The Dolphin Without A Fin 1

I am suddenly all geared up to go and write again. In English (only because my command of Chinese and Korean are much poorer) and instead of scripts, I'm again, venturing into short stories. I'm still crap at novel writing cause they are so much longer.

But of course, the more I write, the more I will get better at it. As writers always say, "Write the rubbish out of your system." So, bear with me while I sort out which goes where.

This story is inspired by a dream my lecturer had. No direct references cause that would be a little too erm. plagiarizing. Never mind if the facts are wrong.

*

There was once a dolphin birthed out in the Pacific Ocean. It had a very slick shade of oceanic blue along its body and the mother was very excited for her firstborn. Oh, but what a letdown when the parents saw the newborn. They swam around, trying to look for clues or even a hint of what is happening or what is hidden. The calf has no fin. Or rather, its dorsal fin was so underdeveloped it just looked like a small road bump on top of its body.

It was like ugly ducking all over again. The calf wobbled, trying to look for its balance, and surprisingly, it did find its balance and was soon swimming, gliding through the currents and quite enjoying itself.

The parents were devastated. What do they tell their friends and families about this? Isolation, was the only solution. Though dolphins in nature are social creatures, this particular family had to hide their shame and consternation by isolating themselves.

Friends and families of the same school started to wonder to themselves where have the family gone to? It was as if they mysteriously disappear. An uneasiness struck among them. Have they been caught by those two-legged creatures who wears funny?

However, it was soon forgotten, though some elder ones continued to talk about it and mothers used the missing family as a warning to delinquent calves.

Years went by, the dolphin without a fin grew up to be an adult. From young, he has been taught by his parents that he was not a dolphin, but a whale. He was not stupid, but he was greatly amused to see how his parents struggled to explain to him the presence of fins on their bodies but not his. But all the education had somewhat convinced him that he was a whale. Maybe he was adopted, he thinks. Yes, the parents lied. They had found him near a dead whale, newborn and hungry.

He still retained that beautiful blue on his body and still swam beautifully. It was through these two traits that gave him some pride to boast about to the fishes around him. "Look at my body. Isn't it a fantastic shade? All whales have this color and I am glad I am one of them." Though he meant well, the fishes find him strange and laugh him off.

It was not until one day that he would find his whole life was a lie. Well, maybe except for the beautiful color and graceful swimming.

Fearing for their son's predicament for ridicule, the parents have guarded him carefully. Only allowing 100 feet from their shelter. The father or mother will always keep an eye on him, making sure their son was always in sight. If he went over that 100 feet point, one of them will quickly chase after him, chastise him and bring him back. The dolphin could not understand why his parents were so obsess with him not crossing the invisible border. And like all good children, he never ask. They would lie again.

It was however, so ever tempting to be rebellious and try to see what the consequences of crossing the border was. It seemed mysterious and packed with possible adventures, and the prospect was very exciting. The dolphin looked out into the darkness of the sea and felt like he could see sparkles and blinking shoals of tasty fishes just waiting for him, like how water would look like in a distance when you are stuck in the desert.

He, like all teenagers, felt the ridiculousness of his parents, adopted or not, and was so determined to get away. His parents sensed this, and discuss it among themselves when their son was not hearing. The mother was very worried, the father was far less agitated. He once blamed his wife for bearing an 'abnormal' son during an outburst of anger, but of course, he had apologized for his berating towards her since then. It was partly his fault, maybe it was his genetic contribution instead. But the father believes his son thoroughly believes itself as a whale instead of a dolphin, never mind the size. Whales may just treat him like a newborn. And so that was how he assured her. They have done the correct education. Besides, he is young and restless, and he will not stay interested in something for long. He will grow tired of the changing climate of the seas, grow fearful of the two-legged creatures hovering above, and most of all, grow homesick.

He will come back, says the father.

*

cliched nonsense. next chapter.