Inspired by the Gaelic song "Fair a' Bhata" (The Boat Man)
I wait as I look out towards the shoreline, seated on a rock, my long black hair tossed about in the wind. I am dressed in a white gown with a grey tartan sash cinched across my bosom. The sash flaps with the wind, caressing my face as thoughts flood my mind asking, "Where are you?" I began to sob, tears started to roll down my cheeks. Soon, I found myself weeping uncontrollably. I shouted at the wind, "Has he forgotten me?" I wait in silence for a reply. Nothing came.
We were to be wed this afternoon. My fiance, a fisherman, proposed to me a fortnight ago. It was the happiest night of my life. As he gave me his gold ring, I vowed to give him my undying affection in return. We spent the night together in ecstasy for our life and love to come before he set off to sea for the summer harvest. He was supposed to meet me at the altar. Alas, I spent six hours alone in the chapel waiting for him. Do you know how uncomfortable it is, standing there with my bouquet of white baby's breath for a fiance that never came? I ran out of the chapel to the cliff hill and into the bay where I sit now. I pray he will return soon. I don't know if he will come back to me but I will sit here until my last breath. I can see a ship approaching the shore in the distance. Is that a grey figure of a man walking towards me? Is it him?
The end.
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Selkies, Gaelic Songs, and Highlander Mythology: Short Stories
FantasyHighlanders myths, and the songs by the people of Scotland and Ireland that they sing in Gaelic have inspired these short stories. I always use selkies as a way of speaking my truth. Selkies are humanoid creatures who can shapeshift between human a...
