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la delfina

once upon a wishing well

By ghostsandrebelsPublished about a year ago 5 min read
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la delfina
Photo by Ranae Smith on Unsplash

Inside a large dolphinarium, a bottlenose dolphin swallows a fish, oblivious to its observers on the other side of the glass. A Boy, small and wiry, taps on the glass with one chubby finger. He opens his mouth, and then closes it, mimicking the movements of a fish as a dolphin's eyes follow him. Nearby, a the water in a fountain ripples with each toss of a coin, littered with metal, entertaining the zoo's guests. It isn't uncommon for attendees of the dolphinarium to record or photograph. In fact, the mammals have grown quite accustomed to entertaining humans, and are often rewarded with eels or fish. Suki prefers fish. She watches The Boy outside the glass as he runs back and forth, laughing to himself. Dolphins cannot understand human speech, but speak to them anyway in ways that appeal to both. Humans are very easily entertained: and this makes them foolish. The Boy tilts up his head, speaking loudly to the ceiling after tossing a penny into a fountain.

I wish I was a dolphin!

It's a busy day. Humans come from all ends of the country, entranced by animals they won't ever understand. Suki does tricks for her observers, seeming to grin in response to their enthusiasm. The Boy has gone from the front of the glass, and a dolphin has just been born in the corner of the aquarium. Births always garner much attention. Trainers gather, spectators videotape, and a newborn calf suckles from its mother. Suki hides, accompanying her newborn son through the shallow water at the back of the aquarium, watched by different types of people than before. Like any other baby, the calf cries upon birth. He circles in place several times before chattering to Suki, noises meaningless to human ears.

I'm just a little boy!

Suki had been expecting for twelve months. She's a young cow who has never birthed a child before, but even Suki can tell when something is amiss. And her calf behaves strangely: moving in ways that seem almost human, attempting to hit its head against the glass. The Boy's family paces outside the glass, moving their mouths often, furrowing their brows to make them look afraid. The calf looks at her, turning away from the flashes of cameras, flopping against the glass on the other side of his family.

By John Wilson on Unsplash

What's going on? Where am I?

It's plausible, certainly, for a silly wish tossed into a fountain to come true. A wish to win a contest, perhaps, or for it to rain. Humans believe in things like superstition and luck, though these don't make sense to the animal mind. A Girl becomes aware of the calf's contact with the glass, her eyes widening with each thwack of his tail.

I don't know what happened! I don't want to be a dolphin!

When the dolphins act up, trainers involve themselves. It isn't unheard of for a bottlenose in captivity to throw itself against the glass: but never with such urgency, and rarely with such repetition. Suki chatters at the calf to calm, and it does, as if suddenly hypnotized by her. Such is the bond between a mother and her infant. The calf suckles. A human makes an announcement over a loudspeaker. Perhaps it would help, Suki thought, if she spoke to the calf. It flapped its fins furiously, and yet went nowhere. It was far too advanced for a newborn, and even the trainers had seemed to notice this.

Why are you crying?

It was a language perfectly understandable to fellow dolphins, but translating into squeaks and chatters upon hitting human ears. There was a crack of thunder, loud enough to be heard through the thin glass of the dolphinarium. Suki didn't fear a storm. Many humans did. The calf stopped thrashing in the water to gaze at her, and, a moment later, chattered very loudly.

I'm scared. I was outside the glass watching the dolphins, and now I'm inside the glass somehow! It might be fun to be a dolphin. They're cute and smart.

When working with her trainers, Suki had heard several times of a thing called magic - in which many humans seemed to believe. Apparently, it existed everywhere, and inside everyone, but only the receptive could find it. She looked at the calf, and it looked back at her with such a human look in its beady eyes. Many people said dolphins possessed humanity. This seemed to be more true now than ever. Perhaps The Boy had a magic in him. Perhaps he was open to receiving it.

By Cristian Escobar on Unsplash

The Girl tapped her finger on the glass in front of Suki, her face breaking out into a grin with the dolphin's acknowledgement. The calf chattered, falling into a very impressive routine of breaches and splashes. This would have been too challenging for an ordinary calf - but Suki possessed magic, she supposed. It was a stark change of heart from the calf that had existed moments before. It lapped up the attention, but froze in place when The Boy's parents began to leave the exhibit.

A light hit Suki's face. The flash of a camera, catching her by surprise. She'd been swimming in the same spot for longer than usual, which garnered the attention of her trainers, who were very apt. A crack of thunder hit the room, and the lights flickered out rather abruptly. Suki was used to the dark. She'd been born in the ocean, fond of exploring its depth and hideouts. After several moments passed, and the storm seemed to calm, the lights flickered on with a sudden jolt, and the dolphins continued their impressive routine.

The world works in very strange ways. One moment, you're a child: carefree and entertained by simple pleasures. The next, you look at your reflection and see something that looks nothing like you. It was very loud and boisterous, people coming and going, dolphins chattering and diving. Suki's calf suckled once more, keeping still. The Boy tapped on the glass, never taking his eyes from her face.

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About the Creator

ghostsandrebels

i'm a a queer writer, poet, cat lover, and author. i'm passionate about psychology, human rights, and creating places where lgbt+ youth and young adults feel safe, represented, and supported.

29 | m.

follow me on threads for more.

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