Sirene (Wattys 2014 Entrant)
Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Scotland, November 1902

“Callum, I’m home.” Oceana’s voice rang out through the little house as she burst through the back door. She stopped short when she saw Miss Patterson sitting at the table with Callum.

“Ah, Oceana, as ye can see we hae a visitur. Go an' put yer school books in yer room.” Callum gravely stated. Oceana nodded her head and scampered off to do as she was told.

“Ye see, Miss Patterson, th' lassie is perfectly healthy an' happy an' in good hands.”

Miss Patterson shook her head. “I said I’m here to take Oceana back with me to the asylum and that is exactly what I shall do. I didn't make the trip all the way up here to come back empty handed. If we hurry now, we should make it for the evening train.”

“I'm sorry, ma'am.” Callum firmly stated. “Oceana *isnae gonnae anywhere, she is stayin' right here wi' me.”

“Where does Miss Patterson want to take me?” Oceana came out of her room and took a seat at the table.

“I’ve come to take you back, Oceana.” Miss Patterson replied.

“How ever did you replace us, Miss Patterson?”

“It wasn’t easy, but I finally hired a private detective and we started trying to trace Chandler’s tracks. I knew once I found Chandler, I would replace Oceana, and I proved to be right.”

“Oooh, how very smart of you.” Oceana was very impressed. "Did you come here all alone?"

"Certainly not. I brought a servant with me, he's sitting waiting for me outside, didn't you see him in the little wagon?"

"I took a short cut that led through the fields and came in through the back, so no, I didn't see him."

“Oceana, run ootwith an' play while I speak wi' Miss Patterson here.” Callum firmly ordered. Oceana sighed but obeyed. How annoying that she wasn’t allowed to sit and listen to what they were talking about.

“Callum, sir,” Miss Patterson said once Oceana had left. “Whoever you are, you have no idea how to properly raise a child. Remember her when she came to the orphanage. She was nothing short of a calamity. The girl was constantly disobeying the rules and told everyone she had a right to do so. She had no respect at all for her elder, put on public arguments, openly talked back, refused to follow orders and did things her own way. She would make the other girls cover up for her faults and it took a lot of work from Miss Morgan, Miss Grey and dare I even say, myself, to try and bring to a semi normal behavior. I will not stand to have her go back to the way she once was. If Oceana will be so kind as to pack her things, we will leave immediately back to London and the orphan asylum where she belongs.”

“Miss Patterson, I feel I must *inf'rm ye that an orphan asylum is where orphans belong, but Oceana isnae an orphan an' so there nothin' fur her to do there.”

“Is that so? And pray tell, what do you base that on?”

“On th' fact 'at I have officially adopted th' bairn. I have papers provin' she legally belongs to me, we e'en share th' same last name.”

“And what name is that?”

“Whatever th' name is, it’s not one I’m gonnae give ye. No offense, ma’am, but I dinnae troost ye enough to give ye my last name.”

Miss Patterson was so surprised, she didn’t know how to react and for a moment just sat there staring at Callum. Finally she tore her gaze away from him and looked about the very simple surroundings that were Callum’s home. “Callum, sir, surely you understand that this is no place to raise a child.”

“Ye be havin’ something’ against my house?”

“In itself, no, but I am of the fixed opinion that such a lowly abode is not one fit for Oceana, she deserves better.”

Callum rolled his eyes; he hated it when rich people went about putting down the life of a villager. “This lowly abode, as ye have so gracioosly called it, has bin a happier home to Oceana than that asylum ever was. Ah cannae kin why ye would want to tak' her back to a life she so hated.”

“I don’t want to take her back to the asylum. If you really must know, I myself was planning on adopting the child and have come here to do just that.”

“Ah, so this is whit it is all abit. It’s not that ye are so concerned abit Oceana’s wellbein', it is simply ye thooght she would make an amusin' companion to ye an' ye are upsit coz I got her afair ye did.”

“How dare you insult me like that?”

“Wi' all due respect, ma’am, but yoo’ve bin sittin' here an' insultin' me as well.”

Miss Patterson strove to keep her calm; this lowly man was very annoying.

“Alright, listen to me sir, I am a wealthy woman and can give Oceana everything her heart desires…”

“Whit her heart desires is to hae a wee bit of freedom.”Callum interrupted. He too was beginning to lose his patience with this obstinate woman. “Oceana isnae like other children. I dinna ken why she’s so different, she jist is. From th' moment Chandler an' I discovered 'er in that boat, it was plain as day there was somethin' different abit her. Oceana is a mystery, she was a mystery right from th' start, a wee thing, wrapped in nothin' but a blankit lyin’ in a boat that was adrift wi' no papers, no clues, nothin' but a necklace.She’s not built fur city life an' she certainly isn’t built fur a life filled wi' endless rules that society will impose on her. th' lassie wants freedom, th' kind of freedom that I can easily gie her.”

“Give her too much freedom and she comes out quite the catastrophe. Do you want her to become a frilly, headstrong woman with nothing and no one able to stop her? You and that other fellow, Chandler, who I noticed has conveniently disappeared, no doubt he doesn’t want to face me and…”

“Ye will stop right there, ma’am, I’ll not have ye throwin' insults at Chandler, especially when he isnae here to defend himself.”

“Then perhaps you would be kind enough to tell me where I could replace him, because there is plenty I would like to say to him.”

“If ye must ken, Chandler died back in th' end of September.”

“Oh!” Miss Patterson was taken back at the frank statement. “How did he die?”

“Was sick wi' somethin', th' doctur didn’t ken whit. He was released on parole an' spent his last days here wi' Oceana an' myself.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t go running off to do some mischief before he died.”

“I thooght I asked ye not to insult Chandler. I’ve always believe in ne'er 'speaken ill of th' dead, seein' they are not aroond to point their side of th' story.Chandler left th' prison a different man an' that is all I’m gonnae say on th' matter. If ye are really intent on replacein' him, ye can go divin’ intae th' deep waters. We buried th' man at sea, seein' he was a sailur all his life…at leest during the time I *kent him.Chandler took his past wi' him to th' grave an' I suppose we’ll ne'er ken what he was afair he became a smuggler.”

“I am sorry about Chandler, sir.” Miss Patterson felt she had been perhaps a little too hard. “And perhaps it was alright for Oceana to come up here so she could see him before he passed away, but now Chandler is gone and I think it is time for Oceana to go on with her life.”

“An' whit do ye think she is doing here? Oceana isnae sittin' up here locked in her room as some prisoner. Every day she goes to th' village school, where she learns an' mingles wi' children her own age. Twice a week I send her to my closest neighbur, a good widow who teaches her to sew an' knit an' do such things a lassie ought to ken how to do.Why, I e'en send her to th' Sunday school where she can learn more abit God. Th’ rest th' time she plays in th' fields, collects seashells an' jist enjoys her childhood.”

“Callum, I understand you are attached to the child, but I still think it would be best if you allow me to take her, after all, a bachelor like yourself knows nothing about raising children.”

“Ah, ma’am, I would not jump to conclusions. To start wi', that was a hypocritical statement, seein' as ye are not married yerself, an' to finish, who said I was a bachelor?”

“I can see plain as day you are not married.”

“I certainly am not now, but I am not a young man an' who is to say that I hae not bin married in th' past?”

Miss Patterson was very surprised at what Callum had said and paused to think a little. “Where is your wife now then?”

“That is none of yer buisness, Miss Patterson. Who I was an' whit I did is none of yer concern. All ye need to ken is that I am not givin' Oceana to ye an' that is final.”

“Don’t make me take extreme measures, Callum. I’ve come here on my own to see if you would be persuaded to give Oceana up willingly, but if you are going to be stubborn I will take this matter to the police and accuse you of kidnapping.”

“I ne'er kidnapped th' child, ye can ask her yerself. She got away from th' orphanage on her own. We only bumped into each other at th' station; she was not even expectin' me to be there.I can call her right now an' ye can ask her. I may not be a man of many brains like Chandler was, but I do have one pair that works bonnie well. I was determined not to kidnap th' child so charges wooldn’t be brooght up against me.”

“Callum, I don’t want to make life difficult for you, if you will only give me the child, I will even allow you to visit her and she can write you letters. But if you keep this up, I will go to the police and demand they take you into custody. I’ll charge you with being a smuggler if I have too.”

“There is no way you can prove that.”

“Oceana has told us herself that you are a smuggler, it comes right out in the story she tells us about her past and how you and Chandler were smuggling goods when you found her.”

“Aye, an' in th' same story she claims to be half mermaid, how’s 'at fur credibility? Ye really think th' polis are gonnae buy that?”

“I have friends in high places, Callum. Don’t make me come here and take the girl by force, it could put you behind bars.”

“Excuse me, Miss Patterson.” Oceana’s quiet voice sounded out. Callum and Miss Patterson turned in surprise. Neither had heard her come back into the house and both wondered just how much of the conversation she had heard.

“What is it Oceana?” Miss Patterson asked.

“Forgive me for interrupting, but I wish to point something out.”

“Yes?”

“You have come here and argued with Callum, giving him many good reasons as to why you should take me away, but you forgot one very important detail.”

“And what is that?”

“You forgot to ask me if I wanted to go with you.”

Miss Patterson stared at Oceana with wide eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that while I am very grateful that you should want to raise me, I have no desire at all to go back to London and live a life in the city. I love you dearly, Miss Patterson, you are a good woman and have been very kind to me, but city life does not call to me and I know I would be very unhappy there. If you really care for my wellbeing, you would leave me here, where I enjoy life and where I can be with someone whom I love better than a father.”

“But Oceana, surely you cannot be serious, life here is so humble, so poor, so beneath you.”

“I hope you will not think me rude, Miss Patterson, when I point out that the life here is beneath you, but it is not beneath me. I love it here. Sure, it has its downsides, no matter where you live there will always be downsides, but I love the simplicity of the village. I love the school here, I love the teacher, the children are nice, some of them are a little strange, and some can be mean, but you will get that wherever you live. After all, no one is perfect. I of all people should know that. Callum takes me fishing on his boat and there is nothing I love more than being out in the sea with nothing but the sky being the limit. Miss Patterson, I don’t want to go to London, I don’t want to become a part of high society and I don’t want to be your adopted daughter. If you should take me there by force, you would not b able to keep me. You know I will get away, I won’t stay, I can’t stand being in a cage and London is just that.”

“But surely, Oceana, you have some pity for me, I live alone in such a large lonely house, I wanted you to be my companion, we could have such fun together.”

“Oh Miss Patterson, Miss Patterson,” Oceana sadly shook her head. “How can you be so blind? Twice a month you go and sit in a great hall filled with little girls who have no one to look after them, no father or mother to dote upon them and make them feel special. Surely you can choose one of them to be your little companion. There are so many girls who would make a much better daughter than I would, who would love nothing more than to have such a woman as yourself take them into your home and give them everything their heart desires. Why must you keep fighting for me? I have a family and I want to stay here. I never cared for riches, I never cared for money, I don’t want money, money doesn’t buy happiness and it doesn’t buy love. I’m not a thing you can try to purchase with promises of nice things. Miss Patterson, please, stop blinding yourself and take a look at how many people you will hurt if you force me away from here. Stephanie understood it right from the start, and you know why? Because she bothered to take a look into my heart and see what it was I really needed to be happy. I know it may be hard, but please try to understand what Stephanie and Callum and I are trying to tell you.”

***

“Ye do haeamazin' persuasife abilities.” Callum shook his head. “Must be some sort of magic in ye.”

“I don’t know about that,” Oceana laughed. “I do feel sorry for her because she was very fond of me, and I am very fond of her, but I wouldn’t want to live with her in London, I like it here.”

Callum smiled and petted the auburn hair that was blowing in the wind.

“Callum, do you believe in God?” Oceana suddenly turned to him.

Callum scratched the back of his head and looked uncomfortable. “Now that’s a stoaner question, lassie. Th' answer is, in a way, aye I do, but Him an' I haven’t bin on good terms fur a long time.”

“Why not?”

“Ah, lassie, I’m not even sure how to explain it.”

“Does it have something to do with your past and this house and the family that Chandler said you raised but I’m guessing you don’t have anymore.”

“Aye, lassie, aye, it has everythin’ to do with it.”

“Chandler told me I was not to bombard you with questions about your past, so I’m not, but I do wish to know what it was that made you get mad with God.”

“Ah, lassie, I’m not mad at God, it’s jist I haven’t bin a good man fur most ay my life, so I dinnae feel comfortable aroond Him.”

Oceana's frank, questioning gaze made the Scotsman chuckle. “I wish I kent how to explain it, lassie. I was a blessed man but coz of foolish mistakes I made, I lost everythin' I had an' I was angry at myself fur havin' bin such a fool, but there was no gonnae back.”

“So you prefer eating husks with the pigs instead of swallowing your pride?”

“What?”

“You know, in the parable of the prodigal son, the son ran away from home and squandered all his fortune and then he had nothing and was ashamed and a famine came to the land and he was working for this farmer and he was so hungry that he started eating the husks that were meant for the pigs. In the story the younger son finally came to his senses and went back and you know what the father did? He ran over and hugged him and gave him new clothes and made a huge feast and killed the fatted calf. Sadly, this prodigal son has been sitting with the pigs for a long, long time.” Oceana gazed sympathetically at Callum. “I don’t know what happened to you, or what it was you did, but I know that God is always willing to take you back; at least that is the way Dr. Wilkens always presented him. Dr. Wilkens would treat inmates and at Newgate, there were a lot of really bad people, murders even, but Dr. Wilkens would tell them that if they repented and turned to God, God would forgive them. Callum, there is always a way back, you just have to swallow you pride, turn around and you will replace God has been waiting and waiting for you to come back.”

Callum had grown silent while Oceana was talking and when she finished the two of them sat watching the sunset from the seashore, neither saying a word for a long time.

“Ye may have a point there, lassie.” Callum stated at last.

“You should talk to God,” Oceana said with a smile, “He’s always willing to listen. When I want to talk to God, I come out here, somehow the sky and the wind and the waves make me feel just how close he is. But of course, if you want to, you could go to the village church, that seems to be the most popular place for people who want to talk to God. Wherever you feel comfortable Callum, He’s waiting for you to come back.”

Callum smiled and patted her head. “Come along, Oceana, we hae supper to get on th’ table. I’ll think abit all yoo’ve said, I promise.”

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we are very near the end of the story now, but there are still a couple of loose ends, so stick with me and we'll see it through :) I should be posting the final chapter sometime during the weekend :)