Magnus Fin and the Selkie Secret (14 page)

Standing in the cave with the brilliant shining Seudan between them, a shadow of anxiety darkened Tarkin’s face. “And what was your wish, Fin?” he asked, imagining that Magnus Fin might also slip into the sea, leaving him, who couldn’t even swim, standing on the beach alone.

“You really want me to tell you?” Fin asked.

Tarkin nodded and sunk to his knees. He felt a lump rise in his throat.

“That the selkies return to the bay. That there’s always a place for magic and for people who are a bit different. That’s there’s always clean water, birds, fish. That there’s a place for everyone and everything… do you want me to carry on?”

“But you won’t go, Fin, will you?”

Magnus Fin smiled at him, his brown eye deep and warm, his green eye shining. “I’ve got a foot in both worlds, you know that, Tark. I’ll go and I’ll come back. But if all these newspapers and TV cameras came after me, then I don’t know what I’d do. Maybe then I’d have to go. Maybe you would too.”

At that moment came the sound of pebbles crunching behind them. Magnus Fin and Tarkin spun round and jumped to their feet, jostling together, trying to block the treasure chest from the snooping teenager who stood at
the mouth of the cave. He said nothing but just stood there, framed black against the dazzling brightness.

“What do you want?” Fin asked, his voice calm and steady.

“Yeah,” said Tarkin, “like, what you doing here?”

Billy Mole wouldn’t make eye contact. He kept his head down and took an awkward shuffled step into the cave, coughing nervously. Gone was his swagger, his cocky confidence. Looking at his feet he said, “Was it you?”

Tarkin looked confused but not Magnus Fin. “And if it was?” Any fear he’d felt for this teenager was gone. He felt angry. How dare he come snooping around? It was because of him the selkies were miles away in Sule Skerrie. Fin took a step towards him, caring not that he, who was not even twelve years old, was standing up to a boy of at least sixteen. “What would you do? Tell the world? Write in your magazine that in the far north of Scotland there is still a little bit of magic left? Then what? Send in your cameras, your film-makers and wipe us out?”

Tarkin kept quiet, but nodded vigorously along with everything Fin said.

“Remember the girl you chased?” Magnus Fin continued.

Billy Mole nodded but still kept his eyes glued to his scuffed black shoes.

“Well, you might want to know – she’s gone. And half my family are gone. Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted? Get rid of the ones that are different. Make us all the same. Was that your plan?”

Billy Mole shook his head, sniffed loudly and wiped his nose with his sleeve. “No, n-no,” he stuttered, “no…
I…” Words failed him. But he wasn’t happy; that much was clear. He stretched out his hand towards Magnus Fin – the hand that had been cut and swollen.

“You – it was you made it better, wasn’t it?” Then he dared to raise his head. From where he stood it seemed as though Magnus Fin glowed. He glimpsed the moon-stone around Magnus Fin’s neck. He saw his mismatched eyes. “It was you!” His jaw fell open. His whole body shook like a leaf. He shielded his eyes from the glare.

“Yes, it was me,” Fin said.

“Th-thanks,” stammered Billy.

Tarkin gazed from one to the other as though he was at a tennis match.

“How did you do it?”

“That’s Neptune’s business,” said Fin, then he took another step forward. As he did he revealed the treasure chest behind him. Billy gasped at the flood of brilliant light. He dropped his hand and his eyes fell upon the glittering jewels. “And that,” added Fin sharply, “is King Neptune’s treasure.”

Stunned, Billy Mole, half covering his eyes, peered at the bright jewels. The glow from the jewels warmed him. He stopped shaking. Maybe he understood that this treasure was not about money and fame. Maybe he understood that each shining jewel was a clean ocean, a good wind, a mighty whale, a healthy salmon. Into his bewildered thoughts he heard Magnus Fin say to him,
Let us live in peace; that’s all we want
.

Billy flushed red. Words failed him. He hung his head.

“Yeah,” added Tarkin, “don’t write about things you don’t understand.”

An awkward silence hung between them, then Billy, his voice so small and so changed from the “Oi! Fish boy!” one, said, “I don’t understand all this stuff. It’s weird. I just wanted to get on. You know, do a good job. Honest. Like, they sent me up here. ‘You’re gonna hit the big time, Billy boy,’ that’s what they said.” Billy Mole twisted his hands together.

“Looks like you have,” Tarkin said.

“But this ‘big time’ is a secret,” Fin said. “Some things are not for everyone to know. This is one of them. Magic does exist. At least up here it does. You stumbled into that secret, and I’m asking you to keep it.” Magnus Fin looked at him, willing him to lift his head.

As if by hypnosis Billy Mole looked up. Magnus Fin, who seemed to be on fire with the dazzling light, stared at him. As he stared he saw Billy Mole’s eyes soften. He saw a light go on in those eyes. Then Magnus Fin nodded, and looked away.

Billy coughed like he might choke. He rubbed his eyes. He brought his hand over his heart. “It’s like, in here, I understand you folks… your magic.” He rubbed his eyes again. “I never seen anything so bright! Maybe I believed in magic once. But I forgot. Dunno why. It’s like a light goes out. But you – you’ve still got it.”

“That’s right,” said Magnus Fin, smiling now at this teenager who looked on the verge of tears. “We’ve still got it. But you know what, maybe you have too…” Then Magnus Fin gestured to the kist of riches. “Why don’t you hold one of the precious stones? They’re magic, you know. You could make a wish.”

As if in a trance Billy Mole stepped forwards, bent down and lifted out a round emerald stone. For a long
while he held it. A bright fat tear that looked like a gem slid down his face.

“I don’t know what happened,” he sobbed. “Maybe I grew up.” He wiped his tears on the sleeve of his jacket and sniffed loudly. “But it’s, like, still inside me. Just cos you get older, you don’t have to lose the magic, do you?” Then for the first time in a long time a smile lit up his face.

In the selkie thought-speak Magnus Fin called out to Aquella,
The one who was after us – he’ll keep the secret. I’m sure of that now. Tell the others. Tell them to come home.

Tarkin, accustomed now to the vivid light, poured over the Seudan, trying to decipher the symbols on the stones. They were like hieroglyphs, like picture writing.

Fin stepped towards the kist and murmured, as much to himself as to anyone, “I have to return the Seudan to Neptune.” He grasped his own moon-stone, which was, he realised, like a tiny nugget of the Seudan. No wonder it protected him. Magnus Fin hoped it would guide him on this last task – to find Neptune’s cavern and return the stolen treasure. All he had to do was wait for Miranda’s signal.

A few moments later a noise of rolling pebbles reached their ears. Fin ran to the mouth of the cave in time to see a beautiful black seal slither and bounce over the stones. She hauled herself up to him, yelped then nuzzled Fin’s leg with her nose.

“It’s Aquella,” shouted Tarkin, running to pat her.

Billy Mole placed the emerald stone back in the box, stumbled to the mouth of the cave and gazed at the seal. Words failed him. It was enough to stare – at a seal called Aquella and at a boy with different coloured eyes
who, Billy was certain, had only last night been a seal himself. Billy couldn’t write this story even if he wanted to. No one would believe him. He could only shake his head in amazement. Meanwhile Aquella raised her beautiful head and clapped her flippers together.

Magnus Fin turned and grinned at Billy Mole. “She’s come back,” he said, his face breaking into a huge smile.

They spent a long time on the beach that morning. Fin and Tarkin showed Billy Mole how to prize periwinkles off stones, and how to scramble over rocks, and how to jump over waves and make a rock pool full of sea anemones, jellyfish and crabs.

While the boys were busy leaping over rocks, Aquella took off her precious seal skin. She found a secret place in the cave, rolled it up and hid it. By this time the sun was warm and there was no need for her puffy jacket or hat and scarf. Wearing her T-shirt and jeans she ran down to the rocks. Now it didn’t matter about salt water; she had a seal skin. Now she could live freely in both worlds, as a girl on the land and a selkie in the sea.

She told them about the solstice celebrations. Fin didn’t ask how she knew, as selkie time moved differently. He guessed Aquella had been all the way to Sule Skerrie.

“And you can come to the party, too, if you like,” she said, turning to Billy Mole.

Billy hadn’t been invited to a party for a long time. “You serious? I mean, yeah, ace, I’d love to.” He rubbed his hands together. Then he stopped. “You, um, won’t catch me with a fishing line, will you?”

Aquella laughed and winked. “If you behave yourself I won’t.”

Billy looked relieved. Tarkin laughed and Fin cheered. Then Aquella told them about the wedding. How it would be an extra special solstice party this year because her brother Ronan and her best friend Lorelie were getting married. “And I’ve to be the selkie bridesmaid,” she added, tossing back her long black hair and twirling around.

“That’s great,” Fin laughed, congratulating her. Then he glanced out to sea. “Where are they?” he asked, turning back to Aquella.

“They should be on their way back to the bay. Can’t you see them?”

Sure enough, the still water frothed as one by one sleek seal heads rose from the water. Lively yelps sounded from the bay. Then Miranda lifted her head from the water and called to the shore. Fin waved wildly, then turned to their new friend from London.

“That’s my grandmother,” he explained, pointing to the silvery shape in the midst of the seals. “Can you see her? The big silver one. She’s queen of the selkies.”

“You telling me your grandmother is a seal?” Billy asked, but the scorn was gone from his voice. He smiled then, and waved to Magnus Fin’s grandmother in the sea. “She’s ace!” he said. And there was something about the tone of his voice and the changed expression on his face that told Magnus Fin he meant it.

Fin, Tarkin, Aquella and Billy all stood on the skerries, whooping, calling out and waving to the seals. But it was only Magnus Fin – the expert beachcomber – who spied the wooden crate washed in with the tide.

For Neptune’s treasures
, Miranda said, then flicked back her tail fins and vanished under the sea.

This was the sign.

Now it was time to go.

“Fin! Magnus Fin!”

Fin glanced back over his shoulder, then lifted his arm and waved. “It’s Dad,” he yelled, and leapt over the rock pool, jumped down off the rocks and ran along the beach towards him. As he approached he saw his dad’s expression. He was beaming from ear to ear and gesturing excitedly.

“Son,” he called, “Mum’s cooking sausages for breakfast. Tell Aquella and bring Tarkin if you want. We’ve got some good news.”

Fin slowed, and felt a sick feeling lurch the pit of his stomach.
Good news!
He knew all about the good news. He bit his lip and looked down. He couldn’t bear to burst his parents’ bubble. He opened his mouth but no words came. Ragnor, though, didn’t seem aware of his son’s awkwardness.

“Aye, great news. We’ve won something, but I’m not saying what. Mum wants to break it to you herself. We thought you’d be down here treasure hunting.” Ragnor looked into the distance. “Hey! Quite a party you’ve got this morning.” It was only then Ragnor noticed the older boy. “Who’s the tall one with the short hair?” he asked. “Don’t think I’ve seen him before.”

Magnus Fin would have explained, but he was saved by Aquella who flung her arms wide and fell into her uncle’s arms. “I’ve got it back,” she cried. “I’ve got my seal skin back.”

Ragnor hugged her tightly. Fin felt a lump rise in his throat. How, he wondered, did his father feel about Aquella’s news? Ragnor was one selkie who would never
get his seal skin back. But when Ragnor stepped back his expression was nothing but happiness for Aquella.

“It’s all great news today,” Ragnor said, beaming. “And it looks like we selkies might have ourselves a wonderful land holi—!” He cupped his hand over his mouth. “Oops! Forget I said that. Come on, it’s breakfast time!”

By this time Tarkin and Billy were jumping over the rocks and hurrying towards the others. Magnus Fin took a deep breath. He felt the strength of the golden ball as if the radiant sun was right inside him. He looked at Aquella then at his dad.

“Dad, you were right about the treasure hunting. I need Aquella to help me return Neptune’s stolen treasure. I did it; I found the key to the kist in the ruins of the monster’s palace. That’s where I found Aquella’s seal skin. Take Tarkin and Billy home for breakfast. We’ll come later. Billy is up here visiting. He’s from London. He’ll – um – tell you all about the good news.”

Ragnor was dumbstruck by his son’s achievements.

“Trust us, Uncle Ragnor,” Aquella said, squeezing his hand.

“Don’t I always? Be brave, young ones,” Ragnor replied.

With that Magnus Fin and Aquella dashed down to the shore. It was Magnus Fin who pulled the wooden crate from the tideline and dragged it up to the cave. It was just the right size to hold the kist. The words
Fine Teas from India
were inscribed in faded lettering on the side of the crate.

By the time a black seal and a boy in a tight wetsuit with a rip in the sleeve, balancing a heavy wooden crate
between them, entered the ocean, Ragnor, Tarkin and Billy Mole were making their way up the garden path, the aroma of pork sausages filling the air.

This time it was apologies Billy Mole was practising in his head. Ragnor noticed his reluctance as he stood before the front door, biting his nails. “Come on in, Billy. What’s wrong? Don’t London lads like Scottish sausages then?”

Barbara was in the middle of lighting a candle when they all stepped into the kitchen. She smiled, recognising the prize giver, then stood back to reveal the feast she’d prepared. “And when we’re in sunny Spain,” she announced, “we’ll eat sausages and paella, and we’ll dance flamenco and…”

“Stop. Please stop.”

Barbara blew out the match and gave Billy Mole a quizzical look.