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Ebba watched the receding back of Alfred from her vantage point on the front verandah. As usual, he’d delivered his fish; a great big cod this time, the biggest Ebba had ever seen. Myna could’ve made it feed the three of them for a week, and yet he’d still be back tomorrow with another one.
‘What’s he so interested in, anyway?’ The words were muttered. Ebba would never speak them loudly enough for her mother to hear—she’d questioned Alfred’s motives once and received a sharp slap across the cheek.
‘Alfred is the only person who spoke to your grandparents and me after the villagers ostracised us,’ Myna had said. ‘He and your grandfather were good friends.’
But when Ebba had questioned others, no one of her mother’s age remembered a friendship between the two men; just that Alfred had always delivered a fish to her mother, right up until his leg gave out and he couldn’t climb that hill anymore. Now that they lived closer to the village, Alfred was able to deliver the fish again, though it always seemed to Ebba that this pained him; that he did it out of necessity and not because he wanted to.
Perhaps he does it for Oulde.
Ebba’s eyes widened. That would make sense. He was a fisherman, and she was a selkie. Perhaps that is why Alfred had been the only fisherman all those years, because the selkies helped him catch fish when no one else could.
‘You are going to wait until your mother is ready.’
Her father’s words echoed in her mind, but Ebba dismissed them. Circumstance had revealed the secrets they knew so far. Who knew how long before Wayanna was ready to share the truth with her family? Ronan’s parents had died long before Ebba was born. If she waited for Wayanna, Myna’s parents could be dead by then, too. Ebba wanted to know now.
She followed Alfred along the path. The scrub along the shore was sparse, the ground rocky and uneven, and it wasn’t till they were a good way along that Ebba called his name. She didn’t want her mother hearing.
‘Wondered if you were going to let me know you were there, or if you were just going to follow me around all day. Wouldn’t have been very exciting, you know.’
Ebba ignored him.
‘I want to talk about my mother.’ The breeze picked up, whipping a thick strand of hair from Ebba’s ponytail across her face.
‘Aye. And what about her?’
‘You fetched the midwife for her, when Ronan came for help. Oulde, her name was.’
‘I did. What of it?’
‘Oulde took my sister away.’
‘Aye. The child was ill-formed.’
‘So the story goes.’
‘You don’t believe it?’
Ebba shrugged. ‘I’ve heard other versions.’
Alfred watched her for a moment. Ebba couldn’t read his expression and she wondered what he could possibly be thinking.
‘Where might ye’ve heard these other versions? Seems to me there’s only three people that truly know what happened that night, and you live with two of them.’
Ebba nodded. ‘That’s true enough. But I wonder about Oulde.’
Alfred frowned. ‘What about her?’
‘She might be able to tell me more. Like, where she buried my sister, so I can visit the actual grave, and not Mother’s memorial cairn.’
Alfred shrugged. ‘She might. She might not.’
‘But you knew her. You fetched her.’
‘I did.’
‘So perhaps you could fetch her again?’
‘And how long has it been since your sister’s birth? It must be close to thirty years. What makes you think I would still know Oulde, or where she might live?’
‘You still fish.’
‘And what does that have to do with anything?’
‘You’ve always fished. You’ve always had luck with your catch.’
‘Aye.’
‘Well...’ Ebba frowned. ‘The Sea, She’s blessed you.’
‘So they say.’
‘And you do not?’
Alfred shrugged. ‘What are you getting at, girl?’
Ebba pursed her lips. Hinting around the edges was not getting her any answers.
‘I know Oulde is my grandmother. And I know she’s a selkie. And if you fetched her that night, then you must know how to fetch her again.’
Alfred’s mouth dropped open. ‘And how on earth do you know all that?’
‘It’s true, isn’t it? You’re not denying it.’
Alfred closed his eyes and sighed.
‘As I said, thirty years ago. What makes you think seals live that long?’
‘She’s not just a seal, though, is she? She’s a selkie. As far as I can gather, magical creatures always live longer than humans.’
Alfred opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Ebba seized her chance. ‘I just want to ask some questions. That’s all.’
