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She was watching the ocean again. Her dark hair gently flowed about her bare shoulders as she rested atop the smooth surface of a large rock that overlooked the tides. It wasn’t so high that she couldn’t reach the water with her feet. She slowly kicked them back and forth with the waves, her toes skimming across the foam before submerging in a tiny whirlpool. Her black eyes were caught by the far-off gray shapes that leapt from the sea and soared in a perfect arch before diving back beneath the deep blue.
Ben knew his little sister missed being a selkie. Saoirse hid it well most days but he knew. He was her big brother after all, the best big brother ever; how could he not know?
Well…that, and he knew enough about loss to recognize when someone was struggling with the pain of it.
He stood and turned away from the light house balcony. The family sheepdog, Cu, wagged his tail a few times but remained in the shady spot in which he laid, sadly not being one to move about much anymore. Ben paused to rub the dog’s shaggy ears, then dashed down the stairs to his bedroom. He easily found what he was looking for on a shelf and scooped it up from beside a framed photo of his family.
Saoirse hadn’t moved since Ben had first spotted her. The sand crunched beneath his sandals as he crossed the beach and climbed up onto the rock next to her. She finally drew away from her mournful fascination and looked at her brother. A small smile touched her face.
Ben settled down, smiling back. He took a moment to admire the ocean too, breathing in the strong salty air he’d known all his life. Sea gulls called from above. He glanced at his sister, who’d returned to staring after the distant figures swimming. This wasn’t just about loosing her seal skin. “I’m sure she misses you too, you know,” he said. “Wherever she is, she’s thinking about you. I know it.”
Saoirse looked down at her feet, now lulling without resistance to the will of the sea’s waves. Despite being ten now, she still didn’t speak much. There was nothing wrong with her though, and she wasn’t exactly shy either. She was generally a very playful person actually, even around strangers. She just seemed to prefer to save her words. Whenever she did speak, Ben could always count on her to be genuine.
Her soft voice joined the soothing sympathy of the beach. “She misses you too, Ben. And Daddy.”
A small pang ached in his chest, dulled only by acceptance of the loss and the joy of what still remained. Unlike his sister, he hadn’t been born with any special powers. However when he remembered the way his mother would hug and cuddle him, nuzzling his face with kisses, he felt certain she hadn’t cared about that in the slightest. He was her son, selkie or not. And Saoirse was his sister, selkie or not.
“Well.” He cleared his throat, blinking back tears. “How about we send her a message?” He held up and showed her the conch shell their mother had given to him all those years ago. Her eyes widened and she nodded, grinning.
He brought the shell up to his lips and blew into it, his fingers finding the small holes along its side. Saoirse inhaled deeply and began to sing. Together they sent a melody across the ocean, over the distant lands, and into the world of the fey where a woman in white shining fir stood in the waves listening with a tearful smile.
The end