Legend has it that the infamous sailor, Captain Francesco Falco, was awe-struck by the enchanting vision of a goddess languishing beneath the sea. Falco had battled a fierce storm near the Strait of Gibraltar when his boat pitched badly and the captain was tossed overboard.
Love beneath the mystic sea—an excerpt from the Sailor from Lampedusa reveals a glimpse inside a magical sea world like no other.
James enjoyed sailing with his grandfather. However, Andrew retired from extended sea voyages. The damp cold and physical strain wreaked havoc on his knees. No matter how busy, or painful his condition, he always had time for his grandson. Whenever James needed sailing advice, Andrew was the go-to person.
—“What else can you tell me about Captain Falco?” James asked.
—“For one thing, he’s about the best damn sailor I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Of course, he has the finest ketch on the planet to help him out. I’d say it’s equal to the Sincerity in your picture here, unless it is the same boat. I haven’t seen or heard much of the captain lately. It’s as though he has vanished into the misty sea.”
—“How can I find him if that’s the case?”
—“You don’t. He finds you.”
“” “How?”
—“You ask around. Find out where you can leave a message for him, assuming he’s out of jail. It’s not a big island.”
—“Wow! And he showed up at our shipyard?”
—“Several times, even legends need their boats fixed now and then. Many stories have been written about the man. You can read them in a book called the Legends of Lampedusa.”
—“Where do I find it?”
—-“Not anywhere around here, unfortunately. The book is in a place called the Museo.”
—“Never heard of it.”
—“That’s because it’s located somewhere on Lampedusa Island.”
—“That’s no help.”
“No, not unless you go there. One story claimed that some years ago Falco battled a fierce storm near the Strait of Gibraltar. You know where that is, right?”
“Yes, of course, that’s where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic.”
“Good—just checking. Anyway, the captain’s boat pitched violently, and he was tossed overboard like a rag doll. That should have been the end of him. The crew lost sight of him.”
“How did he survive?”
“Legend tells how a beautiful mermaid appeared from a mystical place beneath the sea. The captain and the mermaid were thrust together by the power of fate, and they fell in love.”
“I always wondered about mermaids. But there is no scientific evidence that they exist.”
“I think we may be taking things too literally. Now let me tell you something about science. There are many things that science once assumed not to be real. Then, years later it was discovered otherwise.
People never think of science as eating crow. It’s been put on its head countless times throughout history.”
“Your right. I always think of science as infallible.”
Andrew smiled. “You are part of a big club. But we’re getting adrift.”
“I still don’t think she was for real.”
“Decide for yourself. The tricky situation in which Falco found himself posed a dilemma. The captain had to choose between his world and that of the mermaid’s. So, he picked hers.”
“Why would he do that? How could he live in a world so strange?”
“Because he had lost all faith in his, and he was in love.”
“Yes, of course.”
Then, the serendipitous paramours vanished beneath the sea.”
“No human can survive underwater without air supply. That fact is irrefutable.”
“No argument there.”
“So how did the captain do it?”
—“The legend describes how the mermaid led the captain into an ocean cave. They travelled through a long winding tunnel. An amazing white haze of tiny bubbles provided a luminous path. The golden hair mermaid sporadically stopped. Can you guess why?”
—“To see if the captain was still alive?”
—“Close enough. She tenderly kissed the sailor and blew life back into his body.”
—“That would work for me.”
—“I’m sure,” Andrew snickered. “As they swam through the tunnel, it opened to a magnificent garden paradise filled with yellow lilies. The aquatic journey mesmerized the captain as he entered a world of wonder and perfection.”
—“That was one lucky dude.”
—“You would think. As strange as this may sound, Falco discovered over time that he could no longer live in such ideality.”
—“He couldn’t live in paradise?”
“Strange isn’t it?”
“Why not?”
—“You see, son, as a man of high principles, Falco could not escape his demons, not even in this unknown haven. The conflicted captain struggled to erase the world he left behind. His sense of failure was compounded by a feeling of cowardice and betrayal to his mission—to his people. At one point, the frustrated sailor resented his mistress of the sea—the one thing that saved him. The one thing that loved him, and he loved her. Yet, the enraged captain wanted to destroy her paradise.”
—“But why?”
—“Because it did not cure what ailed him.”
—“After all that she did for him?”
—“I know. It doesn’t seem right. One day you shall discover that fate is not the handmaiden of noble purpose.”
—“He didn’t do anything to harm her, did he?”
—“No, he had second thoughts, and not a moment too soon. Falco believed that he was not worthy of her universe. He turned to his mistress and said, ‘My fairest maiden and wonder of wonders, I am not worthy of your love or your paradise, for I have deceived you. I am not a man; nor am I even a fish. For such an animal, like all the animals, is true to its kind, while I am not.’”
—“If that’s how the captain felt, what could she do?”
—“Falco asked his mistress to escort him back to the world he left behind, despite her pleas for him to stay.”
—“That is sad.”
—“It did not end there, however. After months of loneliness, the forlorn mermaid could no longer live without her inamorato. Her love was so strong that she swam to the shores of Lampedusa where she grew long, curvy legs. Every day she would wait for her one true love, throwing lilies into the sea. The statuette figure stood naked like a sculptured goddess on a large rock set on the edge of the shore. She was ready for him . . . waiting . . . shrouded in all her glory.”
—“Wow!”
—“Well . . . enough of that. As you said; it’s only a legend.”
—“Wait-a-minute, Grandpa. What happened to Captain Falco after that—and the mermaid!”
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Michael Bellusci 