“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Is everything all right?” said the voice.
She turned around to find Landwulf standing behind her, concern written on his handsome face.
“Landwulf! You scared me!” she exclaimed.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. “Can I help you?”
She saw the basket he was carrying; it was a lot like hers.
“Are you collecting kelp?” she asked.
“Yes. It’s something we often do after a storm.”
“What does kelp look like?” she asked. “Is that it over there?” She pointed at the brown object near the water’s edge.
Realization dawned on his face. “Of course, you haven’t lived by the sea before. Yes, that’s kelp. Did Emiline send you out to get some?”
“Yes. But I haven’t collected it before. And it’s awfully close to the water.” Despite her best efforts to appear calm and in control, her voice wobbled a little as she thought about going near the water’s edge. She didn’t want Landwulf to see her fear and tease her about it as he did to his sisters.
But Landwulf seemed to sense her discomfort. “Do you fear the water?” he asked quietly.
She nodded, unable to voice the awful secret. Surely no one else was afraid of the water the way she was. Landwulf seemed to have no fear.
“Come with me,” he said, holding out his gloved hand. “I’ll show you how to beat the waves.”
His hand was big and strong around hers and she felt safe with him. Surely he wouldn’t put himself in danger by taking her too close to the water! She relaxed a little and allowed him to lead her close to the water’s edge. The waves looked even bigger from where they stood and she tried not to watch in horror as a huge one approached, its monstrous grey-green depths topped by foaming white.
Landwulf noticed her shaking. “It’s all right,” he soothed. “The waves are just bigger than usual because of the storm we had last night.” He led her even closer.
The wave broke onto the shore, racing up the sand, its foamy edge aiming for their feet. She smothered a scream and tried to run but Landwulf held her hand firmly in his. At the last moment, they took one step backwards and the wave stopped before it reached them. Kaarina felt as if her lungs would burst from pent-up terror.
“See?” Landwulf said. “We watch to see how close the wave is coming and then we step out of its way.”
“But what if it doesn’t stop?’ Kaarina asked fearfully.
“They always do,” Landwulf said, confidence in his voice. “No one from our village has ever been lost at sea because we know how to work with the water. When it’s stormy, the fishermen stay at home. We stay away from the big waves that come with the storms. And our God protects us.”
Kaarina thought about Aegir, the god of the sea. She was quite certain that he wouldn’t step in to save mortals from their own foolishness if they ventured into his realm. The Christians’ God must be a special one.
“Shall we fill our baskets together?” Landwulf asked.
His words jerked her back to reality. She was still holding his hand, mesmerized by the terrifying raw power of the waves. She looked up at him.
“Yes, I would like that,” she said.
He smiled at her, dislodging tiny ice crystals that had gathered in his beard. “Good. I can show you the best spots to find it.”
They set off along the shore, walking just below the line where the snow stopped but well out of reach of the waves. The storm had been generous; there was plenty of kelp.
“What do you use it for?” Kaarina asked.
“I’m collecting it to use in the gartlih when the weather warms up. Mother asked me to get her some.”
“Oh. Is it like fertilizer?”
“Yes. It’s good for the vegetables. But I’m guessing that Emiline will be using what you’re collecting in her cooking.”
“You mean … people eat this stuff?” Kaarina was horrified.
Landwulf laughed. “It’s not that bad,” he said. “It adds flavor to the food and helps us to stay healthy during the winter months when the vegetable gardens are asleep.”
Kaarina shuddered. “I can’t imagine putting that in my mouth,” she said.
Landwulf grinned at her. “You won’t recognize it when it’s in the food,” he said, piling one last kelp plant into his basket. It slithered to the side and almost fell out because the basket was too full. “I guess that means we need to go back,” he said.
Despite the intense cold, Kaarina was sorry to turn around and head back to the village. She’d enjoyed Landwulf’s company and he had been kind to her, helping her to overcome her fear of the ocean. The waves still pounded mercilessly onto the shore but she was no longer terrified every time one came rushing towards her. She looked around. On one side of the village, the mountains rose into thick fog, snow blanketing their lower slopes. On the other side of the village was the turbulent ocean tossing and heaving, grey and unfriendly. She looked up at Landwulf.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling beneath the cloth that covered the lower half of her face.
“Think nothing of it,” he said, smiling back.
“I am grateful for your help,” she insisted. “I have never been on the seashore before. I did not know what to expect.”
“In that case, I am glad I came along. It was a privilege to show you the ocean for the first time.” He put his hand inside his coat. “I found this for you,” he said, holding out a small object in the palm of his hand.
“What is it?” Kaarina asked, looking closely at the delicate fan-shaped object with intricate brown stripes.
“It’s a cockle shell. It’s for you to keep so that you
