Chapter 12: The Lost And Found
We were not out of the woods yet. For a moment it was nice, just to lay there together, and to rest. But we were both shivering violently and we needed to warm up.
'Don't fall asleep,' she said.
'What,' I answered groggily, falling asleep was exactly what I felt like doing.
'Don't fall asleep,' she said, 'get up.'
We dragged ourselves upwards and stood, leaning on each other, staring out at the blank wall of fog. 'It's flooded all across the valley,' I said, 'and I don't know the way.'
'I might,' she said. We were both slurring our speech like drunks.
'And I think I lost my car keys,' I added.
She thought for a moment and said 'this way,' and, still propping each other up, we turned left and tramped down the beach.
'Stay awake Mitchell,' she commanded as I started to weave about.
'It's been a long day,' I said. My speech was slow and slurred.
'Did I ever tell you,' she said, 'that my great grandmother on my father's side was a selkie.'
'Really?'
'Really. I'm one sixteenth seal. I even have two webbed toes. And, get this,' she said, 'I really like fish.'
'That's amazing.'
'Isn't it? You know we love our men of the land, us selkies, but if we ever find our skin we always return to the sea.'
I did not say anything and she slapped me in the face. 'Keep talking Mitchell,' she commanded, 'we've both got to keep talking.'
I could feel my mind swim, at moments her voice would seem there and close, but then quiet and distant, almost slipping past the point of hearing. The fog swirled around me making it impossible to focus on anything, it seemed I could see it whether or not my eyes were shut and I began to think that maybe it was not real, maybe I had cataracts and I was in hospital waiting for them to be operated on and I only felt cold because there was a draft blowing up the back of my hospital gown.
Selkie slapped me much harder than before. 'Talk to me,' she shouted, 'you're always full of questions, ask me something, ask me about magic.'
'Where are we going?' I asked.
'The coastguard cottage,' she said, 'on top of the cliff.'
'That'll be fun,' I said, 'I feel just like a nice climb.'
'And on the other side of the river.'
'Oh.'
'So stay awake,' she said, 'ask me something.'
'When did you first do magic?' I asked.
'I don't remember, I've always done it.'
'Did your mother teach you?'
'Yes, her and dad.'
'There are things I have to tell you.'
'They can wait.'
'Corner is okay.'
'He is, thank god.'
'He got hurt pretty bad, but he'll live.'
'Did he¦?'
'Yes.'
'Good.'
We stumbled on, feet sliding on the shingle, holding each other up. I put my foot straight into cold water and cried out in surprise. Selkie leaned down and looked. 'It's the river,' she said.
'Do we have to wade across it?'
'Not here, further out.'
'Too deep?'
'There's a steep bank at the other side we need to wade out around.'
'Have you done this before?'
'No, but I know this place well.'
'I'm worried it might be a bit deeper and faster flowing than you remember it.'
'That is a possibility, yes.'
'But you still think we should do it?'
'How strong a swimmer are you?'
'Ordinarily, pretty strong, but right now I'm feeling a bit out of sorts.'
'Well I'm a bloody half seal,' she said, and waded in dragging me with her.
For a while the water only came up to our ankles, but the cold of it bit with a ferocity I had never known before. My feet went completely numb, so that balancing on the shingle was a continual battle, as the fast moving water started to rise up to my knees it tugged at my legs making it even harder to remain upright.
Selkie led us into and down the river, the water gradually rose above the level of our knees, and then nearly up to our wastes, we were both gasping with cold and clinging tightly to each other with both hands. 'I didn't think,' she said, panting for air with each word, 'that it was going to be quite this deep.'
As if in answer the bottom suddenly dropped away, one of us slipped, falling backwards into the water dragging the other with them and together we were sluiced down the river and out towards the sea, fetching up, I have no idea how much further downstream, on a shallow shingle ridge. We crawled forwards on our hands and knees, so cold I struggled to do anything but shiver, till the water was only about two feet deep again.
'Perhaps we should have crossed here,' I said.
Selkie did not respond, she had crawled with me the short distance but her eyes were shut and her breath was coming fitfully.
'Hey,' I shouted, 'wake up.'
She made no response. Without even thinking about it I slapped her hard across the cheek. Her eyes flickered open.
'Stand up,' I shouted, unsure that I could even do it myself. Somehow, together, we managed to get up.
'Come on,' I shouted right into her face, 'tell me where to go.'
She tried to say something that I could not make out. I started to drag her against the current back in towards the shore. She walked when I pulled, but weakly, if she gave in I had no chance of even holding her up, let alone pulling her with me. 'Come on,' I shouted at her again, 'you're a bloody witch, do something. Do some fucking magic when it would actually be useful for once, do something to warm us up.'
Her eyes suddenly caught mine and she kissed me on the lips. It was only a peck but it worked. It was like the tiniest ember, the weakest candle flame, but it was something where previously there had been nothing and suddenly the cold and the fatigue seemed just a touch distant. I felt her grip at me more tightly, and take her own weight again. We walked on, dragging each other.
'We can do this,' I said, 'repeat after me, we can do this.'
'We can do this,' she said in a weak whisper.
'We can do this.'
'We can do this.' A touch louder. We walked on, repeating the words like a mantra, we were walking on dry land before either of us realised, and then up a steep shingle slope, stumbling and scrambling, more on all fours than standing up. Eventually we rose up above the pall of fog that covered the land and began to be able to see again. There above us, not even that far, were two cottages. They were unlit and shut up for the night but to me they looked like a palace. We started to make out the cliffs at the far side of the valley, although the valley floor remained hidden beneath a thick veil of fog.
'My god,' I said, 'I think the sun's coming up.' And there, beyond the other side of the valley, in the east, the first of the sunlight was boiling up through distant clouds.
'It looks like fire on the horizon,' said Selkie.
We reached the cottage and I let Selkie slump to the floor whilst I leant on the doorbell until it was answered.
'There's something coming,' she said.
I do not remember anyone answering the door. I do not remember their initial anger, or their concern when they saw the state of us. I do not remember being stripped of my wet clothes, being towelled vigorously, being placed in front of a fire and fed brandy and hot chocolate. I do not remember anything more of that night.
I remember waking in unfamiliar pyjamas, in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed, under so many blankets it nearly felt as if someone were sitting on my chest. I remember my arm being numb and sore and looking across and finding trapped under Selkie. I tried to retrieve it without waking her but failed. Her eyes opened slowly and calmly took in me, and the room, and everything else.
'Hello,' she said.
'Hello,' I said, 'where are we?'
She had to think about it. 'Coastguard cottage,' she said at length.
'Oh yes.' I remembered that had been where we were heading, even if I did not remember anything about the place.
'They must have thought we were a couple,' she said, and then smiled and yawned and curled herself up.
Wearily, I sat up on the edge of the bed, and was immediately hit by a violent coughing fit. When it was over I pulled the topmost of the many blankets off the bed, wrapped it around myself, and padded out of the room and downstairs, coughing weakly.
I found them both in the kitchen, the moment they saw me they sat me down on a chair and bustled around me at a rate I could not keep up with. Soon I had a hot coffee in front of me with about eight spoonfuls of sugar and good heavy slug of brandy dissolved in it, a block of dark chocolate, and eggs and bacon being cooked. He, introduced as John, went back upstairs and came back down with a heavy sweater, a dressing gown, and a pair of slippers that were too big for me. She, introduced as Jenny, quizzed me endlessly despite John's protests that I should be left alone. I croaked answers as best I could.
'You'll have caught your death of a cold,' said John, 'I'll go get something from the medical cabinet.'
'Ooh do you think you should?' said Jenny.
'I should think so, look at the state of him the lad needs a lemsip.'
'Shouldn't we wait for the doctor.'
'Oh I don't think we need to bother.'
'I think we should wait.'
'I'm fine,' I croaked, obviously a long way from fine.
'We called the doctor,' said Jenny, 'he'll be hear this afternoon.'
'What time is it?' I asked.
'Lunchtime,' said John.
They were a sturdily built couple in the mid fifties or maybe a well preserved sixty. They had the look of a life spent outdoors, he was ruggedly handsome with skin hard as leather that creased in thick folds when he smiled, she had a healthy windswept tan and strong hands. I wondered about the lack of children, they seemed like a couple who definitely had children. Perhaps grown up and left, I thought.
A mound of bacon, eggs, and bread was placed in front of me and they both sat down to watch me eat. I did not realise, till the first mouthful, how incredibly hungry I was. I ate like a man possessed, answering their questions with my mouth full.
'What happened to you?' asked Jenny.
'We got lost,' I said, 'turned around in the fog.'
'What were you doing out there in the first place.'
I shrugged. 'We wanted to go for a walk.'
They shook their heads and looked at each other, townies, they must have thought. 'But how did you end up so wet?'
'Crossing the river. It was pitch black and we couldn't get up past the flood.'
'Was that your car,' asked John, 'outside the car park.'
'Probably was,' I said, 'I think I lost the keys.'
'I thought so, they called us this morning to see if we knew who's it might be. They've towed it into the car park and you can expect a fine through the post.'
I groaned, another one.
'What about the rope?' asked Jenny.
'What rope?'
'Your err, friend, had a rope around her neck.'
'Oh that,' I said shovelling a forkful of egg in to my mouth to give me time to think, 'that's just a piece of rope we found.'
I could not finish the meal, before I was halfway through a great swell of tiredness hit me and I had to apologise and give up before I collapsed face first into the plate. I struggled weakly back up the stairs, refusing help, and climbed back in to the bed. Selkie groaned but did not wake. I curled up, and went to sleep looking at the back of her head.
I woke later to find the room full, Jenny and John standing close to the door, Selkie sitting up on the bed, and a doctor peering down the back of her throat. 'Say ah,' he said.
When he was done with Selkie he turned his attention to me, listening to me breathing, peering and prodding at me. 'How long were you out there?' he asked.
'I'm afraid I don't know,' I said, 'it was late when we arrived, a few hours maybe.'
'And you were wet the whole time?'
'A lot of it, we kept falling in the water.'
'They were soaked through,' said Jenny.
'It's a bit of a blur really, ' said Selkie, 'it was all so dark.'
'Well you've both got a rotten cold,' said the doctor, 'and by the sound of it you are lucky to get away with that. If I were you I'd dose yourself up on paracetemol and go home to bed.'
'Are they well enough to drive?' asked Jenny, anxiously.
'That's up to them,' said the doctor, 'but if you take my advice, you'll get someone to give you a lift.'
'I think I've lost my keys anyway.'
'I'll give you a lift,' said John, 'where are you from?'
'London,' said Selkie before I had a chance to answer.
John nodded. 'Very well,' said the doctor, 'look after yourselves.'
Jenny dashed off and reappeared with a handful of medicines and the doctor chose one. She dashed downstairs and up again and we were force fed two yellow pills each with a glass of water. Jenny apparently very keen that we should take them in the doctor's presence. 'Are you sure you're well enough to travel?' she asked anxiously.
'You've been wonderful,' said Selkie, 'but we should get out of your hair.'
She ran clumping down the stairs again and brought up our clothes all freshly laundered and dried. 'There you go,' she said, and gingerly closed the door.
Selkie, like myself, was still sitting where the doctor had left her, looking dazed by all the activity. She stood up slowly and picked out her own clothes. 'Can you err¦' she said.
'I'll face the other way.' I said, and got up and looked out the window. It was already dark again outside, but the window faced out to sea and I could see the lights of ships moving back and forth. It occurred to me that I should have phoned work and told them I was sick. Too late for that now. 'I've got a lot to tell you,' I said.
'Me too.'
'Your mother went off after the Black Goat.'
'My mother was down here?'
'Yes, I drove her down. We were following them but then I heard you call and we got split up before I could say anything.'
'Mother can look after herself,' said Selkie, not sounding all that sure of it.
'Where were they going?'
'I don't know.'
'They said you might go back in to the fold.'
'I might have,' she said, 'but something kept me back. They knew it before I did. Okay I'm done.'
I turned around and she stood before me in the same clothes she had been wearing for the past three days, they were torn, and ripped, but clean.
'I'll err¦' she said, 'I'll wait downstairs.' And she left the room so I could change.
John drove us home. 'We'll go to my place,' said Selkie as soon as we climbed in the car, so that was what we did.
