Ondine Page #4

Here. Have a chip.

And the thing last is, Da,

she can make a wish come true.

- Please, Annie.

- If you're a selk you can.

But I'm not a selk.

OK. You're not a selk.

- Come on, lads, pull harder!

- Come on, lads!

So you're not a selk. Prove it!

What?

Annie! Annie!

Annie! Annie?

Annie? Annie?

Annie?

Annie?

Annie!

Jesus Christ...

Annie! Come here to me.

Come here, baby.

I got you, I got you.

I got you.

Jesus Christ. What happened?

- The brakes went.

- What?

- The brakes went.

- Let me see you.

- Come here!

- And I was lucky, wasn't I?

- Lucky, how?

- That she breathes underwater.

Jesus.

- What happened?

- She fell in the water chasing a duck.

- Come here.

- The brakes went, Ma.

- By the pier. She saved me.

- Your water baby?

Clown. Come on. We'll get you

upstairs and into a bath, quick.

The brakes, they didn't go, did they?

- No. She did that herself.

- Why? Why did she do it herself?

To test me, maybe?

See how much I'd do for her.

Strange... Feels like home.

Who is this woman, Annie?

She's from the Orkney Islands.

She swam round the coast to here.

What if she was?

I imagine she'd be a wee bit wet

around the scratcher, though?

- Bit cold round the old thigh region.

- Stop him, Ma. Close the door.

Your clown of a fisherman

would not notice, would he?

Close the door, Ma.

Did he declare her

to the Fisheries Board?

How much would you do for her?

- You testing me, too?

- I'm sorry.

So why do they call you

Circus the clown?

Because I was one for years. I drank.

- What made you stop?

- Annie.

I came back from a week

on the trawlers and...

...found her unconscious.

Her mother out on the piss.

I thought one of us better be sober.

Then she kicked me out.

- You couldn't take Annie with you?

- This is Ireland.

Men like me don't get custody.

- Someone was looking for her.

- Who?

- A man.

- A dark-haired man?

- Yeah.

- You didn't tell him.

- What's her name?

- Ondine.

That's not what he called her.

- Men like you?

- Fishermen.

Are you dry?

Didn't Annie tell you?

When a selk makes

love to a fisherman, she...

...she weeps...

...salt tears.

You said you died. In the water.

How many lives do you have?

For you? I can't count.

My name's Syracuse

and I'm an alcoholic.

And you've been sober for

two years, seven months and...

Twenty-one days.

- Doing very well, Syracuse.

- It's about the girl, Father.

Oh, yes.

The one you... met... out fishing.

- I drew her up in a net, Father.

- She looked pretty real to me, Circus.

- Syracuse.

- Sorry. Syracuse.

So, what about her?

You've sinned with her, I suppose?

Of course.

And I don't suppose

you want absolution?

- No.

- No.

So, why are you here, Syracuse?

You know the story about

the king who had a secret,

and it drove him mad

so he told it to the tree?

OK, so... pretend I'm a tree.

She brings me luck...

and I don't know why.

I'm afraid, Father...

...because...

...I'm beginning to hope.

We should never lose hope, Syracuse.

She was drowned, Father,

my net brought her back to life.

- It doesn't make sense.

- I know.

None of it makes sense,

that's why I'm afraid.

I know something's going

to happen, something wonderful.

Or terrible.

It's just the kind of girl she is.

It's just the kind of person she is.

And that's my secret.

So what kind of tree are you, Father?

I suppose I'm an oak.

You look more like one of the ones

- they make hurley sticks out of.

- Oh, an ash, yeah.

As long as you're a tree.

Hey. You Syracuse?

- Yeah.

- Syracuse the fisherman?

- What's it to you?

- You got a light?

The girl on the boat.

What do you call her?

My mascot.

- You were upset last night.

- Not so much.

- Your mam said you were.

- Well, she imagines things.

- Do you imagine things, Da?

- I leave that to you.

It's because

I've too much time on my own.

My blood going from here to there.

I try to imagine a happy ending.

It's hard.

Some days it's hard.

- Where is everybody?

- Oh, God. In town for the regatta.

- The regatta?

- Yeah.

There's bands playing. Late night

opening. Mam told me, I forgot.

- Have you got a key?

- Yeah, but I left it inside.

- Annie.

- Come on.

- Where does she drink these days?

- Skippers.

Skippers?

Hello?

Hello?

- Done it, Ma.

- Oh, you good thing, you.

Careful.

They don't serve knackers here.

Just give us the keys, Maura.

I'll take her home.

She'll be fine.

A bar never hurt anyone.

- Please, Maura.

- You've cleared a few in your time.

- She's coming to my place.

- She's not. Go back to your caravan.

Home to your mermaid, Circus, huh?

You know, he's got himself

a water baby?

- Annie?

- I'll be fine. You just go, Da.

- Two shots, aye?

- Two shots, is it?

That's it. Middle pocket, right?

Right middle pocket.

- Oh, pish.

- Two shots to me.

Ondine!

Ondine!

Ondine!

Don't I get seven years?

- Remember the bit about selkie men?

- The husband?

Well, he's here.

- And he's taking her back?

- Yes.

So I'll see you at home then, huh?

Hey.

A guy was breathalysed

in one of those in Glasgow.

No, seriously.

No, he was six times over the limit.

What if I take the footpath?

Look, you're still in charge

of your flipping vehicle, right?

I'll go slowly.

- Tell him to piss off.

- I wish I could.

- Wish, then.

- I can't.

- You can grant a wish.

- You sure?

- Annie says so.

- OK.

I wish she wasn't sick.

So do I.

And I wish you'd stay.

- That's two wishes.

- One for you. And one for me.

Have you got your lights on, hen?

The cops will get you if you don't.

Maybe it's all a lie.

Maybe you walked into the sea

to get away from a bad marriage.

- Would you believe that?

- I did it once.

- What happened?

- I got wet. Got sense. Got sober.

- That's not the story, though.

- Well, what is, then?

Like Annie says, I'm a selk.

Something's up.

A crash.

No. No...

No! Annie. Get out... out of me way!

- Annie. Annie. Annie!

- Syracuse. Syracuse!

She's OK, she's OK.

She's in good hands.

Jesus Christ!

Tell me what happened to her.

She's been a terrible accident,

but Annie is all right, you hear me?

Annie is fine.

- You wore your seat-belt, love.

- What happened?

I don't know yet.

- She's all right... Father?

- Please God, she will be.

We're going to move her to

another room. Want to follow me?

Is something wrong?

- What's happening?

- I don't know. I don't know.

- What's happening?

- The doctor will explain.

Syracuse, can we talk in private?

- What's going on?

- Alex had a donor card.

- What?

- We have a tissue match.

Strangest thing, but it's happened.

- Are you serious?

- Come on.

Retractor.

So why are you here?

- You speak their language now.

- It's softer than ours.

- I wish you were dead.

- None of us are that lucky.

So... the sea spat you out, did it?

It can swallow me again.

We don't belong here, do we?

- So? Go home.

- I can't.

- Police want to talk to me.

- About what?

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