PARTY!

Birthday!

13!!!!! Do you guys know what this means?? PG13 movies, wii games for ages 13 and up, and finally, being a thirteen. I have been 13 for 6 days now but it doesn't feel any different from when I was 12. Birthdays are strange that way I guess. I had a lovely birthday filled with family, fun, and pasties. (Well, except for the fact that I was injured on the job by a wretched potato peeler but, that's ok. I got saved from grueling hours of transferring piles of turnips, potatos, and raw meat back and forth.) I got fantastic presents. Some of which included necklaces, a Keith Urban poster, Rebecca*, a stuffed owl, library books from Hogwarts,and a sweatshirt from Vail that I desperately wanted.
*Just to let you know, I did not get an actual person named Rebecca. It's an extremely good book. *
So thank you everyone, for the very happy thirteenth birthday that I had. Now, I have to prepare for my birthday party with friends. More on that later.

Damsel

. I opened the door of the wardrobe and you sighed. “Why do they want to meet me?” I mentally kicked myself for sounding so afraid. “I’m not going to lie to you. They’re going to decide whether you will be a good asset to Celestinia or if you’re even pretty enough to stay. If not, well, things may not turn out well. I suggest reading as much as that… book as you can. Later, I’ll climb up into your cave and give you a few more facts and traditions and the like that are on a need to know basis.” You explained. I nodded and climbed up into my semi cave which was glowing in the light of the afternoon sun. I opened up the book and started reading.
You came in about two hours later. You immediately started spouting out things that I needed to do. “Dragons are vain, Liliana. Especially the Empress. Flattery will earn you points believe me. That is, if you flatter her the right way. Once you arrive before her, bow low and mutter something about her beauty and make sure you use fancy titles. Your Highness will probably do. She and the Elders will question you about your past life and will then decide if you will be useful or if you are pretty enough. The Empress greatly appreciates beautiful things. If she decides in your favor you will tell her that you are grateful. I have a feeling that she will like you. I want you to know that we’ll have to go into Celestinia tomorrow to prepare.” You took a breath and looked at me, wanting to make sure I understood. I dipped my head in a sort of nod and you leaned back against the wall, relieved. I realized you were growing on me. But for some reason, that didn’t surprise me. I sighed quietly and went to pick out one of the most lavish dresses I could find. I rummaged through the wardrobes until finally, I found it. The dress was a purple blue color with flowing sleeves, a white under dress, and a slender belt of gold. The cut was simple but the dress as a whole was far from it. I smiled to myself and I remembered that I had never opened the jewelry box. I climbed up to my cave as quickly as I could and gently opened the box. Inside, there were diamond bracelets, strands of pearls, rings of rubies and emeralds, shimmering silver and gold brooches, and more. But what caught my eye was a delicate amethyst necklace and what looked like my old tiara with diamonds, purple sapphires, and blue topaz that I had lost a little before you had stolen me away. I held it so you could see it and you murmured, “I bought it at a pawn shop about three weeks ago.” I shook my head in disbelief. Probably some servant had found it and sold it. I set these aside and also took the necklace of moonstone from the hollow front cover of the book and put it beside them. I was ready for Celestinia.

There's a lot more but right now I'm trying to figure out where it will go and how it will end. I'll try to post more soon but beware! It does get a little sappy.... :/

Dental Blues

Yesterday I got my last two baby teeth yanked out of my face. It wasn't the best experience ever, but now I can get braces. Joy to the world. :/ I now have to rinse my gross gum holes with salt water 3-4 times a day and stay on a soft food/liquid diet for who knows how long. Anyway, back to getting them yanked. On the right side, I totally couldn't feel it but on the left side..... I got renumbed three times. I also got numbed another time on both sides. He made me hold my breath and count to ten. It must've been a distraction technique but honestly, it didn't work. I could feel all ten seconds of the horrible needle sticking into my gums.I couldn't really move the left side of my mouth until about four pm so it was embarrassing to talk too. After both teeth were finally out, I had to bite some gauze to staunch the blood flow or something. As most of you may know, I have a bad gag reflex from years of strep cultures so for a while, I was trying not to choke on that stupid gauze. Luckily, when I got home I watched one of my fave movies ever, The Phantom of the Opera (I'm also going to go see the play tonight at the Boulder Dinner Theater tonight. Obsessive right? ;)) and had some soup. All's well that end's well I suppose.

I Can't Bear It from Our Town

I've been looking up monologues to read at my drama audition....Whenever that is. I found this one and thought it really showed how sometimes, people take the world for advantage.
Character name: Emily Webb
Gender: Female
Age Range: 16 — 25
Show: Our Town
Duration: 0 — 1 minutes
Monologue Type: dramatic,contemporary
Notes: Emily has just died in childbirth and has been given the chance to go back home to a time she wishes to see. Looking at her mother and father whom she will never see again, she realizes that it was a mistake have gone back.


(softly, more in wonder than in grief)
I can't bear it. They're so young and beautiful. Why did they ever have to get old? Mama, I'm here. I'm grown up. I love you all, everything. - I cant look at everything hard enough. (pause, talking to her mother who does not hear her. She speaks with mounting urgency) Oh, Mama, just look at me one minute as though you really saw me. Mama, fourteen years have gone by. I'm dead. You're a grandmother, Mama. I married George Gibbs, Mama. Wally's dead, too. Mama, his appendix burst on a camping trip to North Conway. We felt just terrible about it - don't you remember? But, just for a moment now we're all together. Mama, just for a moment we're happy. Let's look at one another. (pause, looking desperate because she has received no answer. She speaks in a loud voice, forcing herself to not look at her mother) I can't. I can't go on. It goes so fast. We don't have time to look at one another. (she breaks down sobbing, she looks around) I didn't realize. All that was going on in life and we never noticed. Take me back - up the hill - to my grave. But first: Wait! One more look. Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover's Corners? Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking? and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths? and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you. (she asks abruptly through her tears) Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? - every, every minute? (she sighs) I'm ready to go back. I should have listened to you. That's all human beings are! Just blind people.




Read more: http://www.stageagent.com/Shows/MonologuesView/986#ixzz1gFXu0cPW

I wrote a Pantoum

Today in class, I decided to write a poem to go with Damsel. The genre is a Pantoum. Don't worry I didn't know what it was before today either ;) Pantoums go:
Line One
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4

Line 5 (same as second line)
Line 6
Line 7 (same as fourth line)
Line 8
And so on. I have no idea what to call this but as you might've noticed, I hardly ever do.

Fly higher
Scales shimmer
Who can stop it,
The way our hearts soar up there

Scales shimmer
Beautiful
The way our hearts soar up there
Unbelievable

Beautiful
It is exhilerating
Unbleievable
As we fly.

Here's another one I wrote.

Spring Breeze

The wind blows
So sweetly
And gently
Through the trees

So sweetly
It whispers
Through the trees,
The frail green leaves

It whispers
Lovingly
The frail green leaves
The spring breeze

Lovingly
Ever so sweetly
The spring breeze
Sighs.

Azulon
It had tasted so good. Like nothing I had ever had before. The sauce was a little gritty but I hadn’t minded. But then, I had felt my body turn into lead and I remember asking her what she had done to me. I remember the look of regret and shame that crossed her face. Then, I dreamed.

When I woke up, my head pounded and my back ached. I had been poisoned. How did she know how to make a sleeping potion? I was about to ask her but I realized she was gone. A note sat by my head. I painstakingly sat up and read the note. What kind of decision had she made?? I couldn’t see why she had chosen the worst choice there was. She had said herself she had hated her life back in the kingdom. My hands shook and my chest hurt at the thought that maybe she had hated me too. But, I couldn’t let her get away. It wasn’t about the Elders anymore. I knew that she would regret her choice for the rest of her life if she made it back. I groaned as I stood up. Then, I slowly changed into a dragon and leapt out into the night sky. The moon was bright and gave me some extra light even though I didn’t need it. As a dragon, I could see clearly to the ground from over 14,000 feet. I flew into the desert and scanned the ground. I saw a flash of yellow and spun around. Of course, Liliana was wearing the magic cloak. I landed by the yellow and saw that it was her hair. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. Her face didn’t look quite so protected and it didn’t have that sad look about it. I gently scooped her and her small bundle up and took off into the air. She slept on all through the ride.

It was hard for me to imagine why she had wanted to go back to the kingdom. With her brother distant and cold, a busy mother, a father who didn’t want much to do with her, her betrothed her couldn’t care less for her. What kind of life was that? I supposed that it was a life much like mine. I was born into a high ranking family. My mother was the Empress’ lady-in-waiting and my father was one of the Elders. When I was born, they expected me to rule Celestinia one day. They had high hopes for me. That is, until they found out I could shift. I could still remember that day like it had happened only last week. I had just started the training that every dragon goes through to help determine what they would become, like a warrior, or a scribe. I remember I was practicing my tail blows. All of the sudden, I had felt immense pain and I stood in human form. I had immediately been taken to the Elders and my mother. I remember how scared my mother looked and how tired and sad my father was. They had exiled me to live alone in a cave and to only come to Celestinia for celebrations or dire emergencies. I shivered at the memory.

Liliana
I woke up stiff and cold. I looked around and realized that I was back in the cave. I expected to feel angry but only felt relieved. You sat with your feet dangling off the edge of the cave mouth. Your raven black hair shone with a blue-ish sheen in the rising sun’s light. I stood up and sat next to you. You were quiet and you gently swung your legs. I got dizzy looking down. You seemed to realize I was there and you turned your piercing blue eyes to me. You looked betrayed and you had no idea how sick that had made me feel. You stared at me as if trying to make me feel even worse than I already did. “I’m sorry.” I whispered. You grunted and shifted away. I sighed and the burn of regret seared deeper into my stomach. I tentatively reached out and tapped your shoulder. You turned around ever so slowly and your eyes were a strange silver color. I repeated, “I’m sorry.” You took a shaky breath and stood up. Then, you offered your hand to me and I took it with gratitude. I knew that you had forgiven me—somewhat. I didn’t know why I was so sorry for drugging you when you had stolen me away. But, I wasn’t missing the kingdom life. Maybe that was why. You led me over to a small cavern entrance that I hadn’t noticed before and you crawled in. I knew I was meant to follow you, but I felt a pang of fear. What would you do to me once I was inside? A horrible vision of my bones lying abandoned in this small inner cave with you washing blood of your hands crossed my mind. You could do it. But, somehow I knew you wouldn’t. I crawled into the cave and I could see your eyes glowing. I knelt down and gazed at you. It was quiet except for the quiet sound of the wind whistling outside. Then, you whispered, “I’m sorry your life here wasn’t good enough for you. I’m sorry if this offends you but I really didn’t see what the choice was. You said yourself that you hated your life in the kingdom. So, why did you leave? Look, Liliana, I want to let you go believe me. But if I did……Look never mind that. What was there for you in the kingdom that made you want to go back so badly?” Your eyes looked sad and cold as if they were waiting for my answer to warm them up. You were right. You probably already knew what my answer would be though. “I don’t know why I’m never good enough for anyone.” You whispered voice thick with emotion. “No,” I whispered back. I hesitated before using your name. “Azulon, no. I never ever meant that. I wanted to go back to the kingdom maybe for a sense of normalcy or to see my mother again. Maybe to try to get my brother back. I’m not sure. But please, I made a bad choice and I’m sorry.” My voice cracked a little at the end and your eyes softened. “How did you know how to make that potion or whatever that was anyway?” You sounded a bit impressed. I smirked and whispered into your ear, “That’s my little secret.” You made a sound of annoyance and got up. “By the way, you’ve been here a week.” You probably remembered that from my note. I nodded and all of a sudden, there came a sound like no other I had ever heard. It was a swishing noise that made my ears buzz combined with an unearthly screech. Your eyes widened and you yelled, “Go!! Get into your cavern and only come out if I tell you to!” You looked genuinely afraid so I jumped up and ran. I had only made it to the last wardrobe when something landed in the cave and made it quiver. I opened the door to the wardrobe and scrambled in. I left the wooden door open a little bit so I could at least hear what was going on. I heard something take a deep breath and chuckle throatily. “So, you actually did obey the Elders’ orders.”
“Hello to you too, Darius.” I heard you say wryly. I peeked out and saw a sickly green dragon standing in the mouth of the cave. It- Darius was still sniffing the air with a terrible dragon smile plastered on his face. I shivered as the dragon spoke again. “The Elders and the Empress (May she rule the skies forever) would like to meet your maiden. They will be expecting you in two days time in the Empress’ cave. You are to be there at dusk. Have an excellent rest of the day and…. Good luck.” He laughed again and I heard him take off.

Youth Group

Today I went to a youth group at church. I don't think I will be going back. Here's a few reasons why:
1. We had to sing a weird song about a deadly mushroom and other songs which involved complicated clapping sequences which I can never hope to master without a LOT of practice.
2. We played a weird tag game where the kids were flies and the deacon and priest were spiders and they chased us around the gym. (It was a little scary.:/ )
3. We had to help set up chairs in the cafeteria. That may not sound all that bad except for the chairs were sticky and hard to open. On top of that, we also had to wipe down the tables. Let me just say yuck.

Believe me, I'm not trying to sound like a negative Nelly here, but does all of that sound normal to you?

Damsel

Azulon
The cobblestones made my feet ache even through my sturdy boots. The market was quiet and few people were there. I made my way to a meat stand and selected a bag of sweet meats, a few quail breasts, a few hard boiled eggs, and some lamb chops. As I paid for the merchandise, the man selling the goods leaned forward and whispered, “Have you heard? It has been said that Princess Liliana (may the Lord bless her) was stolen by a dragon!! Can you imagine?” I shook my head grimly and he continued, “Some say that Sir Kenneth, her betrothed, only pretends to love her for the crown. Can you imagine!! Her poor mother is literally worried sick. Queen Therese always did have a special bond with the princess though.” I couldn’t hear anymore. This news made my stomach feel queasy. I snatched my meat and stomped away. As I left I heard the butcher mutter, “A stranger not looking for gossip. Humph. Can you imagine?” I approached a small hut which I knew sold quality fruits and vegetables. The old woman greeted me and waved a hand over the fruits. The red raspberries and moist blueberries gave color to her brown hut and the gray mist. I gestured at the blueberries and she grabbed some for me and put them in a glass jar. She also took out a bottle of watered down wine and I dropped a few coins in her outstretched hand. I left her small hut and couldn’t resist stopping at a small building which sold books, parchment, old scrolls and writing utensils. The air inside was warm and smelled of ink and the musty smell of old paper. The man greeted me with a small nod and I paroozed the shelves. I picked out a stack of parchment paper embellished with purple accents, a plainer stack, a few quills and bottles of ink, and a scroll about the royal family. These were much more expensive than the food but I had a cave full of gems that I could sell if I ever ran out of money.
The castle looked grim and ominous in the distance as I flew away, my “groceries” in my talons. The sky was a strange blue-green color and it made me uneasy. My wings beat at the air faster and I felt a strange sense of foreboding. I thought of Liliana, cowering, powerless, in front of the Elders, her blue flecked violet eyes wide with disbelief and fear. I roared and I thought I could hear distant shouts from the far off kingdom. I paid them no mind. I had to get back to Liliana. I had been gone for three days hiding out in the kingdom taking note of the situations there. Something about the way her name sounded in my mind made my heart beat faster and my talons clench. I brushed that thought away and landed in my cave in no time.
Everything was as it should’ve been. No scorch marks on the wall or bones littering the ground, just the whisper of pages being turned. I changed into a human barely noticing the burning sensations that ripped through my body for once. “I’m back!” I called out. I heard a soft thud and then I heard her hands scraping the rough rock coming down. She manifested from behind the waterfall and walked over to take a look at my bounty. I set the merchandise down though I kept the scroll about the royals in my pocket. She made sounds of appreciation at the blueberries and then announced, “I would like to try my hand at cooking.” I studied her carefully but her face was dead serious. “I don’t have any cauldrons or pans or anything that might be very useful for cooking, you must realize. Besides, what do you know about cooking?” she looked mildly insulted and shrugged. I didn’t object though. I wanted to see what this princess could come up with. I chuckled quietly and then started to build her a fire.

Liliana
I don’t think you suspected anything. You certainly didn’t look like it. You probably hadn’t even known that I had found a recipe for a sleeping drug in the dragon book. This would be my chance to escape from you. My stomach churned and I felt even worse, knowing how kind you had been to me. Well, as kind as a kidnapper could be I suppose. I set to roasting two quail breasts over the fire and making a sauce of blueberries and the wine you had gotten. I also added some honey, a few drops of swamp water I had found secretly placed in the hollow front cover of the book, some tree bark that I had found stuck to one of the old dresses, and a bit of finely crushed ore. It was an unlikely sleeping powder, but the book said it would work. As soon as the quail looked cooked, I put it on some fine silver plates and embellished yours with the poisoned sauce. I had made a small bowl of sauce with no powder in it and this I poured on my own quail. I handed you your dish and you dug in. You sighed with content when you were done and I still picked at my food. “Liliana? What did you…?” He trailed off and his eyes closed. He leaned back and hit the floor of the cave with a resounding smack which I knew would hurt tremendously when he woke up. I hurriedly ate the rest of my meal and searched for shoes. I found some light slippers and warm, leather riding boots. I put on the boots and also tied a sturdy looking apron around my waist and put my leather gloves in the pocket. You slept through this all. Then, I filled the perfume bottle with water again and put salt on the sweet meats. Hopefully, it would keep them from spoiling too quickly. I wrapped these in a lacy handkerchief. I grabbed the dragon book and put my beautiful white cloak on. Then, I made a bundle from my green cloak and I walked towards the mouth of the cave. Before I left though, I grabbed a few pieces of stationary, an ink bottle, and a quill. On one of these I wrote a quick note which read:
Dear Azulon,
I’m so sorry it had to be like this. I think that under better circumstances, you and I might’ve been good friends. But, that can not be the case. You have stolen me away from my home and everything I’ve known. I don’t think I can live with you for the rest of my life. I feel terrible about this. You have taken care of me and fed me and protected me for however long I was with you for. I will be grateful to you for that much. Please do not be too angry with me. I know that is an idiotic thing to say but I truly do think I will come to miss you. This is a difficult choice I have made. It was either going back to what I knew and hated, or living in a cave for the rest of my life. I will tell of your kindness all throughout the kingdom. Fare thee well.
-Liliana
I left the note by your head and then smoothed your floppy hair from your face. For a moment, I almost turned around and unpacked my things. But, I knew that I had to try to escape one more time. I turned back to the mouth of the cave and made the long, strenuous way down to the foothills. They were a little bit warmer than they had been four days ago. Still, I shivered and put my gloves on my bloodied hands. I walked with more determination although I didn’t feel what the speed of my walk portrayed. After what seemed like only a few minutes, I stood in the desert. The orange sand blew around in stinging clouds and it was deathly quiet. I walked forward, the sand whipping my cheeks. I narrowed my eyes against the high sun and I quickly changed into my thin slippers. Again, although the desert was huge, it felt like I had only spent maybe fifteen minutes in it before I arrived at a desolate black land. It seemed that I had skirted the swamps completely. There were a few charred, bone white trees and I could hear eerie howls coming from the depths of the Dead Land. Did I really want to risk wandering through the Dead Land as it was getting dark? I decided I didn’t and gave myself some distance between where I would sleep and that cursed land. Then, I popped two sweet meats into my mouth and took a sip of water. Then, I lay down on the sand and watched as the desert turned indigo at twilight. Then, I closed my eyes.

Samhain

Those Irish never cease to amaze me with their rich folklore and legends. Samhain (possible pronunciation: sow en) was Ireland's Halloween where the fairy mounds open up and the people perform many strange and superstitious traditions like putting a perfect ivy leaf in a cup. If the leaf hadn't spotted or dried up overnight, the person could expect twelve months of good health until next Samhain.... But anyway, I tried to write a Samhain poem from a fairy's point of view. Tell me how you like it!

We sprint over the tops of long meadow grasses.
We leave a trail of dew drops and summer behind.
The moon paints the land with orange light
and pipe music fills the air--
though its not ours.
Not yet.
Ivy leaves sit in cups
and apple peels litter the ground-- foolishness.
We stalk through the barns, but
there's nothing there for us.
No, nothing there for us.
It is time, time for us to
steal the poor frightened humans away-
And we do.

Magic swirling, the glade is ours.
Banshees' wails add to the trill of our
faerie pipes and flutes
and the tambourines and timpany drums ring out into
the night.
The taste of honey on our lips,
feet pounding the earth,
a honeysuckle and lavendar fragrance
pollutes the air.
Shouts of joy and icy laughter,
we are happy,
these human souls are ours now, trapped forever
in the world of the Sidhe,
Samhain has gone well
and we melt into the shadows until
the next time Lord Samhain's song of the dead
fills the air
and the End of Summer courses through our veins.
Until next Samhain.

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things...

I love that after a stinky morning of doing math and finishing a review worksheet for science I can go to orchestra. My case may be broken, (another story I may write about later) but none of it matters when my orchestra and I begin to trill out a tune. Another one of my favorite things, writing club. It may sound like the nerdiest club that you have ever heard of, but its great fun to me. Even though my mother may have forgotten me and I had to get a ride from a friend, all I could think about was the poem I started. Another? Rollerblading. After a stressful day at school, rollerblading totally helps relieve the leftover stressy feelings. I was rollerblading today after getting forgotten (It's ok you were stressed Mama)and I went rollerblading. It wasn't far. Just around the block. But the way the sun was hitting the field and that big brown barn on the hill when I passed it made my little excursion worth my while. I love to decorate a custom made waffle even though I usually don't eat a whole one. I enjoy looking out the window to see the sillhouettes of our big poplars against the periwinkle sky. I love the feel of fall that can't be avoided now that we are in the midst of October. These are just a few of my favorite things.

Damsel

Suddenly, the sun was blotted out and everything around me was dark. I looked up and you glowered down at me. I scrambled up and started to run. You followed me at an easy pace. But then, my feet pedaled uselessly at the air and I was being held in your claws. I screamed out of frustration and below, about three hundred feet from where you’d scooped me up, were Sir Kenneth, a few guards and my father. They looked up and took off running. “Help me!!!” I cried. But, no one looked back. I hung limply in your talons and crumpled onto the cave floor when you set me down. I heard a sound like a sword being unsheathed and you stood behind me in your human form. You looked furious. I lowered my head and waiting to feel claws or teeth ripping into my back. The pain never came. Curious, I raised my head and saw you sitting next to me looking defeated. I turned to face you and you looked up. Your voice was hoarse and you mumbled, “I hate this. I’m a coward. I feel like I can’t make any choices of my own. If it were up to me I would let you go. I’m so sorry.” I admired you for telling me this. I felt the same way as you. You studied me and then gently took my cloak bundle from my white knuckled hand. I shivered and realized my feet had lost all feeling and they had blisters on them. Could you read minds? I could only wonder as you tried to massage feeling back into my feet. Finally, I could wiggle my toes but I was extremely hungry. You got up and retrieved a glass bowl of raspberries, a plate of sweet meats, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of milk. You set them before me and the smell was intoxicating. You took a sweet meat and popped it into your mouth. I did the same. It reminded me of home.

Azulon
Liliana didn’t talk as she ate. She looked blissful as she finished off the meager meal I could provide. But, I couldn’t go into the kingdom and get human food as much as I would’ve liked because the dragons would be furious at me and the humans would start to get curious. I wished I wasn’t stuck between two worlds. Only a few other dragons could turn into humans and even fewer could at will. Liliana gazed up at me coolly. “You didn’t need to save me you know. My father and Sir Kenneth were about to find me.” I shook my head at her. I had seen the look of loathing on this Sir Kenneth’s face when she had called for help. “No they weren’t. Even if they did, you probably would’ve gotten a fever from all the open blisters on your feet. They can do that you know.” Her face turned pale but she didn’t look away. “Sir Kenneth loves me. He will come back and find me. My father will not rest until I am found either.” Her voice shook a bit as she spoke. “They won’t come back.” I whispered. Tears welled in her eyes and she got up. She glared at me and then she stormed off to her cave. My chest ached and I wished I hadn’t told her what I knew. I wanted things to be right between us so I strode over to the waterfall and climbed up into her cave. She sat in the middle looking frail and tired. I sat in the shadows. I could tell that she knew I was there but she didn’t move. She just stared up at the sky. We stayed that way for a while until she said, “You’re right. I know he doesn’t love me.” Her voice cracked at the end and tears ran down her cheeks. I got up and wrapped my arms around her. She cried even harder and I stroked her hair. Eventually, Liliana relaxed and her sobs turned into shaky sighs. I held her at arm’s length and she wiped her tears away and then I let her go. She sank to her knees and grabbed a book. She held it out to me and asked, “Is this book correct? Is it real information?” I took the book from her hand. I read the title: A Complete Guide to Dragons and Their Habitats. I remembered how I had acquired the book. My mother had still been alive. The man stood quivering in front of the Elders and my mother. I stood off to the side. “P-p-please. I was only trying t-trying to write a field guide. If y-y-you let me live, I will get the book published and us humans will have a better understanding of y-you beasts.” The dragons had all practically bristled at this. “That is exactly what we don’t want, for the humans to know all our secrets and things. You have crossed a line, human.” The man had whimpered and then had taken the book out of his pocket. The Elders and my mother were deliberating about what to do. The man had tip toed to me and had placed the book before me. Then, he had walked back to where he had previously been standing. At that moment, The Elders had turned around. My mother looked pained and her eyes were a dark murky brown. Draco had said, “You are too dangerous to be left to live. We will burn you alive. Do not worry it is a short way to die.” The man had screamed and then the Elders opened their mouths and incinerated him right before my eyes.
“Yes, Liliana most of this information is real. Though it may be a bit biased and unclear, it is real.” She nodded thoughtfully. I knelt on the ground next to her and I murmured, “Tell me about yourself.”

Liliana
I began, “I was born on a very special day. Or so my mother told me. She wasn’t of direct royal descent so, she had many beautiful stories to tell other than the dull tales of knights in shining armor my nursemaid told me. She has always said I was born on “Magique Eve”. She told me that it is the day when all magical and mythical creatures come out and reveal themselves to humans. Then, they dance the night away together although the next morning, hardly any humans remember. Sometimes special humans get blessed or get a mark of magic. Some may get cursed. She told me that a….. A dragon had given me my eyes.” I broke off. It was so strange that the child’s tale my mother had told me had to do with a dragon. It was too much of a coincidence. You swallowed hard but didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to start thinking about Sir Kenneth too much again though so I continued, “I always had dreams. Lovely dreams. Dreams of flying and looking down at the world below. My parents thought they were nightmares because when I woke, I would cry, sad the dreams had ended. My parents never made an effort to find out what was really going on though. I didn’t associate with children of my age in the castle. All of them were always too afraid to offend me to play for real. I grew up in a kind of solitude. The best friend that I had for the first maybe seven years of my life was my mother. But even then, she was always off doing whatever queens do. But, when I turned eight, my brother was four. He became my constant companion until I was fourteen and my father took him away from me to learn how to be a king. That’s when I started sneaking out of the castle. I liked to disguise myself as a peasant and spend my days in the market or sometimes, I just took off. When you found me, I had run away because of my father’s announcement of the wedding date. It was going to be the day after you took me.” I stopped. That was all there was to my life. It made me sad to think this was all I had to tell. You looked the same way. “Tell me about the day your brother left.” You whispered. I gazed up at the achingly blue sky for a moment and then whispered back, “We were going on a ride through the wilderness on the castle grounds. We had just stopped to eat by a small pond when a guard appeared. My brother, Stephen didn’t look afraid. I knew that something didn’t feel right though. I asked the guard what he was doing. Instead of telling me, he simply stepped forward and took my brother’s hand. Stephen looked ready to cry. I told him that everything would be alright and that I would see him tomorrow. The guard was rather rough with him as he hoisted Stephen onto his horse. As they rode off, Stephen turned around and waved at me. He was out of sight before I could wave back. The only times I ever saw Stephen after that, were at dinner. We sat on opposite ends of the table and never talked. His face became guarded except for his eyes, which always showed unexplainable hurt. He never ate as much as he’d used to and didn’t even talk to my father unless he was spoken to first. My father broke Stephen’s spirit and I think everyone knew it.” You had your head in your hands now. I wondered why it made you so sad to hear about my brother. I stared at you for a moment but you quickly made yourself look calm and strong again. It seemed like you were trying to make me think that you weren’t afraid of anything, that you were scared to show your true emotions. Why?? Even my father broke down sometimes. How could you bottle up your emotions like that? I could only wonder as you quietly stood up and left.

A Dream Come True!!!!

I never would have guessed that a fairly ordinary Tuesday evening would turn into something so fantastic!! Mama told me to get my homework done because Karen and Mark invited us to a play. I quickly wrote my spanish diamante and finished my article for geography. Then, I ate and dressed in play worthy clothes. We drove to a bus stop and parked our car. Karen and Mark pulled up beside us and we piled into their car. We sat in silence for a few minutes and then Mama told me that they had an early birthday present for me. She passed back a scroll of paper and I untied the shiny pink ribbon. On the paper were pictures of one of my favorite singers, Keith Urban, and it said Happy Birthday to you!! 13! My heart raced. "Wait what???" I asked. They turned to me and shouted, "We're going to Keith Urban!!" It was such a suprise!! We sped off towards the Pepsi Center. We took a look at the old Tivoli Brewery and then headed in. It was really crowded and a 98.5 "Denver's number one for new country" bus was parked outside. On the inside, it was just as crowded especially where they were selling t shirts. Before we found our seats, we bought drinks. Then, finally we arrived at the portal marked 320. We found our seats and after a while, someone named Jake Owen came out and sang. He must've sung his whole album or something because he sang for a long time! After that, we waited. Then, it got dark. The lights turned on and Keith Urban stood on the stage. A dream come true I tell ya'. He was very crowd oriented. He read people's signs. "Keith, Will you marry me?" To which he replied, "No but thank you." He also let a girl come on the stage to take a picture with him for her birthday. He let us sing along and even invited a few people on to the stage to try (notice I say try) to sing a chorus of a song. He walked through the audience too. It was sooooooo cool and I know I'll never forget my first concert!!

Thanks, Uncle Steve!

Red

Here is my Halloween costume--

Damsel

I asked, “What’s wrong, Liliana?” Her face immediately changed from heartbreakingly sad to ferociously angry. She narrowed her eyes and retorted, “Oh nothing’s wrong, dragon. I’m perfectly happy living in this cave for the rest of my life. I don’t even miss my family at all! I can’t wait until you decide that I will make a tasty lunch. Don’t worry about me.” Her sarcasm stung but I didn’t show it. Slowly I said, “My name is Azulon.” Then, I walked away leaving her to wallow in her own self pity. I didn’t want her to be sad but according to the Elders, there was nothing I could do.

Liliana
I hated you. I hated that you cared enough about me to ask me what was wrong. I hated you for carrying me away from the forest. And I hated that I couldn’t hate you enough. I lay by the pool, blind with my fury. But, it all melted away when you sat beside me and gave me a beautiful necklace. The beads were shiny and you called it moonstone. I forgave you right then and there. I knew that had it been one of the suitors that were always ogling at me during dinner, I could’ve cared less. But the sincerity that showed in your eyes did the trick. Or maybe it had been the next thing you said to me. “Would you like to go flying?” I nodded vigorously and smiled. I was scared of heights but somehow I knew this would be different. You smiled back. Then, you groaned in pain and suddenly, you were standing in front of me as a silvery-blue dragon. Your eyes were the same sky blue. You rumbled happily and you gestured towards the shelf that was nearest my room. I sprinted to it and saw what you wanted me to get. It was a sort of saddle but much much bigger and made more elegantly. It was hard to see at first, but then I realized it blended in to its surroundings. I grabbed what I could see and carried it back to you. Your voice echoed in my mind as you murmered, “You should probably wear something that you don’t care about. Also, you’d best put on a cloak. It is chilly today.” You turned to face the mouth of the cave and I went to look in one of the wardrobes. I opened it and found a simple lavender dress that I thought would bring out my eyes. I put it on and then saw the most beautiful cloak I had ever seen. It was white velvet with intricate swirling designs on it. It was like comparing the leaves in autumn to a pig with this beautiful thing and my plain green cloak. I tied the strings to keep it on and danced over to you. I looked down to examine my cloak again but like your saddle, it had turned invisible.
You had put the saddle on already and patiently waited for me to get on. I tried to climb up your side but you were far too tall. You flashed me a coy dragon smile and then your tail twisted around and shoved me onto your back. I held on to the saddle horn for dear life and you leapt into the air. The cold took my breath away for a moment. I pulled my cloak around me closer and laughed with pure joy. You were so graceful, circling through the air like the hawks that flew over the castle grounds sometimes when my younger brother was hunting. You flew over your mountain and started going deeper into the Dragon Land. We flew further into the mountains for a while but suddenly, you turned around. “Why did you turn around?” I asked. You answered in my mind, “It would be too dangerous to go to Celestinia for you.” Now, I wanted to see what this Celestinia was even more. “Please take me.” I whispered. You growled and mumbled, “Maybe next time.” The sky was steely gray and wispy white clouds circled above. I shivered and you twisted your head around and blew hot air at me. It warmed me up immediately. I looked down at the ground below us. Lakes that were probably huge looked like water droplets and trees looked like toothpick slivers. It reminded me of the dreams that I used to have when I was younger. I had dreamed about flying for as long as I could remember. It had been just like this, me, looking down at the world below. Until I was ten, I woke up crying, sad that my dreams had ended. My parents never knew though. They thought I had terrible nightmares. Not that they had done anything about them of course. We flew over the foothills. They were snowy and desolate. I took a mental note that if I was ever going to escape from you that I would have to wait until spring or dress warmly. We left the foothills behind and the air began to feel dry and sharp. The desert stretched below us. You must’ve read my thoughts or something though, because we turned back and I didn’t get to see the rest of my escape route.
After about half an hour, we were back in the lair. As soon as you turned back into your human form, I ran to my room. You looked suspicious but really, you hadn’t needed to worry. I was only going to do some research. Although the sky was overcast, my cave was light and warm. I grabbed the book, A Complete Guide to Dragons and Their Habitats. I opened it up and looked for something about Celestinia. There was nothing. But, I did find a section about dragon coloring and personality traits.

Seemingly good dragons:
Gold dragons- Highly intelligent and like to spend their time in hot desert regions. They are very talkative but very selfish. Relatively large, approximately thirty feet long. They will offer advice as long as you keep them up on worldly events.
White dragons- Live in cold, snowy regions. Not interested in the plights of man and don’t choose sides in such “petty fights”. However, if one finds himself lost in the mountains during the blizzard, a white dragon may save him. Or not. Approximately twenty feet long.
Brown dragons- Shy, and keep to themselves. They can be the kindest of all dragons to humans. They have an extreme love of rubies. Approximately fifteen feet in length.
Silver dragons- Live on cold mountain tops. Lovers of literature. Approximately twenty five feet long.
Evil dragons:
Black dragons- Beware! Extreme hatred towards humans. Their weapons of choice are their mind reading abilities and can breathe white hot fire. Very big in size.
Red dragons- Most do not like humans although I have found a few exceptions. Be careful of their razor sharp teeth and claws. I have found that most red dragons are quite lazy.
Green dragons- Enjoy toying with their meal before they eat it. This could involve riddles, philosophic questions, or other violent means of “playing”.
(You may have noticed there aren’t definite sizes for each of these dragons. That is because I have never gotten close enough to one to measure it)
Undetermined:
Purple dragons- Vain and proud. I have heard that the ruler of the dragons is a purple one. I have no supporting evidence however.
Blue dragons- These dragons act very aloof but are actually fascinated with humans. The few I’ve met keep small hordes of human artifacts.

I was disappointed in my failed search for information about Celestinia but I knew that this information would probably be helpful to me in the future. Then, I realized that you had all the wardrobes and books because you were blue and silver. I was happy to have a better idea of what you were. Just then, I heard you call my name. I climbed down and skirted around the waterfall. You stood by the pool. “What?” I asked suspiciously. You looked at me and your piercing blue eyes softened to a darker shade of blue. You answered, “I was wondering if you were hungry.” Before I could answer, my stomach growled loudly. You chuckled and then presented a plate of sweet meats and rolls from behind your back. My mouth watered. It wasn’t quail eggs and roast venison like I had at home but I was too hungry to be picky. I wolfed it all down and knelt to drink from the pool. It was sweet and ice cold. You shuffled your feet. Then you mumbled, “The one you have been promised to is organizing a search party.” You looked surprised at what you had just said and studied me carefully. At first I was annoyed that it had taken Kenneth two whole days to realize I was missing. But then, my heart soared. That is, until I saw the savage look of possession on your face. I shivered and whispered, “Will you let them take me if they find me?” Your eyes changed to gray and you shook your head. “Why?”
“The Elders told me to keep you. I don’t want to offend them. You will grow to like it here.”
Rage boiled up inside of me. It was like my whole life was being controlled by one person or another. First, my nursemaid, raising me to be a proper woman. Then, my father, promising me to Sir Kenneth. Now it was some senile old dragons. You gazed at me coolly and I couldn’t take it any longer. I climbed up into my little cavern and put on my white cloak and put the books and jewelry box in my green cloak which I tied into a bundle. Then, I leapt off the mouth of my cavern and narrowly missed the waterfall. I stormed over to one of the bathing pools and emptied and rinsed out a perfume bottle. I dipped it into the drinking water and put the lid on. You watched me the whole time, looking worried. I also took a slip dress and some calf skin gloves. Then, without a second glance at you, I began the long descent down the mountain. The rough rocks bit into my hands by the time I reached the foothills below, they were already starting to scab. Bitter cold wind buffeted me and my lungs ached. I looked back up and saw you standing at the mouth of your cave, watching. I rolled my eyes and trudged through the snow.
My feet were red and raw by the time I reached the desert. The air was still bitter and cold. I heard voices. I couldn’t tell if I was hallucinating or if it was my search party. They screamed my name over and over again. I yelled, “I’m here!!” Then, I collapsed on the sand out of exhaustion and hunger. But, like shoes, I’d forgotten food too. I drank thirstily from the perfume bottle. I hoped the water would hold me over until I found Sir Kenneth. The voices called my name again. I waved my hand in the air. Then, it was quiet.

Damsel

I'm not too sure about the title but... it will do for now.

Azulon
Thunder rumbled and lightning lit up the sky. It gave the trees an eerie negative look. I crouched in the bushes. I hadn’t wanted this to happen. I knew I was dangerous. I knew I shouldn’t be there. But something drew me there like a fly to a dead horse. It scared me. The wind whipped my hair into my eyes. All of the sudden, the rain relented and I heard singing. Not the singing that I had heard growing up. It was far less savage and more lyrical. I got up and followed my ears to the sound. I walked through the trees until I ended up by a small spring. A pretty girl was filling a jar of water and singing. “In garden close where shone the rose I heard a fiddle played, then a handsome knight that charmed my sight, was dancing with a maiden.” Her voice was soothing and her fair hair swayed in the wind. I watched her for a moment longer. Then, I felt my skin turning scaly and tried to fight off my transformation. I gritted my teeth and succeeded in keeping the monster in me from coming out. The girl turned around and I was stunned by her beautiful amethyst colored eyes. She looked afraid. I walked towards her and she stiffened. I purred, “Why are you so far from the kingdom?” She shivered and said nothing. I knew that the nearest kingdom, probably the one where she was from, was about half a day from where we were. Now I couldn’t stop myself. My skin turned scaly, my teeth sharpened, wings forced themselves out of my back, and my fingers turned to claws. Her eyes were filled with horror as I scooped her up and beat the air with my wings. She screamed and I let out a mighty roar.

Liliana

The look on your face had frightened me. You had looked scared, determined, and sad all at the same time. You had asked me why I was so far from home. I didn’t want to answer you. Maybe if I had, this wouldn’t have happened to me. I remember thinking how pretty your eyes were, sky blue.

When it grew harder for me to breathe as we ascended higher and higher, that’s what I held on to. Seeing slightly your humanoid eyes made me feel better and helped me not to look down. You roared every once in a while. I had stopped screaming long ago. The sun was beginning to set but you didn’t show any signs of being tired. Your silvery blue scales sparkled in the faint sunlight and your wings shone like pearls. The air grew cold and I looked down. We were flying towards the mountains. A sob escaped my lips and you looked down at me. I thought I saw a flash of sadness in your eyes. It might’ve just been hunger though. This thought made me cry harder. Why did you want me? What were you going to do with me? If I had known about the adventure that would befall me, I may have stopped crying. I might have even enjoyed the ride. Or, I may have not gone to the woods at all that day. But I didn’t know.

Azulon
I felt terrible for making her cry. I didn’t know why I took her. It must’ve been a dragon reflex. I hated the whole idea of the damsel in distress and yet, I had just started another one of those stories. As we came closer to the mountains her desperate crying stopped and I spotted my lair. It was at the boundary between where the humans land ended and the dragons began. I liked where my cave was as I could see what was going on fairly well in both places. I swooped down and flew into my large lair in the side of the mountain. She gasped and I released her from my claws.

Liliana
The cave was littered with jewels and books and finery of every kind. It was magnificent. There were a few pools of water and a small rushing water fall in the very back. Ledges were cut into the walls and looked to be shelves. You roared and I jumped. I turned around and you were the handsome boy who I had seen in the woods before you turned into a monster. You smiled at me and walked towards me. Everything in my body was telling me to run but I didn’t move. You approached cautiously, as if you were afraid that any sudden movement would frighten me. It was too late to start that. I narrowed my eyes at you. It seemed to stun you for a moment but then you said, “I’m sorry about all of this. Why don’t I show you around my lair?” Without waiting for my answer you took my hand and led me all the way to the back. The walls glittered with mica and little veins of gold. The waterfall was quietly falling into a large pool. You gestured to the waterfall and murmured, “There is a small room behind the water fall. You have to slip behind the water fall and you will find ledges carved into the rock like a ladder. You may sleep in there if you’d like to. Actually, I highly recommend it.” I glared at you and you cleared your throat and mumbled, “The rest is pretty self explanatory I suppose. You can look through the old wardrobes and books and jewelry and pick a few things.” I attempted to smile but I’m sure it looked more like a grimace. You stalked away and I immediately spotted a prettily carved wardrobe. I rushed over to it and found lots of pretty dresses. There was a lovely black and white sleeveless dress, an emerald green dress with white lace dripping off the ends of the sleeves, a blue lace up slip dress, a form fitting purple dress with a bottom that drifted out like a new flower, a white and red dress with a round neck and flowing bluebell shaped sleeves, and a few corsets. There were no shoes to be found. In the wardrobe, I also found an ornate jewelry box carved with images of mythical creatures. I set this aside to look at later. You watched me at the mouth of the cave the whole time. I made my way closer to you and picked a few books. There was A Complete Guide to Dragons and Their Habitats, The Canterbury Tales, A Book of Dragon Etiquette, Dragon History, A Book of Modern Maps, and, Inferno. I thought that most of these books would be helpful if I was going to live with a dragon. I picked up my load of books and my jewelry box and took them to the waterfall. I made myself as skinny as I could be and went behind the waterfall. Once behind it, I realized I hadn’t needed to squeeze. I looked up and saw the opening of a little cave. It was very high up. I took a deep breath and took my cloak off. I put my books and jewelry box in it and tied the strings. Then, I crammed my fingers into the first handhold and began to climb. Eventually, I made it. I pulled myself onto the floor of the cave and gasped with surprise. There was a hole in the ceiling that let the moon and the stars shine through. The light reflected off the sparkling walls and the whole room was lit with a creamy glow. I heard you laughing at me and then it turned into a roar. I heard the air being buffeted, and then the cave was silent. I set my cloak on the floor and climbed down. You were gone but in your place was a note written on very fancy parchment. I picked it up and read it. It said,
“Dear Liliana,
I had to go hunting. You are welcome to bathe in one of the pools. You will find fragrant soaps and shampoos nearest the walls. Also, feel free to explore the cave. What’s mine is yours. I may be gone longer yet as I am inquiring about what to do with you to the Elders. I am sure you will try to escape. Go ahead and try it. Just keep in mind that between here and the forest are the foothills, a desert, various swamps, and the Dead Land. I will try to bring you some human food. If I don’t, I will save some of my kill so I can roast it for you. I will see you soon if not tomorrow morning.
Sincerely,
Azulon”

For a second, I wondered how you knew my name. But I dismissed it as part of your kidnapping scheme. I sighed at your good point about escaping. You were smart. But I suppose most dragons were. Then, I stomped off to the nearest pool. I took off my dress and slipped into the water.
Azulon
I flew surrounded by stars. I was headed towards the center of the mountain range, to Celestinia, the epicenter of the dragon realm. Bursts of fire randomly lit the mountains as younger dragons practiced their technique and dragon songs filled the air. Already, I could see the Elder’s cave. It was the highest mountain and the top was surrounded by wispy clouds as was their lair. I beat at the air harder and faster and found myself hovering by the clouds. Truth be told, I was scared to go in. But, the piercing screeches and deafening roars of a nearby fight pushed me into the mist. I flew through the clouds as quickly as I could and landed in the mouth of the grand cave. A deep voice called my name. “Ahhh, its Azulon. Come in, come in.” I walked in and saw three huge dragons staring down at me. I had seen them before and knew their names. Gildamoor was the one who had first spoken to me. He was dark green with eyes of the same color. He had two long wicked looking horns on the top of his head. The dragon opposite him was Ziildrith and was blood red with electric blue, sightless eyes. And, the dragon in the middle was the one I knew best. He appeared in my dreams every night. It was Draco, an all black dragon with neon green tipped wings and dark eyes. He was also my father.

I stepped forward and said, “I have a maiden in my cave. What should I do?” All of the dragons gasped and for a moment, Draco looked proud. “How did you end up taking a lady?” Ziildrith asked. Gildamoor rumbled playfully and said, “Let me guess. Did you terrorize a kingdom and they gave her up as a sacrifice? Or hmm, did you steal her away out of revenge?” I shook my head. All three dragons made sounds of disappointment. “How then, Azulon, did you take her?” My father’s voice shook the room. I shrank back and replied, “I saw her in the woods after a storm the other day and I don’t know why, I just took her.” My father growled wickedly but Gildamoor, probably wanting to keep the mood light chuckled and said, “Well you may as well keep her then. If you take her back she will likely tell the humans about us and we will have another St. George incident on our hands. Besides, it doesn’t matter as long as she’s beautiful. We dragons do greatly appreciate beautiful things.” Ziildrith nodded thoughtfully and Draco simmered. Then they turned away from me and resumed their first conversation. I took that as my cue to leave and slinked out of the depths cave and into the open air. I stretched my wings and leapt off the mouth of the cave. The air seemed to part before me and I arrived at my abode just before dawn. I was grateful to be away from the eerie howls and roars of Celestinia, the great dragon kingdom. I could hear Liliana murmuring quietly in her sleep and I settled down among my gold and other priceless gems and slept as well as a dragon could, with one eye open.
A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of weeping. I changed into my human form as quietly as I could and saw her sitting by one of the pools. I could tell she was trying to hold her racking sobs in but every once in a while, a whimper would echo through the cave. My stomach hurt and my hands shook. I knew that I was causing her this misery. But could I dare disobey the Elders? I almost laughed out loud at this. No one disobeyed the Elders. They were the eyes and ears for the Empress. And to invoke the wrath of the Empress….. I didn’t even want to know. I strode towards Liliana cautiously, so as not to scare her off. I gently touched her shoulder and she whirled around to face me, her violet eyes swimming with tears.

The End

A while later, the sun was beating down on my face as I groggily opened my eyes. I felt fresh and new as if somehow napping in the grass had refreshed my soul. I gathered a bouquet of the flowers that lay around me and then weaved them through my golden hair. I then braided it to the side and heard footsteps coming my way. “Hello Keela. Would you mind getting married tonight?” Butterflies grew in my stomach and I nodded. A short, plump lady with auburn hair struggled down the hill behind him. I watched as she finally made it to us. “Hallo lassie. My name’s Muiread. You must be little Ailin’s wife Keela. Goodness he does talk about you a lot. Now dear let’s get you fixed up for your wedding.” Muiread turned around and started to climb back up the hill. I followed behind and after what seemed like forever, we were in the cottage. “Keela your hair looks perfect for the weddin’. Now let’s get you into that dress and make you a bouquet.” I slipped on the blue dress and Muiread was outside searching for suitable flowers. I joined her and after a while, we had an extravagant bouquet that matched the flowers in my hair. We wrapped it in a piece of paper that she’d brought. Then from her pocket, she took out a sea blue handkerchief with white stitching and tied it around my wrist. She stood back and admired her handiwork. “Beautiful.” She murmured quietly. She had finished with me right on time. Boats lined our little island and the sun was almost at setting position. Muiread and I walked over to the place where Ailin had proposed and everyone was sitting in the grass. They rose when they saw me. My heart pounded and I wanted nothing more than to see my sisters and mother in this smiling crowd. But, this was a silly fantasy so I walked as quickly as I could and took Ailin’s hand. One of his friends said some things that I wasn’t paying attention to and suddenly I suppose we were married. He gave me a short kiss and we all filed up to our cottage. Muiread walked right behind us looking very pleased and I laughed quietly at the woman. She cared so much about my presentation but she never once asked about me. I liked her. Everyone gathered in our sun room and a man which I had heard Ailin call Tam passed out a drink which he call mead. It was sweet like the taste of the tender fish I used to eat off the coast. Then, Tam started a toast. “Well now let’s all bless this beautiful couple with some good ol’ Irish luck.” He thought for a moment and then continued, “May God be with you and bless you. May you see your children’s children. May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.” Everyone raised their glasses and took a drink. Muiread stood up and said her blessing. “May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam. May peace and plenty bless your world with a joy that long endures. May all life’s passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!” She downed her mead. More people stood up, blessing us. “May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, the angels protect you, and heaven accept you.” And other things like that. But, then a strange man rose from the shadows. He stepped forward and gazed at me steadily. Then in a deep, sad voice he said “May the light of heaven shine on your grave, lass.” He stared at me and the wedding party fell into a stunned hush. He backed away slowly looking at me all the while and finally was gone. It was dead silent when finally Muiread trilled, “Oh that’s just old Neil, love. Just ignore this nonsense.” Our guests nodded looking uncomfortable and then piled out of the house. The only ones that were left were Muiread, Tam, and a petite girl with light brown hair. “She looked up at me and whispered, “I’m sorry your weddin’ night got ruined. My name’s Shauna.” I nodded numbly and quietly excused myself to bed. As soon as I left the room I heard Ailin and Muiread talking about me. “Tis bad luck Ailin.”
“I know Muiread. Neil wasn’t even invited.” Muiread clucked her tongue. Suddenly, I realized who Neil was. He was the man that had killed my mother. Chills ran down my spine and I looked around to make sure he wasn’t hiding in the shadows.
“I don’t know how this will affect your lives. What made you decide to steal her away from the sea anyway?” I leaned closer to the doorway to hear better. Ailin whispered hoarsely, “I do not know Muiread. It was like destiny though with me coming in late on the Eve of the Selkies. I love her so much, Muiread.” I peeked out from behind the door frame. Muiread was nodding sympathetically. “Well I wish the best of luck to ya’ both. Keela has such a dear heart. So pretty and quiet. T’would be a terrible thing if something happened to her. Would you mind me spendin’ the night here? It’s already dark.” Ailin nodded. Suddenly, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I whirled around and saw Shauna standing behind me. She took my hand and dragged my outside. She murmured, “Ailin is so handsome. I wish I were married like you. But I’m surely not pretty enough. Where did you come from Keela?” her strange outburst stunned me for a moment but then I quickly replied, “Near here. It’s a secret I suppose. How old are you, Shauna?” Her brow crinkled and she answered, “I’m only sixteen.” She was just a year younger than me. I smiled at her and she whispered, “Will you be my friend? I have never had a true friend before. All of ‘em go away when they find out that I live with Neil. They laugh at me in town.” This sweet girl lived with Neil? She would need a friend, living with him. “Of course I’ll be your friend, Shauna.” She smiled broadly and then she said, “I must be going now. Neil will be angry with me if I take much longer.” She turned around and in the dim light I could see a bruise on her neck.
Muiread was in my room and Ailin was asleep in a chair. A familiar sight from many nights at the old cottage. I blew out the candle in the kitchen and felt along the walls until I got to Ailin’s room. I fell into bed but it was a long time before I relaxed completely. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Neil had said to me and the bruise on Shauna’s neck. I wondered if Neil hit her or if it was just a regular old accident. Eventually, Muiread’s quiet snoring and Ailin’s deep rhythmic breathing calmed me. I fell into a sleep filled with eerie dreams.
Ailin had gone fishing again that morning. Muiread gave me a slice of bread and told me she would make me look like the ladies from the mainland. I didn’t what that meant but followed her, still chewing my bread, into my room. She pulled out a green dress with a slit up the middle revealing a white under gown and it had wide white sleeves. She turned away while I put it on. She clapped her hands and nodded with approval. Then, she put a white mother of pearl comb in my hair. I asked, “How did you get these clothes, Muiread?” She smiled and answered, “They used to be mine when I was about as old as you. They don’t fit anymore that that I’m a fat old hag!! The comb is my wedding gift to you.” In truth, Muiread was probably only in her early fourties. I opened my mouth to say thank you but she waved me off. “Alright lass, go and run around. Just don’t ruin you’re clothes!” I ran to my drawer and snatched my coasting dress right off the top. Then, I waved to Muiread and scrambled down the hill to my meadow. I quickly slipped out of Muiread’s finery and put on my dress. After that, I sprinted to the ledge that was a few feet higher than the sea. Well, I had thought it was only a few. I looked down about fifteen feet to the ocean below. I knew the water was deep enough to jump into but, if I didn’t jump at the right moment, the waves would smash me into the side of the ledge. I waited for the waves to die down and once the water was still, I dove in. The water hit my head with such a great force, that I was dizzy for a moment. The azure water soothed me and I let the water take control. I surfaced for air and floated up and down with the small waves. For the moment, I wasn’t bombarded with my thoughts. I was just being. But, my moment was interrupted by the sound of oars cutting through the water. I quickly ducked underwater. The only part of me that was showing was my eyes. Neil gazed up at the cottage and shook his head. He looked faintly sad. He mumbled, “He’ll kill her he will. Those Selkie Folk don’t last long here. She’ll be gone in a year or so. ‘Tis a shame. Suddenly Shauna’s head popped up in the boat. She must’ve been lying on the bottom. She whimpered, “May…. May I please go and find Keela?” He glared at her and smacked her upside the head. He roared, “Fine then go!! Don’t you ever come back home you little witch!” He scooped her up and tossed her into the water and she hit it with a sickening smack. With that, he quickly rowed away. Shauna hadn’t come up for air yet. I went under and could see a few bubbles. Shauna floated towards the bottom of the sea, limp and seemingly lifeless. I kicked towards her and held her slender hand. I swam back to the surface with Shauna in tow. I took a breath of air but, Shauna was sinking under. I struggled to keep us both afloat. Then, I realized we wouldn’t be able to get to the island by climbing up the ledge. I would have to swim to the front of the island which would probably take me an hour. My legs shook with the effort of kicking and we were not too far from where we had started. All of a sudden, I felt Shauna’s weight being lifted. I turned around and saw Dubheasa and Allana’s sleek seal heads. They had Shauna on their backs. I smiled gratefully and we swam as fast as I could without over exerting my human body. At last, we were at the beach. I dragged Shauna onto the sand and waved to my sisters. They ducked underwater and swam away. I screamed, “Muiread!!!! Muiread help!!” No answer came. It was about three o’ clock in the afternoon. My heart fell as I realized she had probably gone home by now. I was all by myself and I had no idea how to help Shauna. I sat down beside her and waited, watching to see if her chest would heave and she would cough up seawater. I wanted to see life course through her veins and color return to her pale cheeks. Hatred for Neil threatened to burst out of me. It was all his fault. If he hadn’t thrown her into the water so hard or at all for that matter, I wouldn’t be sitting on the sand, helpless. Tears dripped into the hollow of my neck and I sang a sad song that I didn’t even know I knew. “On wings of the wind o’er the dark rolling deep, angels are coming to watch o’er thy sleep, angels are coming to watch over thee, so list to the wind coming over the sea. Hear the wind blow love, hear the wind blow, lean your head over and hear the wind blow.” The rest of the words drifted from my mind and I could remember no more of the song. Shauna sputtered and I rolled her onto her side as she coughed up seawater. She shook and I spotted a large piece of driftwood. I pushed it under her and also found a frayed piece of rope and tied it to the wood. I pulled the rope and the makeshift sled moved. I pulled her up the hill and laid her in front of the fire. I covered her with the dress Muiread had given me and fed Shauna spoonfuls of the broth Muiread must’ve started before she left. She shivered violently and then rasped, “You saved me Keela. I will never forget this for as long as I live.” She then fell asleep. I collapsed onto a chair, relieved that I had saved my friend’s life. Ailin burst through the door at that moment. He kissed my forehead and saw Shauna lying on the floor. “What happened love?” He asked. I just shook my head. He dropped the subject and tasted the broth. He came and sat down across from me and held me hand over the table. I leaned back and began to feel my hour’s swim to the beach. My legs burned and it hurt to move them. I leaned back in my chair, exhausted. But, Ailin needed to hear my story. So I said, “I went swimming today after breakfast. Neil came ‘round with is boat so I hid in the water. He was talking about me. At first, it seemed he was talking to himself but Shauna sat up and asked if she could go and find me. He smacked her and then threw her into the water. She hit it so hard, Ailin. He moved off and I swam down to Shauna and tried to swim with her to the beach but it was too difficult. But, my sisters came and helped me. I dragged her onto the beach and she looked to be dead. But, I started singing and she woke up.” Ailin shook his head in wonder. Shauna cried out in her sleep and we both sighed. The poor girl had been through so much that hardly anyone knew about.
Shauna woke up a while later, feeling just fine. As she stared into the fire I knelt beside her and asked, “Why did Neil do this to you?” She turned to look at me and answered, “It all started when my mam and pa died when I was two. I was living with the preacher. Neil had brought a new lady into town and she was very unhappy. She ranted about her children all the time so he thought having a child about would brighten her spirits. The preacher gave me to Neil. The lady didn’t get any happier. Neil took his anger out on me. He was outraged that I wasn’t helping his wife. When she died, he was even madder but now with a touch of sadness. He hurt me a lot. He called me a witch for he thought I had made her even worse. I’m glad he’s let me alone.” Ailin’s face darkened with rage at Neil. “Why didn’t you tell anyone Shauna?” I questioned. She shrugged and turned back to the fire. I studied the fading bruise on her neck and wondered how anyone could ever be so angry with anyone like Shauna. It wasn’t her fault that my mother had died. I got up and returned to the table and Ailin sat motionless trying to control his emotions. By now, the sky had turned dark but none of us were hungry. I vowed that the next morning I would confront Neil.
Fog drifted over the water and the choppy water made it hard to row. It was the wee hours of the morning and I was making my way to our old cottage to ask about Neil. I desperately wished to be cutting through the dark water, tail swishing smoothly, headed no where in particular. Thinking about it made my chest ache with longing. But, I kept rowing. I knew I should’ve told Ailin but I planned to be back when he woke up. My boat scraped the sand and I leapt out and dragged it onto a safe place. I ran up the hill and didn’t stop to check on the old cottage. I ran as far and fast as I could until I found a tiny house nestled between tow hills. Something told me that this was where I would find Neil. I knocked on the door and heard grumbling inside. The door swung open to reveal Neil’s scowling face. He opened the door wider and stormed in. “What’re you doin’ here at this hour lass??” I glared at him and spat, “You killed my mother.” His face grew ashen. “Listen to me girl, I didn’t think that she would die at first. I never wished her to die. Oh no, not at all. I loved her much. I did try to make her happy you have to believe me on that.” I shook my head. “Neil, did you really think that beating a small child would have made her happy? Don’t deny this either. I have seen terrible things happen to dear Shauna. What made you think that she was the one killing my mother?” Tears welled in his eyes. “I knew it wasn’t her. It was me!! All my fault!!” He sobbed loudly. My heart went out to him for a moment but I wasn’t done with him yet.
“You owe Shauna an apology.” He nodded and waved me away. I opened the door and walked out into the cold morning. I strolled back to the beach and pushed the boat into the water. After about half an hour of rowing, I was home. I opened the door with a satisfying bang and jumped into Ailin’s tired arms. He twirled me around the kitchen and pecked me on the cheek. Shauna awoke and embraced me, seeming to know what I had done for her. Ailin set to pouring the faerie milk and Shauna sliced some bread. I turned my gaze to the window and saw that the day had brightened and I saw two seals lounging on a rock by the beach. I smiled to myself and hummed a little song, blissful to be who I was.
***
They stayed around Aurnia’s little island. They heard merry laughter and singing and dancing from inside the cottage every night. Dubheasa hoped that Aurnia had forgiven her and Allana. Sometimes, they could see her gazing out the window at them sadly. But, they could tell that she was happy. After a while, the cries of a small babe could be heard and Aurnia would sing pretty songs that would echo through the hills and over the sea.
***
My pretty baby whimpered softly and I sang, “Coo roo koo, cooruku, coo ru ku,coo ku. Oh hush thee my dove, oh hush thee my sweet love, oh hush thee my lap wing, my dear little bird. Oh fold your wings and seek your nest now, the berries shine on the old rowan tree, the bird is home from the hills and valleys. Coo roo koo, cooruku, coo ru ku, coo ku.” By the time the song was over my babe was fast asleep. Ailin walked over and stroked her head. He smoothed her wispy strawberry blond hair back. “I’ve thought of a name for her, love.” I whispered. He looked up at me. “She should be named Meara as her eyes change with the sea and hold as much depth as it.” Meara’s name meant sea, Ailin smiled and nodded. My daughter Meara had my eyes (that I had as a human) and a mix of Ailin’s reddish hair and my golden. I smiled at Ailin and I thought about all the lullabies that Shauna had taught me when I found out I was with child. I missed having Shauna around but I was happy that she had finally gotten married like she had dreamed about. A lot had happened in this past year and I wondered about how my sisters were doing without me. I got glimpses of them around the island sometimes. Ailin touched my shoulder and I got up and set Meara and her crib. It was a beautiful thing that floated on the water like a boat and Ailin had carved pretty pictures all over it. I crawled into our bed and fell asleep, one hand hanging off the bed touching my baby.
Meara woke up and smiled up at me. I suddenly felt an overwhelming bond to this little life and I nuzzled my nose to hers. Ailin was out fishing but later, Shauna would come over and see Meara for the first time. She had left about six months ago, right before Meara had been born. I cut a slice of bread for myself and filled the thimble with milk and put it on the window sill. For Meara, I helped her drink a cup of milk and I made tiny bread balls for her to eat. When we were done I scooped her up and as the day was fair, took her down to my meadow. I let her sit in the grass and I gathered some flowers looking out at the sea all the while. I missed it terribly but didn’t have the heart to look for my pelt. If I found it, I would have to leave my baby and Ailin. I saw my sisters basking on the rocks and pointed them out to Meara. She giggled at them and I laughed with her. Suddenly I heard a distant voice yelling, “Keela!! Keela I’m here!!” I dropped my flowers and grabbed Meara. I ran up the hill and saw Shauna waving at me from the cottage. I burst in and she gasped at the sight of the baby. “My goodness you have a pretty baby!!” She said, awestruck. Meara reached for her and Shauna immediately grabbed her out of my arms and oohed and ahhed over her. I giggled at Shauna’s love for Meara. I could tell that she would spoil her to pieces. I heard singing in the distance and stopped watching Shauna and Meara to listen. The song had no words just a lilting tune. I knew it was about a lost Selkie and how the sea mourned for her. It was about me. Meara stopped gurgling and I could tell she was listening with every fiber of her tiny body. The voices died out and Shauna laughed and said, “I don’t know how you can stand livin’ so close to the sea. Those seals are quite noisy. I’ll bet they bark all the time.” I didn’t answer her.
***
Dubheasa had started the song that day. She was trying to tell Aurnia to come back. She could tell that Aurnia had heard it since the house became quiet when Dubheasa had begun. After that, the days went by the same way for her and Allana. In the mornings, they would take turns following Ailin out to where he fished to make sure he was safe. Once they were sure he would be fine, they would sun bathe on some tall rocks where they could keep on eye on Aurnia and their new niece. She was a pretty baby, with eyes of the sea. Dubheasa had loved the baby ever since she had first seen it outside. The little one grew into a sweet, pretty little girl who loved to run around the island with Aurnia in tow. One day, Aurnia and her daughter didn’t come outside. A hefty woman had come ashore and had left that evening with a smile that could light the world. Dubheasa heard a baby crying again that night. She rejoiced and she and Allana sang the birthing song for Aurnia’s children.
***
Meara loved her baby brother. As I held him she gazed at him, spellbound. He had deep green eyes and strawberry blond hair like Meara’s. I helped her hold him and she stroked his hand lovingly. My heart swelled at the sight. I let her hold him for a few more minutes and then put my little tike to bed. Just then, Ailin burst through the door. He stared unbelieving at the tiny bundle that I held. His voice hoarse he said, “I had a feeling this would happen on the one day I go fishing.” He laughed a little and I deposited my son into his arms. He held him carefully and the baby reached up and touched his cheek. Right then, I knew he would be named Kevan meaning, “gentle child”. I murmured his name and Ailin nodded. Kevan fell asleep and we put him in his cradle.
***
Dubheasa also loved the little baby boy. His eyes didn’t change with the sea like his sister’s but stayed the same inquisitive green. Years passed and when he started toddling around, little Meara would parade him proudly around the island. Meara and Kevan especially liked to come and observe Dubheasa and her sister. When they did this, Dubheasa noticed they had little webs between their fingers. She also noticed that at night, Aurnia would walk down to the beach, looking sadder and sadder every time.
***
I kissed Meara and Kevan good night and then made my way to the beach. I had begun to miss the sea terribly. The water was glassy and clear and it reflected the silver moon very well. I heard the sand churning and looked over to see Ailin coming towards me with concern in his eyes. He took my hand and we looked at the sea together. Both of us lost in our own thoughts. Then he whispered gently, “What’s wrong lass? You’ve got to tell me and I’ll help you.” I shook my head. I didn’t want to tell him that I missed my old life. I didn’t want to leave him. I couldn’t leave him to take care of our children by himself. I sighed heavily and we wandered back to our little home together. He collapsed into bed and his breathing slowed quickly. I felt restless and kept hearing singing from the beach. However, the only thing on the beach was our rowboat and perhaps a seagull or two. The singing grew more persistent and drowned out all other sounds. Rain gently began to fall and as if in a dream, I walked out the door and down the hill, oblivious to the crying of my children and Ailin’s shouts of despair in his sleep. The only thing that was on my mind was to get down to the beach. Images of silver fish, seals, tall rocks sticking out of the sea, the bottom of a boat, all danced in my head. I reached our rowboat and sat in it. The boat creaked quietly and suddenly, the singing grew even louder. It hurt my ears and made my eyes water. Subconsciously, I reached under the seat but stopped for a moment hearing Meara and Kevan wailing. I contemplated moving my hand further but almost of its own accord, it reached down and touched something soft and smooth. The singing grew deafeningly loud and then stopped abruptly. I pulled the thing out from under the boat seat and my breath caught in my throat. It was my pelt! I was filled with euphoria for a moment but realized I would have to leave my family. I held my seal skin tightly and quickly clambered up the hill.I burst in and saw Ailin sitting at the table with both Meara and Kevan on his lap. He gazed at my pelt with sadly. The children, although they were tired, could sense that something was about to happen that would probably change their lives. They slipped off his lap and tip toed into their bed room. My eyes filled with tears at Ailin’s eyes. He was struggling to fight his tears and his were filled with pure heartbreak. He stood up and gave me a long kiss as if to say that he would love me forever. Then, he stepped aside so I could get to Meara and Kevan’s room. The children were alert and fully awake by the time I stepped into their cozy firelight room. Meara ran over to hug me, her six year old body shaking with sobs. Kevan looked confused for a moment and then came over to us. I leaned down and he covered my cheeks with three year old kisses. I whispered, “Good bye dear hearts. I will love you always. Please don’t ever forget me.” They both nodded somberly and I tucked them in. I sang them their favorite lullaby and left. Ailin stood by the door. “I love you.” I whispered. “I love you too Keela.” He replied, his voice thick with sadness. I wiped a tear from his cheek and then sprinted down the hill. I laughed gleefully and ran into the water. My coasting dress slipped off and the wind blew it into the rowboat. I ran into the chilly water and stepped into my skin.
The water held me gently, an old friend. I swam with grace and speed. I felt my sisters brush against my sides and we surfaced for air. Ailin and the children stood on the beach watching me. I sang to them with all the love in my heart and knew they could understand me.
**************
I am now wondering what to title this.... Also I am starting another story. More to come on that. Thank you for reading and helping me with this!!

He came back a few hours later with his fiddle, a pot, some utensils, my horse, the sheep, and the goat. He’d decided to leave his horse on the main island and have his friend take care of it until he came into town. The animals roamed freely on our little island and I was happy. Ailin went to bed early but, I went outside to watch the sunset. You could see it from our sun room but I preferred to watch from a special place outside. I found a small ledge and sat down. The sun made the water turn a brilliant orange but finally became less confident and turned from red to pink to purple all in the span of a few minutes. I caught glimpses of some seals and once, Allana who looked regretful. I liked to think she was sorry for what she had said and was watching out for me. I stayed out breathing in the salty sea air until the moon was high in the sky. I reluctantly headed back and went to bed.
Something sizzled in the kitchen. I trotted out of the sunroom and into the kitchen. Ailin shouted “I’ve got eggs for you Keela!” He laughed at my shocked expression at his outburst. He slapped a scrambled egg on a plate and handed it to me. He served himself and we both sat down at our table. He then poured some milk into our glasses. It was cold and didn’t taste like goats milk. As if he could read my mind he said, “Cow’s milk. The friend that’s taking care of my horse gave it to me.” I ate my egg and drank greedily. I saw Ailin take a thimble out of his pocket and pour milk into it. Utterly confused, I asked, “Ailin what’re you doing?” He answered, “My mam used to do this when I was young. She would pour milk into a thimble and set it outside. She said that we were feeding the faeries. She thought that if you fed the fey, especially in the winter, they would give you good luck. I think that we need some good luck around here with you getting lost and your little spell and whatnot.” I grinned at the thought of a tiny person drinking from a thimble. He got up and set it on the windowsill of the kitchen. He walked back and plunked into his chair. “So Keela, I think we should get married soon.” My heart raced. “How soon?” He sighed and answered, “Very soon. I’m not meaning to be rude but the whole town is talking about us. I just want the old gossips off my back that’s all. But we can wait.” I felt bad for not realizing that Ailin had been getting harassed in town. “Sure Ailin we can do it as soon as you like but I need a dress and everything.” He nodded towards the bedroom. I quickly got up and looked in the drawer. Surely enough, there was a lovely blue dress. Of course, it wasn’t as beautiful as my Coasting dress but it was a close second. The dress was light blue and long and flowy. It seemed to be made out of silk. I took off my plain dress and put the one for the wedding on. I waltzed out into the kitchen and Ailin smiled ear to ear. I gasped and said, “We’ll have it at sun down precisely where you proposed to me.” Ailin nodded. “I’ll go today and invite my friends and I’ll invite a few women who I think you may like.” I nodded and he was out the door in a flash. I stood in the doorway, watching him race down to the boat. He was gone in an instant. I clambered down the hill facing away from the direction Ailin had gone. I found myself in a meadow full of waving green grass and wildflowers. On one side, there was a gently sloping decline leading straight to the sea. One of the hills stood guard over this little paradise. I sat down in the grass and it was almost taller than me. The grass made a soothing whish as the breeze danced through it. I lay down and the rustling of the grass and the sighing of the ocean put me to sleep.

Ailin came back that evening looking depressed and gaunt. He stumbled into the cottage and I ran to his out stretched arms. He embraced me long and hard and then finally held me at a distance. He half whispered, “Keela lass, where have you been? I’ve been searching for you since I came back yesterday afternoon.” I gulped. I hadn’t known that he would come back early. I murmured, “I’m so so sorry Ailin. I didn’t know that you would come back early and I didn’t know it would take me so long to get there and back and I got lost and… and….” He quieted my babbling with a quick brush of his lips on mine. “It’s alright Keela lass. I’ve been gone a lot and I should’ve known you would’ve gotten bored. We’ll talk more after we eat.” I smiled but then realized that the stew had been on the fire for two days! I peered into the pot and saw a gray gooey mess. But, Ailin must have known because he was already setting bread and goat cheese on the table. I fell into my chair and wolfed it down. Ailin ate his the same way. When he was finished, he leaned back and asked, “Where did you end up going Keela?” I answered quickly, “There’s a cliff a little ways from the cottage so I got it into my head to climb down and see the beach at the bottom. It took me all morning to get to the little beach and then I swam with one of my sisters. I left soon after and didn’t get to the top until it was dark. In the dark, I didn’t know where I was so I finally found my way to your boat and slept there.” Ailin looked panic stricken for a moment but smiled quickly to cover it up. Then he sprang up and ran into the bedroom. He came out holding a fiddle and a bow. “You can play??” I questioned.
“Yes I do but I haven’t really felt the need or the wanting to play until now.” He rosined the fine horse hairs of his bow and then quietly plucked the strings. Then he drew the bow across them. This produced a lovely sound that was high and low and happy and sad and quiet but somehow very loud. It was unlike anything else I’d ever heard before. Then, he really started playing. His bow was a blur and his fingers danced wildly on the fingerboard. The tune lilted up and down randomly and it was irresistible for me. I stood up and began to dance. I jumped, twisted, stomped and twirled until he finished. I smiled and tried to catch my breath. He put his violin back in the bedroom and then sat on his chair. He fell asleep quickly. I crawled into the bed and gazed out into the moonless sky. The stars shone weakly and I could hear the sea muttering to itself quietly. I knew that it had probably been a month since that fateful night on the beach. My sisters might be human as I lay in bed thinking and I would never even know. I bolted upright for fear of missing my sisters and ran outside. It was dark but I knew the way from my home to the beach. I crouched down on the top of the hill and sure enough, Dubheasa and Allana sat on the sand whispering quietly. A few others were milling around the beach aimlessly. I walked down the hill as slowly and as quietly as possible and tapped Allana’s damp shoulder. She turned around and her eyes widened and a huge smile lit her slender face. Dubheasa turned and glared. Something inside of me broke but I kept smiling. “Aurnia, hello!! We’ve missed you! You’re coming home soon right? It’ll be birthing night soon and we have to be there to help the babies.” My smile faded. “Allana, it might be a while before I come back.” Her smile disappeared as well. “But Aurnia, you promised that you’d teach me how to spin when I jump. I might never learn and Dubheasa is too grumpy to teach me!! Plus, Alphonsus is thinking of taking us somewhere else where there are no people.” My world spiraled out of control. I had counted on my sisters being here waiting for me to find my skin. But then again, Allana did exaggerate a lot so maybe, she was exaggerating now. I shakily exhaled and Allana frowned. “You know, as soon as you woke up the morning after he took you, you should’ve been searching for your pelt. Now we may never see you again. I’ll try to convince Alphonsus to let us stay until you find it. I also think it’s strange that you’ve fallen in love with him, but, it’s not my business.” I couldn’t believe what sweet Allana was saying. She sounded just like Dubheasa. Rage bubbled up inside of me. I forced it down but then I saw my sisters exchange a meaningful look and a snicker. That put me over the edge. “I can not believe you two!! We are a family! We are supposed to support each other! Do you think I wanted all of this to happen to me?!?! You know that if one of you two were in my position I’d stand by you and support you all the way. But I’m going to be the bigger person here and leave you to your silly games.” My voice broke at the end and I gave them the hardest look I could muster and then a sob exploded from my mouth. My sisters looked genuinely shocked. I turned around and trotted back up the hill. My shoulders heaved and the wind gently caressed my cheeks, trying to dry my tears. It died down after a futile attempt at doing so. I had never thought this would make my sisters angry at me. I should have been more careful that night. But, if I hadn’t, I never would’ve met Ailin. I ran blindly in the dark but found my way back to the cottage. I collapsed on my bed and cried myself to sleep.
Ailin let me sleep in but, I woke up feeling empty inside.. He must’ve been able to tell I’d had a late and ruthless night. Ailin looked extremely concerned. I tried to smile but then it quickly vanished as I fell deeper and deeper into my own black pit of despair. My sisters were angry and were ganging up on me and the rest of the Selkies might not ever return to the island. Ailin opened his mouth as if to say something and then closed it. I got up and the cottage whirled around me. I couldn’t live like this anymore. I loved Ailin but I was trapped here on the land. I shivered and collapsed into my chair. My thoughts still raced. Why couldn’t my sisters have been happy for me? If this is how it will go then I don’t need them. This last thought made my breathing become ragged and all I could think about was the glinting sea just out of reach. Ailin said something but I couldn’t hear him clearly. It was like listening to him speak through a wall. It was muffled. He said it again and finally I could hear again. “Keela love what’s wrong? You need to tell me. I don’t want you pining. It may break my heart and I hope you’ll feel something but I just want you to be happy.” I shook my head and he looked relieved. Black dots swam in my vision and then I slumped in my chair.
***
He stared unbelieving at the crumpled heap that was Keela. What had happened that had made her do this? When he had woken up, Keela had been in bed, her faced pinched with worry even in her sleep. He had thought it may have been a bad dream so he’d let her sleep in. This had to be far more serious than a nightmare. He paced the floor and finally came to his senses and forced some beer down her throat. His mother had done the same when he was young whenever he had a fever. Keela stirred and murmured. He grinned at her and determined he would ask her what happened when she felt better.
***
A few hours later my depression was gone and I was just happy my little spell was over. Ailin tread lightly around the house and seemed afraid that if I had to lift a finger it would come back. He made potato soup from his own garden. It was very different from his famous mutton stew as it had many more savory potatoes and was seasoned differently. I ate quietly but Ailin rambled on about the weather, gossip he’d heard in town, anything but the sea. Then finally he asked, “What happened to you Keela?” I dropped my spoon on the table and thought about how to tell him without upsetting him too much. “Ailin, it’s been a month since you captured me and my pelt.” He winced. I continued, “I knew my sisters would coast so last night I went down to the beach. They were there but they were angry at me and hurt my feelings. I was extremely sad because my sisters are mad at me and….” I trailed off. He nodded and said nothing of it for the rest of the night.
The next morning I woke up humming the song that had woven itself into my dreams. Ailin was letting the sheep out and milking the goat. I sang to myself and cut up some carrots and potatoes for whatever meal we would make later today. It was cloudy outside and the breeze that came through the window chilled me to the bone. I put on my white dress and draped a warm brown shawl around my shoulders. Ailin rushed into the cottage shivering violently. He put a coat on and listened to the song that I still sang. Then he brought his violin out and played the same soothing song I had just been singing. I laughed with surprise. “We’ll call it Keela’s song.” He put his violin down and then came over and chucked my chin. “You know love, for these past few weeks I haven’t only been fishing. I have a surprise for you!!” I smiled thinking it was a pretty piece of jewelry. He tied one of my aprons around my head to make a sort of blind fold. He led me out of the cottage and into the howling wind. We journeyed until I felt the violent rocking of the boat underneath my feet. I gingerly sat down. The waves were very rough and my heart raced, fearing that the waves would be the killer ones from my horrible dream. Before long, the boat scraped the land and I stepped out of the boat. We trudged up a steep slope and then, he took the apron off. In front of me was a pretty white washed cottage with an empty flower bed in front of it. It was the cottage I had imagined the day Ailin had proposed to me. I clapped my hands with glee. Ailin gestured at the door and I stumbled inside. I immediately was in a little room with a stove and a large table. There were drawers on one of the walls containing spices among other things. There was a doorway which led to a bedroom with a big window overlooking the sea. Giddily, I opened the dresser and was surprised to find three beautifully made dresses. I carefully closed the drawer containing them and spotted another doorway. This was also a small bedroom. There was one final doorway leading to a little room with two chairs in it. This room had a huge window that took up most of the wall covered in glass. I knew that even a small amount of glass costed an arm and a leg. I noticed a rectangular outline on the opposite wall. Suddenly, spun me around and said, “That’s a secret doorway into the kitchen. Do you like it?” I giggled and replied, “Ailin, I love it!!! Thank you so much! Why did you do this? It must’ve cost you a fortune!!” Ailin smirked and mumbled, “That’s my little secret.” I hugged him. He continued, “We come here as much as you’d like. We could even live here if I sold the house and built a new barn or shed. It’ll take a while but it’ll be much better than living in that other tiny thing.”
“Oh Ailin let’s live here!! You don’t even have to sell the old one in case you go into town and it’s stormy and you can’t make it back.” He nodded thoughtfully. I threw my arms around him again.