Writing pania of the reef

Pania was a sea creature. Her eyes were emarald green she had long black hair and skin as dark as mud. She was very beautiful but she looked like any other public woman. She longed to go on land but yet she was a sea creature.

At sunset she would go to the edge of the reef and then hide Amongst the reeds and lay there till dusk. One day early in the morning Pania was laying behind the reeds and there she saw a young chief with his black hair tied in a bun weaing a flax skirt drinking water from a rock pool. The young chief saw Pania and took her on land

They lay there as husband and wife but she was a creature of sea as she left she kissed her husband on his tattood cheek and left. Soner or later she had a child called Moremore. The chief waunderd away to find out how to keep Pania away from the sea he met a wise man who told him to place cooked meat on them while they were sleeping. He tried this but it did not work Pania felt the urge to go to the sea so she took baby Moremore to the sea. When Moremore was put in the sea he took form of a tanipha and then a shark.

Pania longed for her husband. But he never came today they say she lies on the reef with her arms outstretched for her husband.