259 - A God, Palliating

Lin

We're in Rhumsaa today.

Surprisingly, Uncle Des' place is almost as luxurious as Manny's. Then again, I suppose I should expect that.

Yet again, most of my day has been spent sleeping.

Though I did have an interesting dream about making friends with someone who has a similar music taste, and just so happens to look a lot like Ariana Grande (though she didn't seem to have her accent).

Somehow, I know that this is a good omen.

Friendships are always great, and it would be wonderful to have more of them.

I also got some fantastic news about an idol that I like, which makes me very happy.

You may or may not know who I mean. If you do, you'll know about the uproar that came with me writing about her, but that's water under the bridge, at this point.

Either way, I'm excited about exploring Rhumsaa.

We've already had a lot of fun at Manny's titular festival for music and the arts, which we went to on the way to Des'.

Who knows what we'll get up to next?

Regardless, I'm going to do my best to heal - and to have fun!

Tomorrow's the Full Moon in Capricorn.

Which means the last day of the Full Moon Music Festival.

I'm definitely going.

Gaelg music makes my heart happy, and the connection of it to my family is undeniable.

Niamh taps me on the shoulder, grinning.

Do you want to go somewhere?

I cast her a curious look.

Where are you thinking?

She smiles.

Northernmost point.

Kione ny Hayrey.

Otherwise known as Point of Ayre, on Ramsey Bay. That bay is full of seals, and like myself...

Sal people. 

To think that I could interact with some people of my culture today. Not to mention being able to reveal my selkie nature, which also corresponds to the land from here to the Faroe Islands.

Let's go.

She leads me out, telling Manny and Des where we're going, and they nod, grinning. They know.

Fetching her car keys and shrugging her coat on as I prepare myself, she beckons me outside upon noticing that I'm done.

We hop into her silver Mercedes, and as we drive, she has the radio on, slightly low, before we unanimously decide that it would likely suit us better to have a Gaelg playlist on. So, I link my Spotify to her car, sending a smattering of different kinds of Manx music, mainly choral, to be a soundtrack to our journey.

I didn't know you liked One Tongue.

I grin.

They're amazing.

Along with a few other Manx artists, their music really speaks to my soul.

Just as we go silent, we are made to slow down as we draw into the car park for Kione ny Hayrey.

The view!

The bay is stunning at dusk, the sky littered with stars despite the Sun's very obvious presence, all of which casts reflections on the surface of the ocean.

I take out my selkie coat.

Do you think they'll let me?

There's meant to be a thunderstorm tonight, so they may well advise people not to swim in the waves.

If anyone says anything about it, I'll make sure they know to leave you alone.

She gives me a mischievous yet somehow unsettling smirk.  

They will.

We traipse out onto the beach, wind swirling around us as I wrap my seal skin around me.

Cover for me?

She nods.

As she does, and I approach the waves, we get bombarded with a "hey!" followed by a "the storm! Ye ought not to swim here!"

The lifeguard pants as he runs across the sand. Quietly, I pull my seal skin just to over my head, so it looks like a hood. But upon seeing it, he seems to catch my meaning as I walk further into the waves, leaving him open-mouthed.

Are you going to stop them?

Cha nel.

Mie.

Their voices gradually fade away as I take seal form, swimming through the tundra, the cool Irish sea on my back.

Gods, I've missed this.

I sense so many fellow shapeshifters down here with me - oddly, porpoises and dolphins, as well as whales and other marine life, who rarely frequent this area. The mermaids here feel close, too. Amd we all swim together in harmony, cleansing this ocean, or at least, this part of the ocean, of the curses the Romans and Christians gave it.

And as we do, light bursts forth from the sea. I can imagine that lifeguard's face now, and it makes me giggle. The mer of this part of the sea seem to have an understanding of what I'm thinking, and they laugh too. 

Will you stay here?

I shake my head.

I cannot. 

But my heart is always here, in the sea. It's divided between land and sea, as is so common for us Sal people.

One of the mermen with us nods.

Aye. My mother was Sal as well. There was never any peace or home that was truly for her. But I know that you'll find yours.

From his pocket, he takes out what looks to be a rare shell, sparkling with iridescence, hanging from a black cord. The shell is a dark purple on the outside, pearly on the inside.

It was my mother's. I think she'd want you to have it - to find the home that she couldn't.

I stare at him in shock.

But this is an heirloom, no?

He smiles.

An heirloom of the land. We have no daughters down here who could take it, so I figure it may as well pass down to somebody who can do something with it.

Placing the cord around my neck, I offer my hand to shake.

Gura mie ayd. Have my blessing as a token of my thanks.

Water rippling around us, I form a ball of light into my hallmark, manifesting it into a seal.

She dty vea. Really, we should all be thanking you for cleaning our ocean.

I shake my head.

All good deeds done have a ripple effect, and spread more good further out. You guys need and deserve healing, and to be healed. This is my job now, as Head God.

He smiles again, bigger now.

Well then, may you serve well, and long, Your Eminence.

We all bow to each other, swimming back our separate ways. When I surface, the lifeguard's no longer standing by Niamh, but he isn't that far away.

Got a present, did ye?

I nod as she indicates to the shell.

Looks like it was from the Gaelg mer prince.

I stare at her incredulously.

Come again?

She inspects it further, nodding.

Yup, belonged to the Queen Consort.

Cre?

How did I not know I was meeting the mer prince? Fucking hell...

You haven't seen them in over a thousand years. I highly doubt most mer royalty would expect you to recognise them.

She has a point. The guy didn't mention his name, either.

Isn't his name Dy Ferr?

She nods.

Ta. He surveys the kingdom when the King cannot. You probably caught him by coincidence.

I highly doubt it.

She casts me a questioning look.

This has a tracking charm on it.

Shite! How did I not notice?

I shake my head.

Don't worry. I gave him my seal. I can only assume he either wanted an alliance with me after helping him clean the Irish sea...

Or to marry me, which he probably knew was a long shot anyway.

Niamh pinches the bridge of her nose.

I should've known.

We should probably go now, shouldn't we? We'll want to let rumours of your presence spread, rather than be around for too long, lest they suspect us of posturing...

Yet again, my cousin is right. The Sal of the area now know their new Head God is also Sal, which will probably come as a relief to quite a few people, as well as me helping both the Gaelg and Brezhoneg spirits spiritually cleanse themselves and their homes. That's what's most important: for them to know that their Head God is on their side.

Kiart dy liooar.

Let's go!