Sea of Memories

by Kelly Risser

  Brigid bypassed Acadia and headed right for Halifax. There was no reason to stop and speak to her grandparents. She didn’t need their blessing or their guidance, and she knew they would try to talk her out of what she was about to do.

  It was midnight when she reached the coast. The crescent moon cast enough light to bathe the shore, but left shadows she could hide in. She didn’t want David to know she was here. Her plans were for his own good, as well as that of his lover and newborn daughter. Brigid’s grandparents had passed along the joyous news. Joyous my tail, she thought. Who were they kidding? The union of a Selkie and a human only spelled disaster.

  The sharp, chemical smell assaulted Brigid the moment she entered the hospital. Between the smell and automated doors, she jumped in surprise, glowering as she quickly recovered. She hated being caught unaware, and the human world made her edgy. Pasting on what she hoped was a friendly smile, she headed toward the human behind the desk. By the look the girl gave her, Brigid guessed her expression was more scary than friendly. Unsure of how to fix that, she got right to the point. “I’m looking for babies.”

  Feeling stupid, she forced the smile to freeze on her face as she watched the other woman’s features scrunch in confusion. “You’re having a baby?” The girl skeptically eyed Brigid’s flat stomach and lean build.

  “No.” Brigid tried to keep her voice sweet. Another human idiot. Maybe my brother should date her too. “My niece, Meara, was just born.”

  “Oh!” Looking relieved, the woman turned and tapped her fingers on a contraption with letters. A moment later, she pointed toward a long hall. “The nursery is on the third floor. Take that hall and you’ll find the elevators halfway down on the right. When you get to the third floor, stop at the desk and they’ll tell you what room she is in.”

  Brigid gave the woman a curt nod, relieved to be done with her, and spun on her heel, walking in the direction the woman had given her. She didn’t know what an elevator was, but when she saw the two sets of metal doors and an arrow button pointing up, she assumed it was the right place.

  An older couple stepped out before Brigid could get in. They smiled and continued past her. She pressed the number 3 and waited, jumping slightly and cursing when the contraption began to move.

  As the girl downstairs had said, a nurse’s station greeted her on the third floor. Only one nurse was there, and she was on the phone with her back to the hall. Brigid glided past. She could see several people ahead who were smiling and pointing at a large picture window. She stopped and stood as far away from the others as she could. Through the glass, she saw seven babies. Four had blue cards and three had pink. From there, it wasn’t hard to spot her niece with her crop of dark hair. She was asleep, but at one point, she lifted one leg up and stretched her toes. Brigid smiled. They were webbed—the sign of a Selkie. Even if she didn’t welcome it, her heart warmed.

  Shaking off those softer emotions, she focused on the task she had come here to do. She didn’t have much time. David was an early riser and would return to Sharon soon. Luckily, it only took a few minutes to find her room—the names were written outside the doors.

  “Sharon?” Brigid stuck her head around the door and gave the woman in the bed a smile. Although she looked tired, she was very pretty with coppery brown curls and warm brown eyes.

  “Yes?”

  Brigid crossed the room and offered Sharon her hand. She read that humans liked to shake hands. “I’m Brigid, David’s sister. I came to meet you and my new niece.”

  “Oh!” Looking surprised, Sharon scooted to a sitting position. “Nice to meet you. David didn’t tell me he had a sister.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” As she spoke, Brigid took in the room, spotting a chair in the corner. “May I?”

  “Please. Have a seat.” Sharon rubbed her arms, and Brigid wondered if she made her nervous. “Did you see Meara?”

  “I did. She’s a beautiful baby.” They exchanged another smile. “But I really wanted to speak to you.”

  “Me?” Sharon’s eyebrows rose. “Why?”

  Brigid made herself as comfortable as she could on the hard, plastic chair. She grimaced at the discomfort, but quickly smoothed out her features. “Did David tell you why he is here?”

  “He said he’s trying to find the person who murdered your parents?”

  “That’s true.” Brigid was surprised he’d been that honest with the human girl. He must really love her. “But did he tell you that we think we’re being targeted?”

  “What?” Sharon’s face paled considerably. “No.”

  Brigid nodded. “Selkies are magic creatures, but we’re not the only ones out there. There are bad beings too.” She didn’t even have to try to cry, the tears came on their own accord. “My betrothed was killed by one.”

  The pain was as sharp today as it was twenty years ago when he died. With a deep breath, Brigid buried the pain and memories behind a wall of steel resolve. Love was a weakness. In her brother’s case, if she didn’t intervene, it might get him and his newborn daughter killed.

  “That’s terrible,” Sharon said, bringing Brigid back to the present. “Who did it?”

  “We don’t know. The theory is a water demon, but no one witnessed the murder, so it’s just a guess.”

  “Water demon?” Sharon paled even more. Brigid felt bad for the girl and offered her the glass of water on the table, which she took gratefully. “Why are you telling me this?”

  Good, Brigid thought. She’s smart. Out loud, she said, “Because I don’t want anything to happen to you or your daughter, and as much as you love my brother, we need him more. He is powerful. It is his duty to step up and lead our clan. Right now, he plans to give it all up for you.”

  Sharon’s eyes widened. “He does?”

  There was no time to mince words. “If he stays here, even one more month, he will lose his powers. He is very weak right now. If he doesn’t return to his own, he will become human, and he will be a target for whoever killed my parents, as will you and your daughter.”

  Sitting up straighter, Sharon asked, “What can I do?”

  Brigid nodded, pleased that the girl understood what she was saying and was prepared to protect her daughter. With her mother’s protection, her niece might actually survive to adulthood. “Send David away. Tell him that you no longer want to see him. Do whatever you have to, but get him to leave. Once you do, take your daughter and go. You must live inland with no ocean access. Do not go near the ocean. Do you understand? If you are on the mainland, they cannot get to you.” Tears ran down Sharon’s face, but she nodded and Brigid saw her resolve. “Can you do this?”

  “I-I think so.” The resolve gave way to doubt, and her lips trembled.

  “Do you want me to help you?” Brigid asked gently. She wouldn’t normally offer to help, but she liked this girl. She could see why her brother fell for the human.

  “How?”

  “Magic.” Brigid moved to the side of the bed and took Sharon’s hand in hers. The woman’s was warm and soft, whereas Brigid knew her own skin was cool. “I can place a suggestion inside you to help you be strong and stick to your plan, but I will also remove all memories of me.”

  Now Sharon looked confused. “Why?”

  “I can’t risk my brother knowing that I interfered. He would hate me. I would hate myself if it weren’t for the fact that I know I’m right. This is the only way to protect all of you—my brother, my niece, and you. Please believe that what I am doing, I am doing from my heart.”

  Although she knew others perceived her as cold and calculating, Brigid meant what she said. Family was the only thing that mattered to her now, and she would protect them with her life if it came to it. She just hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

  “I believe you,” Sharon said softly and squeezed Brigid’s hand before closing her eyes. “Do it.”

  Brigid placed her palms on either side of Sharon’s head. She had a moment of doubt when she felt how strongly this wo
man felt about her brother, but then she forged ahead. Their happiness had to come second to her niece’s safety. Besides, how happy would they be if they were all dead?

  She filled Sharon with steely resolve and the words required to send David away. At the same time, Brigid removed all memories of herself. While the girl’s eyes were still closed, she snuck out of the room and around a corner, where she disappeared, transporting to the shore to begin the journey home.

  David hummed as he dressed. Lydia was going to take him up to the hospital today. He hated that he couldn’t drive and needed to depend on others. Once Sharon came home, he would change that. He would go and get his driver’s license, and then he would look for a job. They could get their own place. If she would have him, he would even ask her to get married. Meara deserved a stable home life with a mother and father. He could give her that.

  “Are you ready, David?” Lydia called as she knocked lightly on the door.

  “Coming!” He put on his coat and joined her in the hall. Evan gave him a wide grin. Because he saw David almost every day, the baby was not afraid of him.

  David reached out and ruffled Evan’s soft hair. “He’s getting big.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Lydia said and settled her son more securely on her hip. “I think he gains a few pounds every day.”

  “Do you want me to take him?”

  “I’m good.” Lydia started down the hall, so he followed her. “It’s when I’m balancing Evan and the groceries that it gets a little tricky.”

  Evan entertained them with his squeals and babbles on the way to the hospital. David couldn’t wait to enjoy these kinds of moments with Meara. How fun would it be to see her first smile, hear her first words, watch her learn to crawl, and then encourage her as she took her first wobbly steps. There was so much to look forward to.

  Sharon was feeding Meara when they arrived. Lydia waited in the lobby with Evan, but David went in to see his love and his daughter. Sharon looked up when he entered, and he could immediately tell something was wrong.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Nothing.” Her voice was quiet, and she stared at Meara, rather than him. All he could see was the top of her head.

  “Sharon, I know something is wrong. What’s bothering you?” He sat next to the bed and reached for her hand, but she moved it away.

  “You said your parents were murdered, right?”

  “Right.” He drew the word out.

  “And you were unsuccessful tracking the killer down. No one has caught him or her yet, have they?”

  “No,” David said. “They haven’t, but you don’t have to worry.”

  “How do you know that, David? How do you know they won’t come after Meara or me?”

  He felt the blood drain from his face. It was something he hadn’t even considered. “I’ll protect you.”

  “With your magic?” she asked.

  “Um…” He hadn’t told her that he would lose his magic if he stayed. It was his choice, after all, to become human. “No, probably not. I won’t have my magic much longer.”

  “What are you talking about?” Her brows knit together in confusion. She burped Meara, and then handed the sleeping baby to him to hold.

  He tucked his daughter close to him, breathing in her sweet scent even as the bile rose in his throat. Was Sharon pushing him away?

  “I’m going to stay with you, and in another month or two, my magic will disappear. I will become human, like you.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “Why would you do that?”

  Now, he was getting angry. “Because I love you, Sharon. I want to spend my life with you and raise a family.”

  “A family that has to constantly watch over their shoulder because someone or something might kill them?” Her voice rose and matched his tone. “No, David. No thanks. I don’t want that, and I don’t think you do either. If you stay, you’ll grow to resent me.”

  He was glad she couldn’t see his hands trembling under the baby’s blanket. “What are you saying exactly?”

  She sighed and turned her head away to stare out the window. Without looking back, she said, “I want you to go, David. I want you to return to your Selkie life and forget about Meara and me. It will be best for all of us.”

  “You can’t mean that!” He stood, startling Meara in her sleep. Bouncing her lightly in his arms, he began to pace the room.

  “I do mean it. Think of Meara. Think of what’s best for her. If you stay with us, you’ll only surround her with danger.”

  “I can’t. I won’t. I—” He struggled to form a coherent thought. Choking on his own tears, he bent to kiss Meara’s soft cheek, and then placed her back in her mother’s arms. Sharon’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but her expression was firm. She wanted him gone. He hung his head in defeat. “I’ll go.”

  She bit her lip and nodded. He couldn’t stay a minute longer. Each second that ticked by ripped another piece of his soul. She didn’t want him. She wouldn’t let him stay and be a part of their lives. Now, he would never see his daughter grow up. There would be no first moments for him. No family memories. He was being cast aside. Unwanted.

  He paused at the door and spoke without looking back. “I’ll always love you. Both of you.” On an impulse, he gathered what magic he could and conjured a necklace, a gold sand dollar charm on a chain. He returned to the bed and let it fall into Sharon’s hand. “Please give this to Meara when she is old enough to wear it. I want her to have something to remember me by.”

  Sharon’s eyes stayed on the chain, but in a small voice, she said, “I will.”

  “I’ll never forget you, Sharon.” He bent and kissed her cheek. “Don’t forget me.”

  Leaving the room, he headed in the opposite direction of the waiting room. He couldn’t face Lydia now. He couldn’t face anyone. After confirming the hall was empty, he transported to Acadia.

  His grandfather found him an hour later, lying in a grassy cove, face wet with tears. When David explained what had happened, his grandfather scoffed. “Why don’t you fight for her, boy? Fight for what you want.”

  But David shook his head. “She’s right. I didn’t want to admit it, but she’s right. I will only endanger them if I stay. Maybe I can come back, in a year or two, but for now, I have to focus on fighting our enemy.” He straightened and sat up, his sadness giving way to a single-minded focus. “And before I can do that, I need to determine who or what it is. I will find him, Grandfather, and I will make him pay.”

  Marvin watched his grandson with sad eyes. After a moment, he offered him a hand and helped him to stand. “Let’s get you back to the house, cleaned up and fed. You have a long journey ahead of you.”

  ****

  David returned to Peggy’s Cove the following year. He was no further ahead in identifying their unknown enemy, and there had been no more attacks. He was hoping to see Sharon and tell her the news, but when he went to her parents’ house, they told him that she got married and moved to another country.

  How could she have fallen in love with someone else so quickly? His heart broke at the betrayal and at the fact that Meara would be calling another man Daddy. She would never know her real daddy and how much he loved her.

  He returned to Peggy’s Cove every year after that, on the anniversary of Meara’s birth. He would sit at the lighthouse and call out to her telepathically. Within families, some Selkies could talk to each other. He had that ability, so there was a chance that Meara had inherited it too.

  When she would’ve turned seven years old, he tried to picture what she would look like. Suddenly, the image of a young girl who looked like Sharon but had his hair and eyes came to him. She sat on a bed in a long, frilly pink nightgown.

  Meara, where are you?

  “Daddy?”

  He heard her words as clear as if she were sitting next to him. Excited, he said, Meara, honey. I’m looking for you. Where are you?

  “Where are you, Daddy?”

  She started
to cry, and David couldn’t stand it. He broke the connection and swore. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her or make her sad. He was glad to see her, but he had no idea where she was. Would he see her again? He hoped so. All he could do was keep returning and trying. He would never give up.

  The shoebox of my mom’s memories was the best gift my grandma ever gave me. My parents lost so much due to misunderstandings and misplaced good intentions, but eventually, they did find each other again. Having my mom’s diary gave me a sense of peace, a better understanding of how much my parents had loved each other. I hoped when Kieran met his mother, he’d find the same for himself.

  When it was time to leave, my grandparents drove us to the airport, and we flew to California. It was Kieran’s first time on an airplane. He was fascinated and terrified. I’d never seen him so out of his element, but then again, he really was out of his element. Up in the air was about as opposite as one could get from under the sea. To distract him, I told him some of the stories Mom had written in her journal. It worked. By the time the pilot announced our descent; Kieran had relaxed his grip on the armrests and actually laughed a few times.

  Through my online research, I found Sera Boyd. She lived in a nursing home called Shady Grove. After landing in San Francisco, we hailed a cab and took it there. Once we introduced ourselves to the woman at the front desk, she led us to the common room where the residents were visiting, relaxing, or resting, their heads gently nodding in sleep.

  “There she is.” The friendly brunette pointed across the room. “I’ll let you introduce yourselves.”

  Sera sat in a chair near the window, the sun playing through her white hair. Her small frame was wrapped in an afghan of various shades of blue. Her back was to us, so she didn’t see us approach. As we drew near, I realized she was humming a soft tune.

  “She’s so old,” Kieran whispered. “Are we sure that’s her?”

  “The nurse told us as much,” I whispered back. “Kieran, based on what you told me, she is well into her 90s. That’s very old for a human.”