The Mermaid of Salado

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Native American woman named Sirena. She loved a brave in her tribe very much, but he didn't return her affections. One day, as she sat by the riverside, crying and wishing her love would be requited, a magical catfish swam nearby and heard her. It offered her a deal--it would make the brave love her, but only if she promised to return to the river on every full moon and swim with it. There was one condition, however: if another human ever saw her, she would become a mermaid permanently, forever.

Sirena agreed to the magical catfish's deal, and she soon married the handsome brave. They lived happily together for a while, and she held up her end of the bargain with the catfish. Everything was wonderful until one fateful night. Sirena's husband came to the river, and there, by the bright moonlight, saw his wife swimming. She instantly became a mermaid, forever, and her tears feed the cold spring that feeds the river to this day.

The town of Salado sits near that spring, and they've built a statue to commemorate the legend.

I've visited the statue of that mermaid twice. Once when I was twelve, and while wading in the chilly waters of the spring, I slipped on a rock and fell. I wasn't hurt, but I did get soaked. I found it again on a trip to Salado, when I took the photo above. The statue had been moved down river by flooding, and I couldn't find the spring. The water was still cold and crisp, though.

I've always thought this was a sad story. Sirena only wanted to be with the one she loved, and the deal she made with the catfish wasn't terribly bad. The only reason things went wrong was pure circumstance and chance.

We've all had that happen, where things don't work out because the universe is random. You're late to an interview for your dream job because of a flat tire and you don't get hired. That love letter you wrote is never delivered. You meet your soulmate the day before you move to a city five hundred miles away.

Sirena makes me think of true love and how sometimes it ends badly. Her story makes me appreciate what I have, and that's why I like to visit her when I'm in the area.