The Seabreeze at Mellowdene

A few older residents will remember the Columbus family who lived here some time ago. Ferdinand Columbus and his wife Vesper lived at Columbus House overlooking the river, and they were proud when their young daughter Doris earned a place at Leveret Hall College at the east of Sylvania.

It was a surprise when the couple decided to rent out their house on short-term leases and move out of the village to join their daughter. It was another surprise when, years later, Doris returned to Mellowdene with a husband and three children, taking up residence in her old family home.

It emerged that her parents had decided to remain on the coast, but it was unclear why Doris had returned - particularly since her newer family appeared to be influenced by all things nautical. Indeed, her married name was Columbus-Seabreeze, although the family often foreshortened it to Seabreeze for convenience.

They appeared to be quite wealthy but their affluence had no bearing on their down-to-earth friendly nature. Doris had been at school with Cecile and they rekindled their friendship. Lawrence was a jovial chap but astute when it came to business. Most of his dealings were related to nautical concerns; having earned money in shipping, he had shares in a franchise of seafood restaurants too.

Once established in Mellowdene, he helped renovate the docks, and kept his pleasure cruiser The Marita May there in sight of Columbus House. To the inland waterway system that terminated at the northern boundary of Mellowdene, he brought a trio of canal boats, and these provided a useful connection to the north, out of Mellowdene County and towards the mountain pass that led through Pinnisula past Acorn Valley to the north coast.

The odd thing was, despite their sailor suits and clear love for the sea, they spent little time on their boats. The Marita May was captained by Horatio Seadog on their behalf, and the canal boats were crewed by a range of critters from along the route of the waterways. The Rose of Sylvania II tended to be run by a friendly group of hill cats, some of whom elected to take rooms in Mellowdene when they were in the area.

My curiosity was stirred but I didn't say anything - Doris was Cecile's friend after all, so it made sense that she would find out. Except she didn't pursue the matter.

"Doris will tell us if they want us to know," she said, and no amount of wheedling would change her mind. I gave up.

o 0 O 0 o

When Lawrence and Doris invited us out to a fancy meal at their sea food restaurant we were to find out. Cecile and I dressed in our posh clothes and Merlin and Eliza were happy to babysit. As we lined up to pass muster Beverley said we looked smart and even Brendan agreed. At least, I think his comment that his mummy looked like a lovely juicy fruit was a complement. Russell's attention was elsewhere, but in any case he was too young to express an opinion!

We set off and arrived at the Seaside Restaurant for 7:30. I always thought it unusual that Mellowdene had a seaside restaurant when we were nowhere near the side of the sea. Sitting whilst awaiting our meal, Lawrence explained.

"I always loved sea food," he said, "and I thought it unfair that inland communities should miss out."

"People seem to like it," I commented.

"True," said Doris, "but probably not every night. Once or twice a week, it would seem more special, and there'd be more custom."

"I can understand that," said Cecile. "Are you noticing a drop in custom, then?"

"Transporting fresh fish from the coast every day isn't cost effective," explained Doris, "but designated seafood days would solve that."

"There would still be freshwater fish available the rest of the week," said Lawrence, "but without seafood continually on the menu the restaurant would still need to diversify to take up the slack."

"And that's why we wanted to invite you to a special meal tonight," said Doris. "We are selling the business and it changes hands tomorrow."

I looked at her, then looked at Cecile.

Lawrence laughed easily - but not particularly quietly. "Your face!" he chuckled.

"You're not losing a restaurant," said Doris, "as the Hazelwoods are taking over. They'll maintain the connections with the seafood franchise, but they'll expand to take advantage of their independence."

"I've tasted Basil Hazelwood's food. People will love it," said Lawrence. "And there's the possibility they'll rename the place "The Mousehole."

"You seem to be coming less nautical every week," I laughed.

And then I saw Cecile's face. She wasn't laughing.

o 0 O 0 o

Fortunately the Seabreezes were not offended (and despite Cecile's opinion, I saw no reason why they should be).

Doris put her paw on Cecile's arm. "There's no need to be embarrassed, Cecile. I know we appear to be distancing ourselves from the sea. There is an explanation. Just one that most people may not understand."

Lawrence nodded. "We still love the sea. It's why we dress the way we do. Why we involve ourselves with ships and stuff. Selling the restaurant is purely for economic reasons."

Doris continued. "It's just that we had a rather traumatic experience, and we felt that we could best handle it by moving away from the ocean."

"At least for now," mumbled Lawrence.

"That's right," said Doris, fixing him with a stare. "We agreed, Larry."

Cecile looked at her schoolfriend with concern, reaching out to her. "Whatever is the matter, Doris?"

Lawrence nodded and Doris began. "We were sailing east of Sylvania, far beyond the fishing grounds...

"We were bearing southeast and passed the coral reef and nipped through the gap of... What was it, Larry?"

Lawrence took up the tale. "The name's not important - it won't mean anything to them. The point is that soon afterwards I slowed down the ship as we encountered a light sea mist, and then I realised that we were further out than we'd ever been before."

I remembered Horatio Seadog a few months ago, entertaining Brendan and Beverley by telling them a moderately scary story. It related - slightly - to the Snow Queen myth, and the children had been wide-eyed, allowing their ice creams to melt, as they listened with rapt attention.

"Not outside the Ring of Sylvania?" I said in an unintentionally hoarse whisper. I coughed to clear my throat.

"Fairy stories, we thought," said Lawrence. "The first sign was with Nessie, our youngest. Despite her age, Nessie is a great talker..."

"You know that, Cessie," said Doris.

Cecile agreed. "She's only a few months older than Russell, but she talks like a little old woman."

"She's my clever little one," said Lawrence. "Anyway, she started squeaking like a small animal. It was... distressing."

Doris shook her head, reliving the memory. "And whilst we were attending to her, Tristan and Morgan dropped on all fours and started doing it too. It was scary, Cecile. Our children weren't acting like people at all. And then my head started feeling fuzzy..."

"When Doris started acting funny too, I knew I needed medical help. I turned the ship and started back towards the coast."

Doris sniffed. "My head started to clear, and shortly afterwards the children started to cry. They were better, but didn't understand what had happened. I hugged them until we reached shore."

"The rules about venturing too far out to sea are there for a reason," said Lawrence. Most sailors comply without question, so they won't have encountered the... phenomenon."

Doris lowered her voice. "I don't know whether that part of the Snow Queen legend is true. That she made a magical place where crittizens could thrive but that only extended so far - but it meant I wanted us as far away from the ocean as we could be."

Lawrence regarded his wife with concern. "There could have been another explanation - something borne on the sea mist, some medical explanation - but whatever it was, we knew we needed a break from the sea."

Doris smiled at her husband. "So I came home to Mellowdene. The children are making more friends. We have a lovely river, access to a well-maintained canal network, a lake to the south..."

"And good sea food. And it's about to be served. Let's dig in."

The smell of lobster in a seafood sauce wafted towards me. Hopefully the meal would lead my imagination to a calmer place. Away from the thought that the Ring of Sylvania truly exists. For the suggestion that there could be a boundary between being Sylvanians or beasts - that is an uncomfortable thought.

Cecile was hugging her schoolfriend. And Mellowdene hugged us all.

o 0 O 0 o

The incident left me feeling decidely unsettled. I decided to have a word with Horatio Seadog the following day. It emerged he was aware of the Seabreeze's experience.

"It's your Mellowdene upbringing," he said, scratching his whiskers. "Doris remembered the tales she had been raised with, and with the odd things happening on the Marita May, they scared her. It's natural."

"But something did happen."

"Sure it did, man. But there's a logical explanation as well as the weirdy one."

He paused for effect, much has he had done when entertaining the children. "Snakeweed." He drew winding shapes in the air. "It's a type of seaweed that grows near to some corals. It has pods that can get a bit gassy. Under the right conditions they can break free and float to the surface. Usually, they pop and the weed sinks again. The gas usually disperses quick like, but it can linger if there's a sea mist."

"And that affected the Seabreezes?"

"Can't say for certain; I weresn't there," he said, "but it can affect young lungs. Not permanent, like, but it doesn't do to hang about."

"And Doris?"

"Bit of a panic attack, I guess."

I sighed. "You've put my mind to rest, Horatio. And with you being an experienced sailor..."

"Glad to help, Jacky boy. Them sailors' guidelines are there for a reason. Snakeweed's only one o' the things you have to watch for." He stretched. "Anyway, if that's it, I've got to see Amos about some cargo that's due."

As he made to move, he delved into his pocket and brought out a small bag. "Some toffees for your little 'uns from Uncle Seadog."

"Thanks, Horatio." As he reached the door, I called after him. "You've sailed beyond the Ring of Sylvania, haven't you?"

"You've heard I was a bit of an animal in my younger days, eh?" He winked, and then he was gone.

o 0 O 0 o