Story by Sarah, for Amy
REF# _a16-5/AmyA.GIF
Once there was a dolphin named Flipper. Flipper was a very nice baby dolphin who liked to play with kids. He likes to toss balls and seaweed to them, and asked them to throw them back.
This game was really fun, and Flipper played it often.
One day while Flipper was off eating fish, a strange boat came close. The people on deck did not look friendly, but they had a ball.
Did they want to play?
Flipper thought that if they had a ball, they must want to!
So Flipper swam up to the side of the boat and asked them to throw the ball. They did not understand him. They did not throw the ball. Did these mean-faced people not want to play?
Flipper didn't understand. Every person he'd met before at the beach had wanted to play with him, so why would this stop now?
Soon, strange black fish with two flippers on their feet, flailing arms, and dark masks jumped into the water. Was this a new game? Flipper loved new games!
He swam up to the strange fish and tried to talk to them.
"Hello?," Flipper said. "I want to play with you. Do you want to play with me?"
The strange new fish just made bubbles. Boring bubbles. This was a very boring game.
Then, suddenly, something was tossed down from the deck of the boat.
A net!
Something to play with!
But this was not something to play with. In a moment, it was around Flipper, and lifting him out of the water!
"This is not a fun game!" called Flipper desperately.
As always, they didn't understand him, and went about their work.
The net was lowered into a circular pool in the middle of the deck, with Flipper calling in vain.
No one was listening!
When Flipper was dropped into the small, shallow pool, the net fell out around him, and he was free to swim around in circles in the pool. The only problem was, there was hardly enough room to turn around. Flipper was soon very bored, and very worried.
What would everyone at the Beach do without him?
There was a sudden lurch of the boat, and a few gllons of water splashed out. The boat was moving!
"No!" called Flipper. "I want to go back to my home!"
Realizing that this would do nothing, Flipper settled down to think.
He was in a boat with mean people. There was little room to move around. And he was trapped. Nothing clicked in his mind. All Flipper could think about was that he was no longer free.
In the distance, Flipper could hear the sound of a motor boat, like the ones around the Beach.
Flipper had to see the boat, to see if it was help on the way. He started swimming around in circles in the pool, splashing out quite a bit of water.
The man who cleaned the deck looked at him with an angry glare, but Flipper paid no heed.
As fast as he was going, Flipper wondered if he might be able to jump up and see the boat. Or maybe, jump out of this one.
It was as good a plan as any, and Flipper decided to go with it.
Around and around and around the pool, as fast as he could go. The water was churning, and Flipper was gaining momentum. Faster, faster, faster!
Flipper decided he would jump now, and he did.
Out of the pool he sailed, and over the wet deck. Everyone looked up at him, and ran to the railing, just as Flipper splashed back in the ocean.
Even in the water, Flipper could hear how mad the men were.
"Wow!" said Flipper. "I used my brain, and I got out of there!"
Flipper looked up into the motor boat and saw some people from the Coast Guard. They were regulars, and made sure that I was being treated nicely.
The Coast Guard got onto the boat, madder than even the men on board. They knew that the men on the boat would have to be punished for trying to capture me.
I swam off, wanting to be with my friends on the Beach. When I got there, I let even the rougher kids on my back. It was good to be safe with my friends. Really good.
The End
Story by: Sarah, age 11
Send comments to: Sarah