Happy is a bottlenose dolphin that lives in the Pacific Ocean. The blue area on the map is where they live.
If a dolphin had two names, Playful could be his
second. He loves to play with the other animals in the ocean. Happy is known by
all as playful and cheerful. Happy makes up games to play and the other dolphins
join in the fun. They play tag, hide and seek, or play catch with their mighty
jaws. Sometimes, he tosses smaller animals up and out of the water—landing with
a splash. Every animal has fun with Happy because he is careful with them and
great to be around.
A few years ago, a fisherman came out in the ocean
to fish. He wasn’t far from land and that’s when he first saw Happy. Happy and
some other dolphins were playing a game of tag when they came upon the boat.
“Come on guys,” said Happy, “let’s go see what that
thing is.”
“You know what it is. It’s one of those things that floats
and has animals that stay out of water all the time.” said Tank, one of the
other dolphins.
“You're right and I want to play with it.”
The three of them raced through the water and Happy
emerged right by the side. He rolled so just his eye crested the water.
Happy sunk under and said to his friends, “Appears to be only one animal on it.”
“Happy be careful, you kno…” Happy didn’t wait to hear
the rest of what Tank was saying. He arced out of the water and back down
again.
Happy swam under the thing and lunged up on the other
side. This time he stayed up almost like standing and whistled. This made the
animal on the floating device make a noise. Happy went down and up for another
view but closer this time. The animal on the object was near the side and
reached for Happy. Happy dove and swam over to his friends.
“It looks harmless. Don’t you want to see for
yourself?”
The other two remained underwater at a safe distance
but Happy swam back. He slipped his head out for another peek. The animal on
the floating thing reached out and touched Happy’s head. Happy dove and came up
on the other side. The animal raced over in time to see his tail fin
submerging. Happy shot up and out in a high arch and landed with a splash.
The next instant Happy went straight up and down,
three times in a row, each time coming closer to the object of his fun. Happy
silently emerged right next to it and waited. The animal again reached out and
Happy blew air out his air hole on the top of his head. This startled the
animal, causing it to jerk back.
Happy lunged out straight up and swam backwards using
his tail fin and side fins. Then he crashed backward, arched his back, making a
backward summersault, and coming up where he started.
There were strange noises coming from the animal. The
noises were melodious and Happy came up to listen. He saddled up near again
and was awarded by a touch. Happy thought this animal was fun. He enjoyed the
sounds and caresses.
Happy flew to his friends. “Did you hear that? I think
the animal likes me! It is gentle with its touch too.” Off he went, darting out of the water and propelling himself into a back flip until he made a huge splash. Happy played that way with the animal until his mom called the boys to come back to the pod, which is their group.
Happy made one more mighty leap up and down in a farewell
salute.
The threesome swam home. Happy was excited to tell of
his adventure. The other dolphins listened to his animated story. Sometimes during
the story, he demonstrated his antics. They all got a chuckle out of his story.
Happy lived his life with a playful spirit and a song
in his heart. Many times he looked for that special animal in the floating
thing and was rewarded often. The animal became one more play mate for Happy.
■■■
Do you have a playful streak? There is nothing wrong
with being playful but there is a time and place for those actions. Sometimes
you need to be serious and quiet. You will learn when and where you can be
playful. Being happy or merry is part of playfulness. I hope you enjoyed this
story about Happy the playful dolphin.
Memorize: Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine…
Proverbs 15:13 A
merry heart makes a cheerful countenance…
Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated
I love your story. Beautiful pictures. Adults could enjoy this also.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lorilyn, I have a feeling more adults read these than children. A least many adults read them to their students at home, schools, and churches. Feeling blessed!
ReplyDelete