An old woman sits on the bank on the River Nile with her grand daughter, enjoying the light summer breeze, the smells of exotic fruits and spices that drift through the air.
“So what did you learn in school today little one?” The grandmother asks.
“In certain European cultures, mermaids were considered real,” the little girl answers as she uses a stick to sketch a crude outline of a mermaid.
The grandmother chuckles and shakes her head.
“It's not just those Europeans.” The grandmother begins with a twinkle in her eyes and smirk on her weathered lips.
“What do you mean?” The little one asks.
“Five thousand years ago, when our people ruled this land and worshiped the mighty god Ra, when Nefertiti sat on the throne, this river teamed with more life than just fish, birds and crocodiles...” The old woman began as she began to adjust her skirts to sit more comfortably. “Mermaids lived in these rivers too.” The old woman murmured excitedly as the little one turned to her and listened attentively.
“It was the Mermaids who told us about the safety of the Valley of the Kings, it was them who herded the fish into our nets, it was them who showed us the magic of the Mallow, the Wheat and the Rice. The riches of the river and how to get them. My grandmother would tell me tales passed down from her grandmother and her grandmother before her of the beautiful men and women with glimmering scales and colorful fins that swam in escort of the fallen Pharaohs in the river to the Valley of the Kings. Without them, there wouldn't have been as great an empire as there was...” The old woman explained.
“What happened to them?” The little one asked.
The old woman's eyes grew distant for a moment. “No one knows, they disappeared when the Romans came. Perhaps they went out into the sea, and the ocean beyond that.” The old woman mused.
“I remember that in return for their help, we gave them gold and linen, things they didn't really need but they liked just as much as we did.” The old woman recalled before getting up and dusting herself off. “Come, time to prepare the evening meal.” She invited as she held her hand out for the little one to hold and follow her.
As they walked away there was movement in the reeds, an Egyptian Mermaid tracing the old precious stones that still studded her bracelet given to her from her grandmother, from her grandmother before her. “We're still here little one,” She whispered before diving deep into the depths.
