"Oops! You dropped your coat," I said, kneeling down to carefully pick the dirtied fur up from the ground. It was silky smooth, and there were no splotches, no discoloration to be found in the cream surface. I found myself staring at it, almost forgetting to return it to the owner, still standing in front of me on the crowded sidewalk.
It was not a word but instead a short huff of air through her nose that shook me from my contemplations. I stammered weakly and stood, pushing the coat towards her in one sharp motion. She raised her eyebrows slightly at the sudden movement but did not flinch, instead taking it from me in one equally as quick, albeit far more graceful, motion.
"Thank you," she said. It was barely more than a whisper. Still, the words seemed to slip around me in soft tendrils. Her voice, too, was like silk.
"No problem," I mumbled, tucking my face into my scarf to hide the redness I felt creeping up my cheeks. For a moment, I stood there, awkwardly. The look on the young woman's face suggested that she had more to say, but her lips remained shut, pressed in a tight line. I tried not to look at her eyes.
Finally, I caught sight of my mother in the corner of my eye, standing on the steps with a wide casserole dish piled high with dishes. The woman must have seen me looking because she smiled a bit and said simply, "Goodbye."
And before I could so much as wave, she was gone, effortlessly disappearing back into the crowd. I searched for a moment, unsure of even which direction she had gone in, but it was not long before I could hear my name being called from across the yard.
"Alyse! Alyse!"
"Coming, Mom!"
I wandered over to her, narrowly dodging a gaggle of little girls rushing across the path and an uncle throwing his arms wide in the midst of some joke.
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(Note)
Sorry this is so short! I've written bits and pieces of the story already, but they occur at random points in the plot. I'll be updating this as soon as I can
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When a Selkie Leaves the Sea
RomansA self-indulgent story about a selkie who runs from the sea and falls in love with a human girl. Somewhat slow burn, but I'm also impatient so we'll see. Set somewhere in Scotland, although the time period isn't explicitly clear. I love Scottish fa...
