much wider river. Now, only a small stream, about two feet wide, ran down the middle of it to feed the pond. Looking at the area with new eyes, Kira could see where the edges of the pond must once have reached much further.
Returning to where the otter now sat on the side of the pond, shaking his fur off, Kira crouched to meet his eyes.
“What’s happened?”
Builders. Big machines. Noise. Shite.
“Did you just swear?”
Shite.
“Where did you learn that?”
Men.
“It must be developers,” Kira said, turning again to look. From where she stood, she couldn’t see any construction.
Yes.
“Have they cut off your stream?”
Yes. Much smaller.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know anything about this. But I’ll find out for you. I’ll help.”
You help.
“I’ll help. I promise. I need more information.”
The otter seemed satisfied with that, and an idea sprang to her mind.
“A few more pictures.”
Yes.
Kira busied herself taking several more portrait photos of the otter, laughing as he played it up for the camera. He really was darling. She’d have to name him, Kira thought, already building her idea in her head.
“Do you have a name?”
Name.
“Do you have one?”
Name.
“Okay, I’m guessing that’s a no. Can I give you one? So I know it is you?”
Yes.
Oh shoot, Kira thought, her mind scrambling to come up with a name that wouldn’t insult the otter. The fact that she was sitting there trying not to hurt an otter’s feelings was something she’d examine another time.
“How about Fergal – meaning brave. Does that suit?”
Yes.
“Fergal, I’m going to look into this for you. I’ll try to be back soon and see what can be done.”
Others need help. Not just my family.
“I hear you. I promise I hear you. I’ll see what I can do.”
Blessed be.
Interesting that an otter understood the natural blessing, Kira thought as she waved goodbye and whistled for Rosie. She’d come on this walk to mull over thoughts of what she was doing with her life at the moment, and now she was heading back home thinking about otters.
Despite how much she loved nature, Kira had to admit she knew very little about otters, other than that they were very cute and she saw them rarely. If she truly wanted to help Fergal as she’d promised, then she needed to spend a little time researching what they needed in a habitat.
But first, Kira decided, she needed to set up a new Instagram account – one dedicated to the otters of Ireland and their actual personalities. One thing she’d learned over the years was that people responded best to animals when they could humanize them.
It was time to make Fergal famous.
Chapter 6
Kira rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head, ignoring the persistent buzzing that came from the bedside table. She’d stayed up much later than she’d planned to last night, lost in researching otter habitats and building up an otter-themed Instagram. After she’d edited her photos and chosen a user name – In Otter News – she had posted a particularly fetching photo of Fergal looking warmly at the camera. She’d captioned it, ‘We need each otter.’
Pleased with her work, she’d added a brief line about otter conservation and then went to bed, determined to look more deeply into the developers the next day.
She had a moment or two wondering if this was really worth her time, but Kira reminded herself that not all of her assignments were fancy paid gigs for rock stars or magazines. It wasn’t uncommon for photographers to take on a charitable gig here and there, and Kira didn’t see any reason why an environmental conservation project couldn’t be hers. Not only was it a noble cause, but the otters were seriously cute. She couldn’t deny they needed help, and if it gave her a purpose while she was in Grace’s Cove, then so be it. Win-win, as far as she was concerned.
“I didn’t set my alarm so early, now did I?” Kira grumbled, pushing her mop of hair out of her face and closing one eye to squint warily at the phone. Seven in the morning! She wasn’t due at the gallery until at least nine. Sighing, Kira swiped open her phone to see what the notifications were about and then sat straight up in bed.
“Well, sure that was fast, wasn’t it?” Kira looked out the window toward the water and wondered if Fiona, Gracie’s departed great-grandmother and resident ghost, had used her powers from the other side to give Kira’s Instagram account a push. Kira let out a delighted