Seal Song

The storm threw down a curtain of rain. "FINN!" screamed Sheila as she lost sight of him. In heaving swells, Finn's boat floundered. The wind howled, freezing his hands. The rain became blinding sleet. "Which way?" he cried. On the beach, Sheila sang, "Eeeeiiiiii, eeeeiiiiii." A magic song. A seal song. The piercing notes reached Finn. He rowed toward her voice, but the wind shifted. Finn loves to swim with the seals in a secret cove. One day he rescues a young seal tangled in netting. Finn wishes the seal could live on land. When Sheila, a mysterious girl no one has ever seen before, appears on the cannery docks, the fisher folk are uneasy. They believe the newcomer is a magical selkie, a shape changer. Seal Song is a story of friendship and magic. It was inspired by Celtic folklore about selkies-seals that have the ability to change shape and live as people. Once in human form, they must not allow salt water to touch their skin. If it does, the call of the sea becomes too great, and they are compelled to return to their seal form.