Midterm - Vera Prince
Picture #4
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Once upon a time, there lived a poor fisherman. The fisherman was a surprisingly young man. His parents had disappeared when he was a child so he learned how to fish to help him make a living. Sadly for this young man, he had very bad luck. His luck was so horrifically bad that despite the fact that he lived on the shore of the largest ocean in the world, he could never catch any fish. Every day, his meager supply of gold coins slowly dwindled down until he was left with neither a penny to his name nor a fish on his hook.
It so happened that the young man was quite handsome. Unbeknownst to him, he had attracted the attentions of a selkie. Now, this young selkie liked to call herself Meryl (although that most definitely was not a selkie name, but it was beautiful nonetheless) and she was smitten with this fisherman. She had always been told to stay away from human men, they would take her skin and she would be bound to them but Meryl also thought that human men would fall in love with her. Never had she heard of a selkie falling hopelessly in love with a human. But Meryl was smitten with this human, and she couldn’t tear herself away from him.
Every night, the fisherman would set out again in his little boat in an attempt to reverse his luck. Every night, Meryl would swim around his boat and scare away all the fish. It was accidental, of course. Meryl simply wanted to be as close to him as possible, but her very presence scared away all the smaller animals of the sea. One night, when the water was lit by the full moon hanging low on the horizon, Meryl’s fate was sealed as she, once again, swam around and around the fisherman’s boat.
A hook fell into the water. It snagged on a patch of seal skin. Meryl thrashed and writhed, but to no avail.
She landed on the boat with an unceremonious thump.
She thrashed around until she was free from her skin.
The fisherman picked up the skin, and curiously surveyed the young woman lying in his boat. His eyes widened in realization. He handed her skin right back to her.
Her eyes widened. Never, in all her years, had she heard of a man willingly returning a selkie’s skin. Never.
They stared at each other in silence for a few moments. She shivered in the cold night air, refusing to put her skin back on for fear of turning back into a seal. He handed her a blanket. She smiled. He smiled as well.
“You are welcome to leave whenever you wish.”
She grinned.
Never had she ever heard of a human like this one.
“I am Meryl.”
“I am Noah.”
He cast his line over the side of the boat. Almost immediately, he felt a tug. Quickly reeling in, he grinned widely at the sight of the fish dangling off of the hook.
“You are my good luck charm,” he said softly.
“I suppose I am,” she replied.
Of course, you want to hear that they lived happily ever after, but that was not meant to be. Almost as soon as Meryl’s feet touched the sand, she shrieked aloud in pain. Noah, the fisherman, was horrified. Meryl was terrified. She knew that being away from the ocean would cause her pain but she had never imagined the true agony she would be facing. It was… it was too much.
She checked the bottom of her feet but there were no physical signs of her suffering. Tears leaking from her eyes, she looked at Noah sadly. He smiled softly, and removed the blanket from her shoulders. Gently taking her skin, he wrapped her in it watching, wide-eyed, as she transformed. She jumped into the water and he never saw her again.
But every day, when he returned home from fishing, he would find a single fish waiting for him at his doorstep.
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Once upon a time, there lived a poor fisherman. The fisherman was a surprisingly young man. His parents had disappeared when he was a child so he learned how to fish to help him make a living. Sadly for this young man, he had very bad luck. His luck was so horrifically bad that despite the fact that he lived on the shore of the largest ocean in the world, he could never catch any fish. Every day, his meager supply of gold coins slowly dwindled down until he was left with neither a penny to his name nor a fish on his hook.
It so happened that the young man was quite handsome. Unbeknownst to him, he had attracted the attentions of a selkie. Now, this young selkie liked to call herself Meryl (although that most definitely was not a selkie name, but it was beautiful nonetheless) and she was smitten with this fisherman. She had always been told to stay away from human men, they would take her skin and she would be bound to them but Meryl also thought that human men would fall in love with her. Never had she heard of a selkie falling hopelessly in love with a human. But Meryl was smitten with this human, and she couldn’t tear herself away from him.
Every night, the fisherman would set out again in his little boat in an attempt to reverse his luck. Every night, Meryl would swim around his boat and scare away all the fish. It was accidental, of course. Meryl simply wanted to be as close to him as possible, but her very presence scared away all the smaller animals of the sea. One night, when the water was lit by the full moon hanging low on the horizon, Meryl’s fate was sealed as she, once again, swam around and around the fisherman’s boat.
A hook fell into the water. It snagged on a patch of seal skin. Meryl thrashed and writhed, but to no avail.
She landed on the boat with an unceremonious thump.
She thrashed around until she was free from her skin.
The fisherman picked up the skin, and curiously surveyed the young woman lying in his boat. His eyes widened in realization. He handed her skin right back to her.
Her eyes widened. Never, in all her years, had she heard of a man willingly returning a selkie’s skin. Never.
They stared at each other in silence for a few moments. She shivered in the cold night air, refusing to put her skin back on for fear of turning back into a seal. He handed her a blanket. She smiled. He smiled as well.
“You are welcome to leave whenever you wish.”
She grinned.
Never had she ever heard of a human like this one.
“I am Meryl.”
“I am Noah.”
He cast his line over the side of the boat. Almost immediately, he felt a tug. Quickly reeling in, he grinned widely at the sight of the fish dangling off of the hook.
“You are my good luck charm,” he said softly.
“I suppose I am,” she replied.
Of course, you want to hear that they lived happily ever after, but that was not meant to be. Almost as soon as Meryl’s feet touched the sand, she shrieked aloud in pain. Noah, the fisherman, was horrified. Meryl was terrified. She knew that being away from the ocean would cause her pain but she had never imagined the true agony she would be facing. It was… it was too much.
She checked the bottom of her feet but there were no physical signs of her suffering. Tears leaking from her eyes, she looked at Noah sadly. He smiled softly, and removed the blanket from her shoulders. Gently taking her skin, he wrapped her in it watching, wide-eyed, as she transformed. She jumped into the water and he never saw her again.
But every day, when he returned home from fishing, he would find a single fish waiting for him at his doorstep.