Ways to Cope (Short Stories)

Selkie

 She was beautiful. And that phrase doesn't do her justice, not nearly. What caught my eye at first was the bright glint of her well cut diamond earrings, but I only fell deeper from there. The bodies swirling about me passed in and out of the way as I slowly tried to make my way towards her. The people wore sparkly, feathery masks over their eyes, as their expensive clothes fell about them gracefully.

Gliding between the party guests, my feet did a subtle dance to the music, and even as I skipped around a wide man wearing gaudy purple, my pace was lyrical. The tune was upbeat and enthusiastic, yet gentle. As if you were gliding among burning stars. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, that was exactly the way her deep black eyes made me feel. The chandelier above us was large and likely pricey, but it didn't have the same sparkle as her earrings. I was inexplicably drawn to her, like a moth to the flame. She wore an elegant obsidian black gown that exposed her curvy back and sloping shoulders. They were soft but solid, and her neck was thin but the angle of her chin was powerful and confident. As she escaped me to the other side of the ballroom, her silky skirt trailed lightly behind her as if carried along by the current of a river.

I fixed my jacket collar, and adjusted my silver mask. I felt as if my costume paled in comparison to hers. My silver-woven lace tie should have been the peak of decadence, but her strappy black heels that raised her form above the other guests seemed much more indulgent somehow. The slope of her chest was more extravagant than the precious metal around my ears, nose, lips, tongue, eyebrows, neck, wrists, and fingers. I dripped with rare ore and she outshone me easily.

Her hair was piled in a winding crest down her head and neck, coiling like a hundred copper snakes. I followed the glowing crown as she floated through the crowd. I was forced to dance and twist around the people in my way, but they moved for her like water around a polished river stone.

I followed her blindly, thinking I could see past galaxies. She slipped off of the crowded dance floor onto a balcony, and I desperately fought my way through the revelers. My hand grasped the door frame with aggressive passion, knuckles turning whiter than the moon gleaming in the sky. It was peaceful and quiet out here, and she leaned over the balcony railing, the slight breeze shifting her skirt like gossamer curtains. I fixed my suit and straightened my mask as the music of the masquerade faded into the background.

Stepping softly next to her, I set my hands on the railing, leaning all of my weight on it. She glanced over, looked me up and down, and turned to look at the moon again.

"I saw you from across the ballroom," I admitted.

"I could tell."

"You saw me too?"

She turned to me again, straightening her back. As she did, I felt obliged to. It felt rude to lean down like that in her presence. "You seem like a smart man."

"I'd like to think so," I laughed, but her expression remained stoic. I felt the humour shrivel in my chest like a dried leaf.

"Why did you follow me?" her voice reverberated in my ears like the eloquent hum of millions of songbirds.

"I couldn't resist you."

"I know that. Why else?"

"You know that?" She nodded. "Okay. I followed you because those people in there... they seemed bland in comparison. I seemed bland. Flat. Dull."

"Interesting. What's your name?"

"What's yours?"

"None of your concern."

"Please?"

"No."

"Then we'll remain strangers," I said, looking at the glowing moon. The light fell on our faces like a dusting of sugar. "Do men follow you a lot?"

"Everyone follows me a lot. But I suppose a lot of men. Do you want to have sex with me like they all do? Wondering if you can compete?" she asked, acting as if she knew the answer.

I shook my head slowly. "No."

This was the first thing that had surprised her."No?"

"No."

"What do you want?"

"I'd be content to stand out here and watch the moon with you. I'd like to know you better," I said. I didn't desire her carnally. I don't know why not. She was gorgeous and breathtaking, but the only emotion I felt was curiosity.

There was more interest in her eyes now, and my chest fluttered. "Would you like to go downriver?" she asked.

"Where?"
"Downriver."

I looked out over the balcony edge. My vision had been clouded by her, and only her when I'd walked out here, and I had failed to notice the babbling stream below us. "Yes I would," I said, and followed her down a set of stairs I also hadn't noticed.

She stepped down onto the dirt, and I saw a ripple in the bottom of her gown. It looked shorter than before, but I convinced myself it was the light. She walked down the riverside slowly and deliberately for half an hour, and I trampled clumsily behind her. It was like she was floating. The throbbing music of the party had faded ages ago, but its tempo still echoed in my chest.

Finally, and suddenly, she stopped. Turning to face the river, then me, she smiled mischievously. That piqued my interest. Her black heels were gone. I'd never seen her take them off. She dipped her toe into the river, and the hem of her skirt rippled again, peeling itself away from the water. She waded in slowly, until she stood against the current in the middle of the water. It shouldn't have been possible. She stood unmoving, like the trunk of an ancient oak, the water crashing around her legs. The crashing water would have swept me away, but she just stood. Her skirt had noticeably shortened. It now hung above her knees, although it was propelled into motion by the water.

"What are you?" I asked. It was clear she wasn't quite human.

"I'm your deepest desire."

"No you're not." I could see my desire clearly in my mind, and it looked nothing like her. I saw my own power and elegance and individuality. But then when I glanced back, I saw the power of her stance, the elegance of her neck and cascading hair, and the fierce individuality in her dark eyes.

"Yes I am. So close. Almost within reach."

"But the river..."

"It won't harm you," she said, and the water slowed to a gentle meander. Shivers ran down my back. The first hints of fear trickled into my ears. "Are you going to stand there forever, when I'm so near? Everything you want?"

I tried to plant my feet. It had to be a trap. But I was compelled. Her eyes and her beauty pulled me forward. The toes of my shoes met the water. And paused.

She blinked, and I took five more steps. The freezing water made me flinch. It was pleasantly warm outside, and the water had no reason to be this cold. I was almost there. But my terror stopped me.

"Take my hand," she said, reaching it out. Her nails were short and square and black. Her voice calmed my nerves now, and I placed my hand in hers. Her fingers closed tight around mine, and I tried to jerk away, but she held tight. It was like our skin was bonded together. Her eyes rolled back, and her face lengthened into a sleek black mare's. A short coat laid itself over her skin, her shoulders broadened, and my hand seemed sealed to them now, as her arms straightened into powerful legs. She grew a mane and tail, and suddenly, there was a massive ebony horse before me. But her neck pulsed with gills, and her feet had wide webs.

I struggled for my life, but my hand was solidly stuck. She reared onto her hind legs and I was tossed over her back. There was no escape now. She galloped downstream a little ways, and as we came into a pool in the middle of the forest, she leaped into the air, diving into the water with a loud splash. We kept diving for what felt like hours. I ran out of air as the blood vessels in my eyes popped. I couldn't resist anymore, and I coughed. The water filled my lungs rapidly, and they tried to expel the water, but it was futile.

She spiraled in the water and I fell off. I struggled to keep my eyes open, and just before I lost consciousness, I saw her open her mouth to reveal rows of dagger-like teeth.