- By Susan Lin
- Around Town
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Alana was the cause of all this talk amongst the mortals. A full-grown seal with silvery skin, one silver whisker, and large brown eyes, Alana was one of the more beautiful selkies. She would often swim with her two friends in the sea and come upon shore at night. Always near her clan, Alana felt safe and content with wandering occasionally with her friends.
One day, they heard a fierce storm from the south would come their way. Disappointed because the night held a full moon, the only time for shedding skin, Alana decided to persuade her friends into going ashore for a few hours before the storm arrived. First, the three selkies made sure no man was within viewing range. They danced and sang happily until a loud rumble thundered in the distance. Running to the edge of the water, the three maidens searched for their skins. By that time, rain was pouring down cold and hard, making it difficult to see. Two of them found their skins, transformed back into seals, and scurried to the sea, all except Alana.
A fisherman, fishing nearby when the storm hit, hurried back to his home when he slipped on something silver. He held it up, soft as silk, and recognized it as seal skin. Musing from where it came, he looked up and saw a woman’s figure. Sensing his presence, Alana knew what happened. She turned to him, wind and rain against her, and saw her life in the hands of a man. The pit of her stomach went cold, a frozen shiver went down her spine as she looked longingly to the man, hoping to somehow soften his heart. His unfeeling eyes said all she needed to know.
“Follow me,” the man said harshly.
As he commanded, Alana followed him, for all creatures knew that a selkie without her skin was like a slave. Thinking of her future made her feel helpless and alone. Silently following the man through the storm, all thoughts of her fate were bitterly clear.
Walking on a trail that seemed endless, they finally reached a small dreary cabin made of stone and wood. Alana was led into a dark room with a mat on the floor for a bed. Hearing the wind howling over the sea, Alana fell into a restless sleep. Waking up before dawn, she left the cabin and headed towards shore. Looking out to sea, she saw two seals singing of sorrow and loss. Realizing that she wouldn’t have friends or family anymore, Alana remembered something.
“There is a legend, a legend existing only in this family for generations,” her mother spoke in a hushed tone. “A legend that your great-great-grandfather was a merrow. A merman as mortals call them. Though merrows are hideous creatures, they are gentle with a bit of resistance within them that they often try to conceal. That’s why you have the silver whisker. It’s the last physical feature left of your great-great-grandfather’s blood. When you are a maiden, it will be a strand of silver hair. Our family is unique, we can resist mortals when we want, unlike the other selkies. Treasure your blood my child, for it can help you face future enemies.”
Alana was just a mere toddler at the time her mother spoke of the legend. Absentmindedly, Alana stroked her silver strand of hair. As the Sun peaked over the horizon, Alana realized that she must head back to her mortal imprisonment before they started to search.
Trudging back to the cabin, Alana muttered to herself, “I will not be forced to be a wife, mother or anything to do with mortals.”
Keeping this in her mind, she arrived at the cabin to the fisherman coming out in a fury, thinking she was gone.
“Where have you been?!” he yelled. Alana quickly observed the man in front of her. Her was tall, well built, with brown hair, young, and handsome.
“I went to shore to see my old life,” Alana replied calmly with a bit of sorrow.
“Well...I forbid you to do that anymore, you are mine now, no one else's!” he yelled again, turning red. Her captor took this time to take note of her appearance. She was average height, with deep dark brown eyes, long brown hair with a silver strand, and a soft complexion.
“What is your name, anyhow?” he continued hastily.
Alana was silent since she didn’t trust him.
“You have to have a name!!” he yelled again.
“Well it’s Alana if you must know!!” she replied with a sharp tongue.
“Alana, what a dull name. Fine, so be it!” the fisherman shot back.
Another man came out of the cabin in a stumble. He had short dark brown hair, a lean build, fair looking and younger than the fisherman. It seemed the shouting had aroused his sleep.
“Thomas, what’s going on? Who is she?” the confused man asked the fisherman.
“Oh! So Thomas is your name, eh?” said Alana tauntingly.
“What do you want Quinn?!” replied Thomas bitterly.
“Well is that how you say good morning to your own brother? Good morning....Alana, right?” Quinn asked.
Alana nodded in affirmation.
“Go away Quinn! We don’t need you now!” Thomas ordered obviously annoyed. “Well all right, but since I believe that she is new, you better be nice and show her around town.” Quinn mockingly walked inside the cabin.
Thomas turned to Alana with an odd look on his face.
“You will stay inside at all times, no one will see you or hear you,” he warned her.
“Fine, but I must be allowed out before dawn so I can go to shore,” Alana tried to compromise.
“Fine, if you behave and stay away from Quinn!” Thomas demanded.
“I’ll speak to whom I want,” Alana turned inside the cabin.
“Good morning again! Say, since my brother obviously won’t take you to town, how about I take you tomorrow?” Quinn asked humbly.
Alana thought this offer over in her mind, and found it to be a good chance to leave forever. ‘Might as well be free and alone than enslaved and alone,’ she thought bitterly to herself.
“I would love to, but I don’t believe your brother would like this,” said Alana.
“Oh, he’s all right, just tense in the morning that’s all. Now, Thomas and I have to get down to the docks for work, you know fishermen. Bye!” Quinn said politely.
Alana watched them leave the cabin’s yard and onto the road. She quickly started devising a plan in her mind. Moving to the kitchen, she rummaged through the cupboard and grabbed bits of bread and cheese. Wrapping them in cloth and putting it in a sack, she hid the sack under her mat where her pillow would have been.
Then a thought struck her. She needed to know where everything was, on the island. Searching through Thomas’s room, she found a map of the island in an old book. The map revealed the island’s geography and some smaller trails. After placing the other books back, Alana studied the map quickly and fervently, trying to memorize all physical features of the island. As the hours went by, Alana had the island’s geography memorized, replaced the book, and headed toward the kitchen to grab a knife for protection in case she encountered unkind creatures. Reaching the kitchen, she heard voices nearing the walkway, apparently arguing about something.
Overhearing the heated conversation between Quinn and Thomas, Alana forgot about the knife.
“I still don’t see why you had to use your salary and buy that wretched thing for her!” Alana recognized Thomas’s voice.
“Thomas, do you really expect that she is going to be honestly happy all alone?” questioned Quinn.
“Well of course! I wouldn’t think that she would need company at all! Her job is to be my wife and give me children!” Thomas spoke in a deadly tone.
The two brothers entered the cabin, and Quinn was holding a cage with a sparrow inside. Closing the knife drawer quietly, Alana stared at the caged bird with a questioning look.
“It’s for you Alana, to keep you company while Thomas and I are down by the dock.” Quinn glanced at Thomas.
“Oh! Well...” She was speechless! She had never received a nice gift before, not from a man. She wondered what to say to Quinn. “Umm, thank you, I’ve never gotten a sparrow before. It’s very thoughtful of you.”
Quinn beamed at her and, sensing his joy, Thomas quickly tried ruining the moment.
“But of course you are going to have to clean it, feed it, and keep it from making noise during the day.” Thomas smirked at Quinn.
The remainder of the night was quiet and Alana named her sparrow Esperer, after learning from Quinn that in French it meant hope. In the middle of the night, with everyone sleeping, Alana crept from her room to the kitchen to retrieve the knife. While sneaking back to her room, the knife fell to the ground, and heard a stir in Thomas’ room. Quickly running back to her room, she put the knife in the sack, and returned to sleep.
The next morning, she and Quinn went to town at noon. Taking her sack and Esperer, she explained that she wanted more information on how to care for him. When Quinn entered a pastry shop for a snack, Alana took off for the nearest trail into the woods. After walking half a mile, she stopped to rest at the trail’s fork. While resting, she tried locating where she was on the map, mentally. With difficulty, Alana realized that the trail that she had taken wasn’t on the map. The map that she had found was probably out of date. Closing her eyes, her senses and instinct led her towards the left trail. After three hours, the trail ended near a beach where waves crashed on large rocks.
Following the rocks, she found a hidden cove deep within the cliffs. Finding higher dry land inside the cove, Alana decided to rest and make that her new home. As she placed her belongings, Alana heard faint voices from above, recognizing them as Thomas and Quinn. Barely understanding what the two were discussing, she knew that they had split in search of her. Quinn rounded the edge of the cliff and he saw the birdcage. To Alana’s surprise, Quinn didn’t shout for Thomas. Alana explained that she couldn’t live with them anymore and knew that Thomas would have forced her to remain. Understanding , Quinn opened his pack and revealed a silver fabric. Looking closer, Alana realized it was her skin and began to cry because her one friend on land was the man who held her freedom. After he explained how he came across it, Quinn consoled Alana and looked at Esperer as he sang. Alana took Esperer gently, looked longingly towards the clear sky and whispered something to the small sparrow before she set him free.
“Esperer is from the wild, and so he deserves to go back to his home, as I should,” said Alana quietly.
“What did you tell him?” Quinn asked gently.
“I told him ‘Treasure your home, for that is where the heart truly lies.’” She turned to her mortal friend, “Good bye Quinn, my dear friend,” she said quietly.
Finishing her words, Alana looked out to sea, transformed back into a seal with a bright light, and dove into the water with a silent splash.
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