Nokoda

I was nine years old when I first encountered her. At least I think I was nine. I was young, let's say that. I lived by the water with my father, mother, older brother and baby brother. The water was almost always cold, and seals would often come onto shore for food or to bask in the sun. We were a small town, nothing too exciting; everyone knew each other, and everyone knew the town drunk who was always suspicious about old folk tales our grandparents would tell us that had been passed down by THEIR grandparents and so on. When I was little, the town drunk seemed old to me. But in actuality he was probably in his 30's. Now this man always went on about wanting a wife, but no woman in their right mind would ever marry him or go near him for that matter. Until one night... I was sleeping soundly, when I heard a commotion outside by the water. It sounded like a seal crying out, and a man's voice yelling, too. It was so loud that it woke me up from sleep and I immediately went to my