Mermaid in Dumaguete

I’ve always believed in mermaids as a child – I loved the idea of beautiful maidens with long hairs and fish tails (who doesn’t?).

However, at the heels of the recent flood in Dumaguete and nearby towns came the story that had the city – well, the province – buzzing with wonder and delight: a mermaid (or three of them as per some accounts) was caught of the seas of Amlan, Negros Oriental. According to the grapevine (of text messages, etc.), the mermaid/s was caught some days before the floods happened. A foreigner bought the mermaid then donated it to Silliman University Marine Laboratory – in some accounts, he donated the littlest one then brought the other two home.

The mermaid (at the marine lab) died but not before dire warnings were issued by the merpeople left at sea to return the captured mermaid/s. Most of the fishermen that caught the mermaid/s have already died and the only one alive is in a 50-50 condition. The merpeople allegedly vowed to cause destruction if the mermaid/s is not returned to sea. Also, the mermaid at the marine lab was a suckling baby – that is why it died.

When I was asked about the story, I had some doubts – although, honestly, I wished really hard that it was true. After all, I love mermaids and to see a real one in my lifetime would be a dream come true.

However, so many questions came to my mind that it was getting more and more difficult to believe that the story was true.

1. Why did the foreigner buy the mermaid then donate it to the marine lab? If I was the one who bought it, would I donate it? Definitely, not! 😀
2. Why were there no real reports on newspaper about the find? If it were a real mermaid, the TV people would have been informed. After all, this is a really spectacular find!
   

   the mermaid and the fisherman - but definitely not the one from amlan LOL

3. How did the people understand the merpeople’s words when they “talked” about reclaiming their captured member?
4. Why is it that after more than a week into the supposed “event”, no one has ever said that he really saw the mermaid – and it is supposed to be “displayed” over at the marine lab?

The clouds were very ominous this morning – really huge and black ones can be seen over the mountain. A neighbor fearfully remarked that the mermaid should have been returned but since it is too late then we just have to live with constant floods {sigh}. I remarked a bit sarcastically that we are now going to die :D.

So, is the mermaid real? Based on the reasons I had stated above, it probably isn’t. Oh, I still believe in the lore but this is just another urban legend that people conjured to “understand” why the flood was so huge and damaging.
The one who spun this wild tale must be really pleased with himself right now as the story is still the talk of the city one week after the supposed “capture”.

However, I still wish it was a real mermaid.