Chapter Text
It had been a couple of weeks since they’d moved and Martin was starting to get used to living in a new place. He’d even managed to sneak off down to the beach a couple of times. He’d taken his shoes off and let the waves splash over his feet, feeling the tug of the riptide and how the sand was washed away from under where he stood. He spent a lot of time looking for shells, although most of the ones he found were broken, and he had to be careful not to hurt himself on their jagged edges.
He liked walking on the beach in the morning, before the sun had a chance to burn away the haze of fog rolling in and the crowds of tourists arrived. There were some people, yes, but it was nice to have some time to himself where he could relax. The crashing of the waves, the smell of saltwater, the feeling of sand under his toes... it was so drastically different from where he’d lived before. Then again, with how often Martin moved, he wondered just how long he’d be able to enjoy these moments of peace.
The squawking of seagulls got his attention, snapping him out of his thoughts and making him realize that the sun was now shining overhead. A group of birds surrounded what appeared to be a pile of rope, pecking at it and pushing each other out of the way. Martin stood up, his legs tingling with pins and needles, and made his way over to see what the fuss was about. As he got closer he saw that it wasn’t rope the seagulls were after, it was a net. More accurately, it was what was in the net.
A seal pup blinked up at him, its dark eyes huge from underneath the ropes that held it in place. It let out a bark of pain as one of the birds pecked at its flipper, shooing it away for the moment. It’s fur was grey, with white and black spots all over it. Martin could see wounds from where the rope had rubbed or the seagulls had gotten it. His heart ached for the poor creature.
“Shoo!” He was surprised by how loud he sounded. Martin never yelled, he knew better than to do that. He approached the seal, waving his hands to scare the birds away. “Leave it alone!” The seagulls squawked at being disturbed but flew off, leaving the pup to blink up at him. The expression on its face seemed almost human, like it was confused.
The net was made of rope, and while it wasn’t too heavy for him to lift, it was wrapped around the pup in a manner that suggested it had already tried, and failed, to free itself. A fishing boat must have lost one of their nets and it ended up drifting ashore. This hapless seal had the misfortune to get tangled in it, and Martin was determined to free the pup.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” He tried to make his voice as soothing as possible. He took a step forward but the seal only began to thrash around, eyes wide in fear. “God! Would you just stay still? I’m trying to help you!” It froze, either out of fear or shock Martin wasn’t sure, but it allowed him to get started on untangling the net while it wasn’t moving. There were some areas where he needed to cut the net, using a broken shell to hack through the ropes, being careful not to hurt the pup or himself.
“Done!” After what felt like an hour the seal was out of the net and he gave it a once-over to examine its injuries. There were a few rope burns from the net and several circular wounds from the seagull’s beaks but nothing seemed too deep and the pup didn’t seem bothered by them. Not like Martin could do anything to help, he doubted plasters would do much good. It started to inch towards the water, occasionally using one of its flippers to help drag itself forward. It was an adorable sight, this small seal slowly making its way into the waves, getting covered in sand and leaving a trail behind it. With one final heave it tumbled into the sea. Martin was almost sad to see it go, it had been rather cute.
He sat there, watching the waves crash against the beach, enjoying the smell of saltwater and the wind on his cheeks. He’d helped a seal today, it was almost enough to distract him from what awaited him when he returned home. His mum was bound to scold him, she hated when he brought sand into their small flat, and with the amount sticking to his clothes and feet Martin doubted he’d be able to get most of it off. Besides, she wouldn’t yell at him if she didn’t care about him, right?
Martin wasn’t aware of just when he noticed he was no longer alone. He just looked up to see that the seal was back, and it held a shell in its mouth. Inching forward the pup deposited its prize at his feet before staring at him, almost expectantly. It blinked several times, its dark eyes darting down at the shell and back up at Martin, before using a flipper to push the thing closer.
“Is this for me?” Martin had no idea what was happening. He didn’t know much about seals but he was fairly certain that they didn’t act like this. The pup nodded twice, before letting out a bark, as though in answer. He picked the shell up and examined it. It was about the length of his palm, oval-shaped and grayish on the outside but a shimmery blue inside. He’d seen hundreds of them on the beach, just one of many shells that washed ashore every day, but this one was different. It had been given to him as a gift, from a seal he’d saved. “Thank you, I love it.”
The seal closed its eyes, and Martin swore that it was smiling. It scooted closer, until they were almost face-to-face, before leaning in and pressing its nose to his own, its whiskers tickling his cheeks. He giggled, and the seal pulled its head back, eyes widening as though in surprise. He laughed at the expression on its face, the sound somewhat alien to him. When was the last time he’d laughed? Martin lifted a hand and reached out to the pup, scratching it under the chin. “You are a strange seal, you know that?” It let out a breath, as though sighing in exasperation, before turning around and going back into the water.
It was several days before he was able to visit the beach again. Martin had been right about his mum not liking him coming home coated in sand and smelling of seaweed. She’d refused to let him leave the house so he’d been confined to his room, rereading the same books and wishing he could at least visit the library to check out something on seals.
He still had the shell, tucked away in a shoebox containing all his treasures. Well, treasures might have been pushing it, as there was only a cool-looking rock and a pressed flower in the box. Martin hadn’t been allowed to take much with him for the move, nothing that might remind his mum of the life they’d left behind. It was fine though. His mum was more important than objects, and he would fill this box up with new treasures. Maybe some more shells to go with the one the seal had given him.
Grabbing an old backpack and making a quick lunch Martin headed out of the flat before his mum woke. He’d left her medication next to her bed along with a glass of water and a note letting her know where he was going. She might scold him again, or punish him, but he needed to get out. Inside his room it felt like he was suffocating, even with the windows open. At least he might be able to get a book or something else to do the next time he was confined.
By the time he made it to the beach it was already crowded with tourists, which was understandable since it was a Saturday in August. Plenty of people were desperate to make a few more memories before summer ended, and while Martin couldn’t blame them for wanting to do so it did make it hard for him to find a secluded piece of shoreline where he could be alone. Their chatter was too loud, but the idea of going back into town, where the buildings pressed in on him from all sides, was even less appealing. He tried to control his breathing as he searched, to not get overwhelmed.
He somehow managed to find a spot he thought was less crowded than anywhere else, there were only a few towels laid out on the sand and the people lying on them seemed to be either sunbathing or asleep. It was at the end of the beach, next to an outcropping of rocks that stretched out into the water. He watched the waves crash against them, the sea spray gently misting his face as he focused on calming his racing heart. Shutting his eyes Martin took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of salt and seaweed. As he exhaled he let his toes dig into the sand, trying to ground himself.
Something cold pressed up against his leg, and upon opening his eyes Martin saw, to his surprise, a seal pup sitting by his feet. He blinked, not entirely sure just what was happening. It was definitely the same one he’d saved a few days earlier. It had the same wounds, and to his relief they seemed to be healing just fine. Had it just happened to be nearby and wanted to say hello? Did seals do that?
With a cautious glance to see if anyone was watching him Martin crouched down and stared into the pup’s dark eyes. “Er, hi there?” He hadn’t expected to see it again, after what happened the other day he’d thought it would want to stay away from the beach. “Can I help you?”
It might have been his imagination but he was fairly certain that the seal let out an exasperated breath and began to scoot its way down towards the water. Martin didn’t stop him, too confused to do anything but watch as the smooth body vanished beneath the waves. “That was weird.”
He decided, now that he’d calmed down, that he should actually start looking for new treasures before the tourists got all the good ones. He began to walk along the shore, occasionally picking up a rock or shell and cleaning it in the sea before determining if he wanted to keep it or not. His shoebox was only so big, he didn’t want to take anything home if he didn’t actually like it.
After discarding a piece of driftwood he looked up to find the seal was back. If it was possible for an animal to look annoyed then this pup definitely did, as though he’d inconvenienced it by daring to wander off. It spat something at his feet before staring at him intently. Not wanting to irritate the pup any more than he already had Martin picked up the object and examined it.
He’d seen sea glass before, mostly in shops around town that sold souvenirs or jewelry, but never actually held stuff before. This piece was about the size of a ten pence coin and a pale purple color. Instead of being smooth, like he’d expected, the surface was rough and pitted with tiny holes. It was one of the prettiest things Martin had ever seen.
“Did you get this for me?” To his surprise the seal nodded, eyes sparkling in a manner that suggested it from happiness rather than sunlight. Martin squatted down and scratched the seal under its chin. “Thanks, I’ll put it with the shell you gave me.”
Straightening up Martin continued down the beach, and it was only the laughter from tourists around him that caused him to look up from his search. The seal was following him, inching its way across the sand as fast as it could, but it was still a few meters behind him. He stopped, letting the pup catch up and smiling down at it. “What are you up to?” As though in response it splashed into the water and swam away, only to resurface a minute later and drop another item. This time it was a toy soldier, made of plastic and in surprisingly good condition for having been in the sea.
“You don’t have to keep giving me stuff, if you’re trying to thank me for helping you, well, you don’t really need to. I was happy to help.” The seal pouted at this- it had to be a pout, there was no other way to describe it- and shook its head. Obligingly Martin picked up the toy, putting it in his backpack with the sea glass and other trinkets he’d collected so far. “How about this, if you see anything cool in the sand you can let me know? I don’t want you going out of your way for me.” The pup nodded, and that was that.
An hour passed before Martin realized how hungry he was. He had no idea what time it was, he didn’t have a watch and even if he did he wouldn’t wear it to the beach and get it wet. Regardless, when his stomach let out a gurgle he decided to stop and take a lunch break. The seal sat next to him, observing as he pulled out a couple of sandwiches and a slightly-crushed bag of crisps. It felt a bit awkward to be the only one eating so he held out half of a sandwich. “It’s tuna, you’ll probably like it.”
The seal reached its head forward and plucked the sandwich from his hand before scarfing it down in seconds. “That good, huh?” The pup nodded, almost enthusiastically, which prompted Martin to give him the other half. He had a second sandwich that he’d brought in case he was extra-hungry, although after only managing a bite he had to push the seal’s nose away. “No, this one is mine. Maybe you shouldn’t have eaten so fast.” It huffed and lay down, resting its head on his lap. There would be a wet spot on his shorts but he didn’t really mind.
So, Martin had somehow befriended a seal. His first friend he’d made since the move and it wasn’t even human. He stroked the pup’s head with his free hand, enjoying the sounds it made when he scratched under its chin. He shared his crisps with it as well, dropping a few onto the sand for it to eat. It seemed surprised by the texture at first, eyes widening as it munched before gobbling up the others.
“You’re a hungry little fella aren’t you?’ Martin muttered, wishing he’d brought something to drink. “I’m Martin, by the way. Martin Blackwood.”
The seal let out a garbled sound before looking expectantly at Martin. “Is that... Was that your name?” A nod. “Kay... I’m gonna call you John. That’s the name of one of my favorite writers. He writes these really amazing stories about hobbits ’n magic ’n stuff.”
He leaned forward and began to write in the sand with his finger, carefully forming each letter so that the seal could read it. “That’s how you spell it, J-O-H-N.” A wave crept forward towards the name, washing over several of the letters. When it receded Martin could see that the n and part of the h had been erased. “Or J-O-N, I guess. It still spells Jon.” The seal looked happy, like it was smiling, and Martin couldn’t help but giggle at how human the expression looked.
“I guess you’re Jon, then.”
With only a few weeks of summer vacation left Martin was determined to spend as much time with Jon as possible. Once school started back up he’d have a lot less free time, so he figured he should make the most of the time he did have. The next day Martin managed to scrounge a garden spade and bucket to bring with him, hoping that his mum wouldn’t notice they were missing.
“Ta-da!” Jon blinked at the proffered items, cocking their head to the side in confusion. Martin smiled and rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “I figured we could make a sandcastle today. I thought you could find some shells or driftwood while I work on the rest of the castle. Teamwork, y’know?” With a single nod Jon made their way towards the water before vanishing underneath the waves.
The metal bucket wasn’t as nice as what the other kids had, theirs had actually been made for sandcastles, but worked well enough for what he needed. The sand was perfect for sculpting, so he found it easy to create walls and towers. He even made a moat, digging all the way around his makeshift castle and using the bucket to fill it with water. It turned out a lot better than he expected, if he was being honest.
As he worked Jon dove in and out of the sea, returning with stones, bottle caps, shells, seaweed, and driftwood. The seal seemed very pleased with themself, and occasionally pointed a flipper to where they thought needed more decoration. Martin had never had so much fun building a sandcastle before, but then again, he’d never actually had someone to build one with. When they were both satisfied with their work they sat back and admired it, Jon resting their head on his lap while Martin stroked their fur.
“Lunch time?” Martin asked, Jon nodded and opened one eye to watch as he dug several sandwiches out of his backpack. “We only had one can of tuna so I’m having peanut butter today.” The seal looked confused, shaking their head and not taking the sandwich. “I’m fine, I like peanut butter. I just figured you wouldn’t like it as much as tuna.” Jon huffed and continued to do nothing. “Look, if you’re not going to eat it I’ll throw it away.”
The indignant expression on Jon’s face was worth the teasing, they snatched the sandwich out of Martin’s hand and gobbled it down within seconds before lying down and shooting him a sideways glance “Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who wouldn’t eat it.”
The seal ignored him while he ate his own sandwich, peanut butter made with the ends of the bread. He would have to go shopping today, they were almost out of milk too. Glancing up at the sky Martin figured it was now afternoon, and he wanted to get home before his mum finished work. He was more sand-covered than usual, and he wanted to clean himself up before she saw him. He sighed and got to his feet, throwing the sandwich wrappers in his backpack and grabbing the bucket and spade.
“I have to go.” Jon looked up from where they’d been sulking, something like sadness on their face. They scooted over to the sandcastle and picked up a piece of driftwood before returning and dropping it at Martin’s feet. The seal made a noise that sounded almost like a whine, as though they were begging Martin to stay. “I’m sorry Jon, I’ve got to go shopping and figure out dinner for tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow.” He picked up the driftwood, putting it in his bag before leaving the beach and taking care not to look behind him.
There was a charity shop Martin passed on his way to the grocers, its large windows full of old electronics and antique furniture. He’d gone there on occasion, usually to buy his mum a present, but it was rare he had any extra money to spend. Walking back from the store, however, he saw an old toy wagon on display. It was made from wood, with painted red sides that reminded Martin of the trucks farm animals were transported in. An idea struck him and he went inside, careful not to drop any of the bags he was carrying.
“Excuse me...” The woman behind the counter didn't look up from her magazine, so he spoke a bit louder. “Excuse me.”
“Can I help you, kid?” Her tone was almost enough to make Martin turn around and leave, but the memory of Jon’s sad face kept him pinned in place.
“How much is the wagon in the window?” His voice shook, as did his hands.
The woman glanced up, first at Martin and then to the wagon before her gaze landed back on him. “That thing? We’ve been trying for a while to get rid of it, I’ll let you have it for a tenner.”
“Really?” He felt absurdly happy. He’d saved what little money he had to spare after every shopping trip and last time he’d counted... He might just have enough. He placed the grocery bags on the ground and fumbled around in his change purse, pulling out several bills and coins before placing them on the counter. “Can I have it then?”
For a few seconds the woman behind the counter just stared at him, and Martin was worried he’d done something wrong. Then she scooped the money into her hand and counted it before smiling at him. “It’s all yours. Let me get it out of the window for you.”