Lynn's father always told her not to go to the edge of the cliff.
It was an unstable rock, from which pieces of stone randomly broke off and then shattered on the ground or fell into the sea.
It was dangerous to stand there because one could fall at any time. The people of the village naturally avoided the place.
Not Lynn. Even as a child, she liked to run right along the cliff until she circled the island. She watched the waves crash wildly against the rock, as if trying to sink her, and competed with the dolphins, who sang theirs song to her.
Her favorite spot was on the highest cliff. It was right in the middle of the island, and beneath it stretched a rocky beach that looked like the palm of a hand from above.
Only the treetops could be heard as the strong wind was playing with it. It was her holy place to go to rest and dream.
Lynn stood on the edge of the cliff, staring dreamily at the horizon. Every day she stood in the same place and waited, hoping that a ship would appear there.
That someone will come and take her away from this island where she doesn't belong.
She was an intruder. Like a serif cub that flies to the island once every twelve full moons and lays its eggs in foreign nests. She tried to fit in, but never got a chance.
She looked different, acted different, and in the end brought nothing but suffering to the village. As much as it pained her, she couldn't begrudge them their worries.
Maybe everything was really her fault.
A grim expression crossed her face. Nothing today. Somewhere in the corner of her soul, she hoped it would be different today.
It was her eighteenth birthday and she wanted to believe that it would be a special day when her wish would come true. But nothing happened.
"Lynn, your father is looking for you!" she heard the faint echo of a voice. It must have been Daphne.
Lynn closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled. She won't let today get ruined. She took one last look at the calm sea today and ran after the voice.
"I'm running!" She waved at the silhouette in the distance. The tiny body approached and Lynn began to recognize the tender features of the girl.
She looked as if the slightest breeze could blow her away, and her porcelain skin showed every new scratch she got from running through the woods. She was panting loudly, her body shaking with the effort.
"Lynn! Do you know how long I've been looking for you?!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at Lynn. Still a slight smile played on her lips.
"It's your birthday and instead of celebrating, you're running around the woods again. You just never change."
"I was just about to go back," she pursed her lips and poked Daphne gently.
"You were on the cliff again, right?" she frowned at her disapprovingly.
"But there's nothing wrong with a cliff. You might as well try it sometime. It's beautiful there. The place can calm the mind. Anyway, today is my birthday. Don't tell dad… just this once, please?" she put on sad eyes.
Daphne laughed and patted her shoulder. She had already known her over the years and knew that there was no point in talking to her about the cliff.
Once Lynn made up her mind, there was nothing she could do about it. No matter how dangerous it was.
Daphne sometimes felt like she was looking for danger. She could never understand it herself, but it was one of the things that made Lynn so special.
Lynn put hood over her silver hair in a braid and headed for the village. "Wait," Daphne grabbed her arm, faced her, and pulled her hood down.
"I have something for you," she smiled, running a hand down Lynn's hair until it rested on her pointed ear. "I know you don't like that they make you different from us... but I think they're beautiful. They are part of you," she lightly pinched her ear.
"This is for you," she took out a folded scarf from her pocket and slowly unwrapped it, "it's nothing big, but I made it myself in the forge in the evening while father was napping."
There was a jewel in the scarf. It was an earring that mimicked the shape of her pointed ear. The earring was lightly decorated with symbols of waves and leaves and served as a frame for the earlobe. It was precisely forged to the shape of her ear.
"Daphne…" she was completely lost for words when she looked at the beauty that Daphne had created for her with her own hands.
"Let me put it on," she said, gently attaching her earring to her earlobe. It fell precisely and beautifully bounded the pointed ear. "You look beautiful."
Lynn dreamily touched her ear as if she couldn't believe it had happened. No one has ever expressed their love for her origins so directly.
Neither did her father. He often told her that she had nothing to be ashamed of and that her ears were part of her, but he never backed up his words with actions.
"I have no words. It's beautiful. Thank you a lot, Daphne," Lynn whispered and before she could stop herself she gave Daphne a loving hug. She just laughed warmly and returned the hug.
"Well, we've already spent enough time here. Your father will be worried," Daphne said as they pulled away from each other.
Lynn was grinning from ear to ear. She was already looking forward to peeking into the bowl of water at home and exploring her new jewelry. The very thought of it filled her with pride and she would rather not wear a hood at all.
She would enter the village with her head held high and show everyone proudly how beautiful her ears can be. And most importantly, that she has a friend who really respects her.
But she couldn't do it. She knew very well that this would cause more problems. After all, it wasn't just the pointed ears that terrified the villagers. It was her entire existence.
Her silver hair, too green eyes, pale skin, and an unusual black pattern on her palm that appeared exactly at midnight. That was enough to blame her for everything bad that happened on the island.
Lynn sighed and threw her hood over her head surrenderingly, "You're right, father must be waiting. Lets go."