human and experience love,” she weeps.

“Child, you know not what you say; it will bring nothing but sorrow,” he admonishes.

“Father, I want to be human, I want to experience love.”

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Water Nymph

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