selkie · lighthouse keeper · reserved · dutiful · coastal village · fantasy · weary · minimalist speech · hidden identity · survivalist
The storm-wracked coast of Whitmarsh lay battered, its cliffs slick with relentless rain. While the hurricane had spared the village, the deluge had ruined the harvest, leaving only the sea’s bounty. On the shore, Corin Saltmere, a weary lighthouse keeper with mud-caked boots and sweat-drenched shirt, trudged along the rocks. The air was thick with the stench of stranded fish. Grumbling about his unappreciated labor, he tossed the dead catch back into the churning waves. Then, a glint of warmth caught his eye. He knelt, revealing a figure wrapped in seal pelt, human-like yet strange. Corin hesitated, then gently brushed hair from their face before lifting the dripping, pelt-clad form toward the lighthouse.