Colapesce - Italian

My home has always been the sparkling blue sea around the island of Sicily. My name is Cola, but because I spent more time swimming with the fish than walking on land, everyone called me Colapesce, which means fish-boy. I could hold my breath longer than the seagulls and dive deeper than any fisherman’s net. People still tell my story, the legend of Colapesce. My mother would call for me from the shore, only to see my head pop up from the waves far away. She used to say my skin was growing slick like a dolphin's, and my feet and hands were becoming wide like fins, perfect for gliding through the water. The sea was my playground, and I was becoming one of its own.

The news of an amazing fish-boy traveled all the way to the powerful King Frederick II. He was a very curious man and sailed his grand ship to Messina just to see if the stories about me were true. He called for me from his boat, and I swam right up to greet him. To test my skills, the king first threw a golden cup into the water. I zipped down into the blue, swimming past colorful fish and waving sea plants, and quickly returned with the cup. He was impressed. Then, the king threw his own royal crown into even deeper, darker waters. It was a much bigger challenge. I dove again, disappearing for a long time before finally surfacing with the sparkling crown in my hands.

Amazed, the king had one last, very important question. “Colapesce,” he asked, “what holds up our beautiful island of Sicily?” No one knew the answer. I took a deep breath and dove deeper than I ever had before, down, down, down to the very bottom of the sea where sunlight could not reach. There, I made a startling discovery. The island of Sicily rested on three enormous stone columns. But one of them was cracked and crumbling, weakened by the fire of the great volcano, Mount Etna. I rushed back to the surface to tell the king what I had seen.

The king listened with wide eyes but wanted proof. He asked me to dive one last time. I knew how dangerous it was. I looked at my beloved island and then back at the king. “I will go,” I promised. “But if the column is about to break, I will not return. I will stay below to hold it up myself, to save my home.” I dove back into the deep, dark water and never came back. I kept my promise. I became the pillar that holds Sicily up, protecting it forever. Today, when the sea trembles, people say it’s just me, Colapesce, shifting my shoulders to get a better grip, forever the guardian in the deep.