‘To do this, he told him stories from his native home. The story of the selkie very much captivated the captain. It went like this. Once, a fisherman heard singing at night. He waded in the river until he came upon a small island and beheld a magnificent sight. Three maidens naked under the moonlight were singing and dancing. The fisherman had never seen anything more beautiful. When the moon hid behind a cloud, the girls picked up what looked like fur coats from the ground and started to put them on. They were sealskins and, on wearing them, the girls transformed back into seals, lowered themselves into the water and swam away. On the following night, the fisherman was waiting for them. The seals swam ashore, shed their skins and became women. This time the fisherman was prepared. He crept with care, unseen, and stole one of the skins. Quickly, he took it home and hid it in his house.

‘When the moon disappeared behind the cloud, the maidens put on their sealskins and slipped back into the water. All except one. She could not find her skin. No matter how hard she searched, it was not there. She called to her sisters, but they were already out of earshot. Frightened and forlorn, she sat shivering on the rocks. The fisherman made his approach. He appeared as her kind and gallant saviour. Gently, he coaxed her back to his hut. She went with him.

‘The fisherman was patient and cautious in his seduction. He provided her with clothes and as much jewellery as he could afford, he taught her to speak his language and to cook his food. Soon he had her as he wanted her to be: loving, grateful and dependent on no one in the world except him. But she did not like staying indoors and she did not stop searching for her sealskin. In all kinds of weather, she would be at the shore singing to her sisters. They would swim to her, bob their heads out of the water and look at her with sad eyes. How could she return to their world without her skin?

‘It became known in the village that the fisherman had taken a foreign wife. The villagers did not warm to her, but neither were they unkind. She remained a lonely figure, taking her daily walks to the sea, where she would sit on the rock and sing her strange song. The years passed, and she gave birth to two boys and two girls. They were beautiful children, free-spirited and healthy. Everyone was particularly impressed by how well they swam. Although they occupied her time and alleviated her homesickness, there was still an inner sadness in her, a restlessness for the life in the sea she had known, a longing for her sisters and cousins.

‘One rainy day as the children were playing in the attic, they came across a brown, furry bundle and took it down to their mother. She cried out when she saw her sealskin and understood immediately her husband’s treachery. The skin was glossy and alive, inviting her to step into it, to pick up the past where she had left off. But how could she abandon her children! She was distraught with indecision and anger. When her husband came home there was a big row while the children cowered with fear and confusion.