“Yes,” Lily said. “It catches all my bad dreams.”
“That’s right,” Myla said.
“And the Old Mermaids watch over me all night and day,” Lily said.
“Come on, sweetheart. Why don’t you help me with dinner.”
Lily nodded and slid off Myla’s lap. Soon everyone except Maria had congregated in the kitchen. Ernesto and Stefan peeled and chopped apples, bananas, and pears. Lily ripped up spinach and lettuce leaves. Myla and David cut up vegetables for steaming while the quinoa cooked.
“Did you have mermaids where you come from?” Stefan asked Ernesto.
“I don’t remember mermaids when I was a boy,” Ernesto said. “But when I traveled up the coast looking for work one summer, I heard stories about la sirenas. Especially when I went out fishing. The captain of one boat, The Dolphin, warned me that whe
