Trinity lost her mother when she was a baby. Her father, as fate would have it, died in a fishing accident off the coast of Halifax.
The orphan has left with her Nana with few means to support the baby. “Oh, you poor thing, I have no milk nor gruel to feed you. You’ll have to do with fish broth,” said her Nana when the baby cried.
The baby thrived on the broth and grew teeth sooner than expected. “T’ain’t seen a child grow so fast on broth alone. She should be skin and bone,” remarked a local fisherman.
By the time she was three, the tot was racing down to the shore and swimming like a fish. “T’is something not quite right about her,” villagers would mumble when she swam.
Although she loved to play by the sea, Trinity also helped her Nana wash and tend the garden. One day, the girl suggested, “I can go fishing with PaPa’s old line.”
“Well, it can’t hurt, child, and lord knows we can use the extra food,” replied her grandmother.
Trinity took to fishing like a natural. Before she knew it, she had filled the basket. “Nana will eat well tonight,” said the girl.
Time wore on, and the child grew into a woman. “Tomorrow is my sixteenth birthday, and I will finally be a lady,” said Trinity with a broad grin.
“Child, it’s true, and it’s time I tell you about your parents,” said her Nana.
“What about them?” asked the girl.
“Your father did not drown by accident. He died as punishment for taking the king’s daughter,” her grandmother told the girl.
“What are you talking about?” questioned Trinity.
Nana explained how her father spotted a group of selkie by the sea and stole one of the coats. “Trapped on land, she agreed to marry him, and a year later, you were born,” Nana said.
“As chance would have it, your father was away fishing. I wanted to keep the baby warm. So, I went to the attic and found an old seal coat tucked away in a chest,” said Nana.
Trinity began to shiver as her grandmother told the story. After her mother regained her strength, she went to the crib and, seeing the seal skin, screamed. She grabbed the skin and ran into the night. She was never seen again.
“So my mother abandoned me?” asked the girl.
“Please understand your father took her from her family to live among land folk. She was not evil. She wanted to go home,” her Nana explained.
“Papa’s death was vengeance against a baby?” snapped Trinity.
“I can not say, child. Now you understand why you love the sea so much,” said Nana.
Trinity nodded, then walked to the sea, where she sat watching the waves lap upon the shore. “If I ever meet my grandfather, I will curse him. I will curse all his people to suffer as Nana and I have,” cried the girl.
“I beg you, don’t do that. The fault was mine,” said a voice from the sea.
Shocked, Trinity looked and saw a seal bobbing on the surf. “Did you talk to me? ” the girl asked.
“Yes, Trinity, I’m the cause of your pain. I’m your mother. I loved your father very much. But, I was afraid my father, the king, would cast me out for having a baby with a lander. So, I lied and said your father was evil,” said the selkie.
“You abandoned me. Why?” asked Trinity.
“You wouldn’t understand except to say that the sea is like air to you. Without it, we live a slow, painful death. Seeing my coat, I only thought about home. I also have suffered knowing I left you alone,” answered the seal.
“Why have you waited so long to tell me this,” demanded Trinity.
“There can be no contact before adulthood. Come with me and learn the secrets of the sea, or stay on land. It’s up to you,” the selkie explained.
Trinity’s answer was swift and forceful. “I choose to stay with those who did not abandon me, ” the girl said.
“I understand your bitterness and hate for me. I am still your mother. If you ever need me, I will know and come to your aid,” remarked the seal.
“I don’t hate you. Nana explained what happened, and I forgive you. It’s that I am needed here,” explained Trinity.
“Your heart is kind. I wish I had tried my best for you. I didn’t, and I will die with that weight tied to my heart,” said the selkie.
“Promise me you won’t leave again. If you can, will you spend time with Nana before she dies? She has been on your side through it all,” Trinity asked.
“I swear I will be with you and visit your grandmother before the spring tide,” the selkie replied.
Trinity and her mother spoke often. One night in March, the seal shed her skin and donned her old clothing. She walked with her daughter to the cottage. There, she knelt beside Nana to beg forgiveness.
“Sonya, I never blamed you. What Mike did to you was against the old ways. I’m glad you and Trinity have found common ground. Please watch over her for me,” said the old woman, who smiled and closed her eyes for the last time.
Mother and daughter wrapped the body in her best quilt and buried her next to the cottage. “Thank you for honoring your word. Time, you should be getting back to the sea, I expect,” said Trinity.
“I have time enough for tea with my daughter,” replied Sonya.
Trinity and her mother often talk by the sea and even share a meal when the selkie walks the land.
After her grandmother died, Trinity decided to stay at the old cottage. She became a fisherman like her father before her. Even when no one can catch a fish, Trinity brings a basket filled with the best catch to the market. Trinity still thinks about joining her mother in the sea. For now, tending the cottage and fishing are good enough for her.
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