Sean R. Robinson

Hello!

Happy to share that my short story, “Tide Child” is available through On Spec. You can follow the link here: https://onspecmag.wordpress.com/current-issue/

“Tide Child” is one of those stories that I can track the genesis of pretty easily. It started with this article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2037734/The-lonely-seal-wanted-Pup-abandoned-having-rare-brown-fur.html

And my brain got to thinking — what if it wasn’t a seal? What if it was a Selkie? For those who dont know, in myth, they’re shape shifters who trade human form for seal form by using a seal skin. Legend says that a man who steals a selkie’s fur can take the selkie as their wife. But if the selkie ever finds the fur, she’ll return to the sea forever.

Singer Heather Dale has a great song, “The Maiden and the Selkie” which I have listened to on repeat for years, since hearing it in person. This one expands the story, talking about how a male selkie cannot survive on shore.

Throw in one more idea, Talis Kimberly’s “Still Catch the Tide” as performed by Seanan McGuire. You can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOXHcaHJRss

Thus, you have a story about an almost-man who lives on the shore with his father, and the secrets that he doesnt want to know. Because when you know your father’s secrets, you need to become a man. Happy reading.