The high pitched cry of the mermaid ... opened the crack between the worlds -

In the lagoon all was a shimmer...light danced on water and the Sun warmed their hearts and bodies as they lay on the stones.  It had been fun playing at toss ball.  Whapping the ball through the air with their tails, and arms (sometimes their heads.) Oooh laughing in her mind, Jenna smiled, then leaned against the warm rock and closed her eyes.  Thinking of nothing much at all.

The Mer conclave was meeting that day.  It was the time of The Poseidon Choice. Every fifth sea-shift someone was picked, by a group of the elder Merpeople, to leave their lagoon and search for the lost ones,  ‘The lost ones of Atlantis ‘.  Twenty-five previous searches had not given a positive clue.

The story of the Lost Ones was frightening in its briefness. Twenty-five sea shifts ago there was a mercity of enormous scale-- called Atlantis.  They had wonders in the city to match even the vastness of an ocean.  Then one day the whole city was gone.

 The six remaining outposts of the Merpeople have been searching for them, or even a clue as to what occurred, ever since.  Of course they also had to somehow maintain their communities and voyaging was often dangerous, even deadly.  So the remaining merpeople decided to leave it to the Tail of Poseidon.

Poseidon’s Tail was said to be Magical...well actually it wasn’t the Great Sea Gods' real tail. It was the tail of the Image of Poseidon that rode the water at the Lagoons entrance.  The elders said that whichever direction the tail was pointed was the area in which they would search.  And so it was. 

The first three searches had each left only one survivor alive who could return and report at the end of the seashift.  This is how it came to be that only one would be sent.  For the community was being drained by the losses.  It fell to the Elders to pick the one.

Jenna, of course, was not even thinking about the Elders.  She was having such a lovely day.  Being a mermaid was so glorious!  She loved everything about her world, even those days when the harvest needed to be brought in. Their Lagoon must be the most wonderful place that existed.

Jenna had just about dozed off when she felt a tug on her tail" OH!"  She exclaimed and felt herself being dragged into the water.  As she was sinking she heard the laughter of her friends all around her.

"Oh Look" said Sheree "Gilly has pulled her into the water hahahahaha... Lets go help!"

Before Jossa could answer her --Splash, thwap went her tail and away she went.  Leaving him soaked and laughing too.

"Wait up!" Splash!  Splash! Splash!  Torga, Belios, Rayule and Circet had gone to join the fun.  Tobias beat them all there and was helping Gilly lifting Jenna into the air with mock threats of throwing her over the statue of Poseidon.  Soon all of Jenna’s friends were surrounding her and laughing with her.  Then the ball was rediscovered. (Merrilee had thrown it at Gilly pretending to help rescue Jenna.) The game was back on!  Jenna smiled ” what a life!" she thought happily.

BarrroooooooooooomBarrrooooooooooooom.  The sound took them by surprise. The friends all looked toward the Sea grotto wherein was kept the Conchhorn. It was only used when a great announcement was going to be made.  Barrrrooooooom Barrrroooooom it sounded again.

All the merpeople swam to the entrance of the Grotto. There were rock shelves formed around the entrance, in a semicircle, so as to allow all to see and hear what was being discussed or announced.  All were settling in when the Elders came to the Grotto opening.

Jenna sat up taller...It was Janna (her mother) coming to the front position of the Elders.  Feeling a little embarrassed (since she hadn't remembered that the announcement was today) Jenna made a special effort to pay attention.  Telling Gilly and her friends to 'Shhhush!"

"My People," began Jenna’s mother,  "today is the day we announce our choice for searcher."  There was a general murmur from the assembled merfolk.  "As you all are aware --our searcher needs several qualities--all of which help to insure the return to the clan." 

"This shift..."Janna paused to be sure she had all their attention.

"This shift the counsel has selected for two searchers"

''Oohs" were heard throughout the ledge. The murmuring rose as the people looked to each other as if they could get the reasoning from one another’s facial expressions.

Janna continued..."Yes, my people, two must go.  We have learned much in the last shifts as a people.  We have honed certain skills and allowed our minds to grow and flourish with new abilities.  We of the Elders think it is time to use some of our new abilities to search out our lost city Atlantis and we think that our abilities work better when we use them as compliments to each other.

 Therefore, this shift we choose to send two.  Gilly and Jenna ...Please come forward."

Stunned, Jenna didn’t move. She had to be led, by Gilly, to the elder’s ledge.  Her mind, it seemed, couldn’t hear anything but the last sentence her mother spoke.

Gilly was also in a state of shock, but sensed the enormous pride of his friends and family at the call for him to come forward.  This enabled him to seemingly rise above the surprise of it all.  This sensing and integrating ability was one of the reasons he had been called...this he knew from the texture of the Elders minds.

Jenna, however, did not have his ability.  So she floundered, like a battered fish in the pool, before the Elders ledge unable to speak or even comprehend for some moments.

Janna reached down and touched Jennas temple...softly speaking to her daughter in merspeech and finally seeing the reawakening of Jennas active mind.  It took but a few moments, and no one but she and Gilly even saw it. Janna stepped back.

Jenna smiled at her mother and squeezed Gilly’s hand in gratitude.

Janna turned her face once more to her people  "The Elders wish now to speak to the two chosen searchers.  As you know they have the right to refuse this challenge for any reason.  First, though, they need to be told why they were chosen and what their search will entail.  So WE thank you for coming and witnessing this event and will announce tomorrow our results"

Barrrrooooooom barrrrroooomm the horn blasted and the people dismissed.  Much discussion was going on and the portals would be busy for the rest of the day...

Gilly and Jenna were escorted to the Elders pool.