Minnie was carried in from the beach by William and Jerome- William carried her upper body and spoke words of reassurance to her, while Jerome took care of her legs. The way in which she was transported would have been incorrect and unprofessional from a medical standpoint, but the goal had been to get her safely into the house as soon as possible. The two men laid her on a long sofa in the sitting room as the remaining occupants gathered around her.

"I will go fetch Jane to prepare an ice wrap for her head," the butler announced as he slinked off.

Minnie was clearly injured and not entirely lucid, though it was also clear her head-first run into the rock had not incapacitated her in the way those observing from a distance had first assumed. Though her eyes were closed and her body limp, she was babbling softly, over and over.

"The...sealman..." she uttered, still shrill as ever despite her volume.

"The...salmon?" repeated William, not understanding fully, "what is it, dove?! What about salmon?"

"The sealman..." Minnie said again, out of it and unaware.

"I think she's saying 'wheelman'," offered Augusta, also mishearing, "is that what she'd call the captain of a ship, driving at the front? Did she see a captain behaving improper?"

"The....sealman..."

"I...I think she's saying 'the sealman' over and over," remarked Albert, the only one hearing clear. He looked over to Sophia, but her sad eyes remained still.

"'The sealman'?" William asked, clearly taken aback. "But...why on earth would she say that?"

Jerome rushed back into the room. "Excuse me, sir, I have the ice." The others stepped back to allow the man to lay it on Minnie's head.

"Jerome," William ventured, "what is it that you hear Minnie saying?"

"Sir?"

"She keeps repeating something."

The butler stood quiet a moment as Minnie again spoke "the sealman".

"...I hear something that should not be spoken of in polite company, but that comes from a man and contributes to the creation of life...sir."

William shook his head, though still a bit shocked. "No, no, Albert was right. It is definitely 'sealman'. Jerome, please send for a doctor at once."

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"Yes, sir, I will call right away." The butler again left.

"Oh, my dove, my sweet dove," William exclaimed, grasping his young bride's hand.

"So if she's saying 'sealman'," Sophia now spoke, her expression unreadable, "could it be she's seen one too?"

There was a tense silence in the room for a moment. Then, with a sad sigh, William looked to his daughter.

"Oh, Sophia," he moaned, "what have you done?"

"...me?" Sophia asked, clearly perplexed.

"William, what do you mean?" added Augusta, confused as well.

"You haven't been up in your room all this time at all, have you?" He father continued, "you were on the beach, scaring poor Minnie!"

"W-what?" Sophia took a step back. Once again, the tears began to swell in her eyes.

"Did you take a seal head from your room and hold it up to your face and jump out at her? Poor Minnie was adequately terrified, I hope you're proud! That's where you've been all morning, isn't it! Now look at my wife thanks to your juvenile and cruel prank...oh...oh Minnie..."

"F-father..." was all Sophia could sputter.

"William, Albert and I saw Sophia when Minnie was already hurt," said Augusta, "there's no way she could have been on the beach..."

William said nothing, just continued to cradle his wife's limb hand.

"The...sealman..." Minnie repeated.

Sophia could not take it- the accusations of the previous night had already stung and kept her up all night sobbing. That her father continued to doubt her and accuse her of such harmful trickery was devastating. At once Sophia took off running, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Albert looked to his mother as she ran off. He clearly was troubled to see his non-biological cousin upset but unsure the proper approach.

"Go after her," Augusta stated, and turned back to William. "You have to stop accusing Sophia of these terrible things, William. You are traumatizing her."

Albert rushed off after Sophia as William shot a death glare at Augusta.

"I'M traumatizing her?" William exclaimed, "do you not see Minnie right now? There was no mention of the absurd notion of sealmen prior to Sophia's antics yesterday. And you saw how much Sophia wanted us to believe her story, insane as it was! Now Minnie is gravely injured, and babbling about sealmen- you can't tell me there's not a connection. If Sophia didn't go down to the beach and scare her, she must have put the idea in poor Minnie's mind somehow. Minnie did say she was gping to check with Sophia before she went swimming."

"You know Minnie didn't actually check with Sophia," said Augusta.

"What I know is Minnie is laying here hurt and speaking of fictional creatures- creatures Sophia made up." He too had tears swelling up at the corner of his eyes now. "I had hoped us coming to Sharpy Island together would help improve our relationship as a family but we're not but a day into our stay and..."

"Oh, William," Augusta sighed, "you had good intentions..."

"I don't want to believe this is all just Sophia but...what other explanation is there? Sealmen? It was bad enough when she was just fixating on the idea herself but now it's harming others..."

"Oh, William..."

"What other explanation can there be, Augusta?"

The woman sat in thought a moment, her head bowed.

"I...I can't think of any other explanation," she answered glumly. "But it just doesn't seem like Sophia..."

William nodded, a single tear rolling down his cheek that he quickly brushed away. "No, it does not seem like her, but it's...it's the truth we must address." He rose to his feet, looking around.

"Jerome!" He called out.

"Yes, sir?" Jerome's voice called back from a room or two over.

"I need you to contact another doctor as well. Please summon Dr. Vesuvius Gramheist- he's in the city, but I will pay for all his travel costs and arrangements."