In A Sea of Shadows

4th March 1832
To my eldest and dearest sister,
I have been in New Zealand for over a year, and in that time over one hundred whales have died at my hands. I want to believe that I have grown numb to this reality, but in truth I still hear their songs of anguish in my dreams, and still weep for repentance in the mermaid's arms.

In the early days of the new colony of New Zealand, a young whaler struggles to come to terms with his new life, and writes desperate letters to his sister back home in England. But one night he discovers a mermaid in the frigid waters, and their fateful meeting triggers disastrous consequences.