As a mental note, when Calypso (the goddess) starts talking, the "d"s are "th"s; there's a lot of emphasis on "u" sounds and all the "t"s. I apologize if the goddess Calypso doesn't sound like the Calypso in the movies, but she's just such a hard character to write!

I also want to thank The Courage Of Our Hearts for your ever present reviews.

Daughter of the Dutchman: Calypso and Calypso

Time seemed to rush by as the day went on. The bells rung faster, it seemed, so that every few minutes another hour had passed.

There it was, the third bell of the afternoon.

Mother asked me to start making dinner. Then she and my father disappeared out the back door.

I scowled at the floor. I had just met him, and already she was taking him away. I shook my head, laughing at myself. He's her husband, after all. They deserve some time together, alone, without me to pester them.

I went to the well outside, intending to get water for stew. It was the only thing I knew how to make that was edible. Anything else ended up burned.

Just as I was about to pour the water from the bucket into the pot, someone tapped my shoulder lightly. I jumped, and let go of the bucket. Down it went, unchecked, back into the well. I spun around, and did not like what I saw.

A woman in a tattered, faded, sleeveless yellow dress smiled slightly. Her hair was in dreadlocks, most secured on her head with bone pins. Her lips and teeth were stained blacker then her skin. Her eyes were rimmed with many layers of black kohl. Tiny black tattoos formed rows on her cheekbones and chin. Around her neck hung several bead necklaces. Her bare arms showed strong and capable muscles that writhed under her dark skin as she hugged herself.

"Who're you?" I asked, forgetting everything that I should have been doing.

She laughed, throwing back her head. "Me?" she asked, with the strangest accent. "You do not know me?" She emphasized many of the consonants, where the vowels should have been stressed. It was very strange,

I shook my head warily, frowning. "Not at all, ma'am."

"I is your … namesake." Her brown eyes were full of mirth.

"Calypso …" I breathed, eyes wide in wonderment. "The sea goddess, the one who sent me the dream I had last night."

"Aye, Calypso. 'Twas me dat sent you dat vision of your moders betrayal. Did you enjoy it?"

I shook my head quickly, and then turned away, grabbing the crank to the well bucket. Calypso laughed, and then settled herself on the edge of the well shaft, fingering one of her necklaces. It was silver in the shape of a heart, with a bearded face and two upraised crab claws engraved on the cover.

"You cannot escape me." Calypso murmured in my ear. I made the mistake of breathing through my nose. Salt water and seaweed. Not very agreeable to my stomach.

"But I can try." I whispered, working on the crank again.

The goddess laughed again. "You don't … understand." She said, suddenly serious. "We are … bound … togeder, like ships are to water."

I frowned, thinking. "Ships are built on land, ma'am."

"Den ye are de ship, an' I de sea. We be inseparable, once you are out of de 'arbor."

It made sense, sort of. But that didn't mean I liked it.

"I have to get this finished, ma'am. If you'll excuse me …" I poured the water into the pot and turned to go inside.

"Calypso," she murmured softly. "I be back soon. You might learn sommat from my visits."

I looked behind me, fully intending to tell her never to come again. But she wasn't there.

A small sea breeze picked up my hair. I could have sworn I heard her laughter in the wind. Then it was gone.