This Side of the Horizon

Kenzie stood on the edge of the cliffs watching the fishing boats silhouetted against the horizon. The white-capped waves crashed against the rocks below. She longed to be out on the sea, sailing away from here, away from the only home she had ever known. There just wasn’t much left for her here. The winds blew her shoulder-length brown hair back from her face and made her green eyes water slightly. She glanced down at the rocks for a moment. She thought she saw something down there, an animal maybe. It had been dark brown, almost blending in with the wet stones. Whatever it was, she couldn’t see it anymore. She pulled her jacket tighter against the chilly winds and turned to head home.

She lived on the outskirts of a small village, just feet from a secluded beach. The most common trade there was fishing. Many of the younger people were choosing to leave, heading to the cities in search of work. Kenzie would have liked to do that herself, but her mother had needed her around to care for her younger brothers and sisters after their father had left. An injury sustained on a fishing boat had never healed properly, leaving him in pain and unable to work on the ships. He had begun spending all his time and money in the pub, drinking away his misery. Then one day, he was just gone. At this point, Kenzie didn’t even know if he was still alive.

Her siblings were all grown now. Charlie had stayed in the village, following in their father’s footsteps in more ways than one. He drank far too much when he wasn’t out fishing. There wasn’t a whole lot else to do. Unlike Dad, Charlie was a mean drunk. Kenzie felt terrible for his wife, but Leona insisted everything was fine. She didn’t want Kenzie’s help or interference. Hamish had gone to university in the city and was now working for a software company. He was busy enough with work that he rarely came to visit. Nessa had run off with a young man from the village when he left to seek his fortune. She was happily following John around the world. Mazie was at university studying fashion. That left Kenzie alone to care for their ailing mother.

She loved her mother. She didn’t regret having to take care of her. She just wished that her siblings would help out some. She had given up furthering her education, given up having a family of her own. She had given up everything for them, but they gave nothing to her. Kenzie was probably too hard on them. Charlie would stop by now and then when he was sober enough, although seeing Mum like that usually put him in a foul mood. Hamish sent money and offered to put their mother in a nursing facility, but Kenzie couldn’t do that to her. Mum had already lost her dignity. She would rapidly fade away if they took her away from the home that she loved. The thatch-roofed stone cottage had been in the family for generations

“Mum? I’m home.” Kenzie said as she walked in the door. Her mother was rocking in the chair by the fire. She smiled happily up at Kenzie when she leaned down to kiss her, but her eyes were unfocused, lost to a different time. It was another one of those days when she didn’t remember her own children. She sometimes lashed out at Charlie when he visited. She tolerated Kenzie because she was a constant presence even when Mum couldn’t place exactly who she was. “I picked up some of those sweets you like in the village.” She handed her mother a sweet from the bag then went to prepare dinner with a heavy heart. She didn’t want her mother to die, even though it was inevitable as her dementia worsened. On the other hand, she didn’t want her mother to suffer.

The following day Kenzie tended to the garden and slipped back into the house to ensure her mother was still sleeping peacefully. With a few moments to herself, she walked down to the beach and sat down on a large rock that protruded into the water. It was her favorite place to sit. She let her mind wander a bit, running through fantasies of what her life could have been and what was still to come. What was she going to do after her mother was gone? Maybe she would sell the house and go somewhere else. Possibly the city so she could be closer to Hamish and Mazie.

Kenzie nearly jumped out of her skin when she looked down into the water to see two dark eyes looking at her. A sleek wet brownish-grey head poked out of the water. It took her a moment to realize it was a seal. It wasn’t unheard of around there, but they didn’t usually come this close to humans. “Hello to you. I don’t tend to carry fish on me, so I’ve got nothing to give you.” She felt a little silly talking to a seal, but it’s not like she had anyone else to talk to except on her weekly trips into the village. Conversations with her mother were challenging to say the least. “So, I don’t suppose you have a name. I’m Kenzie.” The seal stayed there watching her for several minutes before it dove back down into the water. It was strange that it seemed to have been listening to her chatter and showed no fear of her.

Over the next several weeks, the seal came back when she was on the beach. Kenzie started buying extra fish when she went shopping to give to it. She knew full well it could fish for itself, but it made her happy to have something to give it. The seal started jumping up beside her on the rock to bask in the sun. It wasn’t averse to her petting it. Sometimes it would lay with its head on her lap, looking up at her with those dark brown eyes. She would smile down at it and stroke its head. A seal was a very unusual pet to have.

Kenzie stalked down to the beach in a bit of a rage. It had been a horrible day for her mother. She had been crying and fearful all day, unsure of anything that was happening around her. Hamish had called earlier, trying once again to put Mum in a home. Then Charlie had come to visit. Unfortunately, he had already been drinking and took out his frustrations on Kenzie. It had only been a slap, but it was going to leave a bruise. He stormed out after throwing some furniture around and scaring their poor mother half to death. It had taken a couple of hours to get her calmed down enough to sleep. Now the sun was setting over the beach. She hadn’t been able to get down there at all to spend time with the seal. She could see it bobbing up out of the water a few feet from their rock, but she was too upset to sit down yet. Frustrated tears were running down her face. The seal came closer until it was lying on the pebbly sands. Kenzie turned away to look back at the house.

“Why are you crying, Kenzie?”

Kenzie nearly screamed as she whirled around to find a man standing exactly where the seal had been. A well-muscled, very naked man. He had short, dark hair sprinkled with grey, leading her to believe he might be a little older than her.

“What? Where?” She stammered.

The man came forward, gently touching the mark on her cheek from where Charlie had hit her. “Who did this to you?”

“It’s nothing. My brother. He was drunk and upset.” She was staring into his dark brown eyes, trying not to look anywhere else, eyes she had seen peering back at her for weeks. It couldn’t be.

“Why did he hit you?”

“Mum’s been having a bad day. He wasn’t sober enough to handle it gracefully.”

“You are angry with him.”

“Of course, I’m angry with him. He had no right to hit me, and he’s torn the house apart. And Hamish is intent on taking Mum away and putting her into a nursing facility far away from here.”

“Do you wish for me to teach your brother that he shouldn’t lay his hand on you?”

“What? No. He’s not a bad person. Charlie just drinks too much and can’t control his temper. Who are you?”

“My name is Tristan, but you already know me.”

“But how?”

“I’m a selkie, Kenzie.”

“But selkies aren’t real.”

“Do I not look real?”

Kenzie didn’t know what to say to that. She tried to think back about the stories her mother told her when she was growing up about selkies. “So, what, are you planning to get me pregnant and then take my child back into the sea with you, never to be seen again? I’ve already had enough taken from me. I’ll not be letting you have my child if I can even have children at this point.”

Tristan smiled at her. “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear. I have never taken a child from their mother. While the myth about selkies taking their children away when they are small is not quite accurate, we have often struck up a deal with the women who bear us children. Only the male children become selkies. They can keep the female children. We cannot reproduce as a species on our own which is why we require a willing human partner. We teach our children the ways of the selfie, but it is their choice to live in the waters once they reach adulthood. And they are free to return home whenever they want. I used to visit my mother on regularly. And I do not require more children.”

“You have children?”

“Yes. My sons are grown and have chosen to live in the waters.”

“You have a wife then?”

“I was with the mother of my children for a short time. It was more a matter of convenience. She is content to raise our daughter. That was the condition of our relationship. I could take our sons, if they chose the water, as long as I provided her with a daughter.”

“Why have you come here?”

“I was swimming nearby and saw you on the beach. I watched you from a distance. I was intrigued, so I came nearer. You have been so gentle and were never scared of me. You spoke to me as if you knew what I was. I kept coming back because you seemed so lonely.”

Kenzie didn’t know what to say. She had come to look forward to the time she spent with the seal.

“Kenzie, I fell in love with you during our time spent together. I want to marry you.”

She saw the sincerity in his eyes. “How would that work?”

“I will need to return to the waters periodically, but I can live on land. If we stay here, it would be convenient for me to spend a day swimming as needed.”

“But, my mother...”

“Will not be a problem. I will help you take care of your mother.”

Kenzie thought for a few moments. It was unconventional. Her brothers would probably have a fit about her marrying some strange man who just showed up in town, but she just couldn’t bring herself to care. Mazie was a romantic at heart. She was going to love this. Nessa was probably of a like mind considering what her sister was willing to do for love. She would have to explain to Mum daily who Tristan was, but she would be ok with him. “Ok, but you’re going to need some pants. I can’t take you home like this.”

Tristan’s laugh was rich and deep. It chased away the last of the anger and frustration Kenzie had been feeling. His kiss brought with it a spark of happiness and a promise of things to come. Some of the things she hadn’t thought she would ever have.