The Silkie Bride

Arthur was a fisherman. He lived close to the shore, and far from the village. Every day, at the first light of dawn, he would slip into the waves and row his small boat along the shore line. He knew every rock on the shore, and he could gauge the water’s depth from pure instinct. At low tides he ventured further out to sea, where he caught mackerel, cod, haddock, halibut, monk fish, and occasional crabs and lobsters. When he had caught enough, he rowed to the villages and sold his fish directly to the people. They ran to the beach with their fish baskets when they saw Arthur’s boat bobbing into view.

Arthur’s parents were already old when he was born. His father taught him all that he knew about fishing and the ocean, and they built a boat together from the curved stunted oaks that grew besides the cottage. His childhood was full of quiet joys. His mother loved to sing, and she knew many songs of the ocean. When they finally died, it was on the same day, and according to their wishes, Arthur returned their bodies to the salt wave from the boat that he had built with his father.

Arthur was a man of few words. He felt more at home alone with the ocean than in the company of men. But he had a kind heart, and he always gave away some of his catch to those who could not pay. Many could see that Arthur suffered from being alone. He had a far-away look that made them feel sad for him.

When his work was done, Arthur would often walk along the rocky shore, and collect treasures that had been washed up on the tide. And under a full moon, he might row his boat out to the Seven Sisters rocks. He was drawn there by the moonlight, and by the stories. It was said that when the conditions were right, the Silkie would come out of the ocean in their human form to dance together under the moonlight.

It was on one such night, with a rising orange moon, that Arthur slid his boat into the waves. The ocean was like liquid honey as he glided effortlessly away from the shore, and set his course towards the Seven Sister’s rocks. As he approached, he began to hear a hauntingly beautiful sound, like chanting or singing, rising and falling with the night breeze, interspersed with what seemed like laughter. It reminded him of his mother’s songs of the ocean. The moon seemed to almost fill the sky.