Maddy's Dolphin
Authors: Imogen Tovey
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Copyright © 2014 Imogen Tovey
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The sun was glinting off the ripples of the very slight swell. He lay floating in the sea, hanging suspended, allowing the water to take him wherever it wanted. It wouldn't be far. The sea was practically a millpond on this lovely March evening and he was taking the opportunity of the stillness to have a little rest. His mind wandered and he started to dream of his family â of the time when he was young, surrounded by his mother, his aunts and his whole extended family. He and his little friends would race around getting up to so much trouble.
In his imagination, he was swimming alongside Melon, who was his best mate. They were racing, and one would follow the other then swap over, doing the tightest of manoeuvres, just managing to avoid the others as they lolled around lazily. Turning for the fifth time, they headed back to the pod. He had just got ahead of Melon and was going faster than he ever had, when, all of a sudden, his mum raced up towards him from underneath in an intercept position. He had never seen his mum look quite so angry. He practically stopped dead on seeing her, but there was no way of avoiding her. He had done it now! With one flick of her powerful fluke she was there beside him. She then went below him and kept him up by the surface. No matter what manoeuvre he tried, he wouldn't be allowed to get away until she was satisfied that he had learnt his lesson. This is the way that dolphins discipline their young. Dolphins are free sprits that need to be able to feel the huge expanse of water below, around and above them. They need to know that they can dart off in any direction should they wish, for any reason they should want. With their mothers below, holding them up at the surface, they lose all their freedom: a very effective punishment!
There was a throbbing noise, signalling a boat coming in his direction. He left his dream as his mother was scolding him, âIndigo! How many times do I have to tell youâ¦?' Yes, it was the boat he had been waiting for and it was coming over this way. The left side of his brain had been monitoring its progress while he was dreaming with his right. Dolphins can't just go to sleep; if they did they would forget to breathe and they would drown. Indigo had to consciously open his blowhole to take a breath. This is why dolphins never sleep. Instead they rest one side of their brain at a time, and this is what Indigo had been doing as he lay there bobbing around in the sea.
With one powerful flick of his tail he propelled himself off, turning towards the boat. There was something about this boat that he was drawn to, but he couldn't understand why. The humans would waterski from it, and he found it great fun to swim alongside. Allowing the wake to flow over him, he would jump up out of the water before splashing back down again repeatedly. He could do this with lots of boats around here, and did so when the mood took him, but there was more to it with this boat. He just hadn't worked out what it was yet.
Maddy was two years old and was out on the boat with her mum and dad. Her dad, Jorgos, loved to waterski and spent most of his time doing so. Maddy had been dividing her time between Greece and England throughout her short life, and had just returned with her mum to Greece. Her dad had promised to take her out on the boat as she had been given a new life jacket and wanted to wear it. Jorgos was out on the water, and Maddy was having a great time too, with the sun shining down making the water glisten, and the spray off the water coming up and hitting her in the face. She was laughing away to herself when, all of a sudden, she saw the dolphin jump out of the water right in front of Jorgos.
Maddy had seen the dolphin before. When she was younger, she had been on the beach when he swam close to the shore. Her mum had gone in and swum with him. Being so young at the time, Maddy had been left on the beach and had just watched, staring in awe at the beautiful, gentle animal. This had happened a number of times and each time Maddy had been transfixed, amazed at what was going on as her mum played with the dolphin in the sea.
Maddy pointed and screamed in excitement as Indigo swam along with Jorgos, feeling the wake from the ski on his back, powering off out of the sea and coming back down still alongside the skier. The sea had been so still; it was nice to feel the movement of the water, it exhilarated Indigo. But then, on making another leap out of the water, this time with his belly up to the sky, he caught sight of a little girl on the boat.
He experienced a flash of recognition; well, not quite recognition, of realisation. This was the one, the one he had been looking for, the one he had left his pod to meet. Now he knew why he had been drawn to this boat for the past year or so. His search was over, but his mission had only just begun.
He splashed back into the sea, but this time with no finesse at all. This time it was more like a bellyflop a human would have been proud of. He came to a complete standstill, not knowing quite what to do now. The boat kept going, but Indigo wasn't worried about losing it. It would have to go a long way before he lost it to his senses.
Where had the dolphin gone? Maddy was really enjoying watching the dolphin swim and jump and play as her dad skied behind the boat, then all of a sudden it had gone. It didn't come back, even though she kept watch for the next five minutes. At two years old, it was amazing that she managed to keep her concentration for that long.
Jorgos eventually had had enough; Ishbel slowed and then stopped the boat. First the skis, then Jorgos returned to the boat. Maddy giggled with glee as he gave her a big wet kiss and cuddle. She then returned to the back of the boat, climbed up onto the bench and helped Jorgos to pull in the rope. He then turned, going to the front and talking to Ishbel as he started the boat up and pulled away.
Unfortunately, just at this moment, Maddy was leaning over the back of the boat. She was trying to find the dolphin again. The next thing she knew, she was flying through the air and she landed in the sea.
Her head was right under the water. The shock of the flight made her take a gulp, but instead of air it was water that came into her mouth. She was so scared. Luckily she had her new life jacket on and she had floated to the surface before she took another breath, but then a wave came along and went over her face again. She was coughing, spluttering and crying all at the same time.
Maddy opened her eyes for the second time since falling in the water, but this time, instead of being so frightened that she had to close them again, she saw the friendliest caring eye she had ever seen in her short life. She heard a voice saying, âYou are in my world, you are safe, wrap your arms around my fin.' The dolphin then turned away from Maddy, presenting his back to her, and she took hold of his dorsal fin and felt very safe.
She leant her head on his back and felt the softness of his skin against her cheek; he was warm and it felt so good. The voice she had heard before said, âI am Indigo; I have been waiting for you. When you are older you will learn more, but for now go back to your parents. You must visit me often and we will become the best of friends.' She heard these same words over and over again until she heard other voices.
âThere she is! Maddy, Maddy, there on the dolphin.' From her perch on top of Indigo, she saw her mum and dad in their boat. Ishbel jumped into the sea and grabbed hold of her, crying, hugging and kissing her, holding her so tightly it started to hurt. She then handed her up to Jorgos, who did the same.
Ishbel then turned to Indigo and, still crying, stroked his side gently, saying thank you over and over again. She didn't hear as Indigo said, âShe was safe; she was in my world', but Maddy did.
That's how Indigo and Maddy met.
Maddy was sitting on the balcony looking out to sea. She could see the whole of Loutraki bay. It promised to be another hot, sunny day. Maddy was now twelve and it was the first day of the summer holidays. She and the family had driven down from Athens to their flat in Loutraki late the night before.
This was Maddy's favourite place. It was where Indigo was, and she was happy at the prospect of spending the whole of the holidays playing with him. Their flat was the best in Loutraki, according to her dad, and Maddy had to agree with him on that. It was a very small, two-storey hut-type building on top of a seven-storey block of flats on the seafront. The living accommodation was very tight for all of them, but around the hut was a massive balcony, and the views that you had from there were fantastic.
Apparently, Indigo hadn't been around for a few weeks. He did that, coming and going all the time, but Maddy knew he would be back soon and hoped it would be today. She sat on the balcony in the sun with a very happy heart. Aren't the first days of holidays the best!
Ever since that day when the dolphin had saved her from drowning, she and Indigo had been friends; he had helped to teach her to swim, and as she got older she spent more and more time with him. Her parents trusted him completely; in fact, he had become a part of the family, or as much a part of the family as a dolphin can become. He would swim along as they went waterskiing, and boy had he laughed and played as she had been learning, as she had spent more time falling in the water than on it! But she had mastered it and now he swam along in the wake, dashing across her path and coming up behind her. They had great fun together and her dad would laugh at them from the boat.