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Eijun was lost. He was sure he swam by that boulder already. There weren’t many defining landmarks under the sea and everything looked the same.
He and his herd were traveling across this sea to get to warmer weather. They loved their old home by the human city Hamamatsu. It had a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. However, the elders and everyone voted to relocate and merge with another village as the temperature in Hamamatsu became more unbearable and food became scarce.
It got tiring after several days of voyaging. His friends were too tired to play any games, so Eijun tried to keep himself entertained. Eijun briefly stopped to look at a lively coral reef filled with bright coral and starfish. When he looked up again, everyone was gone.
They’d come back for him eventually, right? If he stayed in the same spot his herd might know where to look. Eijun felt his eyes sting a bit as time passed and his situation slowly dawned on him. What if he could never play with Wakana again? Or could never again eat his mom’s herring specialty?
As Eijun slowly spiraled in his panic, he noticed sudden movements in the water above him. His herd? He quickly swam up and noticed something treading the water before sinking.
He dived back down towards it and inspected the object. A rock?
Eijun’s eyes followed the direction the object came from and swam towards it . The water was getting shallow and he realized the shore wasn’t too far away. Even with the distorted view from being underwater, he could see that there was a human-shaped silhouette near some wooden pilings. Why would humans throw rocks across the water? Didn’t they know that was dangerous?
Curious, Eijun felt that it was dark enough at night that a peek couldn’t hurt. None of the village elders were around to nag about how dangerous humans were. He stuck his head out of the water. The wind that rushed against him felt strange and took some adjusting to. His vision in the air was lackluster in comparison to his sight under the sea. Gray clouds covered most of the moon and sky. The water’s current pushed back and forth against him. The waves were strong tonight. A storm may be coming soon.
He glanced around. There was a sandy beach where humans tended to congregate and play. There was a wooden structure that connected the land to the ocean, stopping before it got too far into deep waters. Humans called them piers.
Sitting on the pier was a small human boy by himself. He sat on the edge with his feet dangling. With his right hand, he tossed another rock up and down before flinging it across the sea.
The boy had thick metal wires that held glass which looked too big for his face. He had a scrappy appearance, wearing an oversized cloth that draped midway down onto his scrawny legs.
“Stupid!” The boy flung another rock, but instead of skipping it, the rock fell to the water with a large splash. Then, Eijun heard a frustrated scream, sniffling, and finally sobbing. It was a loud cry that grew quieter.
Considering what he should do, Eijun surveyed the area around for an adult human. Human pups relied on their parents for a long time. There was no one else around. Just the sounds of crashing waves and still sand.
Eijun swam over to the boy trying to ask what was wrong. He tried to get his attention by doing some flips in the water. The boy jumped back, dropping the pebbles back on the pier.
This close to the boy, Eijun saw that his eyes were puffy. Eijun barked again asking how he was feeling while clapping his flippers.
The boy studied Eijun, his body and hands tense, and then laughed.
Eijun, annoyed that the boy ignored him, asked why he was not at home, which seemed to amuse the boy again.
Oh right. Humans didn’t understand him unless he was in the same form.
Taking off his fur, Eijun slowly transformed his body from seal to human. He threw his furs on the pier and climbed up. It felt weird to use his arms and legs again. His body shivered without the cozy warmth of his furs.
“HELLO!”
The boy froze in his laughter and gawked with his mouth open.
“HEY!” Eijun moved closer in case the boy couldn’t hear him. “ARE YOU OKAY?”
The boy was still frozen. Eijun crept close enough to put his hands—that was weird to think—on the boy’s shoulders and shook the human pup out of his stupor.
“Yes!” The boy replied, taking a few steps back. “Why are you shouting?”
Eijun paused, biting his lip as he considered the volume of his voice. “You couldn’t hear me earlier?”
“You were a seal!” Then, as if processing that fact, the boy stared at Eijun, peering up at his face and back down to his feet. He looked from his furs on the pier and back to Eijun. “You were a seal?”
Eijun nodded.
“And now you’re a human?”
Eijun nodded again. The human was somewhat slow-witted it seemed. The human started mumbling and pacing back and forth.
“Are you okay?” Eijun asked again, stepping closer to the boy. His legs were shaky with each step. Walking seemed inefficient in comparison to swimming. He was only a bit taller than the human pup.
“Yeah,” the boy replied, his face was bright red but at least he wasn’t crying anymore. He began rifling through his satchel. The boy took out two dark blue fabrics with red and white stripes and handed them to Eijun. “Here, cover yourself with this.”
Oh, right. Humans tended to be quite shy about their bodies. The cloth had strange holes in it. Eijun carefully wrapped the fabric around his shoulders like he would his fur pelt. He wasn’t sure what to do with the other one.
Eijun was about to tie it to the other fabric when he heard chuckling from the boy. “You’re really not from around here.”
The boy guided him, moving his body and pointing where each leg should go through. The fabric stopped at his knees and wasn’t too tight or particularly uncomfortable, but it felt strange regardless. He couldn’t feel the breeze on his skin as much.
As Eijun finished pulling his head through the other fabric, the boy was close enough to him again and poked Eijun’s cheeks. “What are you?” His eyes squinted at him behind his metal and glass contraption. “Is this a dream?”
“That’s a rude way to introduce yourself,” Eijun replied, leaning away from the boy’s curious hands when he started to pinch and pull. He put his hands on his hips. “Here, I’ll start. My name’s Eijun.” The selkie pointed to himself. “And you are?”
“I’m Miyuki Kazuya,” the boy said, blinking. The boy was still a bit bewildered as he tried rubbing his eyes and then pinching his own arms.
“Nice to meet you, Miyuki Kazuya!” Eijun chirped. What a fascinating name. He repeated the name again in his head, sounding it out. “My herd and I usually greet each other with dances or songs. I’m not the best on human feet though.”
Miyuki Kazuya still had a befuddled expression like when one eats a clam for lunch and finds a white pearl while chewing. After a moment he replied, “We typically bow in my culture. There’s a few variations of bows for different reasons. But the standard is bending your chest forward a bit at an angle.”
“So bowing is a thing all humans do?” Eijun tilted his head in thought.
Miyuki Kazuya shook his head. “No, some countries shake hands. Some countries kiss cheeks as greetings.”
While the variations sounded interesting there didn’t seem to be too many. How boring and unimaginative. Where was the individuality? The soul? “How do you express who you are when you meet someone new, Miyuki Kazuya? How will you know if you are compatible?”
Miyuki Kazuya scratched his head. “Well, you get to know them. You spend time with them each day and learn each other’s quirks and personalities.”
“Can I get to know you?” Eijun asked, peering down at the other boy.
He leaned forward when the other boy didn’t respond. The other boy’s cheeks were red. Then, Miyuki Kazuya flicked his forehead.
“Ow, mean.” Eijun pressed his hand against the spot. Would it get bruised?
“You’re too close.”
Eijun frowned. “Didn’t mean you had to hit me.”
“First of all, call me either Miyuki or Kazuya,” the boy said, crossing his arms. “Though I’d prefer Miyuki.”
“Okay, Miyuki Kazuya!” Eijun tried bowing, but used too much force and ended up falling over and bumping his head. He rubbed circles at that spot, trying to soothe the pain. “Bowing must be a very fine and sacred art! This will be the next sacred art that this Eijun of the Sawamuras will master.”
Kazuya snickered, clutching his stomach. “Wow! You’re a riot.”
A riot must be a good thing if he was laughing so much. Eijun stood up slowly and grinned, waiting for the boy to stop.
“First names where I’m from are reserved for close friends,” Kazuya continued in between laughs. “Otherwise you just use their family name.”
Eijun hummed, considering the information. Human customs seemed to be more complex and confusing than he first assumed. He wondered if there were more differences from region to region.
“Won’t we be good friends?” Eijun asked, leaning closer.
Facing the other boy again, their eyes locked on one another. The moonlight shone on them just enough at this angle that Eijun noticed that Kazuya’s eyes were a dark amber. His cheeks were dusted red again and Kazuya turned his head away suddenly, breaking their eye contact. Then, he stood up.
Kazuya started grumbling. “If you’re going to keep saying corny things like that then you’d better promise it.”
“PROMISE,” Eijun said, pounding a fist over his chest where he thought his heart was.
“Too loud,” Kazuya said, shaking his head. “How do I know you’re going to keep it anyway?”
“It’s a selkie's promise,” Eijun replied, nodding his head. “We selkies are good and honest. Not like some other sea folks.”
“Selkie,” Kazuya repeated, tapping his finger against his chin. “Is that what you are? Why’d you reveal yourself to me in the first place?”
Eijun paused. He asked earlier but maybe with the surprise and excitement the boy had been too overwhelmed to answer. “I wanted to know why you were crying and what’re you doing out so late anyway?” Eijun asked.
The boy mumbled something.
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Didn’t seem like nothing,” Eijun said, wrapping his arms around the other boy’s body. This close to him, Eijun noticed Kazuya smelled like fresh grass. “Why aren’t you home?”
He was pretty sure human pups needed shelter and a sense of safety for ideal nurturing.
“No one would’ve noticed,” Kazuya said, shuffling his feet. The boy's gaze was fixed on the ground.
“What about your family?” Eijun asked, trying to catch the other boy’s eyes. He wouldn’t know what to do without his herd. His parents and grandfather took care of him, but their whole community took care of each other and raised their pups together. Eijun was still a pup but his earliest memories included his dad and others in their herd teaching him how to hunt.
“It’s just my dad and me,” Kazuya replied with a shaky voice. Eijun felt the boy’s tremble against him. Drops of tears fell on Eijun’s shoulders. “My dad’s been upset since my mom’s gone.”
He held the boy tighter. The ocean breeze made them both shiver. “I can be your family. I don’t know where my family is either.”
Eijun started singing in a low voice as he brushed Kazuya’s brown hair. It was the lullaby sea folk sang to each other when they needed to think of brighter days. Kazuya’s breathing slowed.
He could tell the other boy was embarrassed, not looking into his eyes even though his heart rate finally settled.
Eijun took Kazuya’s hand which was rough with callouses. “Let’s hunt for sand crabs. I heard they live up here too.”
He started moving as fast as his legs could take him down the pier toward the sandy area of the beach. This counted as running, right? His legs were still wobbly but Kazuya steadied him as he followed his lead. The running brought some warmth back in his body but the wind still felt cold.
They walked around the beach, looking at each shell for anything inside of it. The sensation of sand felt different. Eijun wiggled his toes, feeling the grains’ texture against his skin.
He huddled closer to Kazuya for warmth so they were practically shoulder to shoulder.
After some searching, they found a horde of hermit crabs scurrying back to the sea. Eijun chuckled as one crawled on Kazuya’s arm.
They decided to make a home for the crabs. Eijun gathered some bark and seaweed that had been washed up on the shore to give the crabs their own castle.
“Why are we doing this again?” Kazuya asked, as he helped by digging a hole around the castle.
“Everyone needs a home.”
“Pretty sure they can take their home with them anywhere,” Kazuya commented, snorting.
“They’ll outgrow it eventually.” Eijun grinned as he tried to shape the sand into a distinguishable structure. “Besides, it's something kind to do.”
The home ended up looking less like a castle and more like a triangular dome with a moat. They used seaweed for the surrounding grass areas and tried to make a makeshift flag.
Feeling accomplished, they rested on the sand. Eijun laid spread out. Still feeling cold, he laid as close to Kazuya as he could. The clouds had dispersed, making the stars that were always there shine brightly again. As Eijun turned to his side, he saw Kazuya observing him. His fringe had sand in it. Eijun reached out to brush it, giggling.
“When were you planning on going home?” Eijun asked. Most humans were asleep at this time. Especially human pups. “Are you running away?”
Kazuya laughed. The wind blew their hair, scattering it on their faces. Eijun shook his head to push it back. “No, I just wanted a break. I have school. The metro line doesn’t continue until morning and walking is too far.”
Eijun nodded. Human legs were significantly less efficient than flippers. “I guess it’s dangerous for a young one like yourself to travel at night.”
“I’m not that young,” Kazuya scowled up at him. “Tons of kids travel to and from school by themselves.”
“How old are you?”
“Eight.”
“NO WAY! I thought you were younger,” Eijun exclaimed. Kazuya was shorter than him in his human form. He had just turned eight this sun cycle. “You’re just a pup like me.”
Kazuya mouthed the word pup with scrunched eyebrows.
“You should be out playing with other pups!” Eijun continued, as he thought of his shenanigans he, Nobu, and Wakana got into. The elders complained but they still smiled when they saw them together and laughed whenever they watched. He loved seeing who could swim the fastest amongst his friends. He had pretty good endurance and won a fair amount of times.
“I do play with other kids! We compete in baseball tournaments. I’m a catcher.”
“What’s that?”
Kazuya proceeded to explain what baseball was and what a catcher was. Eijun scratched his head as he listened to Kazuya’s rant about why it was the best sport ever. A catcher was a person who led another teammate called a pitcher and he played with an entire team of other pups.
“So the catcher is the awesomest player?” Eijun asked, clapping his hands together. “Since he’s the one in charge?”
Kazuya chuckled. “Yeah, he gets to call all of the shots and leads the match with his game calling.”
“Then, I want to play catcher too!”
That earned him another forehead flick. “It’s too early for you.”
Eijun pouted as rubbed his head and heard Kazuya snicker. He was about to complain about the injustice of it all, but then he saw the joy in his new friend’s face. Kazuya rambled on more about baseball and how one couldn’t easily fit into any role.
Kazuya explained there were other positions but everyone was important to the success of the team.
Eijun wondered what it was like to love a game so much that you would train everyday to get better. He and his friends sometimes played the game sharks and minnows but they only did it for fun. “Wow, all the kids on the team are your friends?” Eijun asked.
Kazuya paused and his grin faded. He seemed to be recalling an interaction with his friends as he rubbed his left wrist. “Not everyone there is my friend,” Kazuya replied, voice quieter and dark. “But we mostly get along and play in matches together.”
Eijun leaned his head against his arms and hands. He was trying to look into his new friend’s eyes. His herd was a small, close community. He couldn’t imagine anyone being excluded from any of their games or festives. “Isn’t that lonely?”
Kazuya turned to face him and gave him a smirk. “Maybe. Besides, I don’t really care if other kids like me or not. As long as I get to play baseball.”
He wanted to ask more but then Kazuya threw some sand on him. Eijun blinked, startled, as he realized some of it got in his eyes and mouth. “Mean!” He grabbed a handful of sand to throw back but Kazuya had already stood up to increase the distance between them.
Eijun stood up as well to chase Kazuya, legs wobbly. He felt like Kazuya was barely trying at times as he waited with a big mocking grin for Eijun to close the distance before running again. “This is so unfair! If I were in water, you’d be a goner.”
Kazuya snickered, as Eijun fell on his knees. “Maybe next time we can test that idea.”
They ran around and Eijun did manage to pay back Kazuya with a handful of sand in his face after pulling Kazuya’s shirt and making him fall. He laughed as he lay on top of Kazuya to keep him from running away again. Kazuya was staring at him as his laughter settled.
“What?”
“You should come home with me.”
Their eyes were glued on each other. Eijun laughed but stopped when he saw that Kazuya’s face didn’t break out into a smirk.
“I’m serious.”
Eijun tensed, startled. Kazuya rambled about how they would find a position in baseball he liked after enrolling in school and they would practice together everyday. After practice, he would stay at Kazuya’s home and they could do whatever they wanted.
Eijun hadn’t considered going to the human world before and he didn’t dislike the idea. He wondered what going to a human school would be like. Plus the human world intrigued him despite the cautionary tales the elders told him. If other humans were just like Miyuki Kazuya, then maybe they weren’t so awful. But surely his herd was still looking for him. They wouldn’t abandon him. Eijun couldn’t recall how long ago it was since he last saw them.
If his herd took longer to find him, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay at Kazuya’s? Eijun could visit the beach everyday for signs of them while he waited. His friend was still peering up at him, his lips were pursed as he waited.
“Okay,” Eijun replied in a whisper. Kazuya let out a breath and gave him a small smile. “Just until my herd comes back.”
“Of course.”
As they kept chatting, light gradually spread out across the sky. Kazuya yawned a couple of times but he kept saying he wasn’t that tired. Eijun too found his eyelids dropping as his body begged for rest. The sun rose on the horizon and daylight broke out. Some cars could be heard in the distance honking. A couple of humans were jogging with furry animals. The sun beams warmed and tingled Eijun’s skin. The sensation felt different compared to being in his fur, but he liked basking in the feeling of it either way. The early morning rays weren’t that hot compared to midday.
“I guess they’re not coming.” Eijun’s body felt heavy and tears welled in his eyes. Staring at the sea, he felt foolish. He didn’t know why he thought his herd could find him. Maybe that his herd would search this area of the sea and then spot him on the sand. The ocean’s depth was filled with vast and endless territories. His herd could be anywhere. The hot tears fell faster and he started hiccuping.
Kazuya placed a hand on his shoulder, patting it a couple of times. “It’ll be okay,” his friend whispered, leaning into him. “You have me now too.” Eijun smiled between his tears at Kazuya’s attempts at cheering him up. He pulled the boy into a tight hug.
Kazuya yelped but didn’t pull away. Wrapping his hands around Eijun, he whispered, “You’re getting snot on me.”
In response, Eijun rubbed his face on his friend’s shoulder and wiped more of the fluids on him. “I’m sad so you can’t be mean to me.”
Eijun felt his breathing slowly even and the quiet tears stopped. When they finally broke apart, Eijun noticed how tired he felt. Kazuya glanced at the sky. “Come home with me and rest. The metro should be open now.”
Eijun nodded and allowed Kazuya to lead them. There were a few seagulls in the sky scavenging and squawking. They looked clearer now with human sight than his seal ones.
In the daylight, Eijun could see some bruises on Kazuya’s skin and how worn his clothes were. There were some scratches and scabs on the boy’s legs and arms. His amber eyes also had dark marks underneath them.
They decided to go looking for seashells as they trekked their way back to the pier to retrieve their stuff. Since it was becoming brighter, they could see the shapes and colors of the shells better. Eijun kept stopping to hand them to Kazuya for safekeeping. The vibrant colors brought a happy familiarity to his chest, reminding him of his sea glass collection at home. Eijun picked up an ivory turbo shell and examined it as iridescent lights reflected off of it and shined. Clutching the shell in his palm, Eijun was about to show Kazuya but paused, hearing a sound. His friend watched him, puzzled. That noise was familiar. Eijun turned his head toward the ocean.
Roaring. The chorus of roaring grew louder. Grey spotted seals swam back and forth. One appeared to be crying, flipping around in circles. His eyes widened as he recognized them.
“It’s me, Eijun,” he cried, stumbling over to get their attention. He waved with his arms. “Wakana! Nobu!”
They sang as they saw Eijun walk towards them. A couple of seals padded their way to the shore. Splashing got louder as they closed the distance. One of them stopped, seeing Eijun’s appearance and the other glanced warily at Miyuki Kazuya.
“Where are my parents?”
Nobu waddled closer barking about how they were waiting for word of Eijun at their new village and thought he would like the location when he saw it. Wakana interrupted their friend, growling, as she asked why he was in that form and with a human boy.
“I know I look human. I can explain.”
Wakana and Nobu crept slowly closer. She started berating him about his lack of awareness and how long they’ve been searching for him.
“Of course I think before I act!”
His friends both gave skeptical laughs. Then, Nobu cried quietly, asking if he lost his fur and was stuck like that.
“It’s okay. I know where my fur is,” Eijun replied, as he was trying to remember what had exactly happened the last several hours. It was hard to think when he was flustered. He saw Kazuya on the pier first and the boy didn’t understand anything he said. “I left it over there! My fur’s over there.”
He and Kazuya were just about to fetch it along with his satchel. Eijun pointed in the pier’s direction and he was about to head out to fetch it, when he saw Kazuya shuffling his hands in his pockets, staring fixedly at his feet. Miyuki Kazuya. The reason he journeyed on land. His new friend.
“Hey, I’ll be right back. I have something important to take care of,” Eijun told his friends, gesturing with his head back at Kazuya. Wakana barked in protest. Nobu also protested by clapping his flippers. “Trust me.”
His friends still looked apprehensive as Eijun shooed them back into the ocean and directed Wakana and Nobu to follow him in a bit. Eijun took a deep breath and then headed back to Kazuya. “Those were my friends. They know where the rest of our herd is.”
Kazuya gave a mirthless chuckle. “I figured with the seals.”
“Not every seal is a selkie you know,” Eijun said, sticking out his tongue. Kazuya didn’t smile and was still looking at the sand.
“Good to know. Now, I don’t need to worry about the seals at the zoo,” Kazuya responded dryly. Eijun wondered what a zoo was and why they'd live there.
“I need to fetch my fur,” Eijun began to say slowly, trying to be careful with his approach. He was always told he was reckless in every way like a sightless whale. “Do you want to walk with me there?”
“I need to get my stuff anyway,” Kazuya said, shrugging. He began to stroll with him. He didn’t speak and Eijun didn’t know what to say. They were just about to visit Miyuki’s home and play his favorite sport, but now Eijun was returning back to his herd.
All too soon, they were stepping back onto the creaky pier. He wished that their time together could last longer. They picked up their belongings. Kazuya threw his satchel on and put on his shoes. Eijun found his fur he had carelessly left and covered his shoulders with it.
“Guess you’re leaving, huh?” Kazuya said this in an even voice. He had his arms crossed as he leaned against one of the pier’s poles.
Eijun nodded. Not knowing what else to say, he replied, “My family’s waiting for me.”
They gazed at one another. Miyuki looked away first, biting his lip. “This is goodbye, then.”
Eijun strode over and grabbed his friend’s hand and pressed it between his own. They were a bit cold. “Remember, I promised we’d be friends.” Eijun whispered into his friend’s ear. “That means we’ll see each other again.”
Kazuya was silent, perhaps filled with distrust and disbelief.
“You mentioned you were going on summer break soon?” Eijun asked, praying his friend would react or meet his eyes. “Let’s meet then. I can show you my dances and you can teach me baseball.”
The silence continued and the noises of the current grew louder. Kazuya nodded. “Sure. Same time, same place?”
Eijun’s body felt light. He grinned from ear to ear, letting go of his friend’s hand and embracing him.
As they hugged, they gripped each other tight. Wishing and willing seconds to last years. Eijun remembered the ivory turbo shell he had been gripping tightly in his hand.
Eijun pulled apart from the other boy, missing his warmth already. He held his palm open to show the shell. “Here. This way you’ll always have a home.”
Kazuya took it with a soft laugh. “It’s a bit small.”
“Just like you,” Eijun said, grinning as his friend elbowed him. “Keep it safe with my other treasures.”
“Yes. Yes.” Kazuya saluted and gave a mock wink.
Wakana and Nobu sang with a loud moan, trying to get his attention. “I’d better go,” Eijun said, motioning to his waiting friends.
With Kazuya’s help, Eijun stripped off the fabrics he borrowed. The fabric had kept him from freezing but felt constraining after a while. As Eijun wore his fur, his body began to morph. It felt warm and right like a kiss from his mom after a long day of playing. Once Eijun’s transformation finished, he looked up at Kazuya. The boy crouched down to pet his head. Eijun leaned his head into the touch, clapping his flippers with joy. Kazuya rubbed Eijun’s neck and then under his chin.
I appreciate you, was what Eijun wanted to say, nuzzling the other boy’s legs. Take care of yourself .
His friends cried out complaining again, and Eijun waddled to the pier’s edge. He kept glancing back and forth between the ocean and his new friend.
“It’s okay. Go.”
Their eyes met and Eijun’s worries evaporated. Kazuya’s expression told him he would be fine but expected Eijun to keep his word and come back.
Eijun leapt off the edge and fell with a splash. Ripples formed where he submerged himself. The feeling of the salt water was refreshing. His friends nuzzled against him and did flips and dances in greeting. Eijun laughed at their singing and they joked about how much trouble he was in. He glanced back up at the pier.
Kazuya gave him a small smile and a gentle wave.
His friends led the way to their new village. Eijun couldn’t help but keep his head above water as he swam. He’d look back and see that Kazuya hadn’t moved from his spot on the pier. He was still the only human there and looked tiny amongst the vast ocean. Eijun watched as the figure got smaller and smaller, receding like the waves. His heart throbbed as the figure finally disappeared on the horizon. Until next time , Eijun silently promised.