I swam from the building as fast as I could, heading directly for the north end. My mind was racing. Humans! Humans around here?! Maybe they're in for a fight; maybe they're here to make peace? Explorers? Hunters? Enemies? Friends!? That thought stayed in my mind. Yes friends, perhaps if fellow dolphins cannot accept me, humans might! I am no normal dolphin true, but perhaps the humans can see that and wish to be my friend? Oh how I would give anything right about now… I swam on, a childish giddy taking over my mind. Then I stopped and mentally slapped myself. Ecco do not be a fool! Humans have never befriended dolphins, only taken them away to almighty knows where or killed them! How could these ones possibly be different?! I must be on guard!
Soon I came upon a large boat floating calmly in the water. I swam slowly and cautiously, looking at this human made contraption. Then I saw three humans appear, looking over the edge of the boat, right at ME. My instincts told me to swim like mad but my mind refused. I slowly poked my head out of the water and looked at them. They were up in their boat, but I could easily leap over the entire boat with ease. The sky was bright and clear blue around them, and the air was wonderfully warm. I watched as they leaned over the edge of the boat.
"Mommy, daddy look at the dolphin!" one of the humans squealed in excitement. I looked at this one, it was only a child, and if I remember humans correctly, a female.
"Yes sweetie isn't it adorable?" the larger female stated. I assumed this was the mother, and the one beside, the father.
"Daddy look at it's head! Can you see the stars on its head?" the girl cried out, giggling and smiling wide. I cringed at that.
DAMNIT! Of all the things she has to notice she notices those blasted STARS!?
"Yes dear, that is very interesting." The man looked at he quizzically, then he walked away into the boat. A moment later he came out with a strange object and pointed it at me. I looked at it in shock and pulled back, not knowing what that thing was.
"Oh please don't go dolphin! Daddy only wants to take a picture! He won't hurt you!" the girl cried. I stopped and looked at the girl. Her eyes…. Something in them struck me… dug deep into my heart… I stopped and turned around, coming closer to the boat.
Her father held up the object to his face, and I heard it click a few times and a light flash on it. I was rather confused at this. All the times I had encountered humans before, they has either tried to kill me, or wanted me for something called an "aquarium".
"Did you get some good photos daddy?" the girl asked.
"Yes sweetheart I did, this dolphin is a marvelous creature."
Marvelous? Me? I wondered.
"I remember reading that dolphins are very intelligent, maybe this one is too?" the girl asked, her bright eyes looking at me. I looked into those eyes again, and a strange feeling came over me.
My the almighty… those eyes, they are bluer then the ocean! They look as innocent as a baby, and as kind as a mother! I have never seen a human with eyes like that! I looked back at her with curiosity in my eyes.
"Daddy, I read they like to jump from the water, do you think this one will jump too?"
Can I jump!? What sort of question is that!? I shall SHOW you how well I jump! I spun around and swam deep in the water, then shot upwards and out. The young girl shrieked when she saw me, partly from surprise, but mainly in wonder. I leapt right over the boat and landed in the water on the other side, and then I went back to the start and popped my head above the water and looked at the humans. They were cheering for me! Clapping and laughing and smiling, at me!
Something came over me then, I felt like I was a child. I began to swim in circles in the water, then jump high into the air and do flips. The humans cheered and roared in praise and laughter. I jumped and dived in the water, and spin in circles. The humans seemed to love every second of it, and only laughed and cheered more. The young girl cheered the most, and I relished it.
I stopped for a moment and clicked at them. Then I jumped up and began to tail walk on the water. The humans looked on silently in awe for a moment, and then they all began to cheer. I clicked at them ecstatically while I tail walked. I loved this, this genuine praise!
They're not afraid of me! I cried in my mind joyfully. They actually like me! For me! I cannot remember when I've had such fun! For once I am truly happy! I danced and danced on the water; going up so high my tail barely touched the surface. The humans enjoyed this greatly. Their smiles and cheers warmed my heart. I danced for what seemed like hours, swimming and jumping and tail walking, dazzling my new friends with a show unlike any other.
Finally, after awhile I slowed and stopped. The humans all looked at me, smiles wide.
"What a spectacular show" the father said.
"Yes, it was lovely! Never before have I seen such grace and beauty!" the mother agreed. The girl looked at me silently. She did not have to speak; I could feel her admiration, her praise. Then the father turned to his family, his face drooping a little.
"*sigh* I'm afraid we must head out now, it will get dark soon and we need to get back to home before it gets too dark."
WHAT!? LEAVE!? Oh please! Please no!! I clicked and chattered in protest.
"Aww, but daddy… I don't think he wants us to leave…" she looked at me sadly. I looked at her with desperate eyes.
You cannot! Please do not leave me! Please!! I kept clicking and chattering. Oh how I wished they could only understand my speech!
"I'm sorry honey but your father is right. It's time to go home." Her mother replied gently, placing her hand upon her child's' shoulder. The girl nodded and looked at me.
"Good bye dolphin. I will never forget you." She said to me with a soft smile.
Please! Do not leave me! Please stay, just for a little while longer! I begged, but she could not understand.
"Come on all, we best go inside, those clouds above don't look to friendly, we might be in for a storm." The father said.
Storm? I looked up to the sky. No! Even nature itself conspires against me?! I had been playing and dancing so long, I had not seen how drastically the sky changed. Dark black clouds loomed overhead. I knew what would come of this, a violent thunderstorm. I looked at my human friends in desperation, but I knew- they needed to get back to land quickly, it would be dangerous for them to remain on the ocean. The ocean is a dolphin's home, not humans. I looked at the family one last time, and let out a long saddened squeal. They waved to me, then return to the inside shelter of their boat. I floated and watched as the boat growled and came to life, then began to move away. I shrieked in desperation, and then began to follow it. However, while I am fast, this man made machine was faster and soon pulled away. I cried out as I slowed and stopped, watching the boat disappear off into the distance.
NO! WHY?! WHY DID THEY LEAVE?! WHY COULD THEY NOT STAY!?
I thrashed in the water violently, screaming and cursing to whatever forces have conspired to make my life hell. Eventually I calmed down, and swam back to the pod. My tail flicked slowly, pushing me at a crawl. I was in no hurry to go back, but unfortunately, I finally arrived. As I did, the same group from the council building suddenly swam up to me.
"Sir? Sir are you alright?! What happened sir!?" the black dolphin asked.
"Sir are you okay sir?! Why were the humans here, did you find out!?" another asked me. I looked at them all and composed myself.
"It was a false alarm, there humans were nothing but a tiny family out for a day on the ocean." I stated calmly.
"Are you sure si- I mean of course sir! Thank you for your brave efforts in tracking the humans!" the black one said. The others nodded and chattered at me, but I did not care.
"Alright…. Alright… ALRIGHT!" I snapped finally, tired of the inane chatter. They all backed off and coward. "Look, there is a storm coming and all the little ones should be watched over. The storm will no doubt be violent, so everyone must be extremely careful and prepare for it, is that understood?" They all nodded at me meekly, then bolted their separate ways and swam off to prepare for the storm. While storms are far more dangerous on the surface then deep underwater, the waves can get extremely violent and toss young ones about.
However at this point, I did not care. I swam off to my home, a small cave on the far end. Many had asked why I chose this home, for it was so deep in the water and isolated. I chose it because I liked the location, alone away from all the "yes sirs and no sirs". I did not need air, so staying deep in the water bothered me none. I entered my cave and looked around; and finally, I broke down. I wailed to myself sadly. It had been years since I openly cried like this, but I could not take it anymore. I thought I had finally found some friends, ones who TRUELY enjoyed being around me, but no… they left to return to their lives. Soon I would be nothing more then a faint memory to them. But to me… I would always remember them. They came to my home without malice or hate, and looked at me without fear or resentment. They did not know my name, nor did they care. They just liked me for me… for my dance… Finally, I could not stand to think anymore, so I slept. I am thankful I do not need air, and can sleep for long periods of time. For I feel that if I had to stay alert and active all the time, I would have committed suicide by now. Sleep brings me a peace that sometimes I dread leaving.