Jamie’s eyes were fixed on the sea loch. Never on me. The brine- and shellfish-scented wind ruffled his hair into a halo and stirred the water. Out by the headland, a vortex formed.
“Look,” he shouted, pointing, “it’s Nessie, the monster.”
A grey head broke the surface. I knew it for a selkie, because I’d seen the shed sealskin once on the beach. A selkie, here to take a comely lass’s form and carry poor Jamie away under the sea.
Turn to me, just once, I silently willed him. Only once and I’ll save you.
He didn’t. I walked.
Friday fictioneers is a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wisoff Fields to write a 100-word story in response to a photo prompt. You can find other stories here
Neil MacDonald Author 
Fascinating. The undertones of the relationship between the narrator and Jamie flesh out the legend of the selkies. Good one.
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Thanks so much, Sandra
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Moral of the story: think with your head…
Great use of language!
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Thanks so much, Tannille
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Aha! Creative one. He met a sad end…
Hope he had turned his head and looked at her.
Couldn’t she have screamed and asked him to do so? He could have been saved…
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Or perhaps it was just a seal after all. Thanks, Anita
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This was so atmospheric. And who could blame her for walking away?
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thanks, Susan. Yes, he had it coming
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Hard to resist those Selkie’s once they’ve got your gaze.
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Deeply seductive, as is their nature
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Wonderfully woven mix of myth and heartache.
But Jamie’s a numpty, Nessie doesn’t live in a sea loch.
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Thanks so much. You’re right. James is a numty in many different ways
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Nice retelling of the selkie story from the girlfriend or wife’s point of view. I think a lot of women have gone through something similar!
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Thanks so much Andy
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I love the mood you have created. Your narrator never stood a chance…
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Neither did Jamie
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True.
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He knew she was there because he called out to her too look. Too bad he didn’t look. I’m glad she walked away.
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He may regret it. Though only if you believe in selkies
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Great story. The Secret of Roan Inish is one of my favorite John Sayles movies. I guess the worse is if you see a selkie AND the Tir Na Nog!
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Thanks, Joshua
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Dear Neil,
I felt a bit for Jamie, but also felt the helplessness of the narrator, Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks so much, Rochelle
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Great story, Neil. That lure of the exotic is hard to resist at times. I wonder how many men would make the same choice in that situation?
David
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Thanks so much, David. It may depend on whether you know she’s a selkie
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You would hope. Some guys would still go for it even knowing that. 🙂
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I love the atmosphere you created here… I could almost smell the shellfish and brine!
-Rachel
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Thanks so much, Rachel
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I believe Jamie lost twice this day. And your narrator may have dodged a bullet. Nicely done.
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Thanks so much, Jo
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Sometimes I wonder if you should tell what you want before it’s too late….
sometimes it’s better to be silent …
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And you never know which is right until you’re faced with the consequences of your choice
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Just a turn away. Should have listened Jamie.
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Yes he should
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Poor Jamie! only if he had turned back once. But living with a selkie may be a new adventure.
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Depends how long he can hold his breath
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Such a subtle move could have changed everything.. Very well told.
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Thanks, Violet. I’m fascinated by those little fulcrums on which events turn
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I take it the girl didn’t think he was smart enough to save and the selkie took him Well-written, Neil. I guess the moral is use common sense to survive. 🙂 — Suzanne
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I’m not sure there is a moral, beyond “stuff happens”
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A fine combination of myth and an infatuation at work here. A wonderfully narrated story Neil.
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Thanks so much
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An engaging “once upon a time” kind of story. I loved it! A woman scorned is not someone to be trifled with.
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Thanks so much, Brenda
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Some people just can’t be saved. Quite a complex relationship between those two.
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She likes him more than he likes her
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Oh fantastic tale. He should have paid more attention to the one he was with !
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Thanks so much, Laurie. Yes he should
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Cold. Did she not consider it might be just that he didn’t fancy her?
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I’m sure it did, but not something she could face consciously
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I felt spellbound by your story. A feeling that Jamie was drawn in by the Selkie from the start, lost to his friend and the ordinary world.. I liked the mood of elusiveness you created, where nothing is quite as it seems.
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Thanks so much. What a lovely comment
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I enjoyed the mystic mystery of this. Is it true that a Selkie must return to its skin before it can return to the water?
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Thanks, James. Yes, the legend is that selkies need their sealskin to return to the water. Wicked humans could control them by finding and hiding the skin
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Oh, Jamie, a little attention goes a long way. Too bad he didn’t learn that sooner!
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Selkies exert a powerful attraction
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I was unfamiliar with the word selkies. Thanks.
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And now you have selkies in your world
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I have a feeling Jamie never paid much attention to the narrator even before this sighting.
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She only let herself believe he did
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Such a tragedy. She can’t compete with the lure of the exotic selkie. Jamie has the affliction of many young men, I fear, and doesn’t see the value of the ‘ordinary’ girl at his side. Wonderful story.
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Thanks so much, Margaret
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I’ve never hear of a selkie, fascinating tale really absorbing.
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Thanks so much. Selkies are part of Scottish folklore
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What a pity he didn’t look at her. Lovely imagery.
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Thanks so much, Luccia. Yup, shudalooked
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