Selkie Story Cont.

We got back to his cottage a while later. He told me that he was going to put the sheep out. I watched him in the doorway as he opened the barn door and the sheep wandered out. They trotted off and he came back inside. “What’d you like to do Keela? You can swim if you’d like or…. Maybe I could teach you how to make my signature mutton stew.” I thought for a moment and said, “I would be very happy if I could swim. Once I’m done I’d love to learn to make stew.” He nodded and gestured towards the hills, the only things separating me and the sea. I smiled gratefully and ran off.
The cool wind was exhilarating and the thought of swimming filled me with new found hope. I was still wearing my blue dress but it wouldn’t get ruined as it was woven with water and magic. I waded out to my waist and ducked underwater. Although I was stuck in my human form, I could still hold my breath as long as a seal could and the salty water didn’t affect my eyes. I swam out further until the coasting rocks were specks in the distance and waited. I heard my sweet sister Allana’s voice in my head. She was excited that I was in the water. A moment later, her red head appeared in front of me and she started singing a happy song. I grabbed one of her flippers and we quickly descended. We approached the bottom and I began to see black spots. My human form couldn’t take it. I franticly kicked my legs and then…. Nothing.

***
Keela had been gone for a very long time. Ailin got on his horse and rode to the beach. As soon as he got there he hopped off and slapped it on the rump. It took off towards the barn. He scanned the water hoping to see something that would let him know that she was alive and/or hadn’t found her pelt. He saw a reddish seal swimming close to the beach. He noticed that it had something clinging to its flipper. He waded out to it and saw that Keela was clinging to its flipper though she was unconscious. He pried her hands off and picked her up out of the water. The seal barked once and swam away. He swam back to the sand and mustered all of his strength. Then he adjusted his hold on Keela and ran up the hill and to the cottage. He set her on the cot and started up the fire.

***
I woke up sputtering and coughing up water. The cottage was warm but the bed was damp from my wet dress. Ailin was sitting by the fire looking worried. I cleared my throat and rasped, “Where can I change clothes?” He smiled and gestured towards a small room which I took to be a bedroom. I saw that my clothing was on the edge of the bed. I took the bundle and went into the bedroom. I put on the white dress and my apron and put the rest of my dresses into a drawer in the back of the room. I came out and again was met with the sudden, but delicious smell of stew. I smiled to myself and sat at the small table by the fire. He set down two bowls and some bread and sat down with me. “Keela, why were you out so far? It’s lucky that the seal saved you.” I swallowed my mouthful of stew and responded, “I wanted to be out with my sisters. They don’t come near the shore very often so I went to them. That seal was my younger sister Allana. Also, my name is Aurnia. You may call me whichever name you please.”
“I’d forgotten for a moment that you were a Selkie. Aurnia is a lovely name but, I think I like the name Keela. You are quite beautiful.”
“Thank you. I suppose you are handsome for a human.” I finished my bowl and scraped my bread around the inside to get the last few drops. “Speaking of names, does the horse I rode today have a name?” I asked. He shook his head. “Well good then because I just thought of one. I think his name should be Breacan.” Ailin laughed. “I wonder why I didn’t think of that!!” I grinned. Breacan meant “freckled”. I turned and glanced out the window. It was dark. “So I suppose you’ll have to teach me to make stew tomorrow since I wasted your time being unconscious.”
“I suppose I will, Keela.” He gave me a lop sided grin and took my empty bowl. I took my apron off and slung it over my chair. “Good night, Ailin.” I whispered.
“Good night, Keela.”
I curled up in the bed and fell asleep immediately.

“Keela? Keela wake up. Come on Keela the sun is already half way across the sky!!” I rubbed my eyes. “I’m so sorry Ailin!! You should’ve woken me sooner!” I sprang out of bed. He shrugged. Suddenly, a smile lit up his face. “I think you should try to make the stew with no instructions. I’ll set all of the ingredients out but you’ll have to experiment.” He chuckled. “Alright Ailin. I’ll do it.” He got busy in the kitchen nook and I tied my apron around my waist. I was sure that I would make a mess. I trotted over to our small kitchen and surveyed the ingredients. There was water, flour, some mutton, potatoes, carrots, and thyme. I grabbed the pot and poured the water into it. Then I was completely lost. I added all of the flour that was given to me, dropped a leg of mutton in, and cut up the potatoes and carrots and threw them in too. For a finishing touch I sprinkled a handful of thyme on it and hung my concoction over the fire. Ailin burst out laughing. I shot him a dirty look and then asked, “You go fishing don’t you? Where are the fish you’ve caught?”
“Yes Keela I do. This morning’s fish are by the door outside.” I nodded and walked out the door. I saw the basket of fish and then headed down to the beach. I waded out into the water and tore seaweed from the sandy bottom. I put the pieces into my apron pocket and then moved on to find something sweet that would balance out the saltiness of the fish and seaweed. I wandered up and down the hill and eventually decided to add goat’s milk to my back up supper. I went back up to the cottage and found a large stone to put the seaweed on to dry. Then I went down to the barn and milked the goat. Somehow I knew how to do that much. I hauled the bucket of milk up the hill and grabbed the seaweed. I put it all in the cottage and then went back outside to get two gutted fish. I went in and found another cooking pot hidden away in the corner. I cut the fish up and sliced the seaweed. I poured in milk and water and plopped my other ingredients in. I set this over the fire also.

A bit later, the sun was setting and my stews were ready. Ailin took a bite of the mutton stew and his eyes watered. I ate some of mine and gagged. We laughed and pushed it to the side and moved on to my other stew. I slurped some and was in awe. It was amazing, combining the land and sea. Ailin sampled his and smiled. “This is delicious Keela.” I laughed and we ate the rest in silence in silence.

That night I couldn’t sleep. I thought about my mother. I wondered if she was still here somewhere. I would ask Ailin about her tomorrow. Her name was Niamh. She had been named after a daughter of a sea god that the humans had worshipped. I also really needed to find my pelt. The thought nagged at me throughout the night and made me feel sad for whatever reason.

“Ailin?”
“Yes?”
“Is there a woman on this island named Niamh?”
He stopped mending his fishing net and stared at me. “Why do you wish to know Keela?”
“She’s my… well she’s my mother.” His eyes narrowed for an instant but he quickly made his expression neutral.
“I’ll tell you a story, Keela. About thirteen years ago, a fisherman named Neil O’Mardiggan saw a strange woman on the beach. She had the dark hair and eyes of a Selkie so he searched the rocks and beach for her pelt. He found it in a small cave. As soon as he touched it, the woman wailed loud enough that the whole island could hear it. Neil could hear her saying something about her daughters between sobs but he wasn’t about to just let her go free. He took her back to his home and they lived a fairly normal life except for Niamh wasn’t ever truly happy. She got tired easily and often but could always be found gazing out the window in the direction of the sea. Neil told me she always talked about her beautiful daughters over supper. She pined for the sea and Neil didn’t know what to do. He was too selfish to understand that she needed to go back. One stormy evening, Neil walked into the house and Niamh was singing a haunting song that was depressing and happy at the same time. She died of sadness that evening.” I thought about it and for some reason, I wasn’t surprised. We had all assumed she’d either died or had just never found her pelt. I used to think that she’d gone of her own accord but, it had just been a fantasy. My eyes stung and Ailin got down on his knees and held my hand. “I’m so sorry Keela. I shouldn’t have told you.”
No it wasn’t a problem. It’s better now that I know the truth.” I quickly wiped my eyes. He rose and asked, “What would you like to do today?” I really wanted to go swimming again but I didn’t want him to be worried about me.
“Why don’t we go on a picnic?” He smiled broadly at my thought.
“Sounds lovely. We’ll take some of your stew and wear our best clothes. I have the perfect place to have it.” It sounded amazing so I quickly ran into the bedroom and put my “coasting” dress on. I then searched for a basket and a satchel for the stew. I poured the stew into the satchel and put a few chunks of bread in the basket. I figured that we could find fruit or edible flowers wherever we were going to I saved a space for those. Ailin came out of the room wearing a clean white shirt, good trousers and shiny boots. We smiled at each other and I picked up the picnic basket. We walked down to a small cove near the beach and got into a little row boat. We pushed off and were cutting through the glassy water. I looked down into the water and wished I was swimming along side the boat. Ailin seemed to read my mind. “Go ahead lassie. Please be careful.” I smiled gratefully and jumped into the water. It was cold but I didn’t mind. Something nudged me from behind. I whirled around and saw Dubheasa’s dark eyes. We both surfaced for air and she “oorfed” gleefully. We swam in the small wake of the boat and although I was not a seal, I was blissfully happy. We approached a small green island and Dubheasa left. I hoisted myself into the boat and Ailin got out and tied the boat to a sharp rock. After that, we waded in to the warm sand. The tiny island was just a few hills and a beach. We trudged up a hill and sat on the top. Luckily, Ailin had remembered bowls so I poured what I had decided to call “Selkie stew” into them. It was cold but delicious all the same. I saved my bread for later and then got up and danced around. Ailin laughed and joined in. We did a quick jig and fell to the ground giggling like children. “This was a good place to picnic Ailin.” I sang.
“Thank you Keela. Maybe I’ll build us a cottage here if you like it so.” I thought it was a wonderful idea but we weren’t even married yet!! And what was I thinking, marrying my captor. But the picture of a little cottage on the highest hill here stayed in my mind. I imagined it with three whole bedrooms and a proper kitchen area. The outside would be painted white. My daydream was interrupted by Ailin saying, “Keela! Keela!! I said would you marry me?"


Weird twist right??

A Dream

I had this freaky dream on Monday and somehow I still remember it so I have to write it down. First of all you should know I have an extreme fear of sharks.

So it started with Princess Kate talking about how she was tired of everyone wanting to know who her best friends were. Then all of a sudden I was walking down a hill with Prince Harry, Prince William and Princess Kate. Then, we wound up at a beach. We were swimming with our professional shark watcher(when you're royal and in a dream I suppose you get luxuries like that). All of a sudden, the shark watcher was screaming at us to get out of the water and I looked over and there was a shark very close to us. We scrambled out of the water and saw a woman with short brown hair and two girls. One had curly blond hair I don't really remember what the other one looked like. We yelled at them to get out of the water so they did. As they were wading to the beach I noticed that their eyes were black. Then, another transition.

I was practicing casting a fishing line with some kid and then again (!) I was somewhere else. I was sitting at a picnic bench under a tree by the lake. Mack was with me. I saw shark fins in the water and the shark people appeared. The blond one was holding a bowl of tiny puppies. Mack and I ran and passed a park. I could sense the shark lady was close but was in shark form. (Weird right?)I collapsed on a park bench and Mack barked and tried to bite my hand. I think I woke up after that but... I can't be certain. I just thought I'd share my wacky scary dream with all of you.

A Selkie Story

Lately I've been looking at a lot of irish mythology. Anything from Finn McCool who helped shape Ireland, to changelings, deformed fairy children that took the place of a stolen human baby. But my favorite by far is the Selkie, a seal that can shed it's skin and become a human. Ever since I first saw the movie, the Secret of Roan Inish, I've been fascinated by the tale of the Selkies. So, I decided to start my own Selkie story. Here is what I have so far. Tell me what you think.


I glided through the water, brushing against the occasional stray seal searching for fish farther from the rest of the Selkies. I saw my sisters shoot me looks but I didn’t heed them. I wanted to space myself from the rest. I was a unique Selkie. Most of us had dark speckled or white coats. I had a coat the color of the sunlight a few hours before it got dark, a hazy golden color. When I was born everyone visited my mother just to look at me. Soon, everyone got used to my unusual pelt. I wasn’t such a novelty anymore. But I still liked to have a while to myself to think. I went to more shallow water and snatched a few fish. Then, my thinking session began.

Today, everyone had been acting restless. That was because at sunset, some of us would shed our skins and become human for a night. We called this night “The Coasting” There was always a risk of being spotted but that has only happened once. My sisters and I, and a few other seals would make the trip to the island. This would be my second time. I also thought about my name and my mother. She had named me Aurnia meaning “golden lady” and soon after my younger sister was born she went ashore one night and disappeared. My sisters both had names that had nothing to do with being human. My older sister was Dubheasa which meant “dark beauty” and my little sister was Allana which meant “dear child”. I was always puzzled about my name. I swam to the surface and took a deep breath of the crisp, salty air. I heard a bark and saw Dubheasa’s dark head in the distance. It was time to go back.
I cut through the glittering water and surfaced beside Dubheasa. Allana appeared out of no where and brushed against me. Together we shot under the water and found ourselves with the other Selkies. We all simultaneously made a circle and in the middle was Alphonsus, our leader. He gazed at everyone in turn and began to speak.
“Brothers, sisters, tonight some of us will go to the island for “The Coasting”. Let us hope that their pelts will stay unseen and they will return to us at dawn. Allana will be going for her first time this night, and I hope she enjoys the experience. Already the water is darkening with the setting sun. Those who are going may go.” With that the other seals shifted and swam off leaving us to go. With a last look at their retreat we swam to some rocks right off the coast of the island. Even moody Dubheasa looked excited for the night ahead. We dragged ourselves onto the rocks. I sat on my rocks for a moment and then felt the eerie sensation of my skin loosening. My flippers changed into hands and my tail into legs. I shed the rest of my skin and shoved it into a narrow gap between two rocks and ran onto the shore. I saw the others do the same. I found my secret hole where I put my human clothes and took out a soft, flowy dress the color of the sea. I put it on and twirled about wildly on the sand. Dubheasa walked calmly by the edge of the water. Her moonlight colored dress showed off her dark hair and eyes. I saw that Allana had found her sea foam green gown and was picking flowers a distance away. A sigh of content escaped my lips and I began to dance. The music was the pounding of the surf and I felt free.
***

He heard laughter. He rowed his boat closer and saw beautiful people on the beach. Most were dark and quiet but one had golden hair and was laughing and dancing. He had a feeling they weren’t islanders. His boat scraped the rocks near the beach and the dark ones ran into the water and grabbed things off the rocks. He knew at once they were Selkies. The fair one continued dancing with her eyes closed. He scanned the rocks and saw something sticking out of a crevice between some rocks next to him. He got out of the boat and pulled the thing out. It was soft and supple, like new leather. He stroked it and heard a gasp.

***

I heard a loud gasp and immediately stopped dancing. My sisters and the others were in the water clutching their skins. There was a man standing on the rocks holding mine. I heard some one screaming desperately and realized it was me. The man approached me and I fell to my knees, silent tears streaming from my eyes. He knelt in front of me and cupped my chin in his hand so I had to look in his eyes.
“You’re very pretty. My name is Ailin. Will you please come with me?” Ailin’s voice was lulling and deep, the voice of a story teller. I stood up and let him lead me up the hill. Before we went any further I turned around and gazed at the ocean, my home, and saw my sisters looking up at me. They began to sing a wordless song full of sadness and anger. Then they shifted to their seal forms and swam away. I walked banshee-like with Ailin and we finally made it to a small cottage on a cliff. He turned to me and said,
“This is my home. It’s not much but it’ll do. What’s your name by the way?” If I knew anything it was not to give this man my name. I stared at him blankly.
He cleared his throat. “Alright then, I’ll call you Keela.” I blushed as Keela means “beauty only poetry can describe” but I quickly turned my gaze to the ocean. We made our way up to the cottage and he let me in first. It was warm and homey. I heard stew bubbling over the fire and was met with an intoxicating smell. Ailin came in and took out two bowls. He poured a bit of stew into each and handed one to me. I took it and breathed deeply. He dropped a spoon into my bowl. No one had told me what to do if my pelt got taken. I wasn’t sure whether or not to eat his food. He noticed that I wasn’t eating.
“I’m not going to hurt you Selkie girl. Would you rather have something else?” I shook my head and took a sip. It was delicious so I downed the whole bowl. “Where am I to sleep?” He thought for a moment and answered, “I’ll move my cot to over by the window and you can sleep on that. I’ll sleep outside or on the floor if you wish.” I nodded and he moved the bed at once. I crawled into it and he sat in a chair by the fire. I fell asleep to the sounds of the waves and the fire crackling.


***
They swam as fast as they ever had before. They found the rest of the Selkies and Dubheasa raced up to Alphonsus.
“You are all back early I see. Something is amiss.”
Dubheasa cried, “A man found….. he found Aurnia’s pelt!! She’s gone!” Dubheasa began to cry, seal tears mixing with the dark water. Alphonsus’ eyes narrowed. The rest of the clan went into an uproar. There was anxious swimming and confused barking. Allana swam over to Dubheasa. “How will we get Aurnia back?” She asked. Alphonsus thought for a moment and answered, “I’m afraid we can not. It is too risky for us to coast again and find her pelt for her without ours being found also. What we can do is watch over her from the sea and sing to her.” Allana ducked her head and suddenly, everyone was crying. Aurnia would be greatly missed. Their anguished cries rose and fell with the waves.

***
I rose before the sun. The air was filled with chillingly sad cries and songs. I realized it was for me and I wept openly. I needed to see my people, my family so I tore out of the cottage and over the hill. I got tired quickly and slowed. The grass tickled my shins as I made my way to the beach where I last saw my sisters. The singing got louder and I sat on the damp sand. I thought I could make out the sleek hides of the Selkies leaping over the waves. I recognized the song. It was the one we had sung when my mother had disappeared. I began to sing along but adding my own notes of despair to the tune. I sang with them until the sun rose and they stopped to carry on with their lives. I might not ever chase after a silvery fish in the deep or talk to my sisters again. That’s how Ailin found me. Sitting on the sand crying about my old life. He sat next to me and rubbed my back which soon soothed me. Then he told me that today we would go into town and he would buy me new clothes and anything else that I wanted. I stood up and he took me to the barn that I hadn’t seen nestled into the hill facing his home. He had three horses and some sheep. He saddled a black one and a white one speckled brown. He lifted me onto the white one and the he sat on the black one. He gently tapped his with his heels and I did the same. We raced through the hilly country side and made it to a small town. We rode up to a small hut and got off. I went in and was met with clothes of every kind. I picked out a white dress, a brown one, a black one, an apron and some shoes that looked like ones that I’d seen the ladies in the town wearing. Ailin stepped into the hut and gave a pretty woman in the back a few coins. I folded my clothes and put them into my saddle bag. I got back onto my horse and Ailin followed suit. “Is there anything else you’ll be wanting?” I shook my head and nudged my horse.

Summer

A sickly hot breeze rushes by,
racing against a girl gliding down the street
swerving round parked cars and street litter,
the wheels of her rollerblades
murmuring softly all the while.
The breeze relents
leaving her with the dry heat of the summer air.

She hikes up a mountain with her family
and at the top,
Ashes of a much-loved dog are sprinkled
in inspirational places.
Silent tears fall from her eyes-
and everyone else's
And they know
Sweet Sara is happy
in her favorite place.

It rains and she waits
for the bobber to disappear
underneath the water,
a tell-tale sign
of an unlucky fish
taking the bait.

Memories of fun with friends,
a homey camper,
games with sisters,
trips to the mountains,
family outings
All dance in her head.

So she takes out a pen and writes,
And summer comes to an end.

A Quote for Today

"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough."
-Rabindranath Tagore

Very inspirational. Where is this guy from??? Strange name but great quotes. :)

I want to marry Prince Harry.

Oh, and I got a haircut today.

I Found A Quote!

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."
-Khalil Gibran

I really like this one. Sometimes when I can't sleep I think about this quote and it makes me more relaxed. Weird right? But it works. :D

No Quote

There's sooo many quotes!! It was taking too long to find one I liked so instead, here is a poem.

The Genetian Weaves Her Fringes
Emily Dickinson

The genetian weaves her fringes,
The maple's loom is red.
My departing blossoms
Obviate parade.

A brief, but patient illness,
An hour to prepare;
And one, below this morning,
Is where the angels are.

It was a short procession,--
The bobolink was there,
An aged bee addressed us,
And then we knelt in prayer.

We trust that she was willing,--
We ask that we may be.
Summer, sister, seraph,
Let us go with thee!

And in the name of the bee
And of the butterfly
And of the breeze, amen!