Post by Yuliya on Dec 5, 2007 20:52:43 GMT -5
Beckon the Sea
This story was inspired by Terri Farley's Seven Tears Into the Sea
Diving seagulls echoed calls as the evening settled into a chilly night, calling out to the crashing waves that slammed themselves against the glistening sands. Dawn Merryheart leaned against the smooth boards of their deck that looked over the glimmering ocean. Her sea-green eyes were attached to the setting sun, which threw out lashes of red light like a fire-breathing dragon. She loved the sun with a burning passion, and although she wasn’t afraid of the dark, it was her enemy, a ferocious beast that wouldn’t be tamed, one that would never leave her alone. Her strawberry blonde hair, pale pink with streaks of gold, hung frayed about her waist like the innocent sunrise that would creep over the eastern mountains behind her. She tilted her head as the last blazing sliver of sun slipped behind the dark, midnight blue ocean. Now that the sun was gone, there was no purpose for her being anywhere other than her snug bed.
Slipping through the door, she stealthily sneaked up the stairs, hoping to avoid the beckoning of her parents to stay up longer. At the top of these stairs, her steps stopped slinking. She needed only to take down the old ladder to her third-floor attic bedroom and then she would be safe. However, hearing the soft mew of her chubby Siamese cat caused her to pause and let the creature bound up her stairs. She sighed as she gazed at her small yet cozy bedroom, the furnace under the window, the curtains with white birds on them…She opened her window to let the salty breeze in to lull her to sleep. Add a warm, purring cat, and it equaled her instant snoozing.
“Cast your eyes on the ocean, cast your soul to the sea, when the dark night seems endless, please remember me.” Dawn gasped as she sat up in bed, as if electrocuted. It was midnight…he was gone. She slipped out of bed and went to the window. As she breathed heavily, it all came back.
Cold water splashed beneath Dawn’s already freezing feet. She was lost, on the beach, at night. She was nine. She didn’t even bother to count the tears that fell from her eyes like shimmering glass. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…seven. Seven tears into the sea. Crying out in pain, she fainted into the salty waters. She barely noticed as warm, strong arms lifted her into a tight embrace.
“You’re cold,” he whispered silkily into her chilled ears.
“I’m…I’m not cold,” she chattered. He smirked slightly as he hugged her tighter. Just then, a light shined on the jagged cliff above them.
“Seven years,” he murmured, stepping over the barnacle studded rocks to bring her to the stairs up the rocks.
“You’re…you’re bleeding,” said Dawn so quietly he could barely hear. Who was he? She didn’t recognize him at all. Coal-black curls, dark eyes, and the grace of a cat, a dolphin. He only grinned. “Who are you?” she inquired. He grinned even bigger as they heard a door slam above.
“Seven years,” he said again, disappearing into the waves.
Dawn remembered it all now. She had never told anyone about the mysterious boy who had saved her from drowning on the beach. She recalled his silky voice. Seven years…that was what he had said. She gasped. She had been nine then, she was sixteen now. Was he back? Was that even what he had meant? She sure hadn’t seen him anywhere since then. She closed her window and climbed back into her bed, where the purring of her cat eventually soothed her back to sleep.
Flaxen rays made their way through the eastern window, opposite to the western window that looked over the ocean. Dawn opened her eyes and was out of bed before her cat, Celtic, knew it. The Siamese yowled angrily as her morning nap had been disturbed.
“Sorry, kitty-cat,” Dawn whispered as she grabbed a woolen shawl to cover her shoulders. Slipping downstairs and out the door, she was a master of stealth. Like every morning, she went out to explore the tide pools, not that anyone knew about it. It was so early in the morning that only a sliver of sun showed over the mountains, but that was enough to enable her safe trip down the slanting stairs.
Today, she had another reason to excitedly race across the cool sands to meet the starfish and anemones that waited for her. She needed to find out who this boy was…She was bitterly disappointed when only a wandering crab was her companion. Sighing, she scrambled up a dark rock to dip her feet in her favorite pool. The anemones tickled her feet and the occasional fish glided past her toes. She was nearly completely relaxed when a warm face said,
“Miss me?”
Dawn jumped up from her sitting spot and splashed into the pool. The boy chuckled behind her. “Who are you?” Dawn asked. When he did nothing, she changed her question to, “What’s your name?”
He leaned back and acquired a face of deep thought. He seemed to trying to think of a name, a name that would suit him…
“How about…Daethir?”
Dawn drew back a little. Why was he saying it like a question? “Daethir?” she repeated.
“Sure, why not?” He closed his eyes and basked in the coming sun for a few moments.
“Why are you here?” Dawn asked, frowning as she put her hand on her hip.
His eyes popped open. “You called me…seven years ago.” Her eyes widened with realization; she was paralyzed. How could she have forgotten? The legend of the selkie: seals who came onto land and shed their skins. The way to call a selkie was to cry seven tears into the sea. “You’re…you’re a selkie!” Dawn shouted.
Daethir did his tomcat grin as he grabbed a mussel and ate it raw. Dawn nearly threw up at the sight, but his dark eyes seeped joy into her heart.
“You can’t be serious…” Dawn tremored as she took a shaky step back. Scared that something terrible would happen and he would turn into a seal and attack her, she turned away and ran back up the path home.
It’s just a dream…just a dream…he’s not a selkie, Dawn thought as she padded up the smooth steps. Her heart was pounding so quickly it threatened to escape her chest.
There’s no way I called a selkie…
The rest of that day passed in fear. Unusually, Dawn stayed inside, avoiding the ocean at all cost. Every moment she feared Daethir’s face would appear in the windows. She was avoiding him, yet, more than anything, she wanted to go to him. She had heard many stories of selkie wives and husbands, and she had always promised herself that if it ever happened to her that she wouldn’t get obsessed. But it was like a disease. The only distraction from her plague was Celtic. She did everything she could with the cat. She played with string, mice, catnip, she cleaned her litter box, and she even gave her a bath. When the time came, she didn’t even go out to watch the sunset. She only casually left to her room. Collapsing onto the bed, she didn’t even notice that her window was open.
A warm breeze met her ear and yet again she bolted from her sleep. In an instant, she was at the window looking out, but she could see nothing. Yet she didn’t pause to try and interpret it all. She was already out the door. Her movement was silent, yet it was quick as lightning. However, when she was out the door, fear incased her. Darkness, her one true enemy.
But I have to see him… she thought, pounding down the stairs. Hitting the beach, her steps slowed. There he was, walking out into the waves, his black sealskin in his hands. Stepping out onto the sand, she nearly cried out when she saw what was under her feet. Every time she placed a foot down, something below her glowed, like they were alive.
“Daethir!” she called out, nearly crying as she thought she was too late. Her heart sang out when she saw his figure pause and turn towards her. Running like a horse racing for its life, she made her way across the sands and into his arms. Lifting her face from where it was nuzzled in his chest she stammered,
“What the legends say can’t be true, it can’t be.” He lifted one hand to raise her chin so he could look into her glassy eyes.
“I’m afraid it is. I can only come back every seven years.”
“Unless I take your skin, but then you would hate me,” she managed to get out as tears flooded her throat.
“No I wouldn’t, I’ll always love you.” Dawn looked up into his playful black eyes. He so loving, so willing to do anything she wanted. But she also saw freedom; she couldn’t take that away from him. Standing on tiptoe, she leaned over to whisper into her ear,
“You belong to the sea.” Under the iridescent light of the moon, he gave her one last squeeze. He turned away and walked out into the open ocean. Dawn watched his silhouette until it disappeared.
Dawn didn’t cry, she only watched the always-serene ocean that reflected the dark night sky.
“When the dark night seems endless, please remember me,” she recalled. Suddenly, the dark didn’t seem like an enemy anymore.
