The Selkie
The last Selkie hid beneath the stones until the men sailed away and the sun disappeared below the horizon. She pulled the knife from her shoulder, cut off her silvery hair, dipped it in salt and bound her wound, healing it instantly. Then she reached toward the shingle and used moonlight to fashion the rounded stones into a strong thick coat to protect herself. The coat was dark and tinged with the colours of sea and storm, and it protected her from blade and sunlight. The knife she kept in her hand as she dived into the sea and called mournfully to the shoals of herring, understanding at last the danger of wood and metal.