by Christina Sciarretta
According to Jersey Shore folklore, magical mermaid treasures are hidden in the sands of the South Jersey Shore beaches, meant to be found by young girls with true mermaid hearts. Local surfers report having seen glimpses of the shimmering mermaid tail, playing with the dolphins along the coast on every South Jersey Beach. This is the story of that mermaid.
A long long time ago, a beautiful shimmering mermaid, named Waverly lived at the depths of the sea off of the Atlantic City Coast. Waverly would swim up and down the coast of the South Jersey Shore, from Brigantine to Cape May, collecting magical sea glass and unique shells and stones from the bottom of the ocean floor, dreaming of one day getting to speak to a human girl. She was fascinated with humans- how they moved about on the beaches on their legs, dancing and jumping and running.
One day, as Waverly was collecting her treasures in the sea, she came upon a young surfer girl weeping on the jetty. Waverly knew that she was not allowed to speak to humans, but she had dreamt of this moment for so oh, long. She tried to keep swimming, but something in her heart was pulling her back. She swam in circles trying to talk herself out of speaking to the little girl, but her heart was so broken for her.
At last, she decided to follow her heart. “Maybe this is my chance to finally meet a human girl!” she thought. She clutched her satchel of treasures and swam up to the jetty.
The surfer girl, who’s name was Annabella, was startled when she saw Waverly, but Waverly quickly reached her hand out to Annabella to show her that she meant her no harm. Annabella crept closer to the edge of the jetty and sat down slowly, mesmerized by the magical beauty of the shimmering mermaid.
“Little surfer girl, I could not help but overhear your weeping. Tell me why you are so sad.” Waverly asked, propping her arms up onto the jetty.
“I am having a terrible day. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. I haven’t been able to catch a wave, even though I have worked so hard, because I am too scared. The other surfers made fun of me. I feel worthless. I am discouraged, and my heart is so heavy.” Annabella replied, as she dropped her chin once again and began to weep.
Waverly’s heart felt heavy for the girl. She reached into her satchel and pulled out two pieces of treasure from her collection. She closed her eyes, sprinkled some sand, and kissed the treasures. “Open your hand” she said to Annabella, drawing nearer to her.
Annabella opened her hand and Waverly began to place each treasure in her palm, one at a time. “Annabella, I have collected these magical treasures from the depths of the sea. They are full of power, so you must keep them safe, and they only work on those with a true Mermaid Heart. Can you promise me that if I give these treasures to you, that you will keep them safe?” Waverly asked.
Annabella lifted her eyes and gazed at the magical treasures in amazement. She nodded sheepishly. Waverly placed a piece of smooth sea glass into Annabella’s palm.
“This one,” Waverly said with a smile, “will give you courage. A true mermaid is always courageous. Nothing can scare you if you have this magical piece of treasure. I bet this will give you the courage you need to catch that wave.”
She placed a smooth stone in her palm next. “This stone will give you the power to achieve your wildest dreams. I know this is true, because for my whole life,
I’ve dreamt of talking to a human girl. Every time I’d find a magical sea stone like this, I’d pray that I would get the chance to talk to a human girl one day. With this magic stone, my dream has finally come true. I get to talk with you! And now, I am giving it to you. With this magic stone, you will ride the largest, scariest waves in the world and you will show those surfers that you have true mermaid power.”
Annabella wiped her tears. Her lips began to form a smile. Waverly began searching in her satchel. “Ah ha!” She exclaimed, “ I have found the most magical treasure of all, and I am giving this to you as well.”
She drew a magnificent shell from her satchel, sprinkled a bit of glittering sand, and kissed the little shell. “This treasure”, she said, “will give you a kind heart. This is the most important treasure of all, Annabella. A kind heart is very difficult to have sometimes, especially when others aren’t kind to you, but for those who have a kind heart, come incredible blessings. These are the three treasures that every mermaid must have: courage to face any fear that comes your way, the ability and willingness to chase and live out your dreams, and a super kind heart that always turns around and swims back to love the broken-hearted.”
Annabella looked down at the three treasures in her hand and then looked back at Waverly with tears welling up in her eyes again, except this time, they were tears of joy.
“Thank you Waverly. I don’t know what I did to deserve these beautiful treasures, but I promise you I will keep them forever. With these treasures, I am getting back into the water and I will take that wave. You have brought overwhelming joy to my broken heart.”
Waverly watched, delighted, as Annabella surfed waves, big and small for the rest of the afternoon, with not one ounce of fear. When evening came, Waverly swam off with a full heart, to collect more treasures. As Waverly swam back home, she noticed that her satchel was heavy. She had collected so many treasures that her satchel was completely full.
“Why should I keep all of these treasures to myself?” she thought, “There is a whole coast of little girls who need these precious treasures and the good that they bring both now and in the future. I know just what I’ll do.”
Jersey Shore Natives say that every Winter, Waverly hides her treasures all over the beaches of the South Jersey Shore, in hopes that little girls with true mermaid hearts will find them, along with kindness, courage, and the drive to chase their dreams. You too, may be lucky enough to find the magical pieces of Waverly’s treasure, if you search the coast of the South Jersey Shore.
Not all seashells, seaglass, and stones are magical treasures from Waverly. If you find one of Waverly’s secret treasures, you will know in your heart- your heart will begin to do mermaid flips! Should that happen, pick up the magic treasure and keep it somewhere super safe.
If it is a sea glass treasure, it will give you courage. If it is a sea stone treasure, it will enable you to chase and live out your wildest dreams, and if it is a magical seashell, it will instill in you a kind heart.
Should you be lucky enough to find all three, remember to keep them safe and close to your heart, so you too, can be a Jersey Shore Mermaid.
Find your magical mermaid treasures hidden in the sands of the beaches at the Jersey Shore this Summer and join the Facebook Group: The Legend of the South Jersey Shore Mermaid to share photos of your found treasures and hear reports of mermaid sightings!
FROM THE AUTHOR
This story is dedicated to my beloved, courageous, kind daughter & nieces:
Avery, Aaliyah, Alayna, Ava, & Cecelia & to all of the young girls at the Jersey Shore.
May you always remain hungry, humble and smart and may your spirit always remain salty.
You are loved beyond measure.
Christina Sciarretta is the visionary and driver of excellence at Rockstar Real Estate & Media Group at Keller Williams Jersey Shore. Born and raised both Atlantic and Cape May Counties, she brings her love for the real estate industry, personal growth, and the local Jersey Shore community to Rockstar in disruptive & impactful ways, including her local Mom’s Group, Rockstar Moms and Atlantic County and her column right here in Shore Local.
