The Tide Returns - An Elon Musk Fanfiction

Part 2 The Past

Our little love affair happened 19 years ago. And we never got to get married or anything because he disappeared at sea. There was a huge storm that took out his little yacht within the first few weeks and the wreckage washed ashore on the southern coast of California.

All I have left of Elon was the child he and I created on that one amazing night. I found out I was having a baby 6 weeks after Elon had left on his trip. What always hurt the most was that Elon never got to see his little boy who looks exactly like his daddy grow up into the handsome young fellow he is today. I gave him the name of his father, for I had decided long before I fell in love that if I ever had a little boy, his name would be Elonius, and call him Elon for short.

My son recently moved out and now has a girlfriend that he plans to marry this spring. He finished college early and has a good job, a home, and many good friends. I'm so proud of our son and I just wish his father could have met him.

My life without Elon has been hard, as being a single parent always is. And once my mother found out about the child he and I had conceived, she wanted nothing to do with me. And that was just fine. If she was going to treat me that way then I didn't want my precious little boy around her.

Today I am at the Oregon coast, Rock Beach. It's one of my favorite beaches because of all the tide pools at low tide. The only thing it's missing is some harbor seals out in the surf like at my other favorite beach, which I call Seal Beach over in Walport. But the reason there are no seals here is because of all the rocks as they are dangerous to navigate whether or not the tide is in or out. As I sit basking in the sun on one of the large rocks with my feet in a tide pool, I think back to when Elon asked me to accompany him on his voyage. I declined only because I didn't want to create a feud with my parents. After all, they certainly wouldn't want me to go. But I've regretted that decision for many years only because maybe if I was there, things would've turned out differently. Maybe Elon would be here with me right now, or at least we'd both been taken to the bottom of the sea together.

While I feel torn over a decision I made years ago, I still feel Elon is alive somewhere somehow. His body was never found and so I like to imagine he's happy now. Maybe in another country with a family or something. Yet I believe he would've tried to contact me by now. Considering how close we were. But maybe my mother was right about him and he only got close to me to take advantage of me. I'd rather not think of it that way. It's honestly stupid and a lost cause to think he survived. The Pacific waters are dangerous, cold, and shark-infested, so the chances of survival are low.

In the end, Elon was the one and only for me, and I couldn't give my heart to another person and love them as I did for Elon. And I suppose in the end that is okay. I have found love, joy, and peace from the sea. I feel as if Elon has become a part of it. The waves remind me of his laughter, the salty breeze reminds me of his soothing voice, the dark green color reminds me of his kind soulful eyes, and the life that lives on in these waters reminds me of his diverse personality. So in the end, it's as if Elon will be with me forever.

The afternoon seemed to pass rather quickly, and I found myself watching the sunset over the horizon. The tide was beginning to return so I had to get off my rock so I wouldn't get trapped on it. Yet as I was climbing off, my hand went in between a crevice and I felt something. Frightened, I pulled my hand out and nearly fell. Fortunately, I caught myself and then decided to see what it was I felt.

Whatever was in that crevice felt slimy but soft, furry, almost like an animal. I just so happened to have my phone in my pocket and used its flashlight to see what it could be. Once the light hit the thing inside the crevice, I recognized the silvery color and texture: sealskin.

I then reached inside the rock pocket and pulled out a very long and large beautiful spotted pelt that shimmered like platinum in what was left of the light of the day. I knew about the story of Selkies; seals that can shed their skin and become human. They hide their pelts and go explore the human world for a bit, then return to their true home in the waves. But as the myth goes, whoever takes the pelt, becomes the master of the selkie. A popular story in the Orkney Islands tells of a fisherman who stole the pelt of a selkie woman and forced her to be his wife. There are also tales of Selkie men who in their human form are handsome and irresistible, and the stories that go for them are quite different than that of the female selkies.

Not knowing whether the pelt belonged to a male or female selkie, I decided I would place the article back where I'd found it. After I took pictures to document it and try it on for myself of course. Because hey, it's not every day you find a selkie's pelt!

I took pictures of the pelt and tried it on. And believe it or not, when I wore the pelt, I somehow felt different and swore the sea beckoned me to dive right in. But I'm not a selkie, I'm just a human, at least as far as I'm aware.

While I was fooling around with the pelt, the tide came up more, and when I went to return the item to its place, I couldn't get to the rocks of where I had found the pelt. The water was too high, and I'd risk getting mowed over by a large breaker, possibly getting trapped in and around rocks. So I decided to keep the pelt for safekeeping until tomorrow; when I could return the pelt to its place once the tide went out enough.

As I made my way back up the beach, still wearing the pelt, I heard my name be called from behind. I looked around and saw no one but the large crashing waves that came in closer and closer. Then, a bone-chilling breeze blew my (h/c) hair. I shook my head and pulled the pelt around myself to keep warm. I had to get out of here. Things were getting strange and I was starting to hear things. I need to get back to the hotel and then go out for dinner.