Oceanside by N. E. Conneely

Author:N. E. Conneely [Conneely, N. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: N. E. Conneely

She was standing on the beach, the wind ruffling her hair and swirling the long summer dress around her legs. Without saying a word, I spread the towel and sat down. A few minutes later she settled next to me. Celia was even more beautiful close up, with her black hair, sea-green eyes, and willowy form.

She placed the shell on the towel. “You promised me a story.”

“So I did.” Taking a moment, I gathered my thoughts. “Once upon a time, on a beach not much different from this, a young man stepped out of the water. He checked to see if anyone was around before hiding a bundle of his things behind a rock. He spent some time enjoying the sun and walking through the sand. All of a sudden a beautiful woman appeared. The man froze, unsure what to do, but the woman was kind to him, and unconcerned by the man’s lack of clothing. After a time she invited him back to her house for a meal.

“He retrieved the only piece of clothing he had, a pelt. She fed him soup, and they talked for hours. The young man was enchanted. He’d never met anyone like her. The hour grew late and she offered him a room. He agreed to stay the night.

“The next day the pelt was gone. She told him he'd get it back after he married her, but he didn't. For several years he searched for his pelt, for he was a selkie, a creature of the sea, not meant to be bound to land.

“One day he realized he wasn't happy. He hadn't been happy since she'd stolen his seal form. The woman he’d thought was so enchanting was cruel. He feared for any children they might have together. With all happiness sucked from his life, he left. He simply walked away. He was more than a day’s travel from their home when he felt hot flames eating at his back, leaving his flesh broken and raw. She'd burned his pelt. He could never go back to the sea.

“For months he fell into a great despair, but one day he found himself back on that first beach. He went back to the rock, and found the things he’d left so long before. A necklace, a few coins, and a small shell he’d discovered in the dark depths of the sea.

“As he held the shell, a broken part of him slid back into place. While he would never be able to dive to the heart of the ocean again, he could enjoy her sounds, her scents, and even her cool embrace. He searched the coast until he found a place that called to him, that felt like home. There he built a home where he turned shells into jewelry and ornaments for tourists. Slowly, as months turned into years, he found happiness. Not the same as what he’d had as a selkie, but happiness nonetheless.”

Minutes ticked by slowly. Finally, Celia spoke. “You?”

I squeezed my eyes closed. “Yes.

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