Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid & the Storytelling Soup

Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid adjusted to life in the New Desert after the Old Sea dried up more quickly than the other Old Mermaids. Of course she missed the Old Sea and all that was within. But she knew the Old Sea was in the clouds, her blood, and in every cell of the Old Salmon who made their way up and down various creeks and rivers. So it wasn’t that she didn’t love the Old Sea as much as the other Old Mermaids; it was that she loved the Old Desert, too.

Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid appreciated the New Desert for exactly what it was: dry, sparse, mysterious, dangerous, beautiful. And in the New Desert she discovered her calling, her gift, the thing she loved to do almost more than anything else: Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid learned to cook.

She had never cooked in the Old Sea. No one had. It wasn’t done. Probably couldn’t be done. But in the New Desert, Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid took to cooking like a fish takes to water. She went around to all the neighbors in the New Desert and up to the Mountains where the Old Man and Old Woman lived. She ate the meals they prepared for her, asked questions, then went out in the New Desert and discovered other things to eat. After she learned to cook, she taught the other Old Mermaids how.

All the Old Mermaids participated in their daily nourishment, but everyone knew that the meals created by Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid were special. Some of you have already heard about the chili she made when she accidentally used water from the Old Sea that Sister Bridget Mermaid had saved for them. People are still talking about that chili, how it lasted until everyone was fed, how people came from all over to eat at the Old Mermaid Sanctuary that day, how even the birds in the kitchen tile flew out and hovered around the soup pot to see what wondrous stew was brewing because it smelled so good—even to birds.

No one knew what would happen when Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid cooked, but they knew something would happen—especially when she made soup. Her dishes were always nutritious, of course; the ingredients were healthy, grown or plucked or harvested or obtained with love and good nature. People said that when Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid made soup she whispered a little something extra to the pot, or maybe she added a special herb or some other ingredient. Most people didn’t care what she did; they just knew they felt better after eating her food. Sometimes they felt happy; sometimes they began telling their secrets; sometimes they realized what their true heart’s desire was; sometimes they understood the language of the cacti or the quail or the coyotes.

When people asked Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid why her food was so special, she’d say, “I discovered the best spice of all: happenstance.” Then she’d laugh. Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid normally didn’t get flustered or depressed or irritated. It just wasn’t her nature. I don’t mean she didn’t have normal feelings. She did. She’d feel bad when something bad happened; she’d feel good when something good happened; then she moved on. She was interested in what was occurring right at that moment. She had to be, she’d say; otherwise she’d burn something.

Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid believed most problems between people could be solved by sitting around a meal together. The food connected them, became a part of them, and therefore they were connected to one another.

Then the Javelina Conflict erupted. It began when the Pettermans moved into the New Desert. They bought the house and land the Old Woman Who Talked to Cacti left behind after she followed the sun south. The neighbors all went to welcome the Pettermans. The Old Neighbor and the Old Neighbor’s Husband brought them a rhubarb pie. Louie, Man Who Collects, and Betty, the Woman Who Weaves, gave them a welcome mat for the front door that Betty had woven from things Louie found in the desert. The Old Man and Old Woman of the Mountains extended their welcome via a pleasant breeze that came out of the north.

The Old Mermaids brought the Pettermans a basket full of wishes for their good health and long life, along with vegetables from the garden, found art created by Sissy Maggie Mermaid and Sister Lyra Musica Mermaid, and an invitation to dine with them. The Pettermans weren’t the friendliest couple, and the inhabitants of the New Desert didn’t understand them much either. For one thing, the Pettermans seemed to have the same name. This confused everyone, so they decided to call them the Petterman and the Petterwoman. And no one was quite sure what they did. Of course, the Old Mermaids didn’t care that they didn’t do anything.

“But who are they?” the Old Neighbor asked.

“Who are any of us?” Sister Sophia Mermaid asked.

“No, really,” the Old Neighbor said. “All of us do something. Louie collects. Betty weaves. Raul regulates the acequia. Vinetta organizes the markets—”

“Raul,” Sissy Maggie Mermaid said. “Hmmm. I haven’t seen him in a while. How is he doing?”

“And what do you do, Old Neighbor?” Sister Sophia Mermaid asked.

“She keeps track of what everyone is doing,” Sister Faye Mermaid said. “Haven’t you been paying attention?”

“So you must know everyone’s stories then,” Sister Bridget Mermaid said. “That is a good thing. We’d like to hear some of those stories.”

“I will tell you this,” Old Neighbor said. “There’s going to be trouble.”

“We were once new,” Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid said. “You didn’t know our stories. And now you are our friend.”

Old Neighbor shrugged.

“I bet you thought we’d be trouble, too,” Sissy Maggie Mermaid said.

“Well, in your case I was right,” Old Neighbor said.

The Old Mermaids laughed.

As the days turned into night and back into day, the Old Neighbor's prediction came true. The Petterman and Petterwoman did not like the javelinas who ran through the wash and up into the shrubbery around their house. The coyotes frightened them. And they did not want to hear anything about the mountain lions. They accused Louie, the Man Who Collects, and Betty, the Woman Who Weaves, of feeding the javelinas and thereby encouraging them.

Betty, the Woman Who Weaves, said she and Louie would never feed a wild animal, although they did put out seed or sugar water for the birds sometimes. Louie pointed out that the javelinas had been wandering the New Desert for a lot longer than any of them had been there.

“Perhaps if you talk with them,” Louie said, “and explain that you’d rather they didn’t dig near your house, they would stop coming around.”

The Pettermans looked at him like he was a crazy man.

“And I suppose you want me to go out and howl with the coyotes and make friends with them, too?” Petterman said.

“It's not be a bad idea,” Betty said.

The Pettermans asked Mr. Hunter to shoot the javelinas. Mr. Hunter said, “Are you going to eat them after I shoot them?”

“No!” the Petterwoman said.

“Then I can’t do it,” Mr. Hunter said.

“You can eat them,” the Petterman said. “You can shoot and eat them all.”

Mr. Hunter thought about this and then said, “I thank you for the offer, but I don’t think so. The woman who calls me husband doesn’t much like when I shoot our neighbors, even the hairy smelly ones.”

“Then we’re going to have to put up a fence,” the Petterman said.

“A fence?” Mr. Hunter shook his head. “You’re lucky the woman who calls me husband doesn’t like me to shoot our neighbors cuz she ain’t gonna like this news.”

Soon everyone had heard about the fence, and no one was happy. Many creatures wandered through the wash and the land that the Pettermans called their own. A fence would disrupt many lives.

Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid and Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid visited the Petterman and Petterwoman and tried to find out what they could do to help them feel more comfortable.

“The desert is not a comfortable place,” the Petterwoman said. “And we must do what we can to protect ourselves and that which is ours.”

“We certainly understand being new to a place,” Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid said.

“Yes, indeed,” Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid said. “We came from a place very different from here.”

“About as different as different can be,” Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid said.

“Then you do understand,” the Petterwoman said. “You know we have to make this place our own. I need to make this place home.”

“And javelinas can’t be a part of your home?” Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid asked.

“They stink and they’re ugly!” the Petterwoman said.

Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid nodded. “We’ve all got something, don’t we?”

Mother Star Stupendous said, “I understand that you don’t feel at home here. That is our fault. We haven’t made you feel welcome enough. You haven’t heard our stories, and we haven’t heard yours. Why don’t you come to the Old Mermaid Sanctuary. We’ll invite the entire neighborhood. Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid will make her famous storytelling soup, and we will tell stories. Afterward, if you still want to build a fence. We’ll help you.”

Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid nodded.

The Petterman and Petterwoman glanced at one another. The Petterman shrugged and the Petterwoman said, “All right. Let us know what to bring. When would you like us to come?”

“Come when the day is shortest and the night is longest,” Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid said. “That is a great time for stories.”

“And when is that?” the Petterman asked.

The Old Mermaids did not look at each other in wonderment because this new man and woman did not know when the day was shortest and the night longest. Instead, Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid smiled and said, “Two days. Come for storytelling soup in two days.”

And so Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid and Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid returned to the Old Mermaid Sanctuary and told the others what had happened when they visited the Petterman and Petterwoman.

“Oh, that sounds wonderful,” Sister DeeDee Lightful Mermaid said. “I must confess, though, that I don’t recall Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid’s famous storytelling soup.”

“I don’t remember it either,” Sister Sheila Na Giggles Mermaid said.

“Nor I,” Sister Faye Mermaid said.

Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid nodded. “I am beginning to remember it as though it is something I will create two days from now. I seem to recall that everyone who participates in the storytelling must bring an ingredient to add to the pot. All I do is boil the water, stir what drops into it, and sing a little chant. Our stories do the rest.”

Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid nodded. “Just what we need.”

Sister Lyra Musica Mermaid and Sister Laughs A Lot Mermaid volunteered to go out and invite all the neighbors to the storytelling feast. And so they did.

When the shortest day ended and the longest night began, Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid put on a pot of water to boil.

The Old Neighbor and the Old Neighbor’s Husband were the first to arrive. The Old Neighbor brought pinto beans and dropped them into the pot.

“If this doesn’t work,” the Old Neighbor said, “everything will change.”

“Everything is always changing,” Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid said.

“But in this case, it isn’t changing for the better,” the Old Neighbor said. “And I don’t see how this soup will help.”

Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid stirred the beans and the water and sang one of her favorite chants to the becoming soup, “‘Beans, beans, we’re Mermaid Queens. Make this stew a healing brew.”

Louie, the Man Who Collects, and Betty, the Woman Who Weaves, came next. They brought pieces of chopped squash.

“Don’t be nervous,” Louie told Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid. “Don’t give it a thought that the cohesiveness of our entire world depends upon this night and your soup.”

Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid laughed. “No, I won’t give it a thought.” She stirred in the new ingredients. “Squash, squash, you fabulous nosh. Make this stew a healing brew.”

Raul, the Man Who Cares for the Acequia, and Michael, the Man Who Finds Art, brought carrots. “Nice to see you both,” she said as Michael dumped the carrots into the pot.

“I hope this will do the trick,” Michael said. “All of us are depending upon your famous storytelling soup.”

Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid kept stirring. She did not tell them this was the first time she had ever made storytelling soup because she knew something could be real and meaningful before it ever existed. “Carrots, carrots, with all your fine merits, help make this stew a healing brew.”

Mr. Hunter and the Woman Who Calls Him Husband contributed chili peppers to the soup. Tulip and Poppy helped chop up the tomatoes they brought. Well, Tulip watched while her mother Poppy chopped. Someone else brought black beans. Someone else celery. When almost everyone had arrived except the Pepperman and Pepperwoman, the story goes that each of the Old Mermaids added something to the storytelling soup. Some say Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid sprinkled in star dust, but maybe it was only cumin. Sister Sheila Na Giggles dropped in a piece of trickery from the coyotes, or maybe it was a prickly pear pad. Sister DeeDee Lightful added some kind of spice, maybe it was cayenne, maybe it was the answer to all your questions.

Sister Ursula Divine Mermaid added minced bear wisdom, or it could have been garlic. It’s sometimes hard to tell the difference. Sister Lyra Musica Mermaid and Sister Laughs A Lot Mermaid added sea salt Sister Bridget Mermaid had saved from the Old Sea. Everyone who was there and quite a few people who weren’t said they could hear the waves of the ocean for a few minutes after the Old Mermaids salted the soup. Sister Sophia Mermaid added sea spray, or more salt and water. Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid added moonlight. Sister Bea Wilder Mermaid dropped in a bird song she had heard from Annie, the Woman Who Loves Birds. And Sister Faye Mermaid shook in mystery, an important ingredient for any kind of magic or nourishment.

And still, the guests of honor had not arrived. Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid tasted the soup and shook her head. Something was missing.

Just before the grumbling would have started, the Pepperman and Pepperwoman arrived at the Old Mermaid Sanctuary. The Old Mermaids greeted them warmly. The other neighbors were a bit more restrained. They had visions of fences dancing in their heads. The Pepperman and Pepperwoman went into the kitchen. The Pepperwoman took out a bag and held it out to Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid.

“We come from a place where there is water,” the Pepperwoman said. “And plants grow in this sea. They are deep dark green, and they undulate in the water. Our people dive into the water and cut these plants. We have many stories about them. Some believe they are strands of hair belonging to a great sea goddess. Some believe they are the lovely green locks of the mermaids who live in great cities below. In any case, we always ask permission before we cut their hair.” She opened the bag and brought out pieces of dried seaweed.

“Oh!” Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid cried. “Sea vegetables!”

The other Old Mermaids gathered around to look at the seaweed. They grew quiet. A tear or two from the Old Mermaids may have dropped into the soup then as they remembered the Old Sea. It had been a very long time since they had had vegetables from the Old Sea.

“Go ahead,” Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid said, and the Pepperwoman dropped pieces of the seaweed into the pot. Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid stirred the soup.

“Seaweed, seaweed, fill ours needs. From the sea, from the sea, let it be, let it be, blessed sea.”

Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid tasted the soup. “Yes, that was just what the soup needed. Thank you!”

The Pepperman and Pepperwoman looked at one another and smiled.

While the soup continued to bubble quietly, everyone gathered round and told stories. Sister Bea Wilder Mermaid talked about Annie, the Woman Who Loves Birds. Louie told a story about the time he and the coyotes had a singing contest during one of the full moons. At least he thought it was a contest. Betty said they were just yelling at him to shut-up so they could hear what the moon was saying. Betty told the story of the quilt made from pieces of the desert. Sister Ursula Divine Mermaid talked about the journey she took up the mountain when she got a new name from the Bear and the Sycamore. Sister Lyra Musica Mermaid recalled the time Mr. Hunter almost hit her with an arrow because he kept mistaking Old Mermaids for deer and mountain lions. And speaking of mountain lions, Raul said, remember the old one-eyed lion who wandered the wash for years. He’s retired now, Michael said; he’s got a place down south with Old Woman Who Talked to Cacti. Everyone laughed at that, and more stories poured out about this or that place, this or that hill, this or that bend in the wash, this or that spring, summer, fall, or winter, this or that full or new moon.

Soon they were eating Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid’s storytelling soup. They all agreed it was the best she had ever made, the best they had ever tasted.

“I only stirred the pot; you all brought the ingredients,” Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid told them. “I just remembered something about the place where Old Woman Who Talked to Cacti used to live, the place where the Peppermans now live. The Old Woman talked to the cactus plants, yes, but you know, she talked to just about everything. A lot of us do that here in the New Desert. I talk to my food. I talk to every ingredient. I converse with them. I try to listen to what they say, too. Well, Old Woman Who Talked to Cacti had a soft spot for this hard desert, and she welcomed all the creatures who lived on her land or wandered through it. You wouldn’t believe what she welcomed and who she talked to. She welcomed mice, rattlesnakes, black widow spiders, scorpions, coyotes, mountain lions. She liked the company. She liked any kind of company. She was able to get used to any kind of being, it seemed.” Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid looked around at the gathering. “Don’t you think that’s true?”

The others nodded.

“Oh yeah,” Michael said. “And she never killed anything. I remember sitting in her kitchen and there was a black widow spider up in the window. When I pointed it out to her, she said, ‘Yes, she came by to have tea with you.’ I said, ‘Well I don’t want to have tea with her!’ She said, ‘Keep your voice down. Black widow spiders are notoriously thin-skinned.’ So I whispered, ‘I don’t want to have tea with her!’” He laughed. “I’m whispering so I don’t hurt the spider’s feelings. And I sat there and had tea with the Old Woman—and the black widow spider.”

“Yep, that one-eyed mountain lion lived at her place for the longest time,” Mr. Hunter said, “and she warned me not to harm a hair on its head. I asked if I could harm some hairs somewhere else on his body, but she didn’t like that idea either.”

They all laughed.

“She did have a lot more javelinas at her place than most of us,” Betty said.

Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid nodded. “I asked her about that once as we sat outside sipping some cold drink while we sucked up the musky scent of the javelinas who were digging around in her yard. I told her that the javelinas seemed especially fond of her. She said when she first came to the New Desert the javelinas were the first people to come say hello to her. She didn’t recognize their greeting at first, she said. She was afraid of everything then, including the javelinas who kept digging up the ground, snorting at her, and waking her up at night with their strange sounds, stinking up the place.

"Even so, she started looking forward to their nocturnal visits. She’d sit out on the porch and wait for them. One night she finally said hello and told them they were welcome. One of them said ‘thank you very much but we’ve been here forever and we were saying welcome to you. Humans usually tear up the earth and stink up a place, and we figure you all do that because you don’t really understand what being home means, you don’t really feel welcome wherever you go, so we’re welcoming you, in the hopes that you’ll feel like this is home—and you won’t ruin it for the rest of us.’ She was quite touched by this, so she thanked the javelinas. That was the beginning of her welcoming all kinds of creatures into her home, big and small, stinky and not so stinky.”

“Yes,” Mother Star Stupendous Mermaid said. “I had forgotten that story. Thanks for telling it, Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid.”

The Pepperwoman and Pepperman were silent for the longest time. Then the Pepperwoman said, “Maybe the javelinas have been trying to welcome us to our new home.”

“Maybe so,” Sister Star Stupendous Mermaid said. “Now, tell us stories of your home.”

Everyone sat still, waiting for tales from the place where the Peppermans lived before coming to the New Desert.

The Pepperwoman hesitated and then said, “Well, it’s just up the wash a ways from here. It’s where the Old Woman Who Talked to Cacti used to live with the one-eyed mountain lion and the black widow spider who liked to come to tea. It’s where the javelinas bring their kin to show them the man and the woman who welcome all.”

Everyone gathered cheered and clapped. This was the welcome the Peppermans had always wanted and needed.

They all told more stories and ate more soup. People say the stories went on for hours, days, weeks, months until the longest night of the year ended. In the morning, the Old Mermaids and their neighbors welcomed the sun. The Woman and the Man Who Welcomed All thanked the Old Mermaids and then walked home alongside Louie, the Man Who Collects, and Betty, the Woman Who Weaves.

The Old Mermaids went back into the kitchen and finished off the last of the storytelling soup.

The Woman and the Man Who Welcomed All never built a fence. And every year on the longest night, Sister Ruby Rosarita Mermaid, the Old Mermaids, and all their neighbors made the famous storytelling soup together and told stories to each other until the sun came up.

Blessed sea.

(Merry Solstice and Happy New Year!)