by Ruby Diamond

Created on: May 28, 2008

A dolphin swam gently underwater in search for some food because she was hungry.

She came close to a boat that was floating with a fishing line and a hook. On that hook she looked at the bait, which was not much for her to eat, so she swam further into the ocean.
A few meters away, she felt an uneasy feeling underwater. She swam back to the boat to find a little boy splashing.

"Help," he cried as he tried to dog paddle back to the boat but each time he paddled the boat floated further away from him. He was several feet away from the pier and didn't have his life jacket that his mother told him to wear before rowing away from the pier.

How he wished he listened to his mother, he thought to himself.

Suddenly he felt something slippery and solid underneath his leg. It was the dolphin that swam past his boat a few minutes ago. The dolphin put her nozzle under his feet so that he can feel that she was there. The little boy was terrified and grabbed the tip of its nose. and started to whimper. The dolphin slowly pushed him closer to the boat and lifted him high enough for him to jump in. He landed on his shoulder but he was safe in his boat.

He quickly sat up and peeked over the boat. There it bobbed its head this beautiful blue dolphin smiling at him and making sure he was fine. The little boy in awe looked into the dolphin's eyes and felt such gratitude that he smiled and waved at it to come closer to the boat. In a bucket, were some fish he caught recently. He grabbed a few fish showing it to the dolphin. The dolphin opened its mouth and the little boy gently placed it on its tongue. When the little boy removed his hand from its mouth, it shut its mouth to swallow the fishes. With delight, the dolphin made a squeaking sound and nodded its head with approval and thanks. The little boy and dolphin stared in each other's eyes and both bowed to each other with sincere gratitude like two monks greeting each other.

As the little boy bowed, he whispered, "Farewell, my dear friend, I wish you well. I hope we can meet again soon."

As the dolphin showed gratitude, it thought, "Be safe child and may our path cross again soon." Within seconds, she swam away further into the vast cold lonely sea.

When the boy returned to the pier, he ran home to his mother and told her about the beautiful dolphin and what happened. He cried and apologized to his mother for not wearing the life jacket. His mother held him close and held him so tight. She quietly in her mind thanked the dolphin for saving her son from drowning. From that day forward, the little boy listened to what his mother had to say.

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