Glitter from the Old Sea

From The Old Mermaids Book of Days and Nights for today:

Sometimes Grandpa and I would sit in the plaza watching the people go by. He’d nod to this woman or that man and say something like, “I bet she’s from the Old Sea. You can tell by the glitter in her hair.” Or, “He’s definitely from the Old Sea. I hear bells when he walked by. Did you hear them?” —The Blue Tail