The Selkie Agrees to an Interview

The Selkie Agrees to an Interview

When you came onto land in woman form, just what were you hoping to do?

The moon was as full as a prophecy that night. I wanted to hear her aura sing.

When the man snuck up on you, didn’t you sense him?

The leaves were shivering. Aspen, seashell, whisper. I had closed my
eyes to better see.  

You shed your seal coat there on a rock, had you not? Had you thought that through?  

I liked the pattern my human-hand made, pressed against the stars.

When the man approached, he took your fur robe?

He told me I was better off. He blamed it on magpies or thieves.

How did you come to be this man’s wife?

My weeping was pearls that spilled from my fingers. He laced them on a string.

What was the wedding like?

Sullen. Sour. I cried in the cake when he brought out his flask and chased all the guests away.

How was your married life? 

Picture two palms stitched to the window, flanking a faint mist of breath. 

Why did you stay that way?

I could not find the exit. I knew I was missing something vital. I could not remember what.

How did you come to find your seal skin?

He had gone drinking with his friends. I saw it there, a sliver, beneath our mattress. I suspect, now, he rubbed it to his cheek at night.

How did you react?

I wept and wept. Pearls scattered across floorboards. I did not pick them up.

What did he find once you were gone? 

My wedding ring pierced with a dagger. My white dress cut to ribbons. I carved a set of eyes in the mirror’s wood frame so he would know the gods had been watching.

Did you ever look back?

Now and then. Eventually.

What do you see when you do?

A thin line of smoke from the chimney. A rusted, misused gate. A well-trod path to the local bar. No circle of breath at the pane.

Did you love him?

When wandering, lost in a forest, one might love any seeming guide, even a wolf.

Did you love him?

Like a deer might love an oncoming headlight. Transfixed, wide-eyed, feet firm.

What is life like now?

I paddle where starlight meets dark waves. I listen to the moon in my own heart.