Free Blessed are the Meek by Kristi Belcamino Page A

me this story,” she begins.
    â€œ There was once a prince who set off to find the most beautiful woman in the land to marry. He found her in a palace near the sea. She only showed him her face once, then quickly covered it with her veil. He fell in love and wanted to marry her that instant, but her father, a wealthy merchant, demanded a large dowry, so the prince had to return home to fetch the gold.
    Meanwhile, a gypsy girl who worked for the beautiful young maiden had been hiding nearby. When she saw the prince, she became enchanted and obsessed with him. That afternoon, the maiden went swimming in the sea. When she came to the shore, she asked the gypsy girl to comb her hair. While the gypsy girl was brushing the maiden’s hair, she pricked her with a magical needle and turned the maiden into a whale. The whale rode out on the next wave.
    The gypsy donned the maiden’s veil and pretended to be her when the prince returned. After the wedding ceremony, the prince lifted the veil and discovered he had been tricked. He tried to get the gypsy girl to tell him what happened to his maiden, but she refused. The merchant father threw the gypsy girl in the dungeon, but she refused to speak.
    That night, the prince had a dream. He dreamed that a giant, gray whale was calling to him. He couldn’t shake the feeling, and the next morning he immediately set out to sea in the merchant’s finest ship, outfitted inside as if it were a floating castle, with silver and gold and velvet and furs.
    It took three days, but the prince finally came across a whale. A large gray one. When the ship drew near, the whale surfaced right near the deck where the prince was standing. The giant head came up out of the water, and the whale’s big eye stared at the prince.
    The deckhands shouted that the whale was possessed by the devil and tried to scare it away. But the whale stayed, staring at the prince. Even when deckhands grabbed harpoons and were about to spear the whale, it remained still, so the prince called off the attack. That’s when he knew. It was his maiden.
    From that day forward, for the rest of his life, the prince never again stepped foot on the shore. He stayed on the ship, so he could be near his true love. The whale never left the boat’s side, and the two grew old together.
    â€œThey say the maiden whale still lives today,” Annalisa continues , “and that those who are fortunate enough to see her will be given a special gift. If ever you see a whale, and it looks you in the eye, then you must immediately return to shore and go to sleep so you can dream.”
    â€œOr so you can do something else in that bed! I’ve seen your other sculptures,” blurts out a red-­faced, hairy-­chested man who’s obviously had too much to drink. A blond woman falling out of her swimsuit top giggles. He’s broken the spell that Annalisa’s story has cast, and the party erupts into nervous laughter and titters.
    I’m surprised by how captivating Annalisa’s story was and disappointed this buffoon interrupted her at the end. She’s upset, too, and stomps off. Grant follows her to an area under the palm trees. He is rubbing her arms, talking, and leaning down to look into her face. Her eyes flash with anger.
    Listening to Annalisa’s story, I felt like I got a glimpse into a part of her that ­people rarely see—­the deepest part of her—­a part of her that maybe I could be friends with if she wasn’t Donovan’s ex-­girlfriend.
    Near the corner of the house, Adam Grant holds both of Annalisa’s shoulders as if he’s trying to calm her down.
    Right then, a woman screams and points to the pool. The red-­faced man is floating face down. Within seconds, a blur of color flies by and dives into the pool. It’s Mark, the man with the dark sunglasses. Within seconds, he’s pulled the larger man out of the pool and propped him on his