The lost seahorse
As Alex the stingray and I explored the reef, we heard crying coming from an area of the coral. We looked and looked, but could not find where the crying was coming from. Then we saw it. Clinging to the branch of a piece of coral was a baby seahorse.
“Why are you crying?” I asked the tiny little fish.
“I can’t find my mom and my dad,” replied the little seahorse. The little fin on his back was fluttering as he hung onto the coral with his tail.
“We’ll help you find them,” I said.
“Really? That would be great.” The seahorse let go of the coral and fluttered over to me.
“Seahorses aren’t very good swimmers, and when a boat passed by above, I got swished away from them,” he explained.
“My name is Eartha, and this,” I said, pointing to Alex, “is Alex.”
“My name is Skip,” said the little seahorse.
I moved under Skip, “Okay, hang onto my shell tight, and we’ll see if we can find them. Do you know which way they went?” Skip latched onto my shell, just behind my head, then pointed with his long nose in the direction his parents went. “All right,” I said to him. “Here we go.”
I took off swimming, being careful not to go too fast to knock little Skip off. “Yeeeeehaaaaaw!” shouted Skip, who was really enjoying the ride. “I’ve never gone this fast before.”
Alex swam closer to the bottom, looking around for Skip’s parents. I was doing loops, rolling around and around, to help make my new friend happy. We swam up and down, all around the coral reef, until Alex shouted, “I think they are over here.”
Around a small notch in the coral were two adult seahorses. “Skip!’ they shouted.
“Over here, Mom!” yelled Skip.
The two parents were holding onto a branch of coral when they saw their young son ride up on my back. I approached them and lowered myself to allow Skip to flutter to them. “Thank you so much,” said Skip’s father.
“My pleasure,” I responded.
Skip fluttered up to his parents and wrapped his body around them. Skip’s mother swam up to me and Alex, and she gave each of us a kiss on the forehead. “Thank you for returning Skip to us. We seahorses are not as fast of swimmers as you two are. It would have taken us a long time to find him.”
Alex used his big fin and pointed up toward another passing boat. “Small sea animals need to be careful of the big waves that boats make. That’s why, when I was younger, I swam toward the bottom.”
“Thanks for the tip, and for the ride,” said Skip.
“Where are you two off to now?” asked Skip’s mom.
“We’re on an adventure to explore the reef, and from there, the great blue beyond.”
Skip’s eyes lit up. He turned to his mom, “Can I go with them?”
Skip’s mom replied, “Sorry, dear. You’re too young to go exploring.”
“Aw, Mom!” cried Skip. He then turned to me and suggested, “Maybe someday I can travel with you and Alex.”
“Sure,” I said. “That would be fun.” Skip smiled.
Alex and I waved as we swam away from Skip and his parents. We were happy to be able to help Skip, and most of all, to make a new friend.
Eartha
Tags: coral, reef, sea horse, sea turtle, seahorse, shipwreck stingray
Posted by Dan under From Eartha | Permalink