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Cormac Mallloy rose early the next morning and shuffled into his small kitchen to heat the water for his morning cup of tea. The old man went about his usual routine. He fed his cat and flicked on his telly always tuned to Teilifís Éireann for the latest news report and the day's weather forecast. He drew back the curtains on his kitchen window and was pleased to see last night's storm had passed. He hoped there would be some good finds on the beach when he took his morning constitutional. He made his toast and spread the strawberry jam on thick the way he liked it. He sipped his tea and settled back into his peaceful morning before he put on his boots, strapped on his shoulder bag and headed out with his walking stick. Everyone in Ballydavid knew old bachelor Malloy, a regular down at the local pub long since retired from his career as a mail carrier for Dingle communities scattered about the peninsula. His eyesight was failing him now, he didn't trust himself to drive but the local folk kept an affectionate eye out for him on the road. He knew a passing motorist would pull over and give him a shout and provide a ride for him whenever he headed into the village for his pint at the pub or out visiting friends about the village. The local grocery delivery van kept his kitchen cupboards and icebox stocked with his simple needs.
Though his eyesight was dimming due to macular degeneration there was nothing wrong with his hearing. This morning as he pulled his back door close and stepped out into the sunshine, he immediately heard a great uproar of noise coming from the beach. He stopped and listened for a moment and recognized the cacophony of seals rising above the soothing sounds of the surf. "That mob is full of themselves this morn. They trying to wake the dead?" He said just to hear his own thoughts spoken out load. He ambled carefully down the path he had long since committed to memory, leaning heaving on his shillelagh walking stick. When his Wellingtons hit the sand, he stopped and bent his head downward and at an angle which allowed him some peripheral vision. He began his beachcombing but the barking of the seals was too loud, too unusual something was mícheart—something was amiss. He veered away from his normal route along the tidemark and drifted to where he could make out the dark lumps farther down the beach. The sound of the surf masked the seals' distressing calls but as he encroached on their territory their calls became even more strident. Now he yelled back at the herd, "cad a bhíonn ort?!," he demanded, "why all this fuss?" He shook his shillelagh at the creatures. Like a scene out of "The Ten Commandments" when Charlton Heston parted the Red Sea, the seals scattered away from what they were guarding. Cormac gasped in surprise and rushed forward. "Bide a wee where you're at!" he shouted forcefully at the seals. They seemed to understand and shuffled back towards the sea.
Cormac could see enough to know it was a body.
Now emboldened he staggered across the sand waving his walking stick. The sea mammals barked in agitation but allowed the old man access to their prize. He would later be told the body he came across on his beach surrounded by seals was that of one Irish-born American, Daniel Gregg, Retired U.S. & British Naval Captain. But at this moment Cormac Malloy only knew the man was barely alive. He placed his ear against the man's naked chest and listened for a heartbeat, it was there but weak. The fellow's skin was cold and puckered from hours being in the ocean. His arms and chest were bruised and there was an ugly cut and contusion on the side of his head, the man was unconscious. Cormac knew he had to get this man help immediately. He half stumbled in a panic back up to his cottage to place a 999-emergency call.
Three days passed before Carolyn saw once again the blue eyes she loved so much. He was in grave condition when he was air-lifted by a Coast Guard chopper to St. John's Hospital in Limerick. He had been hypothermic and severely dehydrated. X-rays showed two broken ribs on his right side, he was battered and bruised—but he was alive and that's all she cared about. Doctors warmed his body and delivered I.V. fluids. Carolyn kept a vigil by his bedside, ignoring the Sisters on the nursing staff when they encouraged her to go back to the hotel and get some proper rest. Doctors assured her it was good he had not awakened yet. It was Nature's way of helping his body heal from the physical trauma and exhaustion he had somehow managed to survive as the sea tried to drown him. The larger mystery was how indeed he had managed to survive the night, being crushed by fierce waves against boulders the size of Mack trucks, disappearing under the water and then re-appearing some eleven hours later—washed up on a beach some five miles away from the scene of Tommy Feegan's rescue.
The hospital had brought in a comfortable recliner for Carolyn and they pushed it close to Captain Gregg's bedside. Carolyn's tears started again unexpectantly as she thanked the hospital orderlies, a lump in her throat. Memories flooded back to her as she eased into the chair and reached for Daniel's limp hand, she clasped it tightly. She spoke to him in a tender whisper. "Here I am in a La-Z-Boy lying next to you again, my love." She fell asleep holding his hand as her mind drifted to Christmas and his joyous homecoming. The medical staff came in and went, checking his vitals on the monitor screens. They did their work quietly and let his poor wife sleep, Lord knows she needed the rest as much as her husband. She had been through an emotional hell. Finally, reluctantly, as the night shift was due to come on a nurse gently shook her shoulder. Visiting hours were coming to an end, she was informed. Carolyn needed to go to back to her hotel and children and get some proper rest. Daniel's vitals were much improved and the doctors were pleased with his progress. They would notify her at the hotel should his condition change during the night. Carolyn sat up in the recliner and then leaned over to stroke his bearded cheek and brushed her lips gently against his. "See you in the morning, love," she then tapped her finger gently on his nose as he often did to Candy and Jonathan to make his point. "…and you better be awake Captain Gregg."
She turned to leave his bedside but stopped when he groaned softly.
"Daniel?" She scarcely noticed the slightest movement of his head towards her at the sound of her voice. "Daniel? Can you hear me? I'm here. Open your eyes for me, please…" she begged, her eyes filling with tears once more. She gripped his hand tightly.
He coughed and immediately moaned in pain but his eyes opened and as he tried to focus on her face, he smiled in recognition of her voice. "Carolyn," he managed to croak.
"Sshh…don't try to speak. I'm here. You're in the hospital but you're going to be okay," her hand tenderly brushed back the curls from his forehead and she kissed him again. "You had me worried."
He tried to speak again. "The boy?" he rasped painfully.
She squeezed his hand. "He's alright. You saved him."
He nodded his head once, the effort to remain awake was exhausting. His eyes closed again, but a smile formed on his lips. His words came in a barely audible sigh, "Selkie saved me."
Carolyn didn't understand his words. She looked up then as the nurse re-entered the room. "He's awake!" she beamed happily. She returned to the hotel that evening with wonderful news to share with the family and Aiden and Cara. Captain Daniel Gregg had done the impossible again and had come back to them.
Two days later Daniel climbed slowly into the Kiely touring coach with the unnecessary aide of his children. Hospital policy didn't allow children under the age of 12 to visit patients—much to Candy and Jonathan's outrage. Now they planned to stick close to Captain Gregg's side should he need of anything. Their airline reservations had been changed to allow Daniel a few extra days of convalescence. Now the St. John's doctors agreed to release the Captain provided he take it easy and forego any more heroics until his ribs were healed in some six to eight weeks. The Kiely's refused to leave the family they had grown so close to on their three-week sojourn across the Emerald Isle. They assured Carolyn and Martha they didn't need to be back in Dublin until July 1 when their next clients arrived. Now as Aiden sat behind the wheel he said cheerfully, "Where are we off to on this fine day?"
"Back to Ballydavid, if you please," Daniel requested. He felt everyone's eyes on him. "I'd very much like to thank the man who is responsible for me going home on an airplane and not in a pine box." The explanation satisfied all concerned. Carolyn nodded in agreement and reached for his hand and brought it to her lips.
"I think that's a wonderful idea. We'd all like to thank him properly. Wouldn't we kids?" She turned her head to hear Jonathan and Candy's emphatic endorsement.
"Yeah!"
"Mommy, maybe we should bring him a thank you gift, too." Candy suggested.
Her mother nodded and smiled happily. "We'll do just that, honey."
Later after another scenic drive through Irish countryside, they entered Ballydavid once again. The first stop was to make arrangements to spend another night at the bed & breakfast which had offered shelter and solace to the family on the awful night of waiting for news of the Captain's fate. Directions to Mr. Malloy's home were easily obtained at the local pub. Daniel made a special arrangement with the proprietor. As long as the old man lived—he would never again pay for his weekly pint at the pub. An hour later the Kiely van pulled into the little lane which led to Cormac Malloy's cottage by the sea. The old man was pleasantly surprised and welcomed the family heartily. He grasped Daniel's hand and shook it up and down. "How's about ye, young fella? You looked drastic knackered the first time I laid me eyes on you, but you look right well now. Good man-ma-da."
Daniel smiled gratefully and chuckled at the old man's reaction at seeing him upright, walking under his own steam and fully dressed. Carolyn though, saw the lines of weariness on her husband's face after the long drive and his wince of pain as Mr. Malloy enthusiastically pumped his hand in greeting. She stepped between the two men and gave Cormac a heartfelt hug and a kiss on the cheek. "We can never thank you enough, Mr. Malloy."
Cormac's Irish rosy cheeks brightened in color after receiving Carolyn's embrace. "Och, 'tis nothing to go on 'bout, missus."
Jonathan, Candy and Martha took their turns thanking the man just as Aiden and Cara Kiely joined them in the cottage. Aiden was carrying a very large wicker basket filled to overflowing with all of Mr. Malloy's known favorites. The Kiely's had done some reconnaissance in the small town, stopping at the general store and chatting in the local dialect to learn Cormac's favorite treats. They filled the basket with his preferred sausages, tea, cheese, biscuits, sweets and an assortment of goodies—even tins of food for his kitty cat. Mr. Malloy insisted he make them all a cup of tea and even had lemonade for the children. After a get-to-know-you chat, Daniel asked if it would be possible to go down to the beach to see where Cormac and come across him the previous week.
The old man toddled with his shillelagh and pointed across the sand to where Daniel had come ashore. Martha walked ahead with the Kiely's and the kids and left Daniel and Carolyn to speak with Cormac. He described how the herd of seals had surrounded his lifeless form. "They was protecting you—they was. Like you were one of their own. They were kickin' up a fuss, hollerin' and a bellowin' like cows needing a milkin'—they were calling me down to you. The selkie which saved ya, left them to finish the job, I reckon."
"Selkie?" Carolyn laid her hand on the elderly gentleman's arm. She gazed up at her husband. "You said that word when you first awoke in the hospital. You said a 'selkie saved me.' What does that mean?" She searched both men's faces for an answer.
Daniel turned and looked out to the sea before he answered. "A selkie is a fantastic sea being. She lives her life underwater as a seal—but can transform herself into a human woman when the mood strikes her."
"Aye," added Mr. Malloy. "Tis said when she finds a human man to her liking—she'll marry up with him and shed her skin. But to keep the lass from goin' back to the sea, some eejits steal away her seal hide and keeps it from her."
Carolyn Gregg again had her rational thoughts assaulted by another encounter with a magical Irish fairy tale come to life. "Are you saying a mermaid saved you, Daniel?"
Daniel wrapped his arm about her shoulders. "No love, a selkie—but I can't tell you much about that night. I remember struggling to tow Tommy out to the rescue craft and then I saw a great wave coming at me. I tried to dive down but I was slammed against a blasted rock. I went under and was out of breath and then…"
"What? What happened, Daniel?" He only threw up his hands in a gesture of futility. He had no answer for her.
"Mind you, I wasn't there to see it for me own self," Mr. Malloy spoke. "The scenario probably was the selkie gave you her kiss of life and took hold of you. Towed you to the nearest beach she knew of where you wouldn't be battered to pieces on rocks. She then told her brothers to crowd around you and keep you warm until a human wandered by. And so I did." He jabbed the end of his walking stick into the sand, "she's probably still out there watching this beach—seeing if you would come say goodbye."
Now it was Carolyn Gregg who stared out at the beckoning sea. "The kids saved a seal pup from certain death…" she contemplative aloud.
"Aye, and a seal saved me," he responded quietly.
Carolyn glanced at up at her mariner a moment and then back out to the restless sea. "One thing I know is that I know nothing. This is the source of my wisdom", she said wistfully. "Socrates was right about that."
Just then Jonathan and Candy came running back down the beach. They were out of breath as they came up to their parents and Mr. Malloy. "This beach is almost like ours at home," Candy observed.
Jonathan was uncharacteristically somber. "I miss our beach and Gull Cottage. When are we going home, Mom?"
Carolyn pulled her son to her and ruffled his blonde hair affectionately. "Day after tomorrow. We have to say goodbye to Cara and Aiden, we're flying out of Galway."
"Goodbye to Ireland," Candy said quietly and sadly.