The Selkie’s Daughter Read Free

I see elves and dwarves all the time .
    “Oh, aye, ’tis cause you are special, not a mere mortal like me.  If you see one of those wondrous beings, and they stop to sip your milk and to speak their mind, then ask them if I am destined to live my life alone?”
    “Meooowwww.”  The feline seemed to smile, and his tail twitched in a lazy fashion.
    Annys was not hungry.  The air of sadness brought on by the heavy storm made her tired.  Giving way to the exhaustion, she unrolled the pallet she’d slept on since she had been twelve and come to live with Hagatha.  She needed to sleep while she could.  It was imperative that she would have to awaken later and tend the fire to keep it going all through the night.  But for now, she wanted to rest.
    The warm heat washed over her as she lay down.  Soon, the cat came to stretch out beside her and began to rumble.  Absently, her hand reached out to pull him closer.  So heavy, her eyelids were unable to stay open.  They lowered and she quickly drifted, floating on a sea of warmth, an aura spreading and surrounding her. 
    In this soothing cocoon, Annys became aware she was not alone.  Another’s presence in the small cottage should spread alarm; instead, she was filled with a peace she had never known.  Her eyes were still closed, and yet, she could see the whole cottage filling with silver and gold twinklings–– Pictish dust, her mother had called it.  Slowly, the flames in the fireplace shifted and swayed, and a face began to take form in the playful fire.
    “You bear my name, child,” came the soft whisper.
    Annys struggled to awaken, but a ghostly hand almost created from the shimmering dust reached out and stroked her head, running down the length of her long, brown hair––as her mother had oft done when she was a child.  “Màthair?”
    “I am mother to many.  Long have I watched over you, protected you, dear one.”
    “Hagatha?”
    “That is one face I show to people through the ages.  On this night, the veil between your world and mine is ever so thin…no more than the shimmering of dust separates us in this heartbeat.  The great wheel turns yet again.  My time with you is past.  You stay here because you have been at peace.  Methinks you need a wee push to set you upon your final journey in life.”
    “I am going to die?”
    Soft laughter filled the room.  “No, my lamb.  Something wondrous will happen, something magical.  But only if you are strong enough to reach out and shape the future with your hands.  I bring you Yuletide blessings and the chance of fulfilling your heart’s desire.”
    “Who are you?”
    “To you, I have been Hagatha.  Others call me different.  If you recall my words, I said you are named after me .  ’Tis because you are born of rare blood–– Selkie blood .  I am goddess of the lakes and rivers.  The Selkies are my people, my children.”  She stroked Annys’s head once more.  “Sleep deeply.  Before the dawn he comes…”
    “Who comes?”
    There was no reply .
    Annys wanted to open her eyes and discover whether the gold and silver sparkles still filled the air, see if the fire danced to form the face of a beautiful woman.  But she could not move.  Intense heat filled her, almost reaching bone deep.  The tranquility of the sensation was such a blessed relief that she was loath to let go of that very special feeling.
    As she drifted deeper into sleep’s embrace, she could hear the cat purring louder, then a melodic humming filled the large chamber, a fith-fath–– a Charm of Making–– similar to ones she had oft heard Hagatha use.  Annys struggled to hold onto the questions and thoughts, only she slipped deeper into that soothing darkness.
    ****
    Slowly, the heat’s caress faded, drawing a shiver from her body.  She was unsure how long she had slumbered.  Seeking even a meager source of warmth, she reached out for Meone to cuddle, to share their body heat as they did most