Magnus Fin and the Moonlight Mission (5 page)

Ragnor switched the engine off. It was lunchtime and the other farm labourers had stopped work. Ragnor turned to look at his son, then spoke in a low voice, “Your grandmother, my mother, is the most beautiful and brave seal in the ocean. You know they call her the bright one? And there are too many who want to hunt the bright one.”

“Why would anybody want to do that?”

“Good question, son.” Ragnor shrugged. “Mostly she stays in the deep waters, a queen among selkies.”

“Does that make you a prince?”

Ragnor shook his head and laughed. “No, Fin. In the selkie kingdom you are not born a queen or a prince. It is something you achieve. Selkies who do brave deeds to help others, they can become kings and queens, princes and princesses. You perhaps are a prince, but not me. Aquella may well be a princess; but me? I’m happy to be a farm labourer and to be the husband of Barbara, your father and Aquella’s uncle. I’m a simple land selkie – that’s all.”

Ragnor gazed ahead as though it was the deep green sea in front of him and not a stubble field. “Miranda was a queen long before I was born,” he went on. “If selkies learn the secret of shape-shifting they live till a
grand age. And no one knows it better than she.” He looked at his son, his handsome face serious. “The great change is no easy thing, Fin. Oh, great Neptune no! Many selkies lose their lives shape-shifting. But Miranda?” At this Ragnor fell silent till Magnus Fin was afraid he wouldn’t carry on with his story.

Fin prodded his dad on the arm. “Miranda?” he asked, waiting. “What about Miranda?”

Ragnor shook his head, as though waking from a dream. “Aye, Miranda,” he said at last, “well, her story is also my story. You see, Fin, she taught me to change out of my seal skin into human form at will. She had the wisdom to change whenever she wanted. She didn’t have to wait for the change times – midwinter and midsummer. She taught me many things: to swim with the tides; to play the surf waves; to rescue fishermen in difficulties; and to steer clear of great white sharks and killer whales. And she taught me the songs to release my seal skin and hide it in safe places. Then, when I fell in love with Barbara, a human woman, and the other selkies said I was foolish, Miranda said only one thing – follow your heart.

“Then every other day and every other night after first meeting your mother I changed out of my seal skin and came ashore. And when my uncles and cousins refused to swim with me and hunt with me, thinking, by loving a human I had betrayed them, still Miranda didn’t heed them. She stayed by me. Follow your heart, Ragnor, that’s what she told me.

“You see,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper, “she had followed hers.” Ragnor grew silent, so silent it seemed his story was done.

“And then what happened?” Fin asked after the silence became unbearable. “What happened to Miranda?”

Ragnor blinked. “Everyone said to take a mate from the great Atlantic selkies was madness. It was well known they were reckless. They fished in the very waters the whalers and trawlermen fished. They bit through their nets. They taunted killer whales then outwitted them. But Miranda followed her heart. Her mate was the strongest of the great Atlantic selkies. Together they travelled to the Arctic and back and many adventures they had, your grandmother and grandfather. Often Miranda told me about my father. How brave he was. How he was known in all the northern waters as the fearless one. How he could leap a twenty-foot wave and sing with a rich, deep voice that, once heard, you’d never forget. Except …” Ragnor paused, “… I never heard him. Miranda found him dead the day I was born. It was the sickness.”

Fin thought about his grandfather, a great Atlantic selkie. He imagined this magnificent creature leaping high waves and swimming beside Miranda.

Ragnor turned to look at his son. “His name was Fin.”

For a while, nothing more was said. Fin gazed out at the field.

“So now you’ve heard the story, son. You know why Miranda wants to protect you. It’s a terrible thing, this sickness. The selkies have long been persecuted, but when the sickness comes there is no one to fight, no one to hide from. We don’t even know what causes it.”

Fin nodded. If anything, his father’s story had made him even more determined to go back under the sea to try and help his selkie family. He was sure now that he
had been summoned for a reason; the brown sludge and the green eye flashed before his eyes. He didn’t want any more members of his family to die from this terrible sickness.

Ragnor knew that look in his son’s eyes. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “The truth is, son, life would be easier for you if you forgot the sea. Much easier. But, if you still want to go, then go.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Take your moon-stone with you and heed your instinct.” He put his hand to his belly as though that’s where instinct came from.

Solemnly Fin nodded.

After that, nothing more was said on the subject. They ate cheddar cheese and chutney sandwiches and after lunch they brought in the last of the hay, piling it high in the byre. Sometimes they laughed. Sometimes they were silent. Fin felt the strength of his father and of the land seep into him.

Before Magnus Fin went upstairs to get ready for bed that night his mother had been extra loving and given him a long hug. He felt warm and happy inside. Now he was back at the mirror brushing his teeth, looking for bravery in his face and finding it this time.

His toothbrush caught on something. The white toothpaste turned red and Magnus Fin spat out his last baby tooth. He held it between his thumb and forefinger, washed his mouth out, then winked at himself with his brown eye. If ever he needed a good omen for this mission that lay ahead of him, here it was.

Granny May up in John O’Groats was always going on about the tooth fairy. She said the last tooth to fall
was the most special. Pure magic, that’s what she called it. Only the other week she’d seen Fin wobble his last tooth. She’d laughed and told him he could wish on a last tooth and that wish would surely come true.

Well, Miranda, Fin’s other granny, was as magical as any tooth fairy. Miranda often gave him gifts, tossing him treasures on the incoming tide. He would give her something this time: a baby tooth from her grandson. And not just any baby tooth, but his last one! That might help the sickness. Didn’t Granny May say this tooth could cure all ills? Fin held the tooth between his thumb and forefinger and brought it close up to the mirror. Perhaps it was the light from the candle flickering by the glass, but that small sharp tooth gleamed like a nugget of gold.

Magnus Fin lay his head down on his pillow that night and smiled. Underneath it lay his lucky tooth and his moon-stone. In his heart he had the story of his grandfather. And in his belly he had his instinct. He had checked the tide tables and laid out his wetsuit. He was ready.

That awful green eye had something to do with the sickness of the seals, Fin was sure of it. The crab had guided him towards it for a reason. Well, the very next evening, he would go back. And he wouldn’t allow himself to be nuzzled back up to the surface this time.

While Magnus Fin was preparing to go under the sea, Tarkin, if he managed to work on his mother’s boyfriend and if everything went according to plan, would be
on
the sea.

Frank, the boyfriend, had, back at the end of summer, acquired a small wooden boat. There was just one problem. Tarkin didn’t like Frank. In fact, Tarkin couldn’t stand Frank. Frank wasn’t Tarkin’s dad. Tarkin’s real dad had a real fishing boat. Tarkin’s real dad had taken him fishing when they lived in the Yukon. Tarkin had gone on about it so much that one day Frank turned up with a broad smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. “Come to the window and see what I bought us, buddy,” he said, waving Tarkin over.

“I’m not your buddy.” That’s what Tarkin had said, until his mother started to cry, saying did he have any idea how hurtful he was being? Tarkin hated it when she cried. He wasn’t being hurtful. He was just telling the truth. But he was kind of interested in what was outside the window. So Tarkin stood up, pretending he was looking for the remote control. While Frank was comforting his mother Tarkin shot a glance out the window. Wow! A boat! But he said nothing, switched on the television and ignored Frank.

“That cost Frank a lot of money, Tarkin. It don’t grow on trees, you know. Frank got the boat for you and him. He thought you’d like it,” said his mother.

“I like it,” Tarkin said, then muttered, “big shame about him.”

“What did you say, son?”

But Frank took her hand and squeezed it. “Hey, it’s OK, Martha. He says he likes it. That’s good. That’s just fine.”

That had been three months ago. Since then the boat had bobbed about down in the harbour with nothing but rain and an occasional seagull in it. Frank had made a few hints about taking the boat out together, but Tarkin always said he had better things to do. After a while Frank stopped mentioning it.

But now Tarkin could think about nothing else. The next day was Friday. Low tide was eight o’clock at night. Tarkin had a strong hunch that’s when Magnus Fin was going back under the sea. Fin hadn’t been at school that day. All morning Tarkin had worried himself sick thinking Fin had gone off under the sea without even telling him, until someone said he’d been spotted up at the farm.

Friday night. That’s when Fin would go. Apart from anything, it would be full moon, which was a magical time in the selkie world. Tarkin also had a hunch a boat would come in handy. He wanted to be a part of this adventure if it was the last thing he did.

People did go fishing at night. Tarkin had seen them, with lights on their boats. So he bit his lip. He twisted his ponytail round and round his fingers. He fiddled with the two silver earrings hooped in his left ear.
Slowly he pushed the door of Frank’s shed open and looked down at the floor.

“Um … Frank?”

“Hey, buddy. Good to see you. What can I do for you?”

“Um … know that boat?”

“Sure, Tark. Our boat you mean. What about it?”

“Fancy going, um – fishing – tonight? Buddy?” Tarkin reckoned one evening’s practice with Frank would prepare him for taking the boat out alone the next night.

“In the dark? Hey, well … yeah, why not, buddy. Yeah, I’ve got bait. Got us life jackets an’ all. Sure, Tark, and hey, what a great idea. Moonlight fishing, I can’t wait!” 

Early the next morning, Fin and Tarkin ran down to the shore. Tarkin was full of his fishing trip: how he had been sick over the side and how Frank hadn’t even managed to catch one fish. “Not one! But after spewing up all over Frank’s feet I got used to the waves tossing me about. Then I learnt how to use the rudder. It’s real easy. Oh man! Frank didn’t even know how to hook bait on. You should have seen him. What a loser. He started singing some old-fashioned fishing song. Talk about tuneless?” Tarkin laughed and said he had sailor’s legs, just like his dad, but he didn’t tell Magnus Fin the real reason for his boat trip.

Magnus Fin felt sorry for Frank. Tarkin was his best friend, there was no doubt about that, but Fin always felt awkward when he started on about Frank.

By this time they had reached the beach. They scuffed up sand and examined the tideline. The tides around full moon always seemed stronger. Full moon, so Fin told Tarkin, was usually when he found his best treasures.

“Look!” Fin yelled, falling to his knees. “A car number plate!”

“Wow! No way – it’s from a Ferrari!”

That was another good omen. Now Tarkin needed
to find something too. There were lots of shells, and a few seagull feathers, lots of driftwood, and three plastic bottles, but nothing you could seriously call treasure. Tarkin looked glum. Maybe there was to be no good omen for him … Maybe he’d sink the boat …

“Shuna! Run, hide!”

Tarkin and Magnus Fin looked up. A gull screeched above them, but the sound they’d both heard hadn’t been a gull. The boys scrambled to their feet and peered along the beach towards the flat rocks near the cave.

In the distance a girl with very long hair stumbled over the rocks, fell, got up and stumbled again. Fin and Tarkin stared at each other.

“Who’s that?” asked Tarkin. Fin shrugged. The girl hadn’t seen them. And the way she kept falling looked as though she was in some kind of trouble.

“Come on!” Fin started to run. “Let’s see what’s wrong.”

The two boys tore across the beach, up onto the sandy track and along to where the flat rocks lay like shelves between the land and the sea. They both knew the dead seals were on these rocks. As they came closer they slowed down. The girl had vanished.

The boys scanned the rocks and beach around them. Fin’s heart gave a jolt. Another dead seal lay washed up on the ledge. It was like a cemetery for seals. He shivered. Again he heard the voice call, “Shuna – run! Let him go! Quick! We can’t stay here.” Fin knew that voice. It was coming from behind a rock.

Meanwhile Tarkin was walking towards the dead seals. He had seen something Fin hadn’t. Pressed against the body of the fourth seal, almost hidden behind its
great round body, lay the girl. Her face was buried deep into the belly of the seal, and she was weeping.

Fin watched, astounded, as Tarkin knelt down beside the girl to comfort her. But when he reached out to gently touch her she screamed and jumped to her feet.

“Miranda!” she yelped. “Help me! It’s a human. Oh help!”

In that moment Miranda, her long white hair trailing to her waist, a tangle of dulse for a skirt and a necklace of shells jangling with every step, came out from her hiding place. Seeing his grandmother, Fin ran towards her, but she cried out in distress and quickly stepped back, shaking her head and lifting a hand to ward him off.

“Stop! It has come to me, Fin. Don’t approach. The sickness has come to me. Stay back!”

Fin stopped dead in his tracks. Tarkin gazed in amazement. The two long-haired women, dressed in seaweed and shells, seemed to him magical, wonderful creatures. Only once had Tarkin seen such a miraculous sight: the mermaid he’d seen in a freezing lake on a fishing trip with his dad, long ago. Now he blinked, and blinked again, mesmerised.

While Tarkin stared at Shuna, Fin stared at his grandmother. Her snow-white hair covered her face. In one hand she held something – a scallop shell filled with deep-green shreds of seaweed. At her feet lay a pile of fur. Fin looked down at the two seal skins that lay near Miranda’s webbed feet. Shuna ran to Miranda and buried her face in the older woman’s hair.

“But I want to help,” Fin called out. “Please, Miranda – please let me.”

But still Miranda shook her head. She placed the scallop shell of seaweed on the sand. Then she slipped her hand into the girl’s and bent down. Hurriedly she lifted up the seal skins and ran, pulling the girl with her to the water’s edge. The shiny black and grey skin she handed to Shuna. The silvery white one she kept for herself. Seawater now frothed round their white ankles. She looked back at her grandson.

Now Fin could see that the sickness had come. Miranda’s eyes, always so bright and clear, were cloudy as though a skin of milk lay over them.

“Let him help, please, Miranda,” the young selkie pleaded. “For the memory of my dead brother, let Magnus Fin help us.”

“Hush, Shuna, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I do. If no one helps it will go on and on and on. Then there’ll be no one left to help.” Shuna stared at Magnus Fin, her eyes brim-full with tears. “Please?”

“It is my duty to protect you, Magnus Fin,” Miranda said, “but if you are set upon this journey, then come, but know that I will do what I can to keep the sickness from you. Take the scallop shell. In it is healing medicine from Neptune. I brought it here, but … I was too late.”

Only then did Miranda, flinching, seem to sense there was someone else present. “Tell the human to look away,” she said anxiously. “It’s not for him to witness shape-shifting.”

“Tarkin, close your eyes,” Magnus Fin shouted over to his friend.

Tarkin, though, had already heard Miranda and quickly buried his face in his hands. But, as Miranda
and Shuna slipped into their seal skins, Tarkin made a tiny gap between two of his fingers, and peered out. He watched as the girl and the woman changed into their seal skins.

It shocked him. It stunned him. The soft white human skin of the women seemed to melt into the thick fur. Their arms became flippers. Their legs knitted together and became one. Then the two beautiful seals, now lying flat on the rocks, hauled their round bodies up to the water’s edge then slipped silently into the sea.

“You looked!” Fin gasped, astounded that his best friend would disobey Miranda.

Tarkin said nothing. He could only stare at the place on the rocks where the seals had lain. His face was white. His mouth fell open and his whole body trembled.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” A tremor of anger shot through Fin’s words. “They said not to look. I can’t believe you spied on them. You shouldn’t have done that, you know.”

Still Tarkin was silent. He stumbled to his feet. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to say something. No words came.

“Come on,” said Fin, his Ferrari number plate tucked under his arm, and now the scallop shell of precious seaweed held carefully in his hands, “we’d better get to school.” He stared strangely at Tarkin and shook his head. “Anybody would think you’d been struck dumb!”

Tarkin opened his mouth. He tried to push out a word, a sound even. But nothing came. Not even a whisper.

Magnus Fin was right. Tarkin had been struck dumb.