by Susan Fodor
“It died,” Charlie said, “she was crushed. The point is, that she is committed to you, I’m not even a blip on her radar as anything more than a friend. She’s here for you man and fighting is only going to put more pressure on her, so we need to get along.”
“Why would I trust you?” Daniel asked, his voice full of accusation.
I felt like busting in and yelling at him for being so callous with someone that was genuinely making an effort to resolve their conflict. Behind Daniel’s words was the accusation that selkie’s were thieving, untrustworthy dogs; despite his assertion of love toward me and my kind, long held beliefs were difficult to change.
“I give you my word as a prince of Seal Rock, as heir of the selkie kingdom, that I will in no way make a move on Mya, nor will I undermine your relationship,” Charlie swore solemnly. “I will support your union, and fight for you as an ally and brother.”
My heart burst with affection for Charlie’s declaration, it was one that would hopefully lead to better relations between the selkies and merfolk. If we managed to return to Seal Rock, I knew that he would help me convince King Leo that Daniel and I were a good match. His support was necessary and he was offering it freely, my face was beaming in the dark.
“Why would you do that?” Daniel asked, taken aback.
“I care about Mya and I want her to be happy. You make her happy.” Charlie shrugged. “Not to mention that your union will change everything amongst our people. Your love is a symbol that will bind the merfolk and selkies, and hopefully we can find the floating selkie city and you and Mya will have somewhere you can live together and the selkies can finally get off Seal Rock.”
Daniel was silent for a moment taking in the picture that Charlie was painting. “We would be like Escamonte and Alamer?” Daniel mused. “Mya could even live in Atlantis if the Heart of the Sea does what it’s supposed to.”
Charlie nodded, allowing the ideas to take seed in Daniel’s mind.
“I still don’t get it,” Daniel accused heartlessly. “What’s in it for you?”
Charlie was undeterred, his voice filled with passion. “My people get a clean home, that’s what I get out of it. I don’t ever have to see a selkie pup die again because they’ve been exposed to a crap filled rock, that’s what I get. My reward is that I fulfill my role as a good leader and provide my people with what they need.”
A lump of emotion formed in my throat at the hurt in Charlie’s voice, he had been the leader in my stead. He’d carried the burden of sick selkie’s and people abandoning their heritage to survive. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I would help in any way that I could. I still wanted to live on land and be human, because that was what felt right, but I would find a way to help the selkies.
“I’m sorry I hit you with the shovel,” Daniel said, sincerely. “I was crazy jealous, but that’s not good enough.”
“I get it dude,” Charlie responded, amicably. “I’ve done crazy stupid stuff for love of a girl. Let’s just get along, because I really don’t want Mya to punch me in the nuts in my sleep.”
Daniel’s laugh reverberated through the room. “Sure,” he responded genuinely as they shook hands, “just one thing man.” Daniel’s serious tone made me press my ear gently against the door.
“If we don’t find the Heart of the Sea,” Daniel voiced his doubt, “then you look after Mya once I’m gone.”
Charlie faced Daniel and stated, “She will find it; don’t doubt that.”
“But if she doesn’t...” Daniel persisted.
“Then you run away together,” Charlie responded. “You make it work and you make her happy.”
“And create a whole new reason for our people to hate each other,” Daniel fumed. “No. We are closer to peace than we’ve ever been, we can’t risk that.”
Charlie deliberated over what Daniel had said for a long moment. “I’ll take care of her,” he agreed.
My chest swelled with pain at Daniel’s willingness to sacrifice himself. I would find the Heart of the Sea, no matter what it took.
“Good.” Daniel sighed relieved, falling onto his bed to recline. “So tell me about this other girl.”
I retreated from the door, assured that they were going to be safe and feeling guilty about invading their privacy and listening in on their conversation. Despite Daniel’s assurance to my face, he doubted my ability to find the Heart of the Sea. It hurt to realize that maybe everyone was watching me, uncertain if I would choke or succeed.
I quietly padded back to bed, hoping that Daniel and Charlie’s truce would hold and they would find genuine friendship. I drifted off to sleep, coursing a map in my head of where to look for the Heart of the Sea. In the morning I had to save Daniel’s life.
heart of the sea
The day dawned bright blue and crisp. The sun was like a floodlight illuminating the theatre, ideal for finding a missing item. We were the first people through the Minack Theater doors. The theatre felt so much bigger knowing that we had to find the Heart of the Sea in it. We combed every aisle looking for something out of the usual. As the noon sun shone through the theatre we settled in Celeste’s favorite row.
Daniel and I met Dr. Conneely at the end of the row, none of us having found anything. Mum was making her way toward us from the front, while Charlie bounded across the row to connect with us.
“Any luck?” Charlie asked lying across Daniel and me. His head fell in my lap, his musky cologne transferring to both Daniel and I. Overnight the spark of a bromance had flickered into being between the boys. They were quoting shows together and genuinely listening to one another. It had made the morning easier to see their growing felicity.
“Nope, nothing,” Daniel replied, playfully rolling Charlie onto the grass in front of us.
A light reflected off his temple as he got up.
“What was that?” Dr. Conneely asked, pointing to Charlie’s brow.
“My beautiful head,” Charlie replied goofily, a puzzled look in his eyes.
I laughed at the comical look on Charlie’s face. Daniel put his arm around me and kissed my forehead, with the warm sun and cloudless spring day, it was a good day to find the Heart of the Sea.
“There was a reflection when you were on the ground,” Dr. Conneely insisted.
“Did any of you see it?” Charlie asked, trying to appease Dr. Conneely.
“I saw a flicker,” I admitted.
“Where did it come from?” Dr. Conneely asked, perplexed.
“Any clue is worth following up,” Daniel said standing up, and pulling me to my feet.
We looked under the seat and wandered down to the stage, but there was no sign of what had caused the reflection. The theatre was emptying out as the crowds sought to satiate their appetites. Our group lingered like Indiana Jones seeking a mystical treasure.
Behind the stone stage the cliffs met the sea; I watched some seals frolicking in the waves off the coast. One seemed familiar, as it skipped across the water’s surface.
Dr. Conneely waved to them and the large dark seal waved its flipper in response.
“Goodbye, Kerensa,” Dr. Conneely said so quietly that I almost missed it.
I squinted out to sea, watching Kerensa and her seal husband cavorting in the waves. Their jubilation in being reunited was obvious; a warm feeling of accomplishment filled me. If I could desecrate a grave to find a pelt, I could certainly find the Heart of the Sea in a theatre.
I looked around with a renewed determination. I glimpsed a bright light from the corner of my eye. Sophia was standing under the glinting object, absently running her hand along the grey ledge of a stone window looking out to sea.
Daniel spied it at the same time; his cold hand clasped mine as we made our way toward the flickering light. Clouds were swiftly gathering over the sea, the wind had picked up, blowing them inland. We moved quickly, aware that if the clouds were overhead we wouldn’t be able to see the object throwing light.
My heart was beating
triple time, as I kept my eyes on the glinting object, afraid it would disappear if I blinked. Noticing our swift descent the others in our group moved to the best positions to keep watch for stray tourists and curators.
Daniel and I stood staring up at the light. Sophia turned to meet us.
“What is it?” Sophia asked.
Through the window, the advancing clouds looked even more ominous, a storm.
“There’s something up there,” Daniel said, pointing to the shining object.
“Hmmm,” Sophia said, looking at it contemplatively.
“A lookout at the top entrance would help,” Daniel instructed. Sophia immediately made her way to the theatre doors.
The glinting stone was out of arms reach. I needed a leg up to inspect the item. Like an oiled machine Daniel and I moved together, our thoughts one. Daniel put his hand under my foot, helping to boost me onto the high window ledge. My toes found purchase on the stone as Daniel supported my legs with his arms and torso. I reached up, running my fingers along the crystalline surface of the glinting object. It was shaped like a starfish, and looked like it belonged in a fairy tale.
I tried to pull the rock from its place, but it was in tight. I began to chip away at the mortar around the crystal starfish that had taken up residence in the gray stone. If it wasn’t the Heart of the Sea; it had to be a clue, I could feel it. The others stood watch as I tried to excise the large rock from its prison.
I heard a bird sound, suddenly Daniel dropped me to the ground and began kissing me passionately.
A foreign laugh alerted me to the fact that Daniel’s sudden public display of affection; was due to someone observing us.
“So, you heard about the Heart of the Sea?” the mustached theatre custodian chuckled. He was a tiny man, with a face that was one-third mustache.
“The Heart of the Sea?” I asked breathlessly, as much from Daniel’s kiss as a stranger knowing what we were looking for.
He smiled with a look that suggested I was being coy. “Yes, we used to have a sign over it, but too many people were getting up there to rub it. Rumor suggests that touching the Heart of the Sea would bring lifelong love.”
Estelle and Adrian were genius; they had hidden the Heart of the Sea openly. If the merfolk or selkies had followed the Conneely’s back to Cornwall instead of declaring war on each other, they could have easily retrieved it and not lived in the dark or in poo for one hundred and fifty years. War was stupid and futile, and no one ever won. It took all my self-control to continue to pretend that we were just a canoodling couple, and not crystal starfish thieves.
“We’re big on folklore,” Daniel said, squeezing me fondly.
“There’s plenty of that here.” The custodian smiled. “The Heart of the Sea was a gift from Celeste Conneely, Rowena Cade’s closest friend.”
“You don’t say,” Dr. Conneely interrupted, appearing just when we needed him. “Celeste Conneely was a relative. I’ve been thinking about donating some of her things to your exhibition—photos and letters between Celeste and Rowena.”
The custodian looked like Christmas had arrived early. “That sounds wonderful.”
Dr. Conneely led the custodian away, leaving me with the unenviable task of trying to pry the Heart of the Sea out of the rock. I pulled at the crystal and scrapped at the mortar but it was firmly in place. I tried hitting, tilting and rubbing it, but all without success.
“It’s stuck.” I sighed, poking Daniel’s shoulder to get down.
“How’s it going?” Charlie asked, joining us. “I thought you might need a hand.”
“Give me a boost,” Daniel asked Charlie, hoping that his iron grip would be able to dislodge the stone.
Mum’s loud laugh alerted us to people arriving again. “Damn it,” Daniel cursed angrily, as we acted like we were taking photos of the scenery. Frustration boiled in me, we were so close and yet so far. It was just above our heads, but the mortar was keeping it from us.
Mum and Sophia joined us as a busload of Japanese tourists flooded through the theatre, cameras flashing. We stood at the stone railing, talking as the frigid waves washed onto the rocky shore below.
“It’s cemented in there,” Daniel said, frustrated. “The only way we’re going to budge it, is with a sledge hammer.”
“Then we need to find a sledge hammer,” I said determined, wondering how we could even get high enough to knock it without serious equipment. “A pick axe might do it, we don’t want to smash it.”
“You can’t be serious!” Mum reprimanded. “Last night you raided a grave yard and today you’re planning to knock out part of a heritage-listed building!”
“It’s not ideal,” Charlie said placating, “but it’s the only way.”
I nodded, my stomach filled with apprehension at having to do something so extreme, but it was our only option.
Mum launched herself into a sermonette about respecting people’s property.
Sophia stood among us while still being apart from us, thumb-wrestling herself with anxiety. “What’s worth more, a piece of rock that can be rebuilt or five lives?”
Mum stopped mid-sentence, and put her arm around Sophia, whose eyes had filled with tears. Mum could be such an activist at times that she would miss the cake because of the frosting, but the reminder of our mission being to save lives focused all of us.
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Mum comforted. “We’ll come back after the show and knock out the wall.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Dr. Conneely replied, sneaking up on us. “That’s not the original Heart of the Sea; it’s a replica. The curator gave the real Heart of the Sea to someone that claimed to be me.”
“Who? Who would do that?” I asked bewildered, feeling the last clue slipping away. After the distance we’d traveled and the challenges we’d faced, it was unfair that we would lose the Heart of the Sea because some dinky curator forgot to ask for identification.
“The man left an address,” Dr. Conneely replied, his face grim.
“Why are you making that sound like bad news?” Charlie asked, confused.
“It’s Kerensa’s address,” Dr. Conneely stated.
“Kerensa’s husband, the fisherman has it,” I said monotone, knowing that a man willing to bury his wife’s pelt in his mother’s grave, was not going to hand over the Heart of the Sea without a fight.
selection
“Arthur is no doubt waiting for us,” Dr. Conneely agreed, heavily.
An ominous vibe filled our group. I felt like my head was under the guillotine, waiting for the blade to drop. Kerensa’s husband had deliberately taken the Heart of the Sea, and someone cunning enough to hide a pelt in a grave would hold nothing back after losing his wife. I chewed my lip, wondering how we could convince him to give us the artifact.
“So the good doctor, Charlie and I should go pay him a visit,” Daniel said resolutely, his tone conveying that they would force the Heart of the Sea from Arthur’s grasp.
“We can be the muscle to Dr. Conneely’s hustle,” Charlie joked, sounding like a total nerd.
“You spent a lot of time in your locker in high school, didn’t you?” Daniel teased.
Charlie laughed, a goofy smile on his face. The guys were happy to take on the job, but I was unconvinced that force would work with a man like Arthur.
“I think I should go,” I interjected. The dynamic in the group became somber.
Mum shook her head, while Sophia looked at her feet, unwilling to get involved in the battle.
“No,” Daniel said resolutely, “you’re not going.”
“Come on man,” Charlie persuaded, always on my side. “We’ll all be there with her to keep her safe. This is her mission after all.”
I shot Charlie a grateful smile.
Daniel was unmoved. “You’re not going, it’s not safe, that guy kept Kerensa a prisoner for decades, there is no way that you’re going anywhere near him.”
His tone made me feel like a petulant child
, it was annoying.
“Dr. Conneely threatened him to return Kerensa’s pelt and had no luck; what makes you think that you’ll be able to sway him?” I asked, a hard edge to my voice.
“There’ll be three of us,” Daniel replied, as though the numbers would automatically lead to victory.
“He’s old, and he’s got nothing to lose,” I replied, with attitude. “His wife just left him, he’s no doubt going to die soon and you think that roughing him up is going to make him give you the Heart of the Sea? I don’t think so.”
“Don’t make this a bleeding heart mission,” Daniel said, exasperated. “He doesn’t need a counseling session, he needs to learn some respect.”
“And that’s achieved by force?” I challenged. There had been multiple times in our relationship that Daniel and I had disagreed about how to handle Miranda or whether violence was the best revenge. Until that point our disagreements had been hypothetical and less public. With five lives on the line, it was a battle of life and death.
“I’m going to die if we don’t get the Heart of the Sea,” Daniel said passionately. “Mother will die. The selkie pups will die. You can’t reason with this guy, just let us get it.”
I shook my head, the air charged with emotion. Sophia had silent tears running down her cheeks, and Mum was death glaring at Daniel. Charlie had moved incrementally toward me, his proximity a sign of support. Doctor Conneely looked between us torn.
My heart was pounding so loud; it drained out the howling wind heralding the imminent storm. Tourists sidestepped us, raising their eyebrows in our direction, but not getting too close.
“I understand how important a positive outcome to this mission is,” I stated levelly, fighting the adrenaline coursing through my body, that just made me want to run and hide. “But you won’t be able to get the Heart of the Sea. I need to go.”
Daniel stared at me, his eyes willing me to recant. I set my chin regally, unflinching under Daniel’s gaze.