The Tale of Oliver and the Undine Queen

by: Valentino Incanto Profferi

©Valentino Incanto Profferi 2009

The story told here is utterly fictitious and any resemblance between the characters herein or the events depicted and any true incident depicted by the Fairy tale is completely coincidental and unintentional.

Oliver was a tall and strapping young man with a naturally dark brown skin and pale Coral Sea blue eyes. Being raised in the north, on the edge of Lake Superior, it had been his dream to make a life for himself at sea. As a young boy he practiced and competed in knot tying competitions and studied the astronomical charts along with nautical maps. Oliver would learn that which he believed would be of service to him in his sea faring life whilst paying little attention to the academic matters to which his bureaucratic parents serving local government or his teachers proselytized over.

As the years passed and the boy grew older he learned that sailing was no longer carried on in the old fashion in which he had been preparing himself for. However, recognizing the practical value of the old navigational skills, Oliver simply added the practice of satellite coordinate navigation and trigonometric plotting and charting to his private studies at the library, to improve his continuously growing store of knowledge of astronomy and other archaic navigational skills. At the age of fourteen, Oliver began to volunteer at the yacht club and the county marina to gain some practical experience on and around the water. With his great adeptness, within a year he spent as much or more time at the marina and yacht club as he did at school.

This of course led to yet a greater decline in Oliver’s scholastic performance, which did not disturb Oliver in the least despite the aggravation it caused his parents. Oliver correctly pointed out to them that he was assiduously studying every subject pertinent to his goals, but he was never graded on any of these despite his mastery of them. Furthermore, he added, trying to reassure his parents, he would be a highly desired and skilful recruit for the Navy where he was certain to obtain immediate employment as soon as he had graduated from high school. He had been careful to never lose a year by being held back because of grades. Though not satisfied with this logical proposition, his parents had found it difficult to argue further, despite frequently bringing up the same arguments to receive the very same reply.

On his sixteenth birthday Oliver was formally employed by the harbour master at the yacht club as his personal assistant and the assistant harbour manager. Oliver had not expected this, and expressed concern to the employer stating that he planed to leave for the Navy in only two years. The elderly white haired man to whom Oliver had addressed himself had simply crinkled his eyes in acknowledgement, before stating in a matter of fact way that even for that short time he was worth more than the $9.00/hr he would be paid. In addition to which the old man observed the fact that Oliver had worked at the club for two years for no pay, and given as many hours of service to the club as the he, the manager, had done in overseeing the entire facility.

Oliver’s parents finally relented once they saw the checks arriving bi-monthly. For the parents the fact that Oliver was earning compensated sufficiently for his unenthusiastic performance at school. Finally the reality of cash silenced their concerns about Oliver not being able to make a living as a result of not excelling as a student. After a year with the yacht club, Oliver’s parents were more placated than before, when Oliver was awarded a raise by the board and offered a benefits package which included a free membership for his family and health insurance. Being a thoughtful and careful lad, Oliver did not make great use of his increasing personal funds apart from renting a sail boat one day a week to practice his maritime skills in a skiff or a sloop.

The uniforms he was issued by the club became his daily wear, of which he took great care with pride. Eventually came the season for recruiting. Oliver was visited by the Navy recruiter while at work at the Club. This was only a formality as they both knew Oliver would enlist. The recruiter was humbled and impressed by the boy’s understanding and abilities for which he could not conceal his respect. He was also taken aback by his eagerness to make a life for himself at sea. Oliver even asked if the Navy would provide him the education to reach the level of Admiral, as he very much wished to command an entire ship on its course upon the vast oceans of the world. Having his goals suddenly become tangible through a system that would facilitate them rather than impede him, Oliver eagerly took the large packet of forms and booklets and sent the recruiter on his way, promising to deliver the completed forms the following evening at his office.

The recruiter went away pleased, but doubting that the entire packet would be returned so speedily. Having witnessed the exchange, the old harbour master did not wait for Oliver to come and ask to take leave of his duties for the first time since he began as a volunteer. Oliver had put away his packets and was walking out on the pier at which he had been working, when the conscientious harbour master called him. He told Oliver to return to his office and take a seat at the desk where he could begin on his forms. The old man took the pail with the tools from the boy’s hand and walked out to complete the repairs and painting of the damaged dock.

Oliver had done as he had been instructed, seating himself in the large leather office chair behind the enormous mahogany desk covered with piles of documents, contracts, spreadsheets, and maps. Piling the paper into order by category, Oliver made a clear space for himself to work at. Carefully he shut down the computer and turned off the buzzing, static monitor before pouring himself an enormous vessel of purified drinking water and sitting down to work. The sun set and the harbour master left for home, but Oliver remained shut in the large office reading the documents and filling out the forms. Once he telephoned his father at the office to ask him some question to which he did not know the information. Later that evening he telephoned his parents’ home to ask both his father and mother for yet more information.

It was nearly midnight when Oliver telephoned them once more to leave a message asking that they leave certain forms and documents from his youth on his bed that were kept at the archives his mother kept in the garage. Four hours later, when Oliver returned home walking as the busses were no longer in operation, all the documents he needed were waiting for him along with a mug of chocolate milk, a ham and cheese sandwich, and an apple. Once he had completed his packet with what was required, Oliver ate and washed his dishes before going to bed not long before his father was expected to rise to take his daily exercise.