Spring arrived like a gale force—swift and intangible, bringing a fresh breath of life into the land. The snow disappeared as though it had never existed, and I accepted this as the valley's natural magic.
Finally, I could fall back into the steady rhythm of farming, and as I planted my first seeds of the new year, I knew in my heart that this was what I should be doing. The familiar busyness of farming took some getting used to; I had to be a lot more careful with how I spent my time and energy. Every evening felt like it ended too soon, and I was left with the exhaustion of the day's work cloaked about myself. But I couldn't deny the strange satisfaction that the fatigue brought me, a fulfilment that carried me to slumber with a smile on my face.
There was a downside, however. With all of my regular farming activities resumed, I had less time to spend with Sebastian. Every time I sowed new seeds or rounded up my animals back into their enclosures for the night, the moment contained a little drop of poison; this moment could have been one spent with Sebastian, and the truth of it burned my soul. Even my trips into town where I occasionally ran into him had the ulterior motive of an errand lurking underneath it.
I counted on Sebastian's habitual routine to give me that extra time with him that I had taken for granted in the winter.
And so on the first rainy day of the year, I found myself heading for the beach, despite the grey sky that drenched the land with its tears.
He's got to be there, I assured myself, but my relief would not come until the moment my eyes alit on the dark form standing at the end of the pier. It was a pure, fluttering pleasure that brought a smile to my lips and a hand to my chest.
My boots crunched against the gritty sand as a tread through across the beach to the water. The waves that lapped at the shore were frothy and wild, it was thrilling and terrifying all at once to be so close to it.
But I felt inexplicably safe as I kept my gaze focused on Sebastian.
"Hey," I said as my boots tapped a steady beat against the wooden platform.
He turned at the sound of my voice, and flashed a small, crooked smile in my direction. "Hey," he replied, voice warm and slightly breathless. He grinned as he took in the light from the ring on my finger and nodded towards it. "That makes it even harder not to notice you."
Unable to contain the relief that had swelled within me, I came up behind him and engulfed him in an embrace. His body was tense from the initial shock of my movement, but as the moments passed, the stress seeped out of him and his arms came up to wrap around my own with an unexpected fierceness.
"I miss seeing you as much as I did before," I murmured, ignoring the heat that enflamed my cheeks.
"I miss seeing you, too." I could not ignore the note of sadness tainting his words.
"How's work?" I released him, but kept his hand in my own as I came to stand beside him, a halo of light surrounding the interlocking of our fingers between us.
He shrugged. "Good. Got some new projects on the go."
"That's great," I said, smiling. "Please tell me they're more interesting than creating reports for people."
"Oh definitely," he said, and I caught the true joy behind the words as he continued, "there's an indie game studio that's hired me to help build their new game engine."
"Sebastian," I stood back in awe, mouth gaping. "But that's amazing. I'm so excited for you. Hell, I'm just excited, period!"
A light flush splashed across his cheeks, and he grinned in earnest. His hair was soaked through with rain, and the sky was full of threatening clouds, but he looked the happiest I had ever seen him. "Yea, they're taking a gamble on me since I don't have a lot of game dev experience."
"But you're going to kill it, anyway," I crowed proudly, beaming up at him.
"Well, I don't know about that," he rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and his blush turned furious.
"Fine," I sobered, and I sensed some relief from him. "Even if you don't, I'm proud of you anyway. The experience will have been worth it. I'm sure of it."
He nodded and let out a breath. A weight seemed to have been lifted off of him. "That reminds me," he began slowly, sounding pained, and all at once he looked crestfallen, "I should get back so I can put in some work on it." He sighed. "They already set a release date and it's not looking like we'll be able to hit it."
"An unwise decision by them," I mused aloud. I looked down at our entwined hands, and slowly loosened my fingers. "I suppose I should let you go, then," I said, but my confidence rang false in my own ears. I looked up at him, and the morose quality in his gaze stuttered.
"Hey," he said, turning to face me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and I could feel the heat of his touch through my jacket. "I hear that tone in your voice. We'll figure this out. We did before, we will again."
My heart fluttered in my chest and I nodded, unable to rid myself of the sensation that my throat had closed up.
"I—I love you," he stammered, and our lips met with soft intensity as spring rain fell around and over us.
Home, this feels like home, I thought desperately as our kiss ended far too soon and I gazed at the man who seemed to mirror my own misgivings back at me.
He looked the picture of loss and despair, dressed in black as he was, but as we clasped hands one more time, a radiance in his face pierced through the loneliness as his eyes roved my face like he was seeing me for the first time.
In love, I realized, identifying the source of the glow that came from within him. He looks like he's in love.
"I'll see you soon," I said just loud enough to be heard above the howling storm. "I promise."
He nodded, his eyes lingering on me, and I watched him trudge his way back up the dock towards the beach, and back into town.
A deep-rooted anguish took a hold of me—not quite intense enough to spring tears from my eyes, but pure enough to drag my feet as I walked back to the sandy shore. I took my time leaving the beach, picking up shells along the way. I saw Elliott's cabin and almost went to it, only to be stopped by my desire to be alone. So I wandered past, to the edge of the beach and the small, wooden bridge there that connected it to the overgrown eastern half.
Crossing the bridge to the other side, I continued my mindless plucking of shells and coral off the shore. The tidal pools glinted grey, still reflections of the turbulent sky. There were some different kinds of things on this beach, and I wondered vaguely if they would sell for more.
What do I need more money for, though? I thought dully. My crops were doing well, and my animals were healthy. I had more than enough money to live comfortably by myself. But if I wasn't to just be living by myself anymore...
It was this moment of frustrated clarity that caused me to lift my eyes from the rocks and sand to freeze.
I wasn't sure what I was looking at—was it a man? A spectre? Someone I didn't recognize stood along the northern edge of this section of the beach, and I was fairly certain I recognized everyone who lived in Pelican Town.
The figure shifted slightly, but maintained a mistiness about himself, and I felt compelled to speak to him for some unknown reason. His dark beard was scraggly and streaked with grey. I saw that he was dressed like a mariner, with his blue work shirt and scuffed jeans tucked into rubber boots. His clothes were faded, and as I looked him over once more, it seemed that his entire self was faded. As I approached, his dark eyes watched me from beneath the brim of his worn, brown hat, and my spine tingled with anticipation.
"Hello," I said.
"Ah, I can see it in yer eyes," he said, voice rough and haunting.
I took in the unblinking quality of his stare and found that my words had failed me.
The man smiled at me. "There be a special someone in yer heart."
"How did you know?" I blurted out, narrowing my eyes. I peered at him, but he merely grinned, his teeth crooked and yellow.
He continued as though I hadn't just asked him a question, "Just so happens I'm sellin' a mermaid's pendant." He withdrew a worn, tanned hand out of his pocket and held it in front of himself. His fingers uncurled and I peered at his open hand.
"A mermaid's pendant?" As I took in the small blue shell cradled in his calloused palm, I felt a strange feeling in my gut. The pendant was conical and thin, but a vibrant sky blue in colouring that seemed to glow with an unusual light as he shifted his hand. "Oh, it's beautiful." I wondered vaguely if Sebastian would find this as interesting as some of the quartz I had given him over the past year. As I looked back up at the old man's face, that uneasy feeling in my gut intensified.
"Give that to yer intended and they'll know exactly what you mean." He gave me a knowing nod.
"I… I don't understand."
"Do you want to buy this?" he asked, not offering me any more explanation. "5000 gold."
I hesitated, drawing my hand back as I looked at him. Aside from the spectral quality about him, he seemed kindly and weary, as though he had been waiting here for a very long time.
"If I buy it, I won't be locked into some curse or something, will I?" I thought of the mirror in the wizard's tower and the heartache it had brought me. I wasn't sure if I was quite ready to accept magic back into my life.
The mariner shook his head. "No, there be no tricks about it, no magic or illusion. This comes down to love, and I know the look when I see it." He chuckled to himself and proffered the pendant once more. "What do you say, lass?"
Every logical sense in me screamed not to do it: you should be cautious—remember that last time you played with fire? What if there are repercussions? What if it doesn't elicit the response he says it will?
But I could not grasp the word "no" with my tongue. As I stared at the small blue shell in his brown, weathered palm, my heart raced with the possibilities. "Sure," I squeaked, and cleared my throat. "I mean, yes. I'll take it."
The mariner beamed and nodded his approval. "Here you go, lass," he said, and he poured the pendant into my open palm, its thin chain gleaming in the clouded light.
I looked down at the small blue thing that glinted with iridescence, and as my fingers closed over it, I knew that this was the right thing to do. The very pendant seemed to hum in my ear about all of the secrets and wishes it could unlock, and its seduction sealed my decision.
As I handed my 5000 gold to the mariner, I watched him fade into the mist.
Tucking the pendant into my bag, I felt a warmth trickle into my heart. I just hoped that the mariner had been right, and that Sebastian did, in fact, know what it meant.