FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Authors note:

This story is technically enough words to be published. It is NOT your average Yiff story, and actually is more of a real story. It's 61 pages in Word document. I suggest that you do not try to read all at once. Keep in mind that because this is not your average story, not all of it will be sexual. Otherwise, enjoy.

"So, what do you think?"

The realtor shut off the engine and the boat rode up and lodged itself on the sandy shore.

My wife, her long blonde hair flowing over her delicate shoulders, stood up and surveyed what was before her. The beach stretched a good ten miles north, disappearing in the distance in a bluish fog that you would only know there was beach when the lighthouse was turned on. In front of us sat a bluff overgrown with vegetation that shot skyward close to one hundred feet. On the top, a tuft of tall grass blocked our potential home. On the other side, the island curved in an optical illusion, making it appear that during its creation someone had snipped off the material going into the mold prematurely.

My wife turned around and her face lit up. Her hazel eyes looked at me gleefully through her bangs that fell over her rounded nose and gently caressed her full lips. "It's perfect. What do you think, honey?"

I took another puff of my cigarette and crushed it between my fingers. My sunglasses blocked my disappointed eyes, but my grimace was highly noticeable; even my hair didn't block that. "I think it's too...wet."

My wife looked back to the bluff. "Eh, who asked you?"

"I believe you did." I said back to her, smiling.

She grinned wider, leaning over to kiss me. During all of this, the realtor waited patiently for us to stop our newlywed antics so she could begin her spiel.

"Well sir, I don't believe you can say too much before you've even left the boat." I knew this realtor did not like me. Ever since the beginning of the home shopping I bickered about each home's flaw. In addition, we had actually known each other earlier in our lives and pretended that we didn't now.

I scowled at her and stood up, stretching my back after the long boat ride. My wife was already on the beach, looking for the best way to reach the home.

She was wearing a white long sleeved shirt with tight black pants and sunglasses, giving her a look on the beach like Jennifer Lopez with Caucasian heritage. I imagined seeing her like this everyday, on the beach looking as ravishing as she looked now, and that made buying this house almost a wonderful idea.

My wife Aimee loved the water. She always talked wanting to take vacations to Los Angeles or South Padre Island to be near the ocean. Whenever she got the chance, Aimee would go with her family to lakes on vacation. She had even spent two days camping to be by a creek. It made me wonder why we had married, since we were so different. I HATED the water, and from growing up in Reno, I barely ever had the chance to see it. Aimee teased me about that, saying I preferred the cursing of a taxi driver to the sound of waves crashing. I didn't contradict it, seeing as I actually did. Waves crashing on the shore were so monotonous and loud. Hearing a taxi driver shouting obscenities was useful in my job. If I heard a clever line, I chuckled, grabbing my notebook and writing it down for later.

I was a comedian, a stand up comic to be precise. No, I wasn't a Bobcat Goldthwaite type, more of a smooth person, like Mitch Hedburg. I wasn't like that in real life, I was much tenser.

Aimee acted on stage. She was most known for her role in 'Wicked' while at Broadway, which is where I first saw her. She had lived in Manhattan her entire life, having the Hudson River to sate her desires for the water. After seeing her onstage, I snuck back after the show with hopes of getting an autograph. Security guards threw me out. A few months later she was sent by her agent to an acting school, as acting demands were low and he suggested she keep up her talent. I was at the same school since I planned to act; she inspired me. I met her, we talked, I bought her a drink, and before I knew it, we were engaged. She claimed differences attract, which made out marriage over the past few months quite interesting.

"Sir," the realtor woman said, "If you don't mind, I have clients waiting back on land."

I was in no hurry to leave the boat, especially since the realtor wanted me too. I pulled out another cigarette and reached for the lighter.

"I didn't suggest you take us all the way out to Shangri-La." I mumbled, lighting up.

"GREGORY, please!" Aimee moaned, looking embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. He just really hates the water" she said to the realtor woman.

"I figured that out at the pool party of '01" She said to me while Aimee walked ahead.

I continued to scowl at her as I ran to catch up with Aimee.

We followed a path leading from the beach to the top of the bluff. When we reached it, Aimee was overtaken by the view. I was apathetic. Sure, we were high up, but all you could see up there was one tiny cone island in the distance and water. Boring old water, 'water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink' I believe the saying went.

Suddenly Aimee broke from her calm daze and grew excited. She pointed down at black figures leaping in and out of the water around the cone shaped island in the sea. "Look Gregory! Dolphins! There's a whole pod of them out there!"

So what? It's the ocean. I couldn't believe how amazed she were that there were ocean dwelling creatures IN the ocean. However, I kept silent as not to spoil her cheerful mood.

The realtor chuckled softly. "I have a feeling you want to buy this house, Mrs. Shoemaker, even though you haven't seen it yet."

Aimee turned a noticeable pink. We both shared a laugh and the realtor woman led the two of us into the house arm-in-arm, you're typical newlywed couple.

I did have to hand it to Aimee, the house was amazing. However, it had so many windows and sliding doors that it appeared to be made of glass, but it was rather cozy. Two bedrooms, a living/dining room, two bathrooms and a den made it livable even to my standards. While our realtor was giving her spiel, I grew more and more annoyed at the constant crash of the waves, even on a calm day like this. The house was fine but that noise was going to be a pain.

Immediately after she stopped talking, Aimee burst out with a "We'll take it!" immediately followed by me doubting that. She took me aside.

"Gregory, this place is perfect, how can you not like it?"

"I know the house is amazing, but I don't really like the smell and noise."

Aimee snorted in disbelief. "You call the sea breeze a bad smell? Are you too used to car exhaust?"

"Look, I know you have your heart set on this place, but I'd be too far away from everyone else."

Behind me, the realtor woman thought to herself 'That's good news for them.' She broke into our conversation.

"Actually, there is a town on this island. It's not as small and secluded as your think. I could show you later, or I'll leave you with a map. Sure, the town is miniscule but it does have a population 2,000, according to the last census."

Aimee looked back at me, smug that I didn't have anyone to take my side. "You see?" she gloated, then turned to the realtor "We'd like a map, please."

The realtor woman dug through her leather bag and pulled out a small roll of paper. 'Miniscule my rear, this looks like Munchkin land!'

I did have to admit, though, the town did have enough to live comfortably. "There are several stores," our realtor explained, pointing at places on the topography map, "and there's a cargo ship that stops by every week with imports. I confess that the price is somewhat high on goods, but that's the downside of paradise. They have restaurants, movie theaters, stages, even a comedy club." I didn't want to say so, but that was an upside! We could both work here and have an income. "They have shops, a strip mall, a bank, several parks" she noticed my wife's protruding stomach and noticed that she was otherwise thin, and began to smile, "And there are three schools, grades K-12."

Aimee grinned to both of us. Of course, typical me, I had to find a fault.

"But this is in the Gulf of Mexico, and don't you remember how many hurricanes it gets?"

Aimee's face fell. She hadn't even considered the hurricanes and Tropical storms the region was likely to pull toward us.

"Actually, this island withstood Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and all of those devilish storms we had last year." Our realtor informed us.

Aimee grinned again. Now she knew that the island was perfect. She even managed to convince me.

"What do you say, Gregory?"

I took off my sunglasses and looked over the map once again. This plot was prime real estate, so we should consider ourselves lucky.

"It's perfect. We'll take it."

Aimee screamed in delight, wrapping her arms around me and planting a kiss on my lips.

* * *

Lucky for us, the house was much cheaper than it looked and we didn't go bankrupt. Moreover, we were able to put our entire luggage onto the massive cargo ship that had been delivering its weekly imports. After waiting a month, we made it to our new house, a welcome change from the apartment we had lived in before. On moving day, after all of our boxes had been carried and most of our furniture had been arranged, Aimee and I sat on the loveseat, her head resting on my shoulder. We had had a long day and were both exhausted, moving around the furniture and making the incompetent movers hold the boxes right, seeing as they didn't know what 'This side up, Fragile' meant.

Now we were by ourselves, alone in our new house. This was life. We both let out a sigh of contentment. We had already eaten dinner, a meager meal from the microwave, so what were we to do now? I think I had an idea, and that idea was-

"Let's go down to the beach"

Not that.

I groaned at Aimee's suggestion. "Come on, we have tomorrow to do that. Shouldn't we, uh, get to bed?" I tried in vain to divert Aimee from her idea and drag her to mine.

She jumped out of my arms. "You have to be kidding me, ready to go to bed? It's only 7:30! The sun's just now setting."

I looked at her, loving her but not her idea. "There's no way you can make me go down there tonight, honey, I'm sorry."

Aimee looked sad, and then I seemed to notice a light bulb going off in her head. She ran over and grabbed my notebook, the one I usually kept in my pocket. "I bet you'll even jump off the bluff into the water to fetch THIS" she teased, switching hands as I tried to grab it. She bolted out of the door, me a few feet behind.

She had the advantage. In the setting sun, there was a glare in my vision, while Aimee had her sunglasses on. She ran right across the yard, dangerously close to the edge of the bluff (I made a mental note to put a fence there) and right down the steep path, kicking up dirt and gravel. She was calling teasingly to me as I shouted playfully back.

"'I'll gouge your freakin' eyes out with an ice cream scoop'. Oohh, very funny!" She read from my pad.

"I will if you don't get back here!"

"You've got to catch me first!"

"I shouldn't have to!"

"You're career's about to get all wet, Gregory."

I chased her for whole five hundred foot path until soon we were running on the beach. Down here, the crashing noise was monstrous, but I could still hear her giggling at me.

She stopped and turned to me, her smirk reaching the entire length of her face. I almost ran into her, toppling over as I screeched to a halt. Aimee laughed as I spat out a mouthful of sand, then I stood up.

"Could I have my notebook back now?" I asked wearily.

Aimee wrapped her arms around me again, pressing herself close to me. She leaned back, my arms around her, and with a smaller and politer smile, pulled the notebook out. "Of course."

"I suppose we should get back 'home'" I said, turning to leave. Aimee grabbed my arm.

"Gregory...look." She pointed to the horizon. We didn't even have to block our eyes because the coned island sat in front of the setting sun, eclipsing the bright light but not the beautiful pink, orange, and blue colors. Even a realistic fellow like me was entranced.

"It's amazing." I said out loud, tossing the notebook onto the sand.

"And romantic." Aimee added, leaning her head on my shoulder. Instinctively I wrapped my arm around her. We sat down on the cold sand, propping myself on my elbows while Aimee rested against me. We both moved in for a kiss, so amazed by the wonderful sight that the kiss just came out. It was like a solar eclipse; we could see the sunset differently without the bright light like how you can see parts of the sun that was otherwise blocked by a glare.

Time passed and we watched the sunset as it welcomed us for the first night in our new home. We were watching the sunset, but something else was watching us. Aimee, who was much more sensitive to nature than I was, noticed it first.

"Honey, what it that?" She pointed out to the water, where a black figure sat motionless.

"It looks like a sharp rock, but why didn't we see it before?"

The thing moved, shimmering in the moonlight. Aimee perked up.

"It's a dolphin! Oh Gregory, there's a dolphin less than ten feet away from us! Do you suppose it's beached?"

My eyes strained in the fading light. The dolphin wasn't struggling, but that could be a bad thing.

"I'm really not sure. Do you think it would swim off if we moved a bit closer?"

Aimee thought for a minute. Suddenly the dolphin spy hopped (raised its head from the water) and looked to us. Its whole body was glittering in the moonlight, but I noticed a smaller, different, and more hypnotizing shimmer, the beady eye of the dolphin. The dolphin opened its jaws and grinned to us, then let out an inviting whistle when its mouth closed. Aimee and I both stared at this creature, which appeared to have read our thoughts. The cetacean almost seemed to say with its whistle 'No, I will stay here. You both have interested me and I am curious about you.' Aimee stood up, eager to reach the dolphin, "I don't think so."

Slowly, just in case, we inched toward the dolphin. It sat silently gazing at us, still watching in case its inference proved wrong. Aimee reached the dolphin first; sitting on her knees, but was still four feet away. "She seems awfully relaxed to be near me."

"How are you so sure it's a 'she'?" I said, five feet away from the dolphin, standing.

She motioned to its melon (a point might've frightened 'her') "Look, you see how her bottlenose and head smoothly connect?" She used easy scientific terms for me to understand, "If it were a male, its head would be much rounder and would stick out a bit farther. Plus, this dolphin is much smaller, a little over six and a half feet by my guess." I sat down next to her. "Besides, she seems to have much more grace and beauty than her bulky male companions."

"That last addition made you sound like that one group of feminists that talk to me after every blonde joke." I said, smiling at my wife's female pride.

The dolphin, whom I seemed to have forgotten about, uttered another whistle. We both turned our attention to her, while she sat looking back at us.

I had become focused suddenly on this dolphin. I don't know why, since before dolphins only seemed to be on those corny ocean paintings that were everywhere nowadays. I hadn't been interested in them at all since they seemed to me just another mammal. For some reason though, she had me mesmerized. It was as if I was in her grasp of intelligence (Aimee later told me she could feel the dolphin's intelligence too) and she wouldn't let me go. "Do you think she wouldn't mind being touched? She seems confident that we mean no harm."

"I wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Health reasons."

I was still bedazzled with this female cetacean. "Are you saying she could make us sick?"

Aimee shook her head. "I think it's the other way around."

The dolphin turned on her side, her pectoral flipper digging slightly into the sand. Later in the night, we both agreed it was her displaying her body to us. "Aw, she's gorgeous."

Yes, she was. I looked up and down the shimmering grey physique of this amazingly, stunningly beautiful dolphin. Perhaps it was her presence of grace that shown without her having to move. Maybe it was her toned shape under a sleek outer layer. Then my eyes fell to her genital slit. Yes, this was a female (Aimee was right, the little nerd), but I shouldn't have reacted as I did. I found myself growing slightly aroused, like I was a male of her species who found her as a suitable mate. The dolphin noticed this, more like reading my mind than following my gaze, and to my surprise flexed once, not like a tease but understanding and respecting my secret urges.

"Gregory." Aimee's voice said from far off, "Gregory," echoed her voice again.

"Gregory!"

I snapped to attention, realizing what I was doing. My face burned with embarrassment, my cheeks turning a noticeable pink.

"Gregory, what were you looking at?" Aimee said, not accusingly or intimidating. She wasn't trying to make me uncomfortable, but it was hard to avoid. I stumbled over my own lie.

"I, I, I was just amazed. You were right, this dolphin is gorgeous." Technically, I wasn't lying but I didn't mention I was looking at her genital slit.

"I know. Now do you think that dolphin's are just your average sea mammals?"

"No, I guess not." I felt relieved. Aimee knew what I was really looking at, but she was secure, not to mention polite. I'm sure she found it weird why I was ogling a dolphin and not some big-busted model at a restaurant.

The dolphin sat, watching us on her side. All three of us were quiet, and everything else would've been too without the crash of the waves. Each time I had a thought about her, the dolphin would turn to look at me. I don't know how she did, but I was almost certain she could read what I was thinking. The dolphin seemed comfortable that I found her attractive, a blessing.

More time passed, and by now, the moon was high up. We needed to sleep, and the dolphin understood that despite the absence of such a thing in her world. Aimee stood up and addressed the dolphin, talking directly to it for the first time. "Come back and see us, ok? We won't hurt you, promise. I enjoy having you around." The dolphin spy hopped again (she had turned back on her underside long ago); cocking her head at the words she did not understand. I knew that she knew what the message was because of her 'mind reading' ability. I kept silent, not wanting to bring up anything Aimee might mistake as me showing my attraction to the female.

I felt humiliated that I did that, especially by my wife. I was no longer a bachelor and had no right to be judging other females, especially ones of a different species! So I merely stood up, a look on my face that shown neither happy nor sad feelings. I followed Aimee, putting my arm around her, to reassure her that she was mine only.

"Gregory, you've got to say goodbye to her too."

I turned around and obliged to my wife's request. "'Later."

The dolphin was silent. The messages from Aimee and I were the same mentally to the dolphin, but they sounded so much different. She still seemed highly curious of us.

We resumed our walk up the path. Before the dolphin turned to swim off, she let out a loud squeal, waving her tail in the air to both of us when we looked back. Then she was off.

"That dolphin truly is amazing." Aimee said, sighing.

"Big deal. I've done the same thing to you before."

Aimee looked annoyed, but merely sighed again and kissed me. "Try not to dwell in the city too much."

* * *

When we got back to the house, Aimee let me show her my idea since she had hers by default. In the back bedroom the only thing we had had been some boxes and a mattress with a few blankets, but that did not stop us. Both my wife and I were stripped naked, and I was on top. There was holding, kissing, fondling, you name it. Moving had been stressful and this was a great way to release all of the tension. Aimee moaned loudly as I entered her, something that was an upside. We lived far enough away from everyone else that we could be as loud as we wanted without anyone hearing our sound (but the crashing waves blocked it out too). I grunted and started to thrust, feeling the warmth around my member. Aimee pressed back against me, her arms wrapped around my back. We were panting and moaning, tossing and turning on the mattress. I could feel myself about to come and quickened my pace. Aimee started to shake even more, quivering at her pre-orgasm.

We both reached our climax. Suddenly, as I came, the mental picture of the dolphin's genital slit flashed in my mind and mixed with my ejaculation. I yelped in surprise when this picture came up, but it was replaced by Aimee's orgasmic sounds.

I didn't share her pleasure: I was disturbed. Was it just coincidence that this image jammed into my brain during my climax or did I run out of mental energy to keep it in my subconscious? I whimpered a bit, feeling a weird feeling inside of me. I had forgotten that I had just had sex with my wife. I rolled off her, and she noticed for the first time I was shaking.

"Gregory, what's wrong?"

I didn't answer at first. "I, well, I" I rubbed my forehead to get rid of the sweat, "Let's just say that was the most awkward thing I've ever cummed to"

At first Aimee gave me an offended look, thinking it was about her. Then she saw that it was something else. "What was it?"

No, I couldn't tell her that I just got off to that female dolphin. "Rocco just got hit by a car."

Aimee smiled and started to giggle. I suppose with how I made it sound, it seemed like I had underdone the 'awkward' factor. I should've been thinking about my wife's cunt, but what she thought I was thinking of was my drunken friend when he ran into the street and broke his spinal column. Her giggles were so infectious that even I started to giggle, at the end both of us laughing uproariously.

Maybe living by the sea wasn't so bad. We didn't have the drug dealer below us shouting to be quiet or the landlady delivering complaints, but with the waves we did still have the noisy neighbors.

* * *

After our wild laughter had died down, my wife and I cuddled warmly, wanting to start our new life on a high note.

Eventually Aimee fell asleep, seeing as she was more exhausted than she led on. Despite being worn out as well, I still couldn't sleep. An ashamed erection popped up as I began to think about that dolphin.

Had she seduced me? Was that why I was so mesmerized down at the beach? For that matter, was there any other answer?

Yes, the dolphin apparently seduced me. Right after she had me hypnotized she started showing herself off. I had felt that this dolphin had a similar feeling for me; otherwise her actions would've been more taunting when she saw me gazing. I know that this sounds awfully inapt for someone as down-to-earth as me, but it was like love at first sight.

But I didn't want to think about it. I sat naked at the edge of the mattress, my legs stretched out in front of me. As long as I was up, I'd better make some coffee. I placed on my robe and stumbled out into the hallway, then into the bulk of the house.

We had set up all necessities; couches, tables, chairs, and dishes, but left out the appliances. I opened up one of the boxes lying around and pulled out our coffee maker. As worn out as it was, it still made the best damn coffee you could get without going to Starbucks. There was a pouch already in the box, which was beyond me why it was present there. I plugged in the machine, did all of the usual steps that were a habit for me, like a show dolphin who had been at the aquarium for ages.

See, dolphins again! Dammit Gregory, stop being such a pervert!

I watched the coffee fill the pot, imagining that it was the only thing in the world to avoid thinking about the dolphin.

After waiting some time, the drizzle of coffee slowed its pace until finally dripped to a halt. Without adding crème or sugar, I drank the coffee straight from the pot.

That's some great java, I thought to myself, gathering my senses and pouring it into a cracked mug. Nice, strong, and steamy, just the way I like it. There was an armchair in front of our sliding door facing our backyard, or the ocean. I sat back and looked. Outside, past the tall grass growing before the bluff's edge, sat the Gulf of Mexico. There was no land out of this side, except for the conical island ('Coney Island' that would flatter Aimee). There was nothing that way until you reached Texas, west from the island. The real land was north, in Louisiana. From the 'premature' side of the island, I've heard, you can see a bit of the land during a clear day. When we were shown the house, our realtor had to steer us around the coned island due to the riptides and choppy waves that ran parallel to the beach. We had to go straight into them or else we could've tipped over, and I wasn't much of a swimmer.

Regardless of the choppy waves, the sea actually looked peaceful, illuminated by the moon. In my present state, I would've enjoyed it because I couldn't see it the same way. However, your Reno-born callous city dweller merely became annoyed at how the only light out there was natural.

I sighed, sipping the coffee. Perhaps I would have a chance the next day (oops, my mistake, technically it was morning while I was sitting there) at getting a gig in the comedy club. I reached for my notebook, looking over my material and straining to put them into jokes and anecdotes. I ripped out a few pages of what I thought was suitable stuff. What did the people of the island find funny? I hadn't been told, but was this town full of Americans or some modern tribe?

It's a lovely night out, why don't you read this outside. My inner voice told me.

No way, I did not just think that. The grass outside is rustling quite a bit. We have a westward wind coming in, bending the grass to the bluff's edge, threatening to blow it off the cliff.

Who cares about the wind? The night itself is perfect. Just go out there. Doesn't a sea breeze encourage creative thinking?

I sighed, not wanting to give into my conscience. Maybe I had made that coffee a little too strong. Nevertheless, I went out on the deck with my papers.

Instantly, as if there were pranksters timing my arrival, a sudden strong gust, powerful than the last, blew the papers out of my hand. They looped in the air, teasingly, as I chased. As I got closer, the wind continued to toy with me, and blew just strong enough to keep my papers away. Suddenly, they looped back, causing some to smack into my face. I seized the papers, happy that I had beat 'mother nature' at her own silly game.

Oops, not quite! One was still in the air! If I move fast enough, I could-

Nope. It fell over the edge of the bluff, no longer grasped by the wind. I watched it in anguish, knowing that I didn't remember all the things I had had on that page. The paper was caught in the high pressure of being near sea level and started to zigzag this was and that. I considered Aimee's inference that I would jump off the bluff to retrieve my things.

Much to my dismay, the paper landed right into the water. With an extra spring in my step, I ran through the vegetation of the path (cutting myself on many occasions in the dark) and stumbled, cut and bleeding, onto the shore. I couldn't see the paper at all, but knew I was going to have to retrieve it. Seeing as I was naked under my robe, I threw it off and ran to the waters edge, planning to jump in.

I found I wouldn't have to. It was floating in the shallows, where the water was only shoulder depth. I could just walk in, float up, and grab it.

Then I remembered what we had been told; 'Never go into the water that is between the cone island and the main island, or even five hundred meters either way. There are strong undertows and riptides in the area. It looks calm on top but under the surface is death waiting to happen.'

So much for that idea. I figured I could still read it since I wrote in waterproof ink, but the waters were too turbulent. I sat down, naked, at the water's edge. The waves lapped at my feet, almost as if saying 'You can't touch much of us, but we can touch all of you'.

Stupid water, I thought as I kicked a miniature wave away, you don't serve any purpose. You can't be drank, and if you didn't exist we'd have more room to built big cities. I don't recall ever feeling THAT callous toward the ocean before.

Maybe that gig could wait for another day.

Through the waves, I could hear something else, like white noise, moving through the water. I looked up and saw something eyeing my paper, something with a dorsal fin, and gorgeous shimmering body.

Oh no, she's back again.

I did not acknowledge this dolphin, but merely thinking of her was enough. She turned and pretended as if she had just seen me, greeting my presence with a light chorus of clicks and squeals. Then, she moved her snout to my paper.

'You stupid dolphin', I thought, not caring that she could hear me, 'that is an important paper. I know I can't get it now but you shouldn't be hoping to destroy it!'

Hearing the outburst, she bucked her head to look at me with hurt eyes. 'So what, go ahead and feel offended. You're immune to riptides and undertows! The only way you can drown is a net or by just not breathing'.

I did confess that my coldhearted attitude was painful on my part too, and I turned my head from her gaze.

'I'm sorry. It's not you're fault, you're just curious. I shouldn't have been outside during this gale.'

I looked back at her, the same bitter look fierce in my eyes. I wanted to say those words, and was about to. What she did next, however, had me speechless.

Slowly, with utmost delicacy, the dolphin situated her snout under my floating paper. Keeping the same grace and gentle movements she had before, the dolphin spy hopped. The paper went limp, wrapping around her snout but she wouldn't allow it to tear. With her head above the waves, she thrust her tail in one smooth stroke, and was instantly a foot away from me up on the beach, letting out a triumphant squeal that she had the paper in mint (same as it was when she first saw it, at least) condition.

I had snapped out of my trance that she had me under again, and I took the paper from her snout. Resting her head down, she stared up at me with her twinkling black eye. For some reason, she didn't entice me this time. It seemed that once she charmed me, I was immune for a short time after the spell was broken.

She noticed this and resorted to plan B: Get my attention the old-fashioned way. I had been looking over the paper, and I was astonished that she had been so careful as to not cause a single rip or bleeding of ink. The dolphin uttered her trademark whistle, and I couldn't help but do what she wanted. We sat there, gazing at each other without moving.

Then I went back to my paper; studying it in hopes that I could have it down if it did end up being destroyed. Still, the dolphin stared at me with her glistening eyes; eyes like massive craters that sound and air get lost in. These very eyes bore into me, almost digging through me, exploring my insides. I tried my best to concentrate, but the present feeling of being watched disturbed me. The dolphin's beady eyes continued to pierce into me, moving deeper and deeper, until she struck a nerve (pardon the pun).

"Ok, will quit undressing me with your eyes and tell me why you're here!?!"

The cetacean was taken aback.

"Uh, I mean, argh, I'm sorry." I felt like a moron. First, this dolphin couldn't tell me why she was here, and she couldn't undress me with her eyes because I was already naked.

Then I noticed that the dolphin looked awfully far out of the water, her tail trying in vain to shake her from the shore. "Oh, I see. Why didn't you just say so?"

I stood over her and placed one hand beneath her, the other one on the opposite side of her pectoral fin, and with a loud groan, I pushed the dolphin back into her watery home. Maybe now she would swim off and I could go back to my house.

To my amazement, she just turned over (the whole time she had been on her side) and continued to silently watch me.

What was I missing? She had spent almost an hour staring at me and Aimee while we communicated between each other, and showered her with attention. Oh, of course, where are my manners?

"Thank you for bringing my paper back to me, especially in this condition." The dolphin looked proud of herself and spy hopped, beaming at me with her open jaws. Then she fell back to her owl-like watch.

Alright, I had to figure something out. There were only two reasons why, I could figure, that she was here. First: She was beached and couldn't move, which I fixed. Two: She was waiting to hear that her work was appreciated, and I assured her that it was. Why would she stay here? She had more than fulfilled her curiosity in us, so why was she so attracted to me?

Then she turned on her side, and with the full sea moon shinning almost directly on her, I saw that her underside wasn't as reflective as usual. Her shimmer had dimmed to a blunt glow. I couldn't see white but I couldn't see any other color. What could it be?

Pink. Of course. That's why she was here. Think about it Gregory, you weren't interested in her, SHE was interested in YOU! She had you under her little love spell and you thought it was coming from you. She wants you, Gregory! And I think after what she did, you owe her.

But that wasn't it. It wasn't like the sex was a thank-you, she wants me because she wants ME. Not just pleasure, not just company, not just being close, she wants ME. Love at first sight, I guess it was true.

I didn't feel like I loved her. True, I was attracted, but I wasn't IN love with her, especially since I didn't really know her.

Only more of a reason to get to know her. You might enjoy yourself.

Slowly, ignoring what Aimee had warned me, I reached my hand out. The dolphin kept a close watch on me but didn't show any indication of being afraid. In fact, she even drifted closer as I moved my hand towards her gleaming silver side. Leisurely, tenderly, I rubbed over her body. Instantly her mood changed from casual and horny to relaxed, and horny. The loud 'whoosh, chuff!' of her inhaling and exhaling turned into what sounded like a content sigh.

I was enjoying myself too. Her body was so sleek that my hand almost glided across, like how she did in the ocean. Though it had a rubbery feel to it, and was marked with tough scars, she felt pleasing to pet.

Gradually she began to flip herself over, exposing her pink underside. I began to caress her warm underbody, feeling her heart beating as it pumped blood to the surface, giving her the pinkness. My hand swept over her, first just small strokes that overlapped and grew to go nearly the entire length of her body. In no time I was at her genital slit, and without thinking, began to rub in just that spot. The dolphin squirmed under my hand, uttering a small squeal that sounded much like a moan. I began to focus the rubbing on one particular area, because out of the foot of slit she had, only about four or five inches seemed to give her a large amount of pleasure. Later I learned that the slit was really her anus and vagina and the long slit was just an illusion. As the dolphin squeaked and clicked, I slowly began to apply pressure to her vaginal slit. The dolphin didn't want the suspense and sped things along, thrusting her tail and engulfing my finger. Responding on impulse, I forced my finger in and out, keeping all of the movement at my knuckle. The dolphin's head slapped the surface of the water unconsciously while her mouth yawned at the intense delight this experience was obviously giving her. To me, I was just getting a hard-on.

To my wonder, the dolphin let herself drift away from my hand. I figured she was just playing with me, but the look in her eyes shown of seriousness. It felt like she was saying 'That is enough foreplay for now, we should get on with it'. I, however, refused. If I was going to be in the water, I didn't want to worry about any undertows.

The dolphin was curious as to why I wasn't following her in like she wanted me to, and raised up her head, disappointment in her eyes.

"Don't be worried. We still will make love, but we need to move first."

Did I say 'make love'? Yeah, right! I still didn't feel the love necessary to not make it just sex. The dolphin understood that I couldn't mate with her in this part of the water, so I stood up as she turned over. I began to walk to the part of the beach that curved into what looked like nothing, but was really a long stretch of shore. This would be the perfect place in case Aimee did come down. There wasn't a chance she would check here.

As I walked, the dolphin zigzagged through the surf, either pursuing a fish or just getting excited. As I watched her dorsal fin twist and turn, moving away and toward me and bolting every direction, I began to smile a bit. Out about twenty feet, I suddenly saw a glimmer and realized she had spy-hopped to look at me. Then she submerged and I saw her fin flash through the wave, occasionally disappearing below the water. After that she submerged again, closer, and I saw her grinning to me and whistling excitedly. "Aaaaerrroooorp! Whee-eek!"

My smile grew wider. Maybe it was just because of how innocent she seemed or how giddy this whole experience was making her, but I found myself actually growing drawn to her. When she jumped out of the water about a foot, I even started to laugh. After all of that, though, she calmed down and swam close to my feet as I walked through the waves as they crashed on shore, looking up at me with her seductive eyes.

We found a spot where the water was much more calm, and I laid on my back with the water reaching over my body. The dolphin was swimming in circles a few feet out, hoping maybe we could move to a spot where we would be underwater, but I couldn't have done that. She swam up to where I was laying, with enough water to float, and impulsively put her flippers around me, to see how I would react. I had to lift my side a bit so her flipper could fit beneath me. As I stared into her eyes, I could feel her seductive enchantment start to work up. The part of me that was still conscious began to curse that I had fallen for this again. I hated how she would charm me and leave me without any real thought of my own.

The dolphin, who I guess was reading my thoughts, suddenly stopped, looking at me without her 'spell' in effect.

That's when I realized something. This dolphin was using the same technique she used on males of her species, however now she realized that with humans it is different. Moreover, she seemed to respect my right of free thinking. Perhaps that was why before she was directing her playful attitude as I was walking. I had her in the mood for sex, my mood, so she helped give me love, her mood.

I still felt an attraction, like I was still being seduced. But she wasn't giving me the feeling, I was. When she was playing in the surf and I was smiling, she was giving me a reason to grow attached to her. It's a bit hard to explain, but I know in my present state what it means.

The dolphin looked at me inquiringly, almost as if asking if I still wanted to go through with this. I answered by wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close to me. Yes, I would still 'make love' to her.

Time had passed between the rubbing and now, and as we lay in the shallow, me pressed against her and both of us intertwined, her pink had vanished. So, I stepped in and did my duty as her mate, I helped her get back in the mood. One of my arms moved from her side and began to rub up and down her metallic white belly. Difficulty grew as she started to press against me and restraining my hand from flowing freely across her rubbery flesh. Gently but firmly, I used my other hand to make her drift away a bit. She understood that if I was going to keep rubbing her she would have to give me hand some space, and I could see it in her expression. As I continued to rub, she squirmed in my hold at the feeling. Pressing had always been how her species responded to a caress, and I think at that point she didn't know how to react. I felt a patch of warmth down by my privates, and as I looked I saw the dolphin's genital slit wasn't gleaming anymore. She was in the horny, but I still didn't feel like she was in the mood. I'd better double check.

I moved my hand down her underside and stopped when I felt a tough fold of skin, her vaginal slit. Before the dolphin could respond, I pressed against the folds and split them open slightly, allowing my fingertip to press into her warm interior.

The dolphin, who before was squirming, stopped. Her eyes stared into mine and her jaw gaped, while her tail rose up between my legs and was behind me. Between my legs, I could feel her tail trembling, as was her beak. I continued to stimulate her and I used my other hand to rub her gaping jaws. There was no denying it; she was in total bliss.

By now my dick was rock hard, and I knew that she was in the mood completely. I removed my hand from her vagina and put my other hand around her once again, pulling her as close as we were before. With my free hand, I guided my penis to her warming slit. The dolphin wasn't one for suspense and teasing, for as soon as I touched her folds with the tip of my cock, she tensed up and thrust me in.

Now it was my turn to stiffen up. Inside was warm and wet, warm from her body and wet from the sea water. Aside from that, her sleek vaginal walls were tight around my member, but like her body were smooth and frictionless. Before I had anytime to start thrusting, she used her vaginal muscles to press on the head of my cock, triggering me to tense up and moan. No woman I had ever been with had given me such pleasure on the insides! I began to thrust into my dolphin mate, each time pausing for a split second before I pulled out. Each time I paused, she used her marvelous vaginal muscles to stimulate me and her at the same time. It went like this 'In-pause-rub-out-pause-rub-in-pause-rub-out-pause-rub', and the sexual pleasure never ceased for an instant. In almost no time the dolphin was reaching her orgasm and began to thrust back against me as I quickened my pace. We were both displaying at how much we were enjoying the experience; I was panting and moaning while the dolphin bobbed her head and would occasionally squeal. With just a few more thrusts we both came, me shooting my load into her warm slit. The dolphin tossed her head back as we both came, pressing our bodies as close as they'd ever been.

The dolphin had her eyes and snout closed, merely pressed up close to me and shuddered. With her underside flushed with warm pink and the wind-chill dropping the temperature a few degrees, her body felt really great against mine.

My dick went limp and I pulled out of her as the muscles inside gave me one final squeeze. I was catching my breath while the female merely began to chuff more frequent. The dolphin finally opened her eyes and stopped shuddering, looking at me with a far-off dreamy look. I splashed one hand into the water and began to rub her above water side, dampening it and bringing back the beautiful shimmer of her moist skin. Once she was wet enough again, I began to rub all over. The dolphin nestled against me while I stroked her form in every reachable spot. She replicated my actions by rubbing me back with her tail or flippers, intermittently with her beak. The warmth and silkiness of her body against mine was astonishing, and I couldn't help but shake a bit.

Minutes passed as we laid there, caressing the other in our afterglow. What happened next was mere instinct at the time but now seemed only appropriate. I moved my face close to the dolphin's beak and planted a kiss on the tip. The dolphin didn't try to resist, and actually moved her 'head' closer to mine so I could kiss her easier. At the tip of her 'rostrum', as it was later named, the skin was very thin and tough, and with just the slight amount of pressure I could feel dozens of coned teeth. We held that kiss for a few moments, with her rubbing her rostrum against my lips but not as in a struggle. Simultaneously we broke off, and she wiggled from my grasp. I sat up and stretched while she swam in front of me a few feet out. From side to side she swam, finally stopping to look at me curiously. She was trying to coax me in.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not really into that." I spoke to the dolphin as if she were human. She cocked her head, confused. "Well, I grew up in an area like this" I pointed to the sand, "except it was everywhere. What you're in," I pointed to the water, "didn't really even exist where I was at. So, I can't swim, sorry."

Still, she looked at me puzzled. Slowly she moved to where my feet where and began to nibble my toes, still showing the same delicacy she had with my paper. I could tell that she really wanted me in the water. "Look, it's not like I don't WANT to be with you, I just can't swim." She looked up at me and stopped nibbling, trying to think of a way to get me out into the water. Realizing it was useless to argue, I stood up and waded into the ocean, straining not to be pushed over by a wave. Lucky for me, the wind was going parallel to the shore this way so the waves weren't as bad. Soon we were out in deeper waters, and fortunately for me I at least knew how to tread water.

The female swam in circles around me, soon going fast enough to spin me in her wake. This, obviously, threw off my treading and immediately I began to sink. As the murky ocean swallowed me up, I recognized a familiar shimmer as something shot beneath me. As soon as I had began to sink, I was back at the surface, gasping for air merely out of surprise. The dolphin, who had her head between my legs so she could support me, gently flipped to the side and I was off, treading water again. Like déjà vu', she began to swim around me once again, and sure enough I sank. This time, however, the dolphin seemed content to let me sink farther before going to retrieve me.

She repeated this process again and again, each time letting me sink deeper and deeper. Soon I was underwater and vainly trying to swim for at least thirty seconds (my lung capacity was horrible). Once she had retrieved me that time, I grew angry and started to make my way to the shore. I don't think the dolphin realized she had gone too far until I did this, for she bumped me in the small of my back. I floated around, and saw her gazing up at me, her eyes showing that she felt bad for angering me and asking me to forgive her. My fury calmed down and I put an arm around her as she floated. Now my hands were free and I didn't have to tread water, so I could stroke my mate some more.

"It's okay, my love, it's okay. I really can't stay angry at you. Just don't try anything like that again, alright?"

The dolphin's glimmering black eye spoke that she was relieved I wasn't angry, and agreed that she would be easier on me. She moved from under my grasp and submerged her head, swimming around me slowly in a circle, pressing her body to mine and thrusting her pelvis each time her genital slit passed my penis.

The questions I had felt earlier began to seep back into my conscious. Why was she here? What had Aimee and I done to make her so interested in us? 'I need some answers' I spoke to her through my mind, hoping she would hear me, 'how can I find the answers to these questions?'.

Suddenly the dolphin grew agitated, and in a flash ducked below the waves. In the frenzy of the ripples created by her tail, I failed to notice anything until I felt a hard pound of sharp pain hit my heel. With a scream in pain and surprise, I felt the cool ocean water sting at my heel. There was blood around me, and I realized what had happened. The dolphin had turned violent and bit me on my foot. I couldn't see where she was now, but knew it was useless to try to fight off an aggressive dolphin. I curled into a ball and anticipated more blows. Surely she would batter me with her tail and butt me with her head, but that was inevitable. There was no doubt that she was about to kill me. I recalled how great the time had been with her but she merely saw me as food that she could mate with before killing. I would miss Aimee, and the new house, and my unborn offspring. I would miss so much, but there was nothing I could do.

I waited for a few moments, but the pain never came. There was no butting, no ramming, no biting, no nothing. The water had calmed down and all that I could feel was the throbbing in my heel and the waves rocking me toward the shore. I uncurled myself and looked up to see the dolphin sitting a few feet out. Her head was mostly submerged, but I could see she was watching me. Without another motion, she dove under and swam away from me.

The expression in her eyes, what was it? Sadness? Guilt? Maybe it was something else. I didn't want to think about it, my blood could attract sharks.

I crawled up onto the shore, now the only sign of life on the beach. Each time I took a step a flash of pain shot up the back of my leg, giving me a noticeable limp.

Stupid dolphin. Talk about one night stands!

I hobbled back across the beach, far from the waves, and turned around the corner, praying not to see Aimee. Luckily all that was left was my robe and paper which had managed to stay put. I placed my robe on, snatched my paper, and stumbled up the path to the house.

The clock on the wall illuminated the room, displaying that I had been down there with my dolphin 'mate' for an hour and a half. Maybe Aimee wouldn't notice me.

As not to wake her, I scrubbed of the sea water using a wet rag. It was a fair job, but it sure beat having to use the shower. I bandaged up my love bite (I chuckled when I thought this) that had long since scabbed over. Before I had placed the bandage on, however, I noticed that the area around it was turning a different color, and was starting to dry up. The color could be from a bruise perhaps (dolphins can bite awfully hard), but with the humidity of the island I couldn't describe why the area was starting to flake. I figured that all I needed was rest.

Despite the roaring waves beneath us, I was able to fall asleep in a few seconds.

***

A groan drifted down the hallway as I stood in the kitchen, preparing coffee. It was my lovely wife Aimee, who in the mornings is about lesser so lovely. Hopefully some coffee would calm her; I sure needed some.

Yes, I was nervous about going into town. Not about getting lost, the town was fairly small and with only one street. It was because I had no idea what the people of the island found funny. Though the house's price was relatively low, we would still need some income right away!

There was something else, however, that was even worse than riding into town. When I woke up and examined my heel, the splotch had grown and was turning a strange silvery color, something that obviously wasn't a bruise. Somehow the blotch covered all of my foot and had mysteriously moved to my forearm as well. Like before, the skin was unusually dry despite the intense humidity. With some lotion the dryness had retreated slightly but still made me nervous. Plus, I was feeling some horrible back pains...

"Good morning!" I said, trying to sound cheery as Aimee loafed into the main room. She sat down at the counter, directly across where I was preparing the coffee. To my great and utter surprise, she was smiling. "So, how'd you sleep?"

Aimee yawned and looked up at me, "Like a rock. What about you?"

I thought of a way out of this, but thought it would be best not to lie to my wife. "Like a twig on the water."

Aimee looked blankly, so I grinned and added "I wouldn't stay down."

With great interest my wife looked up at me. "So, what did you do?"

Well, there was no avoiding that question. I went on to tell her about how I had lost my paper, how the dolphin had retrieved it, me petting her, and moving to the other side of the island to swim with her.

"Then, she suddenly grew violent, and bit me on my heel. Trust me, you don't want to look. Well, I thought I was about to be killed, so I curled up to defend myself. When nothing happened I looked up and saw her there, watching me with....some sort of expression I can't quite identify."

Aimee was staring at me wide-eyed. I had left out any 'playing' and of course the sex, but the rest was word for word like how I told you. "She allows contact? I wondered why I could sit so close."

Forget that damn dolphin, I thought, I just got one nasty and curious bite!

"You should go down and see her, I have a hard time believing she was trying to hurt you."

Well, she was! You can't bite and draw blood 'playfully'.

"No thanks. I really need to go into town. I want to see if I can land a gig at the comedy club. What are you going to be doing?"

Aimee shrugged, sipping her coffee. "I was thinking maybe unpacking a little bit, going down and seeing if I could find that dolphin. Perhaps later I'll go into town too and see if I can get an audition at the theater. I would go now, but it's way too humid."

"Yeah, all you have to do is give the air a good squeeze and then you have all the bathwater you need. Have you seen our water bill already?"

I took a sip of my coffee, almost regurgitating when I swallowed a mouthful. As I started to hack up the remainder, Aimee watched in horror.

"Gregory, are you ok? Are you choking?" She got up and dashed around to where I was, doubled over behind the counter. She began to bang on my back, trying to force me to cough up the remaining coffee. My neck's veins were throbbing and visible, while my face was turning dark red. Aimee began to pound harder and harder until I vomited up the coffee I had swallowed. I collapsed on the floor, gasping for air and shaking violently. Aimee got down next to me, and started to rub my back. Suddenly, she stopped, and I felt her go over a lumpish thing on my back. She continued to move her hand over the tough raised spot. Another thing caught her eye and she began to rub the back of my neck. "Honey, there's a sore on the back of you're neck. I think it's bruised."

Between gasps, I asked her why.

"It's a weird color, a bit greenish but grey too. What do you think it is?"

I tensed up. More of the bizarre spots! I stood up, Aimee giving me a worried look. "Maybe we should get you to a doctor."

I shook her off. "No, I think it must be an allergic reaction."

Aimee stared at me, not daring to believe what I was saying. "Are you crazy? An allergic reaction? There is something wrong with you!"

I shook my head again. "I just really need to get into town. I'm sorry I can't be here to help you unpack."

Aimee sighed, "That's okay, you'd better get to town."

She started to turn from me, and I grabbed her arm. "Aimee, I'm sorry."

She smiled sadly and moved close to me, wrapping her arms around me but avoiding the lump. We kissed, then pressed our foreheads together, our noses touching. This was a semi-Eskimo kiss that we had made up, and it was our own personal way of apologizing, taking place of kissing and making up. We held the pose before breaking off. I did have to go into town right away. I went outside into the humid air, the ocean behind me. As I grabbed my bike (we had to sell the car to help pay for our house) I waved back to Aimee. She smiled and waved back to me, already opening a box.

I had no idea that would be the last interaction we would have before the strange events unfolded.

***

The air outside was humid and heavy, like I was swimming through water rather than biking through air.

The road leading to our house is about five miles long before you reach the hill. It is all gravel until you reach a bridge, that really doesn't go over anything. After that the road is paved and you begin to slowly go downhill, reaching the town that is thirty feet below sea-level. On the other side of the town there is another hill, leading to a national park. From what I've heard, this park doesn't get many visitors.

There was grass and some plants, a bit of wildlife occasionally, but other than that it just seemed to me like a big, huge, gigantic, stretch of nothing. As I rode, I thought over my sketch and what things might appeal to the people of this island.

As I sloped downhill, I noticed that there were more blotches on my skin, now with spots on my hands and one covered most of my arm. When they would first appear the blotches were greenish red, but eventually grew gray and were incredible dry and cracking. I admit that no matter how much I tried to deny it, there was something wrong with me and I was scared. Why did these spots only begin to appear after I was bitten? What was this sore on the back of my neck and growing lump on my back?

The town grew in front of me, going from the size of a distant shape to, well, the size of a town.

The comedy club was a run down building, about two stories high. There was plenty to be desired compared to the ones I had seen before. On the front hung a dilapidated sign, proclaiming the name "Cajun Comedy Club (CCC)" followed by it's much more clever sub-line, "Why not Bayou-self a ticket?".

I chained my bike to an old street pole, maybe as old as this island, and walked inside. At the desk sat a woman fanning herself with a paper. Around that time I realized that without the humidity this island was rather hot. I was sweating maybe as bad as she was, but I wasn't bothered. In fact, I felt great! I looked down at my arms, and I noticed for the first time that the grey splotches were no longer dry, and were shimmering under my sweat. The lotion was useless, so what was getting rid of all of the dryness?

"May I help you?"

The receptionist's voice slammed me back to reality and I instinctively covered my arms. "Yeah, I would like to see about setting up a show here."

She looked at me dully, "Are you a comic? Or are you the agent?"

"I'm the comic."

The heat blocked her enthusiasm, but I had a hard time imagining she would've been excited anyway. "Alright. We don't have anyone else here, so just right on in through that door."

The door on the wall she pointed to had a name printed on it, but like the building itself was past its prime.

Inside of the stuffy room was a man who not surprisingly matched the rest of this run-down building. He looked up at me and grimaced in complete disgust, as if I were the one who was falling apart like a leper (Oh, I'm writing that one down!).

"What are you doing here?" He groaned.

I mentioned I wanted to try to land a show here, and he perked up.

"Really? Well, that's different. I thought you were a salesman. Sorry, I wouldn't have acted like that if I had known you were a comic, which I would've learned earlier if my SECRETARY WOULD USE HER INTERCOM!"

The moody woman gave him a piece of her mind with a piece of her wave. There weren't any other chairs, so I stayed standing.

We ran through the cookie-cutter steps that I was used to when setting up a show. He asked me my name, information, style of comedy, and if I could show him some of my stuff. However, I didn't have to strain myself since the lack of business had made them desperate. Finally, as he wrote some things down, he asked the final question. "When's the soonest you can perform?"

This nearly knocked me over! "As soon as possible, even tonight! Well..." my mood changed to sneaky, "depends on what you're willing to pay."

The man stood up, "We'll pay anything! Name you're price! We just need you're act so we can get some business!"

I thought hard about this. The question was almost like asking me what I one wish I really wanted; you were afraid to answer right away in case it wasn't quite right.

"How about... a hundred and fifty dollars?"

"Deal! Gregory Shoemaker, we'll see you tonight at 8 o'clock, SHARP! You will have until then to prepare, and then the show will be at ten."

He grabbed my hand and shook vigorously, looking at me as if I were the Savior, then sat down at his desk. He began to call and someone, the city paper maybe, and as I walked out I heard him shouting into the phone.

"Listen, we've got some business here! No, it wasn't a salesman, we have a comic! He's not that great, but if we get people to come, we can get some dough in!"

He must've figured I was out of earshot, but I didn't mind. Hell, I was happy! On the first day, on my first try, I landed a show for 150 dollars! Forget about the curious blotches or the horrible back ache, I WAS GOING TO DO A SHOW!

But I was hungry. Where can I eat here?

There was a bistro a few blocks away that called to me. It smelled like fish, which at that time seemed delicious to me.

How much money did I have, though? I dug through my pocket, bringing out a wad of tens. Maybe if I eat small, I can afford it.

I know I am not telling you very much at this point, but it is because it really isn't very important. I want to tell you my story but the whole comedy club thing wasn't a big deal. What happened next, however, was.

I sat down at a side table, noticing on the wall above me it was noon. I had been away from the house for close to an hour, and had eight hours to prepare. I was sure of what I was going to say, but I needed to think up some things for the people of this island. It was inhabited with Cajuns and some Hispanic creeds, so I had to think....why is everyone wiping away their sweat? I think it feels great on me. Despite lack of sleep, I felt energized! The people around me, however, curled up their noses and moved away. Let them, I was enjoying myself!

"Hi, my name is Sharon, and I will be your hostess. Would you like to try our new Cajun smoked Salmon Fillet?"

"Yes please"

I sat back, thinking deep about my act....wow, why does my sweat feel so invigorating?

The meal cost me all the money in my pocket, but I didn't care as I felt I deserved the reward. The fish which had smelled so appetizing sat before me like a hot chunk of nothing. How was I sure this was fish?

STOP IT! Wow, was all of the humidity going to my head? Take a bite and just shut up!

Reluctantly I cut the disgusting slab of dead and took a bite. I swallowed it, and a wave of thoughts swept me. Why must these spices be on here? Why is it so hot? This tastes like smoke. Ouch, my teeth!

I asked the woman for a glass of water as I forced down the 'fish'. As she handed to me, my palm turned dry and I noticed that my hand had one of those splotches on it, now mature since it shone silver under my perspiration. I took a sip and just like with the coffee began to gasp and cough. WHAT WAS IN THE WATER AT THIS ISLAND?

More like what isn't in it, an inner voice told me.

The coffee was made with the same water...but Aimee was fine. This was just water, but everyone else was fine.

I ran out and hopped on my bike, dashing off and leaving my troubled thoughts behind me.

***

I must've rode five miles in the wrong direction, finally stopping and recognizing that I did not recognize this area. So, I sat down on the gravel, sweat literally dripping from my brow. I looked up at the sun and saw which way it was moving. I wanted to go that way. Before getting up, I noticed that the lump on my back was getting bigger, along with the strange bruise on my neck. I pulled up my pant-leg and noticed there was a mature blotch covering the entire length of it. I was going to have to wear extra to hide this stuff!

So I followed the sun back to our house, seeing on the wall clock that there were now only six hours to prepare. Aimee was still un packing and didn't notice me when I came in, the stereo was way too loud.

For a minute I basked in the glow of the new look of the house. For the first time since I had moved out and met Aimee, I felt like I was now in my own home. There would be bills, but at least no rent was due, no noisy neighbors, no dangers besides an inevitable burglary or a storm. This would be the perfect place for my child to grow up in.

I needed a shower. The sweat felt good but I wanted to look attractive.

The weird activity didn't stop there, either. As soon as I stepped in under the showerhead, my skin dried and cracked, bleeding in several spots but mostly on the silver areas. I began to vomit a bit under the water so immediately, sensibly, I got out. After sitting on the toilet seat for a bit, I realized I was wasting precious time.

Aimee had taken a break and went down to the beach, and from what I saw, she was near the dolphin again. The one that had caused all of this to happen. I might die because of her!

There were more pressing matters at hand, though. I really needed to get my act written the best I could. So that's what I did, and for the next few hours I stayed in the den, tearing at my hair (which to my surprise started to come out easier), pacing the room, and reviewing my notebook. When I had something acceptable, I grabbed my show costume; a white shirt with a padded vest, a dog chain, and blue shaded sunglasses. Aimee, who had been working hard all day, was resting on the couch. Quietly I slipped out.

I arrived on time and spent one and a half hours in the backroom, in my 'costume' and running a bit of hair gel through my long bushy black hair, giving it a bit more of a greasy look. Hyped up and adrenaline pumping, I added bits of makeup to make the blotches on my face disappear a bit. I had my first show to do.

The place was packed! There must've been a third of the island there, all chatting in amusement at the first comedy show in a while. "Here he is folks, a man all the way from the Big Apple, Greg Shoemaker!"

Oh no, he said my name wrong! Can't worry about that now, the crowd's cheering! I'd better 'get into character'.

Behind my shaded glasses my eyes looked tired but happy, a bit like a stoner's eyes. I had a bit of a limp in my walk from the dolphin bite, but that made me look more like I was intoxicated. I acknowledged random people applauding in the audience, bowing my head this way and that and smiling to that person. I set the log rolling with the first line, would it go uphill or downhill? "Wow, I've never seen so many Cajuns all in one room before. I thought they evacuated the Superdome." The seemingly cruel joke made the crowd laugh, which immediately improved the outcome. I was relieved that my audience could take a beating, so they must like even nice jokes too.

"It's amazing how everything sounds like a good idea when you're horny. You're wife's badgering you to clean out and paint the garage but really you're just waiting for those Viagra pills to kick in. The bad side, though, is when you get done it's always 'Honey I'm so impressed with you. Let's have sex.' and of course you're like 'No way, it says I'm not supposed to take too many.'

It was a success, and I think the crowd loved me. I was paid my one hundred and fifty dollars and asked to return as soon as possible. It looked like I might have a good chance on this island after all.

The show was over at ten, and Aimee was asleep on the mattress. I curled up next to her, my profit sitting in my jeans on the dresser, and fell asleep.

***

I couldn't sleep much, though, past four in the morning. Every ten minutes or so I would wake up and gasp for air. After nearly an hour of this I decided to just stay awake. I needed to use the restroom anyway.

But as I got in, however, I saw that there were much more blotches on my body, cracking in many spots and bleeding. By this point, I could actually see and feel a blotch as it covered my body. What happened next was the most horrible moment of the ordeal.

A great shot of pain ripped through my body, doubling me over as if I had been punched in the stomach. My breathing choked as I realized no air was going in my nose or mouth! I wheezed at the lack of oxygen, sticking my finger down my throat just to see if anything was blocking it. I found my gag muscle had disappeared, along with my esophagus! Frantic and trying hard to breathe, I watched in horror as the blotches grew in size and immediately matured, the ones around my stomach area turning more whitish than the rest. What's happening to me?

Before I could answer, more pain started, but I could see it and feel it now. With a loud sort of ripping noise the skin on my back split open and something began to protrude painfully and sharply. I tried to scream but all that came out was a silent airy moan. I could feel the blood ooze out and down my back. All around me my skin was cracking and shifting, getting tougher but still dry. I only thought of one thing: get to the beach.

I stumbled outside, naked, and right to the edge of the bluff. Another round of pain surged through me and I fell. I fell right off the edge of the bluff. Well, not exactly, along the way I managed to grab hold onto a bush growing along the side, but that only saved me from dying. I let go after another wave of pain struck me. I hit the sand hard but no bones broke, since I could feel them shifting and getting stronger anyway. With blood oozing from my back and cuts, I found I couldn't stand up. Being vertical seemed impossible to me, so I had to roll to the beach. Each time I was on my back, I could feel this odd raised lump dig into the sand, stinging like new tender skin. Somehow I reached the waves, letting the cool water rush over me and my skin moisten up. That didn't stop the pain, though.

I could literally feel my bones shifting, breaking with each out of place movement. My body was breaking, and it hurt something fierce! I wanted to scream but I still could barely breathe. With my arms snapping and moving still, I reached up and felt the bruise on my neck. It had split open, my fingers could go through! When I did this the feeling felt horrible, and to my surprise I felt air rush through, past my fingers, and realized I could now breathe! Then another round of pain hit me as my nose snapped, the cartilage bending and shrinking, blood shooting out of my nostrils. My nose grew, along my jaws, and they seemed to form one body part.

There was horrible, indescribable amounts of pain as my body morphed. Bones broke, shrunk, and some disappeared. My ears sucked back into my head, all the while bursting old blood vessels and nerves as new ones formed. There was a great deal of pain and pressure as my skull changed shape, expanded, and rounded. Teeth were knocked out and more shot through my new gums. Muscles tore and disappeared while others bulked up and moved. I noticed that there was skin forming folds around my genitals so I never saw what happened to it. Everything inside me was changing too, causing horrible cramps and all I could do was gasp for air out of my neck hole. I watched in horror as my arms shrank, buckling the bones and fusing my fingers together. There was another agonizing rip as something shot out of the small of my back that my legs seemed to phase into.

I must've been lying on the beach for ten minutes, interrupting every few strings of torture with loud gasping noises erupting from my neck hole. After a bit, the pain episodes reduced in intensity and my body moved less, until it abruptly stopped. All that I could hear was the loud crashing of waves and me breathing in and out through the hole in the back of my neck, which I didn't quite now what it looked like. I was so confused, but at the same time exhausted and sore. Drifting into a daze, I stared down the beach at the lighthouse, waiting for the sun to rise.

***

I'm did my best to explain that last part since I don't remember much, just plenty of agony. For the hour or so I spent lying on the beach, all I remember is watching the sunrise and the ocean waves wash over me. Besides that, I didn't have much thought or any means of movement, like I had passed out.

It wasn't until about six or seven that I heard a new sound. It was the sound of people talking. Two were feminine, three were masculine. One of the feminine voices I recognized and realized it was Aimee. Who was she with? Scientists? Doctors? Or did she see me in my present unidentifiable state and decide to make a sideshow of me? No, that wasn't it, it was most likely doctors and scientists.

I was wrong! They were locals, I saw as they stood over me. Two of the men were carrying a sort of sling. One of the women, who I recognized though we were in a shadow, spoke. "I found him lying here. I thought I should get help to move him back to the water." It was Aimee, but why wasn't she calling me by my name? Another female, one I didn't know, began to speak too, "He must've been here for a while, he doesn't seem to be very alert. We'd better hurry up and get him back in the water."

Aimee spoke next, "Poor thing. I just hate to see dolphins beached."

Dolphin? Was the shadow really that dark? Couldn't she see it was me? I wanted to shout to her that it was me, that something had happened and I wasn't quite the same, but that was impossible. All I could do was breathe.

The men moved carefully and placed the sling beneath me, soaking up water so I was comfortable. Everyone, Aimee included, got to a side and was with them chatting the whole time. They lifted me a few inches and moved quickly. In just a few seconds I was out in the water as it soaked through the cloth of the sling. I overheard Aimee and the other woman asking about me, or rather what they presumed was still me.

"So where's your husband? I saw him last night at the CCC and he was really good. Is he around?"

Aimee shrugged, "He's probably down in the town right now. I couldn't find his bike anywhere."

No Aimee, my love, I'm right here! Please don't make me leave, you were right! I need a doctor!

Perhaps a vet would be better.....I guess I am a dolphin. My thoughts were turning hysterical.

I struggled in the water, and Aimee, with the water up to her knees, leaned down by me. "Don't worry, we'll have you back in no time. You're safe with us, we won't hurt you."

Oh, forget that! I know you wouldn't do that Aimee, but you are hurting me! Can't you see it's really your husband Gregory you're talking too? Do you honestly think I'm just a beached dolphin? Help me!

The sling was moved into the water deep enough so that they were all waist deep in the waves. Aimee spoke again, tearing me up inside, "We can't go much farther, or we could get swept out to sea. Go on, swim off."

Swim off, like a good dolphin, I thought miserably. I tried one more time to make Aimee realize it was me. I looked her right in the eyes and thought forcibly. Aimee, it's me! Don't make me leave, I can't swim! This isn't a dolphin, it is really your husband! Please....

It was useless. They pulled the sling out from under me and I floated, suddenly buoyant. They scrambled to get back to the shore to avoid the turbulent waters. They weren't so turbulent to me, but that was because -ulp- I was a dolphin.

So, how do you swim in this thing? I tried to use my flippers to move me, but that didn't get me far enough. With awkward, clumsy thrusts, I thrashed my 'tail' up and down, enough to give off the illusion of swimming. The crowd on the shore was cheering, the five of them shaking hands and looking out to me. Swim off, like a good dolphin.

***

It took me a few minutes, but with enough of the tail thrusts, I was able to make it to Coney Island four hundred meters from the shore of the other island. I desperately wanted answers to what was going on, and didn't want to be too far away from my home. I loitered around the island, breathing through my blowhole.

Those questions would soon be answered. I saw ahead of me a dark figure, oddly familiar, that was moving in closer. In my mix of misery, confusion, and physical pain, I ignored the dolphin as she swam up to me. I avoided her seductive eye as she moved in close, circling around me. After swimming for a few moments, she pressed her bottlenose to my side and began to make a series of noises, which I could understand.

"I guess the transformation didn't change your personality much, you still seem tense."

Not only was I tense, but suddenly frightened! This dolphin could communicate with me, easy as talking! Seeing that she had my attention, the dolphin swam in front of me and gave me a friendly look which I did not acknowledge. "Hello, aren't you happy to see me? I'm happy to see you."

I merely stared at her, my eyes wide. Everything was happening so fast and I couldn't keep up. My expression, so to speak, blared out at her in a collage of anger, puzzlement, and fear. A dolphin expression is based in its eyes and with succeeding or preceding body language, which I'm sure mine was. The dolphin gave me the impression she was giving a sigh. "It's alright, you can speak. Just think hard about what you want to tell me and start to make noise, and it should collaborate." I breathed out of my blowhole, realizing with a twinge of embarrassment that I didn't know how to make any of the noises dolphins make. My 'mate' was patient and merely gave a sort of cetacean laugh, explaining very detailed on how to make the air pass over the certain spots I needed, but you don't need to worry about that.

I did as I was told, making a series of clicks and squeals, practicing with her language. Finally I grasped the secret and began to speak. "H-H-H", stuttering as I forced my emotions backed. The female listened close, probably expecting me to say 'Hello'. "H-H-How could you do this to me?" I eventually sputtered out, catching her by surprise.

"Well, as you may have figured out it was all from the bite-"

"No, I mean how could you do this?" I was growing more aggressive in my communication.

"I knew you wanted answers so I thought that-"

"NO! I mean, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?"

The dolphin looked a bit upset, ultimately answering with " What is the matter? I only did it because I loved you and you loved me."

"I DO love you! I'm IN LOVE with Aimee! I-I can't believe you would do something like this. I not only love Aimee, I love being around her! I love the house, I love the island, I loved the idea of spending my days here with my wife, who right now is four months pregnant with my child. I loved thinking about starting a family, and you come along and I loved you too, then you pulled this off, somehow. Then after a horrible string of events you come here and act like you don't know why I'm not happy?!? I was loved down at the CCC and my future looked high. A future, don't you understand? I HAVE A LIFE!!!!!!!!" My head bent down, and I quietly added , "I had a life."

I was shaking horribly with rage. Dolphins don't cry, but I guess you could say I was when I began to vocalize a string pseudo-whimpers. The dolphin was looking at me with the same look she had the last time I had seen her, and now I knew that it was, in fact, guilt. She drifted closer to my shaking dolphin body, and gently began to rub my with her fin. "I'm so sorry, Gregory. If I would've known, I wouldn't have done it."

I didn't respond. Believe it or not, but her rubbing actually calmed me down. It must've been her grace and inner seductive skill, but I still didn't feel better emotion-wise.

"I know this is hard for you, Gregory, and I can't tell you how bad I feel that I made you have to go through that, but I did have my reasons. I will tell you on our way to my pod."

I looked up at her. This was the dolphin responsible for my strange transformation, for separating me from my wife and home, who up until the time she had bitten me I actually had feelings for her. Now, I was going to spend years with her and her pod? No way.

"I don't want to go with you." I said, very flatly.

Obviously the dolphin was offended and hurt. "Why not?"

"You've caused too much trouble. I just want to be alone."

I tried, rather maladroitly, to swim from her. She was right by me and following. "You should stay with me, though. You have no idea how all of this works, and I want to teach you."

"I'm not your damn calf. Now go away."

She imitated my aggressive behavior, swimming in front of me. What I had just said seriously crossed the line with her, and I was a bit fearful again. "You might as well be! This place is pretty large, and I can bet you anything you don't know a pinch of it. You can barely even move! You know, there are only two things you have to worry about out here; humans and other dolphins. Now, I don't see this 'Aimee' around, but there are other dolphins around here that could harm you, and just so you know I am 'some other dolphin'!"

I realized she was right. I was naïve to the ocean, but when I was human that didn't matter. Now there was no way out of it, it was my large prison. Ashamed, I bent my head down, yielding to the dolphin's obvious superiority. "I'm sorry."

She gently swam close to me and nudged underneath my head. "It's alright," she trilled softly, "let's just get you to the pod. I have many there I want you to meet. My name is Isthia, by the way. Come with me, Gregory."

Isthia turned and started to swim away, but I still wasn't going to go. "I'm staying here then, if I can't go to sea alone." She turned around and looked at me, slightly puzzled.

"Why?"

"I don't trust you."

She didn't grow angry again, to my surprise. She just swam back to me and moved just far enough away so her rostrum was touching mine. "Why? Was it because of what I said earlier?"

I didn't answer, but she knew. The guilt in Isthia's eyes were apparent now, and once again she moved to my side and began to stroke me with her fin. "I'm sorry I said that. Please don't get the wrong impression of me, Gregory. I really do love you and I would never intentionally hurt you."

"You did two nights ago."

"That was different! I could sense you were curious about me, aggressively curious, and I thought that if you wanted to know the answers I would have to show you. Plus, after I had mated with you, I didn't want you to go in case you didn't come back. That sounds dumb, and I admit it. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do. It wasn't until I saw you curl up that I realized I made a mistake."

"Why was it when I curled up?"

"Because I had frightened you! You should've seen how your adrenaline was pumping, I could feel it too. I saw that you looked helpless, that you were afraid of me because you thought I was going to kill you. I knew right then that that was the wrong path to take, so I swam off ashamed of myself and not wanting you to be angry with me. Do you think it was easy for me when you didn't show up the next morning? I felt horrible...I had three possible scenarios of what could've happened to you. One was you were angry with what I had done and refused to see me. The second one was you were to afraid I would hurt you again, and I want you to be able to trust me. The third was that the infection-yes, what happened was from an infection-had harmed you and you were either sick or dying. Please Gregory, don't say things like that. I will never ask anything of you except your love, trust, and respect. Once I have those, I will make sure they are never damaged."

Isthia was right again, and somewhat sad. I met my rostrum with hers and began to nuzzle her. "Don't worry, dear Isthia, you have my love, respect, and now my trust. I never realized what you had to go through while I was gone. If I would've known, I would've come to see you instead of going into town. I knew you wouldn't have brought up any mating things because you are intelligent enough to know Aimee would've been mad. I could've thought what I'm saying know, and you would be able to understand it."

She looked confused again. "What do you mean?"

"You know, you're mind reading ability."

"Mind reading? I wish! No, I can't read minds."

Huh? "But you seemed to be able to when I was at the beach with Aimee, and that night."

"No, we're just more sensitive to your inner emotions. It's almost like what you humans call an aura. Not all dolphins have this ability, but many of us do."

"Did you at least understand what I was saying to you?"

"Not really. I understood the general meanings of what you and your wife were saying, but I didn't understand the words."

We continued to nuzzle each other, until Isthia decided to go to the pod.

"Good idea. Oh, wait...." I paused, looking rather ashamed, "Um, could you teach me how to swim?"

***

The swimming lesson had gone smoothly. Though I struggled with it, Isthia's tone (intensity of sounds) never rose above average, and she didn't seem to be losing her temper. If I made a mistake, she would laugh (so to speak) politely and try it again.

Now we were swimming out to sea. Isthia was close at my side keeping my pace and making sure I was swimming right. It's amazing how fast you can go when you're a dolphin! In a few powerful thrusts of my tail, Coney Island was now a bit of a blotch of in distance behind us (we were heading south-west). The journey at this point was quiet but with the long travel ahead of us, about two hours, I decided to make a conversation.

"So, Isthia. How did this happen?"

She moved her side eye my way. At this distance I could easily see the scars and cuts she had endured over her life. "What do you mean?"

"You know, how you bit me in my foot and I turned into a dolphin. How did that happen? I know it was from some sort of infection, but does that make me a were-dolphin?"

With a gleeful chattering noise, much like a giggle, Isthia responded. "a WHAT?"

"Well, up on the land we have certain myths about these big, menacing creatures called werewolves. Supposedly, if you get attacked by one and survive, the next full moon you grow fur and change your body form, running around on all fours looking for blood."

She was getting a real kick out of this. I would be too, if I wasn't so scared of werewolves. " Searching for blood? That sounds more like a shark with us." Her head moved to the side so she could look up, then continued, "and I don't see any full moon. I doubt you've become a were-whatever."

"Then what did happen to me, Isthia?"

She went up to get a breath. I followed, realizing this might be a long story.

"Well, Gregory, none of us really know. All we know is it's gotten us in trouble before. You know how when you humans are scared, you produce a chemical called 'adrenaline?'"

I nodded my snout, amazed at how she knew about that.

"It's like that with us, except we never really get scared. Our next big emotion is love, or in some cases, lust. When we mate and it's not just for fun or procreation, it's to show love. We dolphins are already affectionate creatures, but when we really get into affection, we begin to release another chemical. The only problem is that we don't know that we have it running through our blood and flesh. We don't create saliva because we don't need to dissolve food like you do, but for some reason this chemical is in our mouths when we make it. If we are to bite something and come in contact with it's blood, we infect the creature and it eventually becomes one of us. Fortunately, and I don't know how, but this only works if you bite the one you just mated with. If I were to go eat a fish while this chemical was in me, it would have no affect on the fish since I didn't mate with it, and for the most point it'll be dead."

She turned to look at me, a happy look in her eyes. "This only happened because I love you, and we had just mated. Might I add, that was really great! I've never mated with a human before, and I was about to stop because I thought I would've hurt you."

I turned to her too. "Well, I'd never mated with a dolphin. To be frank, that was the first time I had actually touched one. Thanks for being precautious, though, I was a little scared myself. I felt a bit like Captain Ahab right next to Moby Dick."

Isthia was confused. I just told her it was a long story and left it at that.

We swam a bit more in silence. My mate sure did have the ability to lighten the mood. When I had first seen her I was hysterical and confused. Now I was calm and much more happier. I thought to myself, maybe this won't be so bad. I might actually enjoy living with some of the dolphins.

Then I recalled one of the questions I had wanted to ask her. "Another thing, too," She looked my way, "why were you so interested in Aimee and I when you saw us on the beach?"

She went up for another breath, then came back down looking my way. "It's because I like humans. I've always been interested in what you do while you're on the land. There is a huge amount of difference in appearance, but other than that we're almost exactly alike. You're the smartest of the land, we're the smartest of the sea. I know that you humans find us interesting too, because I usually see you in some sort of shell diving into the water." Isthia nabbed a fish with her powerful jaws and nonchalantly swallowed it, all the while I looked on in surprise. She continued on.

"I can't tell you how much I want one of those, those 'shells' you use. You humans have the advantage, you know? Even without the shells you can mostly swim around with us, though we're faster and don't have to rise so often. If we try to get into your world-" she broke off for a second, "We die. Our bodies dry out. That doesn't matter though, as long as we can interact in some way. Just like when I see a boat full of people and they all dive in, I like to swim with them. I can see their behaviors, how they react, and they seem to enjoy us when we get close. Tell me one thing, though , are humans afraid of us? Most of the time if I get too close I can sense fear in the human, but I wouldn't hurt them."

She looked to me for an answer, but I was silent in thought. Personally, she was asking the wrong person-er, dolphin-because I wasn't sure. "Well, up on land we see you dolphins differently. In almost every Oceanside store, there is a dolphin decal. We see you as peaceful animals, and with the usual size much smaller. Mainly we're just surprised at how big you really are, and with how peaceful you seem to us we get the feeling that you're not."

Isthia seemed to understand. "I suppose everyone thinks we're all exactly the same, right?"

"Yes, actually. On land, we have a popular icon named 'Flipper', a dolphin from long ago. This dolphin was friendly and extremely helpful, not to mention almost comfortable with all humans. No one knew that the acting dolphin was a domesticated one."

"You still call those dolphins?"

"Yes, what do you call them?"

Isthia bowed her head. "A disgrace. Forgive me Gregory, I really do like humans but I think its wrong of them to keep one of us locked up in a small pen for our entire lives. I know it's not your fault, but it really makes me upset."

I rubbed my rostrum against her, "I know you do. I never thought much of it until I realized how much space you take up when swimming comfortably." She pressed her rostrum to mine, both of us occasionally rubbing the other's. "After that," I continued, "There was a swarm of dolphin related material. There were paintings and pictures, all showing that you seemed to be harmonious beings of the water. Its only when we're up close that we realize that each dolphin has its own personality. They're not these ocean dwelling mammals we figure are out there to entertain us, they're living creatures with minds of their own."

I let her take this all in, swimming silently next to her. "So, humans think of us as smaller, identical sea mammals? With a friendly attitude and loveable personality? Interesting...."

"You must understand, though, the 'Flipper' phase wasn't just the reason. There have always been stories, back from the earliest dated records, of dolphins helping humans. We hear of how you save surfers and swimmers from sharks, how people who have fallen overboard from a ship ride on one of you until they reach the mainland. Not only that, fisherman are occasionally helped by a pod that round up fish and drive them into the net, which we give a percent of to for helping. Why is it that dolphins seem so eager to help humans, even though we do bad things to you?"

"It's because until a human does something bad to us, we respect them." Isthia said, rather assertively, "We all know that not every single human is responsible for what is going on in the world. It's obvious to us that there are people out there who really care for us, who are trying to stop all of this. A dolphin, when it meets a human, will most likely be curious. It all has to do with luck. If the human they meet is good at heart and we can sense they respect us, that dolphin will turn out good and will help people until something breaks their trust. Once the trust is broken, it takes the dolphin a long time before it will regain it. If a beached dolphin is saved, I can guarantee you that it will respect humans no matter what. I'm sure the same goes for your species."

"Yeah, it does."

I couldn't believe it. There I was, your down-to-Earth narrator, who had just had his Earth turned upside down. This was quite a revelation! Humans can guess and guess at why the dolphins help us, but that's just it! Animals that fear us on instinct are inferior in intelligence. The dolphins know that like them, we have individual personalities and that grouping us together as 'bad' just isn't their nature.

It doesn't matter how much you tell yourself that you love dolphins. You have no idea how they work until you hear it from them. If you pay attention, they will help you to know. Once you understand them, that's when you can start to really love them. And that's how it was for me.

I moved closer to Isthia so our bodies were touching. By now we were coasting through the water on the energy we had built up. Our tails, now no longer in use, wrapped around the others. Isthia's under mine, mine over Isthia's. This allowed us to get much closer than before, same as our bond.

***

We continued to swim on through the Gulf, quietly for the most part except for the long answers we made to each other about our species differences. The bulk of it was what I have just told you, and I feel that is most important. I recall we also talked about our earlier lives, and I spent a great deal of time explaining to Isthia about the area I lived in.

"You mean to tell me," She made her mock-giggle noise again, something I found rather eerie but silly, "that where you lived there wasn't ANY water?"

"Except for the water that filled our sinks and bathtubs, no. We had water parks and pools, but I never went to those."

"Why not? Wouldn't you get tired of being hot and dry?"

"I was used to it. I had lived like this my entire life. Sure, I drank water and I always showered, but I never thought of jumping into it as 'pleasant'. Since I was born a land mammal, why would I want to try going into the water? That's why I didn't want to get very far into the sea when I was with you that one night."

"Is that also why you seemed so irritated that you couldn't get that paper, too? You couldn't swim?"

"Exactly. But besides that, the water in the area could've sucked me out to sea, and I would've drowned."

Isthia pressed herself against me, "You wouldn't have drowned. I was there with you. I would've brought you back if you were pulled away from the shore."

"I didn't know that then. Actually, when I first saw you that time, I thought you were going to mess the paper up. That's why I seemed so irritated, but I'm sorry about that now."

She nodded, "I knew the paper was valuable to you. When I saw that you were angry at yourself because you couldn't reach it and not at me, I decided to help you. Then you helped me."

I remembered that now. I had pushed her back into the water when she had gotten stuck, but there had been other things on my mind so I didn't think much of it. No wonder she seemed so attached to me at the time. Still, I didn't want to think about how casual I had been when she was near death.

"I can say this now, since you can understand me, thank you so much for helping me get my paper back."

Isthia looked at me and her dark eyes glistened. Something told me that was all she really wanted to hear.

***

It was nearly one and a half hours before I lost my patience and asked Isthia where we were going.

"We're going to an island off the coast of Texas. Maybe you'll recognize it when we get there."

I didn't, seeing as I never went that far south, but I know now from seeing a sign that it was South Padre.

The trip was calm up until we meet up with trouble. Isthia didn't have to fear anything but humans and other dolphins, but she had forgotten the other thing that for me was the worst: sharks.

There were three of them, but you shouldn't ask me. Isthia spotted them long before I did.

We were swimming through the clear Gulf water when she abruptly stopped me. As I waited behind her, she moved forward and started to scan the waters. She moved back to me with wide eyes. "Just what I thought. Gregory, you know how I said I was going to teach you about being a dolphin? Well, this is the first lesson, sorry it's so unexpected. If you watch carefully and remember all you see, I can teach you the offensive part verbally when we reach the other island."

I was about to ask what was going on, but she was a few paces ahead. "Sharks, three of them. I think they knew we were here before we knew about them. They're only half full, so we're in some luck. This is the plan: we're going to sit still and quiet and hope they pass by. Then, when I start to swim around you, stay as still as you possibly can. But when I stop and go one way, go the other and don't look back. If there is a shark on your tail, whistle for me and I'll come after it. If you see a shark, swim out of it's way. This might be hard since you don't know how to use your echolocation, but you've got to trust me on this one."

I looked at her in horror. "Don't worry, dear Gregory," she softly trilled, brushing me with her fin, "I can get you out of this one. I'll keep you safe."

I had a feeling something bad was going to happen, but I had told Isthia that she had my trust and if she did end up losing the battle, I wouldn't want to remember me breaking my promise. So, I put all of my trust in her and we waited.

Sure enough, three dark figures emerged from the distance. They looked a lot like us, except rougher and less streamlined. Both my mate and I sat quietly, having taken a breath earlier, and watched the three figures. Soon they were close enough to see clearly: sharp points along each curve, a gravely gray body color, and the tiny black eyes above long rows of killer teeth. At first, it looked like they would pass us, until Isthia scanned them one more time and realized they were in attack mode. They knew we were there and that we looked like a good meal. Quickly, Isthia swam around me in a tight protective circle.

I was horrified at not only how much danger both of us were in, but how Isthia's once graceful and seductive attitude had suddenly turned aggressive and powerful. I know that she intended this to be to the sharks and not me, but this did creep me out a bit.

Suddenly, as she rounded me, she sped forward and head butted the nearest shark. Remembering what she had told me, I swam off in the other direction as quick as I could. There was plenty more water resistance at this speed, pressing my melon painfully. After speeding off I turned around to see if there were any sharks after me.

Nope. They were all surrounding Isthia. She battered at one while at the same time hitting another with her tail. She tried to swim out of the tangled mass of the sharks, but she was outnumbered. Finally she used a surprise attack and dove downward, escaping from a bite that instead went to another shark. The wounded shark had been bitten on one set of gills, blood flowing from the other one. The blood of the shark drew it's dimwitted brethren away from Isthia, and immediately the sharks went after the wounded one. Isthia, now obviously fearful, swam my way and came close to me. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I made it out in time. How about you?"

Isthia was shaking slightly, but she otherwise looked like her normal self, "I think I made it out okay too."

The two remaining sharks, finally remembering who they were out to get in the first place, began to swim our way.

"I guess we're going to have to do this again. Remember, swim off when I attack them."

She began to swim around me again, tightly, her eyes aimed toward the advancing sharks as if to say 'If you want him, you'll have to get through me first'. Next thing I knew, Isthia had head butted another shark and I was swimming away. I looked one way and saw that Isthia was only attacking one shark. Where was the other one?

Right on my tail! Should I keep swimming and hope for the best, or should I call for Isthia? Then I remembered she said to trust her, and I knew I had to. I whistled in a high pitched tone, and almost instantly after that, a silver streak cut through the water like a torpedo, and rammed into the shark. Isthia battered the brute hard, butting it with her head and smacking it with her tail. I looked back to where the other shark was and saw it was upside down, unconscious and most likely suffocating. I turned my attention back to Isthia, who was about to tail-slap the shark when it bit her on the flank. Blood flowed from her side and she whistled in pain as the shark ripped through her flesh. Isthia's agility dropped in intensity, and she stopped moving. It looked like my bad feelings had come true.

With a second wind, Isthia shook herself loose from the jaws of the shark, moved back and scanned it with her echolocation. Keeping on the target, she thrust her tail as hard as she could and slammed right into the shark's underside. The shark vomited up blood and everything else before sinking. Isthia had won, but she wasn't moving.

I was paralyzed. She had fought off three sharks for me, and it looked like now she was dying. A great amount of blood was flowing from the shark bite, darkening the water around her. In a hurry, I swam up to her and saw that her eyes and blowhole were closed. She was barely floating.

As if it would help, I began to nudge her all over her body, silently pleading with her to be fine. I had no idea where I was, and I didn't know any other crucial things to being a dolphin besides swimming and communicating. Not only that, but she was my mate and I couldn't live without her.

Suddenly she snapped back from her daze. Her eyes were open now, wide open, and she moved upwards to the surface to breathe. I waited below, many feet away from the blood, as she got a good breath and then she came back down.

"Are you okay? Did a shark get you?"

I was so stunned I stammered a bit. "Y-You're hurt."

"Yeah, it does hurt, but I'll be alright. Will you be?"

"...Uh huh, I'm not hurt." I stared at the gash in horror/guilt.

"Don't worry about it. I've had worse, you know."

She turned over on her side, her dorsal fin facing me. Behind her dorsal fin was a circular patch of white, about the size of platter dish. I moved my rostrum close to the scar and began to rub it, a gesture saying that I was sorry to see that.

"You took a bite just to save my life. There must be something I can do to make it up to you."

Isthia turned herself back over, looking me in the eyes with a serious yet cheery look. "You don't have to do anything, Gregory. Like I said before, all I will ever ask of you is your trust, respect, and love. Once I have those, I will make sure they stay strong. Besides, you are my mate and another dolphin, and this is what we do for each other."

She was right again. I moved my rostrum close to hers and pressed against it. Isthia licked the tip of my snout and gave her usual dolphin grin. I grinned back too, and I began to stroke her with my pectoral fin. Her eyes lidded halfway and she drifted more my way, turning on her side. I used my snout to rub down her unwounded side. Isthia then started to swim, slowly and with a bit of a 'limp', around me. She would swim halfway around me until she reached my tail, then would press the underside of her head onto my body and swim down my length, rubbing her entire self against me. I did the same for her, and we would swim in opposite spinning circles, rubbing against each other with each pass.

Two minutes had passed. Isthia's wound was healing, the blood had disappeared, and both of us were in bliss. After the rubbing we had gone back up for air. As we sat at the surface, the hot southern sun warming up our capes, our rostrums were touching. Finally, I spoke.

"Do you think we should move on?"

"Not yet. I'm still a little tired. And I'm enjoying this."

"Take as long as you want, my love."

I wasn't in a hurry. It didn't matter if I reached the pod or not, Isthia was all I needed for now. She knew about the key points of being a dolphin and was very willing to teach me. Plus, she was my mate and was ready to spread her affection. Not only that, though, after seeing her fight those sharks I knew she could keep me safe.

***

Isthia regained her strength after another half hour. The whole time was spent with us caressing each other.

Her bite had covered over but she still mentioned of a slight pain. Lucky for me when we swam I was on the other side of her. The wound only reminded me of how close I had came to losing her. It left a damper knowing that her gorgeous body would now be scarred from trying to save my life. Isthia told me, though, that she would be alright and she would've taken even more bites if it meant me surviving to caress her afterwards. I told her it was a deal.

The attack had slowed our trip down a few minutes, leaving me to start a conversation. "Isthia, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, ask away."

"I just wanted to know if dolphins really knew about age. Do you keep track of age like how humans do?"

Isthia thought for a second. "Some of us do, but it's more of an estimate. If you have older family members or friends then it's easier to say. Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know how long I would be able to be here with you. I need to know if there's a chance I might not have a long time to be with you."

She looked to me with slight concern, "You're worried about that already?"

I gave a sort of nod with my head.

"You shouldn't be. I won't be leaving anywhere soon. Besides, I think you'd enjoy your time more if you thought more of the present."

"I know, you're right, but just seeing you fight off those sharks really made me aware how you might not always be here."

Isthia still seemed concerned but understood my point, "That's why you should live like I might not always be here. Everything living has a set time to end their life but they don't know when it is. Some seem content to wait around fearful of the inevitable and wanting to know when it will come. But when it does their curiosity is sated but their life ends. It's like they were just put here to wonder when the end would be here and never got a chance to live. I think my set time isn't in the near future, but you can't be sure. Right at this very second I could get caught in a driftnet and die. I could be sliced by a boat propeller tomorrow. Or maybe I will live a long, long time before my body gets sick of it all and decides to stop with it. The only problem is I have no idea when it will be. I'm scared of it ending soon, but not because I'm afraid of death. I know I can't stop it. The problem is that I have friends, family," she turned to me, "and a mate who I love with all of my heart, and I am scared of leaving them. When someone loses another who was close to them, they think about what things the two didn't accomplish, how they will never again hear their signature whistle come from their own blowhole or feel the touch of a flipper that they had grown accustomed to," it surprised me how she had used accurate human words but used dolphin lingo in this part of the speech, "But that's not just it. The other party can't feel the same because they no longer have feeling, but do they really get the up side? I can bet that the deceased feel, if they could, remorse that they had just left all of their loved ones at such a good time. Nobody expected it so their life was taken for granted. The living can go on living but the dead are dead. The one who died can't get over the fact they are dead because now they don't have any other alternative to distract them from the big picture. A dolphin will get new friends, new mates, and family isn't as important, but what do the dead have? Nothing. They try to contact the living but the planes are too far apart and they end up fading over time and grow forgotten from the hearts and minds of their living loved ones. They still exist there but no where else, and when they get pushed to the back of the host's mind, all they can do is watch silently and wistfully want to be there.

"I know it's a damper to think about it, but what can you do? Do the dead really die off? We can't decide now, so why worry? We need to cherish what we have when we have it. When the thing disappears, then we can think about how we had lost them, but why think about losing them while we still have them?"

Whoa. She was right, that was a real downer. It made me hate the fact that I was going to die eventually. What was even worse was that Isthia wanted me to feel the exact opposite. I bowed my head low with wide eyes, fearful and saddened.

"It's alright, Gregory. I hate the fact too but it's inevitable. If it was up to me I would let you and me live together for as long as we want." She turned to me again and our eyes met. I saw what she was saying. She had answered my question for the most part, the hidden question, but still needed to answer my original one.

"So, Isthia, do you know how old you are?"

She thought a bit again. "I would guess around thirteen or fourteen . It was a few years ago that I matured from a juvenile, but there are many who still call me a young one."

This was good. Female dolphins had an average life span of forty years in the wild. Males were significantly less, with a life expectancy of about thirty years. "How old do you think I would be, as a dolphin?"

"That depends on how old you were as a human."

"I was 24, 25 in five months."

Isthia went into another thinking round. When she did these 'secessions', you could almost feel her brain radiating waves.

"I'd guess about twelve. Don't humans mature at 18 years?"

"That's the technical was of saying it. I know people who are over 30 and still haven't matured."

Isthia looked smugly at me, "On second thought, maybe you're more around five or six"

"Hey, I am not!" I looked at her, at first angry before I sensed her playful atmosphere.

"You're right. Maybe you're a three?"

I playfully nipped at her flipper. Seeing as I was the weaker one, though, I obviously missed as Isthia barrel rolled to the side like a fighter plane. She spun around and nipped my tail. This spontaneous game lasted a good three minutes before the pain slowed Isthia down and she forfeited. I still think she was lying, that she was just using her pain to get rubbed by me. Every time she mentioned pain I always felt sad and rubbed her, something that she loved immensely. It didn't seem to change from when she enjoyed my touch as a human, something she wasn't used to. Isthia just loved contact, casual, affectionate, or sexual.

***

We had just barely reached South Padre Island when we ran into another pod. I was frightened until Isthia called out her name, her signature whistle, to identify herself. The pod of dolphins, I noticed, were almost all females. There were only two males out of the five dolphins, all of them somehow related to Isthia by blood or word. Like her, they were all bottlenose dolphins with a light silver hue along their bodies. Unlike her, though, they weren't as scarred, not even the males. Since most of them were related to Isthia (I figured the males were the mates of some of the females) they looked a lot like her, but she was still the only gorgeous one.

One of the females, the one who resembled Isthia the best, swam forward and rubbed her rostrum. "We've missed you, Isthia. It's been a while, long past your intended return date!"

"Sorry Mother," Isthia trilled, "I didn't mean to be gone for so long. I found something at the island that caught my attention."

"You mean humans, don't you Isthia?"

She looked a tad nervous. "Yes...but they were different. They were as interested in me as I was with them." It dawned on me she was talking about Aimee and I.

The dolphin, Isthia's mother, gave a sort of sigh. "Regardless, we're happy to have you back."

The older male, the oldest period, swam to the side of Isthia's mother. "Yes, we were worried you had met up with some sharks again." He eyed her new bite and I saw his eyes deepen. "Oh. How many were there?"

"Just three, and I killed them all. Sure, the bite hurts a bit but I can still swim."

It was at that point the large male noticed me, and turned his head sideways to get a look at me through one eye, seeing as we were close. "Who is this? I don't think I've seen him around before. Is this the 'something' that caught you're attention?"

Weird, I didn't know who was right: him or Isthia. Well, in a way they both were!

Isthia struggled for an answer. "Yes, I found him by the island. He was disorientated and I guess lost."

The male moved closer to me. He wasn't acting menacing but I couldn't help but feel uneasy. "Do you remember you're signature whistle? Do you even remember anything?"

Something told me not to mention anything about the transformation. I would have to come up with a convincing story, and FAST!

"Uh, a little bit. All I remember was meeting up with Isthia outside of the island. I was feeling weak so she helped feed me. I don't remember my signature whistle though."

I glanced at Isthia and by the look in her eyes I knew I was on the right path. "I just remember I was with my family. We were all feeding behind a big boat when it suddenly dropped something into the water." The dolphins did have names for nets and I knew it, but I only made it seem like I was dazed. "We saw that there were plenty of fish in there, which my mother, father, and sister went after. I saw one lone fish dart out from the school, and I chased after it. Once I had caught it, I started to swim back to my family. To my horror, they were in with the fish school and I couldn't get out of the thing hanging over the boat. I swam to them but instead I slammed into something that cut my flesh. It was rough and I started to bleed. That didn't stop me, though. I had to save my family! I began to gnaw at the things that had cut me and battered against it, my family shrinking into the middle of the squirming school of fish. I had destroyed only a small portion of the thing before it sucked back up into the air, my family with them. I still can hear them whistling out to me not to stop, to try to get them out. It was useless, and I didn't see them again. So I floated around for a few days and didn't eat. I was too sad that my family was gone, and upset with myself that I didn't make it in time, that I had gone after that lone fish and not into the school. I met Isthia, who had seen me in my condition, and she told me to wait. She came back carrying two fish, both of which she gave to me. I told her my story and she took pity in me. She told me I could go with her back to her pod. I was so grateful for all that she had done that we mated. One the way over here, we grew to be mates." I gave Isthia a convincing rub with my beak, which she returned.

The large male seemed convinced but not quite willing to accept me as one of them. He paced in front of us, his brain radiating energy we could sense.

"Isthia, you do know about the rules, right? We can't just accept any dolphin into our pod at any occasion. But, seeing as he is your mate, I suppose we can make an exception."

Isthia seemed relieved and ecstatic. She swam around me in circles, rubbing herself against me in a playful manner. Occasionally as she passed me I would nibble her fin or bump her side. Immediately her enthusiasm settled down and she rested down next to me, our bodies touching.

"Then it's settled. Welcome to the pod. If you do not remember you're signature whistle, would you like a new one?"

I thought for a minute before whistling out the words 'lone fish'. Since the pronunciation was different I'm still going to be referred to as 'Gregory' so not to cause confusion.

"Welcome to the pod, Gregory. My name is Otis, and I am the alpha male. With me are..." He went on to name the females, who I don't remember their names. All I remember was that it was Isthia's mother, her Aunt, and Cousin. "And he-" Otis clicked, motioning to the other male, "is Deryl. He is my son, and will be taking over as the alpha male when I die."

Deryl, unlike Otis, did not seem happy to have me. "Dad, are you serious? If we let him in, then we're going to have to let all of the other strays in. That violates the rule!"

Otis looked to Deryl with a casual glance. "I am the alpha male. Who says we need to follow that rule?"

"But, Dad!"

"Isthia, have you and Gregory eaten yet? You should get as much as you can, the food is scarce" Otis cooed, casually ignoring his son.

Isthia, slightly tipped over and pressing against me, replied "I think we'll be fine for now."

Otis nodded his head and squawked that the pod should feed.

Deryl looked back to me with an unwelcoming stare. "Welcome to the pod, stray." He turned to go feed.

This wasn't going to be good, not with him around! I didn't pay attention though, I turned all of that to rubbing against Isthia. She whirred and clicked in delight.

***

"How is Otis related to you, Isthia?" I asked her, as we swam around lazily.

"He's my mother's new mate. My real father left a few years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She shook her bottlenose. "Don't be. Like I said before, family isn't as important. I hope you know, Gregory, that a dolphin calf is only raised by the mother. That is the normal way, at least. Usually a male will leave his mate after she gives birth. And the male calves will most likely leave their mother while the female calves stay behind. That's why our pod is mostly females. Otis meet my mother, and like you and me they had a higher love than just being average mates. They wanted to stay together for as long as possible."

I began to gently nibble Isthia's side. "Well, I promise you that if you do give birth, I will still stay with you. I don't want to have to leave. I love you too much."

"I love you too, Gregory. I didn't want you to leave either, but I figured after a while nature would get to you and you would become another one of the male dolphins. But we both know better than that." She licked my beak. "Don't we?"

"We sure do, my love."

So, I guess that Isthia has two forms of kissing. Maybe all dolphins do. The rubbing of the beaks can be a sign of friendship, belonging, or a casual greeting. I figured that when one dolphin would lick the other's rostrum, it was a sign of affection or love. So, I returned the 'kiss'.

"If Otis is your new father, that makes Deryl your brother, right?"

Isthia gave a form of a cringe. "I wish it wasn't right, but yes. I really don't like him but I do respect him, merely because he's one of the pod. I'm glad I have you now."

We swam silently, mostly in big circles, for a few more minutes. "You were talking about the things you were going to teach me, about being a dolphin. When does the next one start?"

Isthia grinned to me. "Right now. Come on!"

***

She was fast! I guess she was in a hurry to get me to where she was going to teach me.

"Where are we going?" I was almost out of breath! I had to resurface nearly ever twenty seconds.

"Gregory, when you were swimming off from the sharks, I was impressed by you speed, even though your body and muscles were relatively new. I can teach you everything else, but first we have to work on your speed and agility, it ties in with the rest of the lessons. I want what's best for you, but I'm not that fast compared to others. I know someone who is, though."

I could hear Isthia scan the water, occasionally turning another way with me trailing behind her. If she's slow I must really be sluggish!

After some time, Isthia stopped scanning and let out her signature whistle. This was answered by another whistle, that was faint in the distance.

"You knew where this other dolphin was? How?"

"It's from your echolocation. Don't worry, I'll teach you."

The dolphin began to swim up to us. As she approached, I realized that this dolphin was part of the pod, since she looked much like a younger version of Isthia. "Hi Sis, I'm glad you're back!" She was probably nine or ten, obviously a mature female dolphin.

Isthia and her sister greet-rubbed each other. Isthia turned back to me. "This is Gregory. I found him back at the other island. Otis let him become part of the pod because he's my new mate!"

"That's great!" She moved close to me and rubbed her beak against mine. "I'm Spinner, Isthia's younger sister. I'm surprised Otis let you in, but then again he's not one to follow rules exactly."

Like humans, dolphins have a distinct personality that show on them. All dolphins have that usual grin, but like Deryl they can still seem menacing with it. Spinner seemed to have an outgoing and friendly personality, a good contrast from her brother.

"Spinner," Isthia clicked, grabbing her sister's attention, "Gregory was is bad shape when I found him. He doesn't remember much, just about how he was orphaned." Did she just wink? "He didn't even know how to swim very well when I found him. He needs to be rehabilitated, maybe even improved, from his original state. You're the fastest of the pod, so could you teach him about agility and speed?"

Spinner looked back to me. "What's wrong? Didn't you get an instinct on how to use you're instincts?" I looked at her a bit defensively. She began to rub me again, now with a calmer attitude. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. I don't know what you had to go through that would make you forget how to swim, but I wasn't trying to be rude. I was just being friendly, that's all. Sure, I'll teach him."

We lined up side by side. Spinner began to explain the lesson. "Now, you see that rock over there, Gregory? First off, I want to see what you can do. Swim to it, around, and then come back here. Try to go as fast as you can but not enough to break a flipper!" She uttered the twittering giggle similar to Isthia's, "It's fine though. Even at how fast I swim I still haven't had that happen."

So, I did what she wanted. As I rounded back, Spinner's mood had changed and now she seemed serious. I tried not to be offended since that obviously wasn't Spinner's intended feeling, but it was hard. Was I really that bad?

"Well, you do remind me of my sister a bit!" She dodged Isthia who playfully tried to nibble her flukes. "I have another plan. This time, I'll come with you, and try your best to replicate my moves."

Take two: It was much better than the first. Isthia told me that she would go off to feed, to just follow what Spinner teaches me because she knew what she was doing. We lined up and she gave the signal to go. First she started out slow, but then without warning switched to max mode. She shot off like a torpedo (literally looking like one), leaving me in her wake. As I struggled I began to get a little annoyed, wishing that I was as fast as she was.

Almost immediately, like shifting to a second gear, my tail began to pump faster and efficiently, exerting more force with each movement. As hard as it was, I was able to catch up with Spinner. I approached into her view, and her mood changed to cocky. "You learn quick! Let's see if you are, though." She darted in front of me, causing me to crash head-on into her flank. I was more hurt then she was and had to gather my bearings while Spinner waited, trying hard not to utter her inherited giggle.

"Sorry about that," I clicked, "I guess I wasn't watching."

Spinner rubbed my melon where I had run into her. "Don't worry about it. I'm surprised you've also forgot how to echolocate, but at least you're trying. Too bad, though. Echolocation is a huge factor when it comes to agility."

So, we started again. I put my distance between her so if she did try to change directions on me again, I'd have more reaction time. At the same chaotic speed we were going before, Spinner began to zigzag in different directions. On the first few times I goofed, but after a bit I was right by her, changing directions in time.

From out of the side of my eye I saw Spinner's head dart upwards, and she had disappeared! I didn't realize she had breached until she landed, continuing to fall downwards in what looked like a wormhole of bubbles. She moved back to my side and gave motion she was going to try again. "Just keep the same speed and abruptly turn your body upwards on the upstroke of your tail. When you down stroke it should send you up."

Like everything else, I was no natural at breaching. The first try resulted with me turning myself completely upside-down when I tried to turn upwards. Spinner landed and came to my aid, flipping me over with her beak. "No time to take a nap, Gregory, we've got work to do!" She must've been getting a REAL kick out of this!

My second try was great! I was swimming with Spinner when I made the motion of going to get air, that is moving forward and upward around the same time so one could breathe and go on swimming without missing a beat. As I did so, I felt my tail going into a downbeat and rotated myself on my center of gravity. As my tail shot down, I shot up. I managed to get out of the water but belly flopped back down milliseconds after breaching.

My third try was successful. I followed the lining up steps, but at the last second I pumped extra energy into my flukes. With a sudden rush of air I was out of the water, a good ten feet to be exact! Spinner was right by my side, and I followed her moves as she pressed her tail up and dipped her body downwards to straighten herself out. We exchanged glances, Spinner's saying something like "Wheeee!". We hung motionless in the air as gravity pulled us, giving us zero G's for a split second. It was like floating in space! I was out of my usual realm and could see my home in it's entirety below me. "Quick! Turn yourself at an angle!"

I did so and we fell back to the water, yielding to the force of gravity.

Both of us emerged from our 'bubble wormholes', and instantly Spinner was in front of me, rubbing me with her eyes elated .

"Oh, Gregory! I'm so proud of you! You're such a quick learner!"

I was still shocked by what an amazing experience breaching was, but somehow I was able to trill out "Thank you."

Spinner let me practice for a while before we raced. Spinner won, of course, but even with her speed advantage she seemed concerned. "Are you all right?"

Now that I thought about it: No, I wasn't. How long had it been since I had eaten? And by the feel of it, I didn't have any excess blubber that my body could feed off of. I was wasting away!

"I don't think so. I'm awfully hungry, and I've forgotten how to fish."

Luckily, before Spinner could reply, Isthia swam up from nowhere, looking healthier and noticeably chipper.

"I saw you breaching, Gregory. I'm amazed at how-" She struggled a bit, "quickly everything is returning to you." She swam forward and licked me on the melon. It became apparent she knew something was wrong with me. As she motioned for me to swim with her, she turned back to Spinner, who sat looking confused. "Thank you for helping him, Spinner. We both are in your debt." Isthia swam off in a hurry, and despite my training I still had a problem keeping up with her. I had the feeling that this whole 'lone fish' routine had to be kept with every dolphin, even Spinner.

We stopped when Spinner was far off, and I could tell that she was worried. "Gregory, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that you haven't eaten yet! Did you even eat while you were human?"

I weakly shook no, "All I had was some fish the day after the bite. I didn't finish much."

"I should've known. I bet that all of the fast swimming made you lose energy. I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll be able to fish yet. Swimming that fast is part of fishing, but I can't teach you anymore if you're in this shape! If you wait here, I'll be back with some fish to hold you over, alright?"

I agreed, and after rubbing my snout Isthia was off.

Isthia returned minutes later carrying, with difficulty, three medium sized fish. As she came closer I noticed that none of them were ripped, reminding me of how she saved my paper. She stopped in front of me and opened her jaws, allowing the dead fish to float around. Funny, during my last encounter with a fish my growing dolphin mind rejected the idea that this was food. Now, my human mind refused to call this food. However, because Isthia had caught them just to help me, and I didn't want to offend her, I cautiously grabbed a fish corpse and tried to nibble on it. "You just swallow it, no need to chew." Isthia whistled, happy that I was eating.

I opened my jaws wide and the cold, smooth fish body slid down my throat. It was good! I had no idea dolphins had a sense of taste, if that's how you want to put it. While humans place things as 'sweet', 'sour', 'salty', 'tender', etc., the dolphins classified food as 'fleshy' or 'filling'. If the fish was filling, we made sure to hunt after it from then on. I gratefully swallowed the second fish and, feeling much better, swallowed the third fish. I moved to Isthia and began to rub her down, making my point across that I was appreciative of the gift. She half lidded her eyes and accepted my caress, turning in the current that allowed me to stroke her gorgeous body all over. In a surprise move, I began to lick her side, tensing Isthia up even more. I moved from her side and down to her flukes, licking and rubbing her rubbery flesh. Then I moved back upwards and repeated the process. When I got to Isthia's head, I saw her deep black eye stare up at me, shadowing her once seductive gaze with that of pure love. "You have no idea how much I want to teach you your next lesson."

I stopped and looked at her for a second, then went back to rubbing her. "Oh? And what lesson is that?"

"Well, I had originally planned to show you how to fish, but" she moved her head up and licked the tip of my snout, "I had enjoyed last time so much that I thought I should show you soon."

I stopped again. I knew that Isthia was talking about sex, but why was this a lesson? "Didn't I do good when I was human? Am I just an amateur? Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, of course not, Gregory!" She turned herself upright and looked at me. "I loved that. It was something I had never experienced before, and it felt amazing! No, I'm not just saying that, I mean it. It's just that sex works differently down here, and I want you to know what you're doing so you don't get any surprises."

There wasn't any doubt that she was telling the truth. "Then," I smiled a bit, "Why not teach me now?" I moved close and licked her. Isthia grinned back to me as I backed off.

"Gladly, love." She whirred. "I have a feeling that you don't want to learn the traditional way?"

" 'Traditional way'?"

"Dolphin mating is actually different from how we did it. Instead of a few moments of sex, our intercourse lasts around half an hour. However, it only had about ten seconds of actual penetration, and then the two dolphins will break off, breathe, and resume several minutes later."

Where was the fun in that? A little bit of insertion, get out of the mood, then resume again? I had a feeling both of us would be able to hold our breaths for the entire duration of coitus. "If you don't mind, maybe not the traditional way?"

She gave a happy sigh. "I figured so. You seemed to like our technique before, anyway.

"First off, go up and get a big breath. You can still breathe during intervals, which you'll see." We both went to the surface, got a big breath, and stayed about a foot below the waves.. "Now, like last time, we begin with some foreplay and overall stimulation." She swam around me until she reached close to my tail, and pressed her rostrum to my underside.

There was a tickle and I realized she had just began to rub my genital slit. The feeling was so intense I thrust my tail back, away from Isthia's snout.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you Gregory." She teased, "Actually, you might like this."

"I'm sorry. It's just that...wow." I raised my head to the surface and chuffed a few time, close to panting.

Isthia began to rub her smooth beak along my genital slit, and I resisted the urge not to thrust forward. All of a sudden, I felt for the first time my genital cavity. Mostly it was because I could feel something inside that wasn't there before, like a phantom. The more Isthia rubbed the more I could feel the phantom thing inside. Also, around where Isthia was rubbing, a pleasant warm feeling surrounded the spot. I couldn't help but let out a pseudo-sigh.

Plus, I began to feel this thing inside me growing, pressing against the edges of my genital opening and causing much discomfort. Isthia noticed and cooed "Thrust you pelvis once or twice, that should do the trick."

I did as I was told, and suddenly I felt my cavity walls burst open, and the sensitive phantom object jumped out, the folds on it undoing themselves. The cold ocean water made it feel tender. Isthia sounded a bit surprised at first, and as I looked down my body to see this thing she said "I bet this would put most human males to shame!"

No doubt. While I was human, I never was really "well-hung", but I saw that this tentacle-like figure that was my penis was rather huge. It was a good nine and a half inches, wide at the bottom and tapering to a small tip. I could feel more inside me waiting to be erected. And sure enough, it did when Isthia began to lick the tip. An uncontrollable shudder rocked my body, and on impulse I let out a cetacean moan. Her smooth warm tongue glided along my shaft as I could feel more and more flesh emerge. How big does this thing get?

"You are fully erect now, Gregory." I stared down my body again and saw that my cock had changed from a curvy S-shape to a straight line with a curved top. The width had increased greatly, and I could see that my genital cavity appeared to have turned inside out, no signs of a hole. "I think you know what to do next. You seemed like an expert up on the beach."

Of course, now it was time for me to return the favor and get my mate in the mood. When Isthia turned on her side after we had gone up for air, I noticed she was already mostly pink, but she hadn't reached her full potential. Obviously, she had planned for both of us to be as horny as possible before mating, just to make it more enjoyable. Looking at my mate, her genital cavity calling me, I got a sudden urge to take her right there and hump her like the sea was drying up. However, I forced my dolphin mind out of my conscious thoughts. I couldn't let myself give in to this wild dolphin inside of me, I promised Isthia I wouldn't. Besides, I loved her too much to do such a thing. So I swam to her genital slit, already warm from the pink, and gently pressed my snout on it. Isthia moved her head in a bobbing motion that rippled down her body, slightly bumping me on the bottlenose. This didn't bother me, and in fact I began to press harder against the folds, hoping to split them. This didn't work, so I tried another method. Parting my jaws, my tongue flicked out and licked the tender flesh of my mate's swelling vulva. Isthia shuddered and squirmed at first, but as I continued to lick she settled down and rhythmically flexed her pelvis like the waves crashing on the shore. I began to tease her, licking around the outer edges and pressing slightly on her lips before going back out again. "Ohhh..." Isthia moaned as I pressed my tongue inside of her, feeling her blissfully squeeze me with her marvelous muscles. I tasted the sea water in her cunt mix with her lubricant juices, and I could feel my cock push back to maximum erection. She wrestled with my tongue as I continued to tease her.

Suddenly Isthia pulled her pelvis away from me, showing off her dark pink underbelly. She swam to the surface and chuffed a few time before returning to me, eyes full of lust and love. "The foreplay is over now, my love, and we must begin. We hold on to each other and swim in rhythm. I don't think you'll need any air for the moment, but if you do let me know."

She turned me over with her rostrum, then situated herself on my underside, her flippers holding against me. I imagine that dolphins must have more nerves than humans, or at least more sensitive ones, because as soon as Isthia brushed against my underbelly I tensed up as I felt her smooth skin against mine. When we had rubbed each other before it still felt great, but this was the highest level. When I felt warmth around my cock I figured it was Isthia so I began to flex wildly. To stop me, she nibbled on my belly, right by my head line. "Wait a minute, Gregory. We have to swim first. Time with me and then we can begin." I calmed my dolphin-libido and wrapped my flippers about Isthia, staring up at her. I thrust slightly and brushed my cock against Isthia's flank. This prompted her to start swimming, mostly because the suspense was killing me.

Off we went. Syncing our speed was easy, but swimming upside down was made me a bit dizzy. But who cares? I was in the mood right there! Gently, Isthia pressed her warm vulva onto the tip of my dick and without hesitation, or knowledge of what I was really doing, I thrust her in.

We both quivered as the feeling engulfed us. I could feel Isthia's hold on me strengthen and like last time she tensed up. I could feel farther regions in her pussy that I hadn't felt before when I was human. Not wanting to interrupt this with needing a breath, I began to thrust gently. Isthia would press back in tempo with me, all the while tightening her vagina to increase our pleasure.

Isthia's eyes were closed somewhat, and I could hear her sigh happily, "This feels so fantastic, Gregory!" I responded by licking the tip of her beak, feeling her teeth were slightly parted.

She was right, though. Her interior was so warm and smooth with her lubricant juices and with the seawater that Isthia could squeeze my member as hard as she wanted and I would've never missed a beat. She squirmed slightly and let out a moan and I knew that she must be reaching her climax. I started to thrust harder and faster as I could feel the pressure build in my inner testicles. With a squeak Isthia tensed up and squeezed even harder on me as I thrust a few more times. We hadn't timed our climax like we had before and I was a bit behind, but as soon as my cock swelled to my surprise Isthia pulled herself off of me. I saw my dick erupt with a long jet of cum while Isthia shuddered her orgasm off. I cocked my head at Isthia as to why she had me pull out. "I'm sorry, Gregory. Last time was different since our genes were too, but I don't want to get pregnant just quite yet." She rubbed behind my eye, "But I will soon. Do you want another generation?"

I thought this question over for a bit. I was used to the thought of starting a family with Aimee, and I enjoyed the idea of a son or daughter. I imagined what I would teach them, how to fish and fight off sharks (well, that would have to be Isthia's job) and all the other things dolphins need to survive. But, as Isthia said, family isn't as important and if I had a son he would probably leave. Then it occurred to me, that since I am a dolphin but still have a human mind, maybe this might pass on to one of the younger ones and we'd be able to stay a family. "Yes, I do. Not quite around this time, but someday."

She must've felt bad for destroying the hope of an afterglow (she didn't) because Isthia continued to rub me in a sort of apologetic way. Or maybe it was because she felt I had rubbed her plenty of times before and she needed to return the favor. I don't know, all I know is that it felt marvelous!

We drifted around that area, pushed by the current, Isthia rubbing me, and that was just as good as an afterglow. My cock had long since pulled itself back into my genital folds and both of our undersides had turned back to their usual whitish grey. So we silently enjoyed the rubbing, and by Isthia's expression I could tell she like to give and receive a caress equally enough.

I was thinking, though, at how different she had acted while I was human and how she acted when we mated as both dolphins. I guess there was no weigh station between my brain and blowhole, because I immediately blurted out "Isthia, did you like me better as a human?"

She seemed surprised by this but still continued to rub. "What did you say?"

I regretted asking her even though I was curious, but I'm not the type of person who will go 'Oh, never mind' after I have asked something, it seems rude to do that. "As a human, did you like me better?"

Rather than stopping, Isthia moved to around my eye so she could talk straight to me. "Er- well I don't really know." I gave her time to think, I could relate to such questions. I remembered when we had just married, Aimee asked if she looked fat in her new shirt (the one she was wearing at the beginning). It's hard to answer, because you're always told to answer truthfully but it seems like there is no truth. Say no, and you'll be called a liar. Say yes, and you get toasted. Tell them what you want to hear, and they'll expose it. I wanted to say to Isthia 'So you DO like me better as a human", but I was sick of feeling weak. I wanted to know but the answer wouldn't affect our relationship. If Isthia had liked me better by far as a human she wouldn't have done everything she did for me.

"Gregory, I don't really know how to say this. Other than your form and brain, the rest of you is the same. I wouldn't say I liked you BETTER as a human, but it was different. To tell you the truth, you were actually the first human I allowed to touch me. Whenever I'm around other humans I have to remember that I'm wild and not allow touch because then the visits will increase. And let's face it, I have killer instincts like all other dolphins and if a human gets me agitated enough... I digress. I love your touch and how you had the ability to carry it over to your dolphin-state. As for sex...it was different. I've had sex many times before, all dolphins my age have, so I'm used to the feel of a dolphin cock. You were bigger, yes, but you still feel the same as other dolphins. No offense, of course. When you were a human, you cock felt much different, and since you had fingers you gave a new experience that I loved. Plus, with arms, you were able to bring me closer. And as for communication, I think that not understanding all of the language makes an experience even more exotic. But don't worry. I love you no matter what, Gregory, and I will never leave you. Even if you turn into a brainless mussel, I would give you a ride around the ocean in my teeth. You wouldn't know what was going on, but I know you would feel my love for you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, my love, I do." I licked her melon affectionately. She had answered my question truthfully so I could stop thinking she liked me better as a human.

But why did Aimee keep thinking that shirt made her look fat?

***

"This is important when it comes to fishing, and in overall travel."

I groaned. Luckily Isthia was a great teacher and never got impatient or even slightly annoyed, not like Spinner. For some reason, though, echolocation was something I couldn't quite grasp. I asked Isthia why we couldn't try this some other time, maybe working on fishing, but she answered me with that phrase.

She never said anything that made me feel inferior or stupid, and I was grateful. It was embarrassing enough that I felt like a helpless calf, but if Isthia even said something close to 'I don't know how to explain this any better', I would be sent off the deep end. I remember when I was younger my dad always said that, and it made me crazy and I felt like I was worthless.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes and tried again. 'Let out a long string of high-pitched clicks and wait for the sound to return. Your brain should decipher the waves when they reach you'. Recalling my instructions, I sent out a high-frequency of clicks that seemed to make my entire melon tingle.

Suddenly, for a short second, an image in my mind popped up of a bit of rock. I saw its shape a bit and where chunks had eroded off, but that was it. I opened my eyes. "Did you see anything?"

"Just a rock, no big deal." I said, disappointed. Then it hit me: where was this rock? I was facing out to the open sea. "Wait a minute, hold on." I swam off in the direction I was facing, leaving Isthia behind me. I had to make sure that this rock was even real, if I was successful or not. I swam on and on and was close to three miles from shore when I decided to scan again. This time, though, the image of the same rock appeared, but I noticed there was a small crab moving on it. The picture had returned milliseconds after I had scanned, so I must've been close. I swam another five miles, and found a rock jutting up from below! It had the same eroded edges and lines as the rock in my mind. I also saw that same little crab crawling on the edge, somewhat stunned by my scanning. It had worked!

Yes, I know I didn't describe the last part well. It's hard to put it into human terms because really there is nothing for humans to compare to. So, to help understand, I thought of another way.

Think of an artic tundra. Out here it is so flat and desolate that the wind doesn't have anything to howl against, but it is still blowing. Let's say the wind is my echolocation. You're viewing this tundra from above, and although it is quiet the wind is really howling at a high intensity. Now, we put something in the way of the wind so that it can make some noise. How about a pillar? Imagine that you're hearing the wind, or my echolocation, hit this object and what was once invisible is now able to be heard from you. You know that since there is something there because of the sound waves of the wind crashing into it, or my echolocation bouncing off. But don't worry about me, this is supposed to be from your point of view. So now you can hear this object and know it's there, but what if your sense of hearing was increased like how my senses where? You would be able to tell that the wind wasn't just hitting the pillar, it was moving AROUND it, so the pillar is circular. If you close your eyes, you can hear it easier, and with the sound of the wind you can decide where each crack is that the air keeps going into, where the top is, and if the pillar is swaying. Now, I move it and the sound waves take longer to reach you than before, so you know it's in the distance. Let's say I move it back and forth, the small isolation of howling wind moves with the pillar and it returns to you. With enough of the wind, or echolocation, the more the sound can penetrate and send back information about the object. That's how Isthia knew the sharks were only half-hungry, their stomachs didn't 'echo' as loud. Sound simple?

Not for me. I turned the other way and began to experiment with the echolocation. I could see Isthia easily eight miles away, and could see the mark of the shark bite even from this distance. Her blood begin to move faster with excitement when she felt my distant waves hit here, and she realized that I had learned how to echolocate. I could see her like I was looking through a par of infrared/X-ray binoculars. She was swimming to me, fast, so I decided to do the same and meet her halfway, all the while my echolocation buzzed nonstop.

We met and as a reward Isthia gently rubbed me down, all the while praising me. I just sat with eyes relaxed and contently accepted her caress. I was proud that now I could learn to fish since I could echolocate. Both of us wanted to get these lessons out of the way so I could actually BE a dolphin for a change. To save time Isthia gave me my 'shark attack' lesson she had promised. She told me that the only real thing to remember is to batter them senseless but avoid their jaws. When weak they can be turned upside down and pass out, causing them to drown. What she had done with the last shark was scanning it's chest to find the shark's organ closest to the surface of it's body. A dolphin's melon is tougher or as tough as a shark's underside, so this vital organ suffers heavy damage.

"Now," Isthia stopped her rubbing causing a sigh from me, "What do you say we get you some fish?" She scanned me and gave a grin, seeing that the fish she had fed me earlier had already reached my third stomach. I was pretty hungry, though! So the lesson began with both of us scanning the water for a large school. Ten minutes passed before Isthia found a school of Spanish mackerel and informed me I was in for a treat. Apparently these were harder to catch than usual fish. I scanned too and saw them, nearly ten miles away dumbly sitting in a sunbeam. On the way Isthia quietly explained how to fish.

"There are two ways, at least. If you are by yourself you can try the old fashioned way and just chase after it, or stun it with your echolocation. Or, if me or another dolphin is with you who is also hungry, we help each other out. One will round up the fish by keeping them in a tight ball while the other grabs a good amount. Then the other will take their turn and get their fill." She told me she would just pretend to take the fish since she already had plenty. "But one important thing," she continued, "is to get as much as you can before you are going to travel. I can see you now and there's barely any fat on you. If we didn't have any fish in this area you would've been in trouble. Also, if we move north the water will be freezing!"

I went on to tell her that it wasn't acceptable up on land to have fat around you, at least that's the popular view. I had a hard time explaining why since I didn't even know. "Well, it's different here. Be sure to store up enough blubber and you should be fine."

We approached the fish who to my surprise didn't seem to have moved at all. Isthia spoke first, and I was about to shush her when she brushed me off. "There's no problem with speaking around them. Fish are too stupid. Watch-" she actually squealed at the fish school, saying "Hey! Prepare to die soon! We've got our stomachs to feed!". The fish dumbly ignored her. "See what I mean? I'm going to round up the school while you nab yourself some. Then we'll see how well you keep the group together."

In a flash both of us charged the school. Before they had a chance to swim away, though, Isthia bolted upwards and balled the startled fish back into a main center, making the school significantly smaller. "Quick! Grab some!" my mate shouts to me, and urging for the fish with mad hunger I bolt in the middle of the school and swallow two squirming fish on my first try. The feeling of them sliding down my throat rejuvenates me, and before Isthia whistles "Go again! You could use some body fat" I swim upsides down and right back into a thick patch of mackerel and swallow another three. The school ripped apart like a popping balloon, but my agile mate had them in a ball in no time. It was now my turn to keep it together. "Switch!" Isthia clicked as she left her spot, already causing the fish to scatter. I merely treated it like straightening a deck of cards: push all of the rough places into the center point and it should stay in a unified shape. So I swam around each empty spot and herded the fish back to a tiny ball. When I had them under control, Isthia burst into the center and then I had to get them all back to the original shape; and let me tell you it was no easy task! No matter how hard I tried, some still managed to escape. Then I remembered Isthia tell me I could use my echolocation, so that's what I did. Like a stun gun, the fish in front of me flexed and froze as I beeped out, allowing me to swim around and move them back into place.

We tried numerous times until Isthia nibbled my tail from behind and told me that we had done enough, that I had passed the lesson. Once again I got more praise and plenty of rubs from her. I was so energized from the fish and the thrill of hunting them that I purposely let myself drift from her beak. Isthia cocked her head and swam to me again, only to have me drift farther away. She looked at me again while I flashed her a playful gleam in my eye. She replicated it and chattered "Oh, so that's how you want to play?" and gently butted my side, sending me a few inches from her. Had there been pain things would've been different, but I felt fine and even returned the butt. Then it switched to a playful game of tag, until once again Isthia had to stop because of her tail. I offered to rub her again but she politely declined. "We have one more thing to do."

"You mean, another lesson?"

"In a way. Our lessons are done now, but you need to adapt to this life."

I thought a bit. It was already a habit to go up to breathe, I could communicate fine, I could fish, so "What is there I need to adapt to?"

Isthia gently stroked my side once with her flipper. "You're still not a dolphin, Gregory. I'm sorry to say so, but you can't seem to let your human life go. I don't know if you miss it or not, and from the looks of it you don't, but you still function like a human. All these comparisons to your human life isn't healthy. I don't know if you will ever be a human again, my love, but for now you need to be a dolphin. By all means, though, keep your memories of your human life, mostly because I want to know more about humans, and keep your personality because that's vital to dolphins. But please, don't linger in the life you once had. Live the one you have now."

I didn't quite know what to do, and I honestly told Isthia. "I know a way to help you." she said, and instructed me to go into micro-sleep. As I did she gently pressed her beak to the top of my melon. As my open eyes no longer saw anything, I began to feel like I was drifting. There was a bright flash and suddenly I felt tremendously fantastic, like I was in a horribly great mood. I opened my eyes and saw that now Isthia was rubbing me, but her skin felt different. I looked down and saw I had hands again, that I was standing on some sort of invisible field below the surface. I realized I must be astral projecting myself here, an out of body experience.

Isthia stopped rubbing me and circled my human body, pressing against my salt-stained clothes. Suddenly she stopped and swam down to my ankle, biting it. I know I must've felt pain because my entire body shook. "Isthia, cut it out." I ordered her, but instead of dolphin language I spoke English. Isthia cocked her head and began to pull at my ankle rather than just bite it. "OW! Quit it, girl!" I swiped close to her rostrum, planning just to get her off of me, but at the last second in a ripple effect she pulled my ankle off, and my clothes followed. I stood naked, my body marked with dolphin-skin blotches. I turned around as my body shifted instantly to a dolphin form. There, where Isthia had been, was me in my comedian costume. Though I looked calm I was still giving off a high atmosphere of tenseness. Isthia swam slowly by the figure I took to be my human mind. It spoke.

"Hey man, do you know the way back?"

I was stunned by this question, and before I could answer, the figure waved it's hand. "Never mind, dude. I'll just get there myself. You can stay here."

"Thanks" I chuffed out. My figure must've understood me, and smiled.

"Don't mention it. Hey, do you mind if I bring these with me?" Two suitcases appeared in his hands.

"What are they?"

"Oh, nothing. At least, nothing you need to worry about." Suddenly the ghost of me got choked up and bit his hand, calming down a bit. "Sorry dude, it's just been 25 years. I don't know if I can stand to leave. But I have ta'. I've got orders from her."

He pointed to Isthia, still swimming a bit. "Isthia? What does she have to do with this?"

"Oh, her name's Isthia?" He turned to her, "Hey, Isthia. Great time that one night, babe, but I gotta go. I'll miss you, and I'm sorry for what I thought about you after the bite. You really aint so bad."

I looked between them. My figure picked up the suitcases and turned around. "So, I'll see you some other time? If I don't come back, I think you'll understand. I'll be lost here, at sea."

Without another word, he vaporized. Isthia swam next to me. "I'm surprised you didn't start bawling too. Quite an emotional time for him, wasn't it?"

"Isthia, what are you saying? That was ME."

She shook her snout. "No, Gregory. That was your human mind, the 'remainder' of what dolphins don't have, like negative emotions and heartbreak. Those things are gone now. Let's get back home."

There was another flash and I suddenly jerked out of my micro-sleep. It had been a good ten seconds. Isthia still had her beak pressed to my melon, and as I stirred she met my eyes.

"Isthia, you won't believe this. I've just had a weird dream."

She let up off my melon and swam to me, a inner smile showing to me. "That wasn't a dream. Dolphins don't dream. We don't get that far into sleep. That was a projection of your human mind leaving."

"No, it was just a dream. I remember, I was wearing my comedian outfit and-"

"Two suitcases appeared." Isthia cut me off, "He gave a bit of an apology to me, and then he vaporized and I said 'I'm surprised you didn't start bawling.'" Isthia grinned smugly as I stared in shock. Had we had the same astral projection?

"This is good, Gregory. I can feel now you're much more like a dolphin."

"I don't feel any different, though!" I was a little confused and slightly annoyed.

"You have to think, Gregory," Isthia patiently told me, "What do humans worry about that dolphins don't? Try to imagine that, and you'll see."

I thought about going clubbing and chasing tail....but all that came up was going after a fish.

I tried to imagine watching boxing...but all I could see was two dolphins nipping at each other for dominance.

I strained to remember they joy of looking at porn...but all I could think of was getting rubbed by my mate.

"I-I-I can't remember any of it." I was stunned. How could I forget these normal things and enjoy more the thought of getting a rub and aimlessly drift around?

Isthia kissed the tip of my beak. "You're final lesson is complete, Gregory. Now you can enjoy your stay better.

You had no idea, Isthia, you had nooooo idea.

***

I want to tell you everything that happened after that, but I don't think I can. You're probably oblivious to the fact that what you just read was more of an introduction. Don't worry, though, the story itself is far more shorter than the prologue.

It had been three months since I morphed that I found the object. I was swimming, by myself, through the crystal clear waters around the edges of pollution miles from South Padre. I had practiced with my dolphin mind and now the only times I remembered I was once human was when I thought about the past. I didn't miss my old life very much, except for Aimee. However, I had learned to accept that she was gone now and, true instinct of a dolphin, I no longer lingered in the past or waited for the future. All that mattered was now. And now, I was happy.

Isthia was out feeding by herself while I was swimming. Once in a while I would breach (that never grew old) or come across a shell I could bat around. With my mate gone, I was bored out of my mind. I began to scan the sea floor just in case there was some food or a clam I could play with. That's when I came across the weird object. I had been scanning when I noticed something that seemed extra shiny buried in the sand. Curious, I took a breath and swam straight down to where it was hiding under the sand. Was it some type of fish? Or was it human garbage? I scrapped the sand off the sleek item and saw another dolphin staring back at me!

This dolphin was trapped! I struggled to dig up more of this dolphin when I saw that it had lost the rest of it's body. I could see his melon and beak easily but there was nothing else. This was unnatural! I caught eyes with this tiny flat dolphin and immediately my defense kicked it. My first instinct was to fight this male, but I couldn't because my mind was too scattered to attack.

So, I slowly inched myself closer, staring at this dolphin head-on. He did the same, replicating my moves. Oh, so he thought he was better than me?

No, I could see some fear in his eyes. I was feeling it a bit too, since this was obviously not you're average dolphin. I had just saved his life but without one word he's decided to fight me? I figured I should scan him before I started. When I did, though, I nearly knocked myself out with surprise.

What had come back was still a shiny rectangle. No dolphin, not even body heat to go with it. But I could see this male plainly! Even the waves above him.

Above him?

There couldn't be. The only waves were above ME. I decided this was confusing but I did have a hunch as to what it is, like your earliest memory that has sprung up in déjà vu after countless years. I moved my fin, and the male did the same. I blew a bubble and he did too. I tried to nudge the dolphin when I bumped my nose on a hard sleek surface, not flesh.

It hit me. Wake up, Gregory! You're looking in a mirror!

So, this was me. The dolphin I was about to fight was me. I didn't look too bad as males go, and I was visibly less scarred. It didn't matter to me what I looked like because my human mind took that with him when he left. I just sated a bit of my curiosity.

I was used to mirrors and look how I reacted. How would Isthia respond? It was time to learn more about the differences between dolphins and humans. Even in three months I was still learning about it.

I carefully lifted the mirror between my teeth. I saw now that it was about the width and length of a large book. I could easily carry it in my mouth.

I found Isthia swimming back to find me. I called out my signature whistle and she responded with hers, swimming my way. Instantly, as soon as she was close enough, her mood changed from content to suspicious. "Gregory, what do you have there?"

"This? I don't know. Try taking a good look at it. It's something from the humans." It still felt weird to call humans like a separate race.

Almost similar to how I did, Isthia stared at the mirror for a few minutes. I guess she was thinking about what was in front of her since she began to creep forward.

"It-it looks like my mother, but I know it's not. How can she be in that small area?" She turned away from it and to me, "Did you trap her in there?"

Such an odd question. Luckily it wasn't serious. She turned back to the mirror and bobbed her snout from side to side, staring deep into it. Her eyes swelled and she backed off. "Gregory, what is this thing?" her pitch was getting higher in fear. By just slightly glancing at her rostrum it was apparent she was shivering. This was a bad idea.

I dropped the mirror and instantly began to nuzzle her, "It's okay, Isthia. It's nothing bad or something to be afraid of. It's something humans use to see how they look, it's called a mirror. What you were seeing was yourself."

She continued to shiver but soon calmed down after enough contact. I brought the mirror back up and she resumed looking into it. "So, this is what I look like?"

"Yes, that's how you look to me and everyone else."

She grew more accustomed to her reflection and eventually asked "What were you going to do with it?"

"I was thinking of getting rid of it. What do you think?"

"Keep it. I don't think I've quite gotten used to it yet."

We found a small crevice in the rock peninsula on South Padre to keep the mirror at. The waves didn't quite get high enough to reach it but no human could either. I thought, later, of asking Isthia why her reflection scared her but then I remembered how badly she was shaking I decided not to bring it up.

During our time together we never did get angry at each other, except for the occasional argument. Surprisingly the scenario was the same for dolphins as it was humans. We would get into a disagreement, argue with each other, and finally it got to the point where one sped off. After some alone time, one (usually who started the argument) would swim out to find the other one. They'd begin to rub their mate until they got a positive response; a kiss on the melon, a nibble, things like that. Sometimes we would even follow up the rubbing with a game of tag. After we were done both of us would apologize to each other. It's amazing what one rubbing can do.

The affection dolphins can show never ceased to amaze me. Never once did Isthia tell me not to rub her or stop, and she never seemed to grow tired of it. Whenever I would caress her, her eyes would half-lid and she'd utter tones of pleasure. She was a horrible liar so I knew that each time she showed she enjoyed the experience, it was 100% true. The kissing, being close, rubbing, mating, it never grew old with her and me.

Sad to say, though, no matter how good things got both of us would occasionally experience bad emotions. I recall one day, four months after the transformation, Isthia seemed miserable about something.

"My love, what is it?" I asked her when I saw the usual spark in her eyes were gone.

She turned to look at me and tried hard to look normal. "Nothing, really. I just-" She broke off and I patiently waited for her to respond so I could know if there was a chance to help her. "I just keep feeling guilty."

"About what?"

"I've hurt you, Gregory, and I can't get over it."

I kissed the top of her beak. "You wouldn't hurt me. I know you wouldn't."

"But I did!" Isthia's tone surprised me but I took it she was stressed about the guilt. "I've taken you away from the one you loved and the life you once enjoyed."

"Isthia, look at me." I wanted to make this clear to her. "You didn't hurt me. When you changed me you set me on another path. I didn't want to spend my life seeing only the bad parts and being ignorant to what was around me. I didn't know it then, but I know now. I was a typical human, self-centered and somewhat pessimistic. Now I've learned more about the world and what's on it in a few months than most do in a lifetime. I've learned about life, death, love," I nuzzled her beak, "ESPECIALLY love, and I've never felt better."

Isthia seemed hesitant, so she needed more persuasion. "Think about it. How many times have we been apart? I know the way back to my home, but still I stay here. Why? Because I love you. If I wanted my old life back I would've swam off from the pod without a moment's notice. But I don't want the old times back. I want the ones to come, the ones with you," I broke off, "and the ones where we're together. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

She was still taking this in, but after a few short moments her eyes grew even sadder and she began to rub me. "Oh Gregory, I'm so sorry! I should've known!"

"No need to be sorry, Isthia." I nibbled her lovingly. After a few moments she had rid herself of the guilt and lingering stress and faced me, her permanent grin looking more voluntary.

"Thank you, Gregory. I didn't know if you were feeling the same way but I'm glad you aren't. I was feeling horrible but I didn't want you to be." She gave a final brush with her fin and we continued on our way.

The things we did together! Isthia was 'famous' in several shore side locales and she brought me along when she visited them. "Now that I have you with me," she mentioned on our way around the Texas coast, "We can really surprise the humans."

The first place she ever took me was a good half an hour swim from South Padre. Most of the people Isthia knew on her last visit must've been tourists since they didn't appear when we came by. So, she took me over near the docks where there were long lines of fishing boats at rest along the harbor. We saw one fisherman in his late 40's chopping up fish with a large machete.

"Follow my lead." Isthia quietly whistled, and she spy hopped below where the man was standing. I did the same, pushing my tail back and forth to balance me above the water. The man's weather-worn face glanced at us before he went right back to chopping up the fish. Isthia popped her mouth open, and I cocked my head to her. "Just do it, Gregory" she squealed, looking as if she was getting the man's attention. I obeyed her and the angler happened to look down at two dolphins begging for some fish.

I felt incredibly silly. How could Isthia make us look like two performing dolphins when she opposed of the dolphin shows at aquariums? The man looked down at us from over the edge, dropping bits of his cigarette ashes close to us. He looked back up at the table and grabbed two tiny fish, holding one in each hand above us. "This should shut you up so I can work." He grumbled, dropping the fish almost directly into our open mouths.

Isthia caught hers instead of swallowing it. She bent her head forward, tossed it up in the air, and let it slide down her throat on the way down. Both the fisherman and I stared at her in disbelief. I promptly did the same. The fisherman's face lit up and he motioned for someone to come out of the cabin. A woman, looking as tan as him, leaned over the rail. She didn't look so much angry as tired. "Goddamit, Sean. Why'd you have to wake me up?"

"Wait, watch this." He lifted the fish up above us as we opened our jaws again. This time both of us synced the act when we caught the fish. The woman gaped at us and I almost thought about finding a small fish to throw upwards into her mouth.

"Do you think they'd do it again?" She grabbed her cell phone and aimed it at us while Sean grabbed some more fish. He lifted them over us and once again we got into place. "Hurry up you idiot, it's recording."

Sean dropped the fish and once again we did a synchronized trick for the woman to record. "I'm sending this to mom!"

Sean's face, which was surprised and close to laughter, reverted to its original shape of a scowl. "Go on, now. Get outta here, before I lose all my bait." He shooed us of from above. Still, though, we whistled a polite thanks before submerging.

"What was THAT all about?" I asked Isthia as we swam off. "It's not like we have trouble finding food. Plus, how could you make us look like performing dolphins when you're so against it?"

Isthia sighed a bit. "That wasn't because we needed food. Those were small snacks. I did it because that's what I do to get to know humans. I do something to impress them or get their attention, and I can learn their behavior. Take you and Aimee, for example. When you got close to me I knew I had to do something for you to remember me by if you came back: I showed myself to you. The land is forbidden by default but when we have humans by the shore that we're curious of, we hope they can come back to the water. That's my thoughts, at least."

She never did answer the performing dolphin act, but after a few more times of impressing the humans, I began to understand why. It was fun. Breaching was fun, flipping fish around is fun, and seeing people laugh gleefully and call us cute was worth it. Still, since we were wild we naturally appeared afraid of them (I wasn't, it was an act). Another act we did was one of my favorites. After spending a long time being in range of humans, we came across a group of Grad students. One of them pointed out to us, motioning to his friends.

"Aw, look how close they're swimming." One of the girls said. She tugged at the closest boy and smiled at him. "Do you think they're in love?"

Since I still understood English, I had a great idea to show them something else, something we didn't show any other humans. We swam closer to them and I erected my penis. Isthia didn't quite know what she had said, but she knew the human female was talking about us being in love. Isthia knew this after she had seen me with my dick erected and we both went near the surface. I laid on my back as we swam past them, showing myself off and causing them to laugh in surprise. Then, as we swept back, we swam belly-to-belly and had a short mating session. I think the males even began to cheer. I do know one raised his beer and shouted "Yeah, go get her!" The girls cheered along with the guys. The next day, even, we saw the same group and swam with them while they were out in the water. It thrilled them beyond belief.

It was something about performing for the humans that made you feel better. Dolphins didn't believe in superiority outside of natural dominance, but with each act you could feel our barriers breaking. I realized why Isthia hated the thought of aquarium dolphins was not that they had to do these tricks, but they were forced to. We choose to make the humans happy, and we weren't doing it so we could get a fish or praise from a trainer. Plus, we did it when we felt like and did the things we wanted. Talk about stating the obvious, but the main difference between wild and domestic dolphins was: freedom.

Both of us enjoyed entertaining the humans, but still just seeing them made me remember my old life. Of course, I kept this secret from Isthia. I couldn't bear her to feel guilty about putting me around people. She probably wouldn't be upset with me, but I felt I had promised her not to tread on my human life, and I never break a promise. I tried my best to act happy but like my mate I couldn't keep my emotions hidden. We were floating lazily around when I subtly started to look back northeast.

"Gregory, are you thinking of her?" quietly inquired Isthia, at my side. I kept looking in case she figured I was just lost in thought. "Gregory," she firmly nibbled on my cape, "I'm asking you a question. Are you thinking about her?" I bowed my head. To my surprise Isthia's mood settled a bit back to calm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Remember what I had said before? About how I was happy staying here? Believe me, I am extremely happy to be here with you, it's just that I left Aimee so suddenly that the thought of her being gone took a while to reach me."

Isthia lazily swam around me. "So, why don't you go see her?"

Brick wall. "What?"

She didn't miss a beat, "You know, go see if she's back at your house. I can either stay here or go with you, it doesn't make much difference to me."

I looked up at her. The expression in her eyes as she stopped swimming made me realize she was serious. "Isthia, I can't."

"Why not? You know the way, right?"

"I mean I couldn't. It just wouldn't be right."

"Why? Are you afraid she won't recognize you?"

"No, if I get to close to her, we might have sex."

Isthia cocked her head. "So?"

So? "So what?"

"Didn't you and her used to have sex?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to make you jealous."

Isthia's eyes shimmered a bit. "Jealous? Why would I be jealous? Just because you're going to show your love to your former mate?"

Uh....... "Yeah, exactly."

Isthia moved close. "Gregory, you must understand something about dolphins. We don't judge sex as an act, merely as a way of expressing love or creating a new life. Even when dolphins are mates, it is usual that each of them will still have sex with another dolphin. We know that our mates love us more or they wouldn't be our mates. I trust that you love me enough to not be taken away by Aimee." She rubbed her rostrum on mine. "And you trust me, right?"

"Of course."

"Then you should go see her. I have a feeling she misses you just as much. Alright?"

No, not alright. "I'm sorry, Isthia. I just wouldn't feel right. Though the last time she acknowledged my human form was when I was leaving for town, I still want her to remember me they way I was."

Isthia sighed. "If you really feel that way, you don't have to see her. I just wanted to know if there was any way to I could help you."

"You did," I licked her underside, "Thank you."

***

Aside from the bad parts, most of the time was perfect. On one occasion I felt that there wasn't any way for things to get better.

Ever since the day had started, Isthia seemed different. Her mood was the same but she seemed to be weak. "Isthia? Are you okay?" I asked as I rubbed against her side.

"I'm not sure. I feel a little sick but it's a different type of sick, with a bit of pain. It's hard to explain. No, I don't think I'm okay."

"Poor Isthia. You want me to rub you?"

"You wouldn't mind?"

"When have I EVER minded?"

She thought this over before silently answering my question with a grateful nibble. I began to gently press my beak to her side and rub up and down her flank. Her muscles would tense and relax with each stroke and she silently began to whirr. Some time passed before I decided to examine Isthia and see if this illness wasn't anything too serious. When I scanned around her flank, my heart skipped a beat. I stopped rubbing, causing Isthia to look up with confusion. I scanned again and my heart still skipped a beat.

"What's wrong, Gregory?"

I swam up to the front. "I found what's wrong with you, Isthia." I smiled, "But it's not that the 'wrong' is a bad thing." She cocked her head and trilled a bit. "Isthia, you're pregnant."

I think her heart skipped too. "Are you serious?" Her eyes glimmered in surprise and amazement.

"I'm serious. By the looks of it, it's a girl." I kissed her on the melon.

"So we're going to have a family? You're fine with this?"

"Of course! You remember how we talked about a family? I think now's a good time to start, don't you?"

"Yes, I do." However, her enthusiasm seemed to fade slightly.

"Aren't you excited?"

"Of course I am. I know you might be a little sick of this, but I'm feeling a little sad."

I cocked my head and stared at her curiously.

"What if you won't be here when she's born?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you're gone, how will she learn some of the things I can't teach her? Things like mating and speed?"

"No, I meant about me not being here."

She realized what she was saying. "You haven't seen Deryl since last time, right?"

'Last time' was when we had almost fought. I recalled some of the things he kept saying. "You mean when he told me I didn't belong here? How we were going to fight until you came by?"

"Yeah, that." I shook a bit. He was a bit smaller than me but he was much stronger.

"So, what does this have to do with me not being here?'

"He's been coming up with all of these reasons to have you banished. He claims that you're causing the fish level to drop and he keeps telling me how suspicious he is about where you came from."

I was silent, and in a last ditch effort to change the subject I began to rub Isthia's underside where the calf was growing.

"I'm just worried he might get you banished, Gregory. As soon as Otis is gone he'll be in charge. He won't care about his niece missing you , he'll have you out of here."

The reality began to sink in. For once, I had nothing to say to help the problem. I silently continued to rub my mate's belly. That was the least I could do.

***

"Did I ever say I didn't respect him?"

"You did say you hated him."

Isthia relayed this conversation between her and Deryl to me.

Deryl swam around a bit. "Yes, I do. Why should he be allowed to join our pod, even though the founder of this pod [all descendants had died off] said that only family should be allowed in?"

"Because he's my mate, that's why." Isthia stared at him dead on. "Your father did the same thing."

"Come on, little sister, you know that when we came along the pod was in shambles. The alpha was gone so you had no leader."

"You think we needed an alpha? I do fine without any guidance. I know not all of the females do but I'm sure all they need is a chance and then they'll be off."

Deryl silent drifted in the current. Isthia continued to speak. "Look, I know you are my brother. Not by blood, but by word. I do respect you like one. But I love my mate. I know you can't stand it that I have someone I can love while you're stuck loving you're crazy rules, but if Otis says it's fine, then it's fine!"

Deryl still didn't respond. He merely looked at Isthia, for once showing an expression besides disgust and arrogance. "I'm sorry," Isthia quietly said as she gave a short stroke with her fin, "it's just that I really do love him and he doesn't have anywhere to go now. I enjoyed taking care of him and I still enjoy having him around. He hasn't done anything wrong, so how about leaving him alone?"

Deryl sighed, annoyed. "Fine, I guess I'll just ignore him for a while. Still though, I keep feeling a weird sort of hatred for him, not just because he's a stray. It's about the same type of hatred I feel for the 'others'."

Isthia's eyes widened. She knew who the 'others' were.

***

For the next few months I was completely happy with my life. Every single day I thought more about how I would still be a father even though I was a dolphin. Aimee probably had my other child long ago.

Winter was gone now, and spring rolled in with violent storms and heavy pod migrations. I guessed by now it was at least April, a year after I had turned to a phin. Somehow time didn't seem to matter, though, when you have the one you love with a nice area of beach all to yourself. There was plenty of time to explore in the grottos and perhaps badger a sea turtle for kicks. I was waiting until the end of next winter when Isthia would give birth to our daughter. At this point, twelve months of being cetacean, I had completely forgotten about my old life.

Then, the news came in. Like the Great Depression, my good times were about to come to a screeching halt.

The ocean water was clear and extra salty that day. The warming seas had brought massive schools of mackerel our way which most of the pod relished to no end. The water was calm and the air had a clean feel to it after the recent tropical storm had blown through. All of the tranquility was interrupted by a sudden, far-off squeal of complete fear and panic.

Deryl, looking shaken and weak, had returned from feeding with Otis. However, the alpha male was not with his son. Once Deryl had gotten closer we could hear what he was squealing. "It's horrible. It's horrible. I'm sorry, so sorry. It's horrible."

The pod gathered and waited in alarm as Deryl finally arrived. He was practically in hysterics. It was unusual to hear frightened babbling coming from a dolphin with a permanent cold stare. "Calm down, Deryl, tell us what happened." Isthia's mother had to calm down her 'stepson' before he had a chance to speak.

"It's my father, our alpha male." He paused for a second. "He's dead."

A silence seemed to fall over the entire ocean. We heard no boats, no fish, not even the wind. It was silent just long enough for us all to realize what was going on. Otis is dead.

Deryl sparked an air of anger as he spoke again. "And guess who is responsible?" He turned to face one direction; my way. His vengeful eyes bore into me and seemed to singe at my body. Then I realized he wasn't looking at me, rather past me, towards the land. In a ripple effect all of the pod dolphins turned to look. There, on the beach a few miles away, were the Grad students that Isthia and I knew. In the background behind them skyscrapers rose into the sky like massive coral of metal. "It was them; the humans. One of their nets snagged my dad while we hunted. The net was meant for me, but at the last second he hit me out of the way with his tail, enclosing himself in the lethal contraption." We all turned back to him and it was apparent that the rage he was feeling before had been overrode by his recollection of the event. "I tried to gnaw the rope but it was too sharp." He opened his mouth to show blood still flowing from the empty space that once held a tooth. "The last thing he told me was to go back to the pod; he knew that when he was dead and the humans found him, they'd throw him back into the sea. I kept telling him how sorry I was but he didn't say anything. He just rubbed my rostrum one last with his final strength before the net slowly rose out of his home and into Hell."

Already the rage was returning, especially since he referred to the land as 'Hell'. I looked over to Isthia and saw her eyes were deeply sad. I guess my eyes were too since right after that she started to rub me.

"So, does that make you the alpha male, Deryl?" Isthia's cousin quietly asked. Deryl seemed to realize what this whole thing meant, and his shaken expression reverted to it's normal self again.

"Yeah, I guess it does." His father has just died, but he's focusing on that already? What an asshole.

So, at the age of fourteen and a half, Deryl became the new alpha male of the pod.

***

"I don't miss Otis. He was one of those dolphins who you could tell their time was nearly up. At least he died with dignity."

I brought up Isthia's reaction to when she first heard of Otis's death, how sorry her eyes looked. "If it wasn't over Otis, what were you so sad about?"

Her eyes dimmed again. "Deryl's the alpha male now, and I can bet he'll-" Her expression grew worse, probably even worse than before she swam off after the bite; and the mental picture of her sad expression tore me up. I put up a fin to stop her from swimming since there was something wrong. "I don't want you to go, Gregory." Isthia whistled out sorrowfully. I didn't say a word, I just put my head on hers. My mate did the same, and we sat there with our heads wrapped around each other, sharing a moving experience.

Isthia pseudo-whimpered, much like I had done, for several moments until she calmed herself down and nestled even closer to me by shifting her body to touch against mine. "He hates humans, Gregory." Isthia said after a long pause. "When he was still a calf he was with his mother around a beach in North Carolina. At first the humans in the area seemed to like their company and his mother even allowed the humans to touch her. After some time, though, more people came to see her and her calf. She tolerated a large group of humans being close but because of the number she came less and less. Strangely enough, that made the humans come more and more. People who had been there before and had taken a vacation just to see her grew bitter that the time they wanted was wasted. So whenever she appeared the bitter group could get somewhat abusive, as if to say 'How dare you not show up!'. She tolerated this too, because she knew that if she showed up even less she could endanger her and her calf's lives the next time they came even close to that area. Deryl watched in horror as a few bitter tourists would crowd around them and abuse her. It wasn't until one tourist tried to touch Deryl that the stress in his mother came out of her. She bit the human's hand when he tried to touch her calf, and she got a hard hit on the melon for it. It was a big mistake, the human thinking he was superior in strength to a dolphin, female or not. She continued to lash out and in the process gave one human a concussion. Realizing they were now in serious danger, she sped off with Deryl right by her. She hid the small shivering calf in a grotto and went off to find Otis. On the way, the humans came with their speedboats, revenge hanging heavy in the humid air, and they-" She began to pseudo-whimper again, and I immediately began to calm her with a gentle stroking. "Otis came and found his son. Without telling him what happened, he took him with as they swam down the coast, and around Florida into the Gulf. Years passed and they finally found us."

"But don't think he's a victim, Gregory. The reason he acts the way he does isn't because of what happened, he was born that way. The only reason he hates humans so much is what happened to his mother. Other than that, there's a good reason not to like him."

There was more silence, until I finally spoke again. "I thought you said that dolphins know better than to group humans as bad from one action."

"I know, but I also said that it depends on their first encounter with humans. His was bad, so he's going to think all humans are bad. That's also just because of his nature."

Isthia was now calmer and seemed on the verge of micro sleep. Finally she was relaxed enough to give in. While she slept, I thought a bit about what all of this meant.

Deryl hated me because I was a stray, but he does have this weird feeling of a higher hate towards me, the same hate he feels for humans. However, he is distracted by this because now both of his parents have died because of human actions. In the way he spoke about them, the tone spoke of avengement. This was bad news, since he was grouping innocent humans into the ordeal. I just hoped that maybe I was just being paranoid, but I was sure either way that things were going to get ugly.

Was I just being paranoid?

***

Things grew worse after Otis died. At least Deryl no longer seemed to be suspicious about me. He wasn't seen much except swimming around in circles, his brain radiating waves that could be felt from a good distance. Isthia and I barely had to guess about what he was thinking.

We didn't let it get to us, though. Despite everything, we still tried to maintain our usual activities. The Grad students were leaving so we both gave them a little present; I found a large shell that I thought looked nice and gave it to one of them. Isthia allowed a stroke from each of them. It wasn't like we were going to MISS them, it's just that they wouldn't be there. For all I knew, I'd never see any of them again.

Isthia and I traveled up the Texas coast and visited some harbors, pulling off stunts that were sure to surprise the humans. It did make us feel better, but one large thought stayed with us like a scar: Deryl is the alpha male, he might separate us.

Meanwhile, as we were up north, Deryl had finally achieved his plan. "So, you'll be here with the other pod in three days? Wonderful." He touched beaks with the messenger dolphin before he sped back to the others. Deryl watched as the tiny dolphin shrank even tinier into the distance, going over the scenario again and again in his mind. 'They've killed my parents,' he thought to himself, 'they've spoiled our waters and now they've gone far enough.' His expression darkened, looking slightly awry with his dolphin-grin, and he knew that he had all the motive in the sea to start this. However, he knew doing it alone would be suicide. His mother was no match for the humans when they had their boats and rifles and it was stupid for him to think he was even close enough to her strength in that position. Not even dire vengeance or hatred could stand up to a mother's devotion to save her calf. Luckily, though, he wasn't the only one in the Gulf imagining such things. Two other pods, one was close to fifty total, agreed with Deryl's plan.

Hardly a few days had passed before we were called back south. After we both had hunted and got our fill of food, we were trying to decide what we were going to do next. The number of humans in the area had dropped a bit because of that tropical storm I mentioned earlier. Not only that, but Isthia said that once in a while it's nice to have time by ourselves. We were about to go look for a cave to explore when a presence surrounded us. Scanning the surrounding areas, Isthia finally saw what was coming near us. "It's Spinner! I didn't know she wanted to join us."

"I don't think she does," I said, scanning in the same direction that Isthia was, "she seems a little nervous about something. See how her heart's pumping so hard?"

"That could be from the trip, but you might be right. Let's go meet her."

Spinner was extremely anxious when we met her. The once cheery and outgoing attitude she used to show was replaced with a shaky and weak. "Spinner? Are you okay?" Isthia asked her. She didn't respond until we all had rubbed rostrums.

"I'm fine, it was just a long trip." Her tone was still positive but it was obvious something was still wrong. "Deryl wants you two back with the pod. Supposedly there's going to be some sort of meeting."

"A meeting? We never had any of those while Otis was still alive." I cocked my head.

"I know, but things have gotten a bit more strict since he took control of the pod. You've noticed?"

We both shook no. Before we left he was too introvert to really be an alpha male. He must've changed his mood after we left.

"You're lucky. I guess we should head back there, before he actually decides to swim up here and get us himself."

This was bad news. If Spinner seemed stressed about Deryl's leadership, most likely the rest of the pod would be too. It was no use thinking about the stress. Without another word, all three of us set off down the coast.

Right away we both knew how bad of shape Spinner was in, just by how she swam. Other times, when she accompanied us to see the humans (she was shy, never got very close) her swimming would be much different. She was so fast that we naturally were stuck a great deal of distance behind her. She'd put a mile between us before stopping and swimming around in circles until we arrived. Once we reached her, exhausted from trying to keep up, she'd make a crack about our speed and swim off, breaching and leaping occasionally. Now, though, she swam right at our side like some sort of escort, head bent a little bit and her eyes far-off in another ocean. Isthia seemed more concerned about it than I did.

"Spinner, what's wrong?"

Spinner looked up and for a split second reverted to her usual self again. "I told you, Isthia, it was just a long swim up here. Really, nothing's wrong."

"Spinner." Isthia darted in front of her, stopping both of us dead in our strokes. "There IS something wrong." Her mood was highly assertive, maybe even aggressive, and even though I knew she had a stronger side than she let on it never failed to surprise me.

She cracked. All of this unknown stress had finally built up enough that even Spinner cracked under it's weight. Her expression grew frantic and hysterical and she merely sat in silence. Finally she began to swim in a tight circle very quick, turning into a bit of a blur. We could hear her whimpering loudly with each pass by us, but she still didn't tell us what was so stressful. Isthia gave me a look that said 'You wanna calm her down, or do you want me to do it?'. I motioned that she should do it, I couldn't handle Spinner in tension.

Isthia waited until Spinner had slowed down slightly and in a sudden jerk whipped her tail directly into Spinner's melon as she curved around. The dolphin shot backwards a bit before gathering her bearings and slowed herself. Both of us swam to her and Isthia licked her sister's melon in apology. "We just need to know why you were acting the way you did. What is Deryl doing to the pod?"

Spinner blinked away the pain before starting. "He's turned it into a bit of a prison. Now, because the 'rules' say so, we can only feed at certain times and have to stay in a certain area. He's also stopped us from even BREATHING too much, because he says that being near the surface means being closer to humans. The air, he said, is what they live in and we will only use it when necessary."

We were quiet, both rubbing Spinner to keep her from breaking down again. "He overhead me talking to mom. I said that he had killed Otis just so that his rules could be followed. Of course I meant this to be sarcastic, but he overheard. Because of this, he got rid of breaching too, which was a direct attack since I love to breach. We can't play in the bow waves anymore, we can't go near the land, he won't let us leave hardly at all. He said that if I wasn't back in time with you two that meant I had run off, and that meant I was with the humans. And he said that if I was," She stopped, "He'd hunt me down, and kill me."

It was silent for a good three minutes. None of us made a sound or moved, or even went up for air. This is what Deryl was doing to the pod? And how could he even think to threaten his own sister, barely mature, with conspiring?

"I'm sorry." Spinner said after we all had gotten air.

"No, Spinner, don't be sorry." I said, "Do you think what Deryl is doing is your fault? You had nothing to do with this. Isthia told me that he thought all the pod needed was leadership, but during the whole time Otis was in charge you were showing him that it didn't. All of us were, and he hated that. Now that he's become the alpha male coincidentally he can also sate his hatred for humans and to get back at us for showing we didn't need his ideas. You shouldn't have to go through what you had to, but you haven't broken down completely." I touched my rostrum to hers, and she seemed to give a weak smile.

"Gregory's right." Isthia chimed in, "Deryl is still bitter about Otis's death, but maybe once he'll get over it things might return to normal."

'Might' being the emphasis.

***

This is where things start to get bad. It won't last long, but I can't get rid of it because it's a main part in my story.

The three of us arrived to find our pod had increased in size. Well, it was more of an annex to the pod. While we had been away, Deryl had recruited two other pods to his and now five had grown into seventy five. That's a lot when it comes to the instinct of dolphin greeting. Touching beaks with the other seventy dolphins we didn't know caused a small bit of chafing, but we couldn't think much about it since Deryl was about to start his 'meeting'. Isthia and I were in the back of the semi-circle that surrounded Deryl.

"Alright, we can start now. Thanks for coming." Deryl began his speech. "Not to long ago, my father, Otis, was killed by humans because he protected me. When I was a calf, my mother was killed by humans because she protected me. I don't need your sympathy for these acts, because I have a better plan.

"I've been told I'm not the only one that's lost a loved one to humans. I've heard about dolphins being hit by boats and stabbed by humans when they're in the shallows. But, the worst I've heard was last year, when over 400 of our companions died simultaneously around Africa. It's a bit odd how these dolphins seemed to have the same symptoms as dolphins that are stuck in the range of military sonar. Now, I'm young, but I'm not stupid. I think that the 400 bottlenose dolphin deaths were caused by, guess who, humans!"

Wait a minute, that's not fair. How does he know? Was he in the area when this happened? Sure, that was horrible, but what makes him think it was humans?

"I know they don't do it THAT much, but one time is enough and they're still not stopping. Let's not forget, though, that we have to deal with THEIR waste that they pump into our water. We don't put all of our waste up on their land, do we? This is our HOMES they're invading."

Whoa, slow down, I just had this thought that-

"And what's worse, they capture us and put us in small pens. Do you see how much space we're taking up now? That's how much of a swim they can take."

-something's not right here, it's like his tone is saying something else. He's just beating around the bush. Why won't he just say what he's thinking of doing. What's the plan, anyway,-

"I don't know about you, but I'm sick of it. Dolphins have put up with human's violent behavior and pollution. They think we're too dumb to realize what they're doing. They think we're too peaceful because we don't try to stop them. They think we're weak because we haven't shown them who's boss. Think about it, we're stronger than they are, right? With just one hard swipe, we could kill one of them like they killed one of us."

-revenge? Revenge.

The annexed pods were feeling Deryl's anger too. Their rostrums opened and closed rapidly. Some slapped their tails on the surface (we were gathered up there). Others just sat in cold silence, letting themselves be taken in by Deryl's impressive charisma. Isthia and I exchanged nervous glances. Maybe we hadn't been paying attention to the big picture, we had been paying attention to our separation. Well, at this moment being split didn't sound like his top priority.

"But, you know what happens when we go on land? Yeah, we die. We can't get to then. But....we can wait until they come to us."

He wasn't saying what I think he was-

"Once they get in the water, we can ambush them. If they get hurt, let them. If they die, let them. We have to get our message across. We aren't weak creatures, and we won't put up with their mistakes."

-was he?

"We'll attack them here, then when they stop coming in the water, we will move on, until we take out all of the swimmers in the Gulf."

In the Gulf? Aimee swam in the Gulf!

"If you get hurt or the humans happen to kill one of you, it will only help fuel the motive we have for carrying this out. We have to-"

"STOP IT!"

A loud, aggressive whistle erupted from my blowhole, cutting short Deryl's speech.

A cluster of dolphin heads all turned back to me. There was no taking it back, now. I shouldn't have said it, but it was too late.

"Gregory, what are you doing?" Isthia quietly clicked, looking at me in some fear.

I sighed and pressed my beak to hers. "Don't worry, I'll keep you out of this. You won't be in trouble." I swam off to where Deryl had been floating, giving him an angry glare.

"What did you say?" He asked, a serious question, when I got to him.

"I said 'Stop it', Deryl. Stop this plan, this revolution. It's not going to work."

He cocked his head, getting a bit angry. "What do you mean? I thought you'd approve of this. After all, your own family was killed by humans."

"My family wasn't killed by humans, they ARE humans!" I squealed, almost ready to slap some sense into Deryl.

He looked blankly at me. "I don't understand."

I turned to face our pod and the other two. "Look, my name's not Lone Fish, and I'm not a dolphin. My name is Gregory Shoemaker and I was once a human. All I know was one day I came across a small female dolphin that seemed to hypnotize me. We mated and for some reason she bit me. I don't remember much after that, but I do know that the next thing I remembered I was a dolphin. I had been swimming around for days in a confusion before Isthia found me. I didn't want to tell her I was human so I made up that story about my family getting trapped in a net."

Deryl swam in front of me, his beady eyes bubbling with anger. "So, you kill dolphins and pollute our homes?"

"Wait! You don't understand."

"Oh, I understand. You humans have no idea what it's like when tons of waste is pumped into your home. You can't even IMAGINE how it feels to know that once again, more people have killed your kind."

"Look, I know what you're saying. Humans don't know what it's like. That's why we do these things."

"You mean, the abuse? Because I think humans know what they're doing when they injure dolphins voluntarily."

This wasn't turning out good, but I was ready to fight. "Wait a minute, that's-"

"OR the fishing nets?" Deryl cut me off.

"Well, we-"

"What about Japan and it's dolphin hunts?"

"We've tried to-"

"How about all of the waste? You think we're not going to care?"

"Hold on-"

"And how about keeping dolphins in tanks? Is that justified?

"That's not what I'm-"

"Then what ARE you trying to say?"

I took a breath before beginning. "Okay, the abuse I know is wrong. Japan's hunting is wrong too, so are the nets and the pollution. The tanks are probably the worst, but just listen. Humans aren't out to get dolphins. We don't plan to have you stuck in our nets, we just get careless. To a lot of us, you just seem like another animal. I should know." I bowed my head, "I was once one of them. I was your average human, so sucked up in today's world and so full of myself that I would be willing to destroy a whole area just to satisfy my needs. I used to think that the ocean was just a worthless waste of space, but I see now how much life it has to it."

Deryl sat silently, obviously expecting me to go on. "But not all humans hate dolphins. Actually, dolphins are a favorite up on land. People have boycotted aquariums that have caught wild dolphins to perform in shows. We've tried hard to get Japan to stop hunting dolphins. You don't realize how hard people are trying to stop the things you want to stop. Grouping all humans into the 'bad' label for what some have done just isn't right, either. By doing what you were about to do, you would've been no better than us."

"And, the pollution?"

"We don't have any other way to get rid of it. Our homes, too, have to endure pollution, merely because we're so wasteful. But we're trying hard to find ways to destroy it safely so that the oceans don't get too dirty."

Deryl didn't look convinced. "So, how do you justify all of this? I thought humans were supposed to be smart."

He had me there. How could I say that all of the humans had no idea what we were doing? If we didn't know about it, we wouldn't have the programs to stop it. What could cause humans to be so careless to dolphins?

I sighed, "I can't justify it. There is no way, because we're not innocent. We're smart, but that doesn't matter. You can be highly intelligent but still be ignorant. We don't deserve to be attacked, though. It's a bit hypocritical that dolphins seems to want to be friends with us first, only to attack us the next moment for things the certain individual victims might not have done. This siege isn't going to make us stop doing the things we're doing; we'll take care of that. By attacking us, we'll only grow to hate what we used to love so much and the attacks on you will increase. We don't want it to happen, but that's human nature. You should let us take the blame so in time it'll all be over."

Deryl took a breath, and came back, looking weak but still incredibly pissed off. He moved himself closer to me, so that we were eye-to-eye, and paused to stare at me in anger. Then he backed off and turned around, swimming off. Suddenly, he stopped and looked back at the baffled pods of dolphins.

"The two other pods should leave. I'm sure you have a long way to go. And to my pod, go out and get some fish. I guess you can come back whenever you get enough."

There was silence as the pods dispersed, perplexed, in different directions. Isthia floated up to me, a look of triumph masked by that of fear. "You crazy phin," she silently whirred, "you could've got both of us banished."

I smiled a little bit, my success face showing brighter than Isthia's. "I'm sorry."

She smiled to, and moved herself next to me. "Don't be. Nobody really knows it yet, but somehow you just stopped Deryl dead in his wake. You've turned the pod free again!"

My heart was beating quick, slowing down after the anticipation of a fight. I had just rescued the pod from it's rules and perhaps I had even changed Deryl. Was I a hero? No, not yet. I was just tired. Maybe I'd be a hero once everyone realized what happened, but it had all happened too quickly.

Isthia scanned me when she saw my eyes closing, "You're tired. Rest a bit, I'll be here with you." She held her fin to my side.

I shut my eyes and part of my brain shut down and micro slept. I had stopped the revolution. I had changed a dolphin. I was a hero. But, most importantly, I was staying with my love and saved my daughter from growing up in a strict environment.

"I'm glad you're staying here, Gregory," Isthia noted on our assumption that Deryl would let me stay. I felt a lick on beak and tried to return it, but I couldn't. I was too paralyzed with bliss.

***

"No, you have to be kidding! You can't be serious!"

"I'm not being serious? He's the one that lied about being a dolphin. By now I wish he WERE just a stray!"

Isthia and Deryl were having another conversation while I was out feeding.

"Deryl, stop it. We know that you gained power of the pod suddenly and it's rushed to your brain. You don't know what you're doing!"

"Yes I do, little sister. He may have changed my view on human actions, but he hasn't changed my view on humans. I still hate them!"

Isthia bowed her head, "I hate you."

"Fine. That doesn't matter now, I'm the alpha male. Remember what Dad used to say? 'I'm the alpha male, I'm the alpha male, screw the rules because I'M the alpha male!'. Well, it's like he's taught me to think the same way. Sure, I was too hard on the pod, but now I've gotten over the whole ordeal and can start leading it like I wanted! The rules won't be as bad, but I'm still the one in charge!"

She looked up, "I don't care if you're the alpha. I hate you because of what you're doing."

"Helping the pod?"

"No, what you're doing with Gregory."

"Yes, helping the pod."

Isthia's eyes widened at hearing this. "What did he ever do? He's not a threat!"

"He doesn't belong, though. Gregory's not welcome here."

There was a silent moment before Isthia spun herself quickly in a circle and slammed Deryl across the melon with her tail. He was knocked a few feet from the spot, not to mention knocked senseless. When he came to, Isthia was gone.

She found me later and sadly swam up. When I asked her what's wrong, she told me what happened with her and Deryl.

I was silent. "He said that not only do you have to leave the pod, but you have to leave the ocean. He wants you back as a human, Gregory."

Still, I didn't speak. I understood that there was no point in trying to fight it. Deryl was the alpha and there was nothing we could do.

"I just wish I didn't have to turn human again. After all the time I've spent as a dolphin it's made me realize how much I hated being a human."

"I wish you didn't have to either." She brushed her fin over my melon a few times, "and I know you'll miss being a dolphin, I will too. But it's out of our reach."

We swam with each other for a bit, remembering the things we had done the year before. The Grad students, the fisherman, the lessons, the storm, the migration, the migration back, the new arrival in the pod (the mother was Isthia's cousin), the news of pregnancy, everything was coming back to us. It made the sadness start to melt off a bit, so to speak.

Deryl has also decreed I was to leave immediately. Which meant that I would have to be bitten right away. But before I could be bitten...

The last time we mated should've been enchanting, but it was tragic. The one act both of us held so close was now in shambles over our separation. Our eyes would meet and we'd stop feeling this numb pleasure. We wouldn't feel the body of our lover pressed gently against ours. The feelings of fun and lust had disappeared. All that was left was the lingering thought that this was our last time.

The biting was the worst part, though. It was bad enough our experience of love and lust was shattered, but when I saw Isthia I knew what she was dreading: physical harm to me. It was like we wanted the experience to last forever because we didn't want what would come after it. Sadly enough, the experience wasn't as great for us anyway. Either way we were going to lose. It was a Catch-22. It was what Deryl wanted.

Somehow, Isthia squeezed in the bite cleverly to soften the experience. I had cummed in her and both of us were giving our mate the usual rake marks. Isthia, immediately after the climax, raked her teeth a little bit harder across my skin. That way, her teeth broke past my blubber and a bit of blood seeped out. It wasn't a real bite, just a smaller version. Neither of us said another word, we just sat with each other for the rest of the day. We would rub, we would cuddle, we would play a little. But we never spoke. We could communicate better without words.

***

By the time the sun was setting, I had already started to change. My lung capacity had gotten smaller, my body had shrunk, and there were tan-like smudges all along my body. I guess that, like the other time, I was probably looking grotesque or at least warped. Isthia, though, stayed with me and would stroke my body if I showed any signs of discomfort (if that's how it was, I was dreading how the transformation would be).

The sun set and the sea grew dark. Funny, seeing it while I was human always made me uncomfortable during the night. You see the ocean and it gives you the feeling similar to being scared of the dark. You know there's something in the water, you just can't see it. When I was a dolphin, though, it gave me a sense of security. For once, I could see what was in the water while others couldn't. I had the ultimate power. I guess I never thought of it much, but now I was too late. It'd be nice to think about when I become human, though.

Occasionally we'd spy-hop to get a look at the stars. Out here, late at night, that's all you saw. There were tons of them up there. I bet without them, you couldn't determine where the sea ended and the sky began. I thought that we'd have one of those 'romantic' moments where one of us would comment on the beauty of the galaxy. 'Not as beautiful as you, my love', one of us would've surely said, or some similar mushy thing. We never did. We weren't looking at them to get philosophical, we were just looking.

The sun rose and still we hadn't moved from our area. Both of us had gotten a fair amount of micro-sleep but it had been a long time since either of us had spoken. Finally, I decided to break our 'vow of silence'.

"So, at around noon today, I will turn back into a human." I shook my rostrum in disappointment.

"Tough, isn't it? Oh well, I bet once you're back to your normal self you'll be doing the things you used to do."

"I thought I WAS my normal self right now."

Isthia gave her pseudo-laugh again. "You know what I mean."

I knew what she meant, but I was being serious, I swear!

No teary goodbyes for me. With the pod, that is. I never really knew anyone else there so they didn't seem to sad when I had to go. Right before we were about to leave Isthia excused herself and went off, coming back carrying the little mirror we had found before. "It's still in good shape. Look's like there might've been some crabs crawling on it, but besides that its good." Neither of us had removed the mirror because we spent too much time trying to get it into the crevice. We thought that if we did remove it, we'd have to find another place to put it. I was about to ask Isthia why she had the mirror but before I could Spinner came up carrying something in her mouth, too. This, however, was a string like thing, long and flimsy with a yellowish red hue.

"Hi Spinner." I said, as she approached me. "Uh, what do you got there?"

"It's a gift, Gregory." She chirruped, once again trying to mask her sadness with some cheer. "This is an anemone, a very hard to reach one. It grows around the bottom of the ocean, close to the drop off. You know the place? No? Oh, well it's hard to reach. Took me a few tries but I was able to pull a strand off. It's also a sedative, works instantly after you eat it. I thought it would work for when you're tuning back into a human. You don't have to feel the pain of the change when you've had a dose of one of these."

She let go of the ropey anemone and I snatched it in my own mouth before it could sink.

"Well," she said, her glow dimming, "I'm going to miss you. I hope you're human mate doesn't freak out when you show up at the doorstep after a year." I watched her emotions, knowing she was hiding most of them. I could tell that she liked me a lot, and me leaving wasn't just affecting Isthia. "Take care of yourself, alright?" She pressed the end of her snout to mine.

"I will, Spinner. Thanks for the gift." I licked the tip of her beak. " Love ya, girl." Spinner probably wasn't expecting this. It's a miracle she had the bearings to smile after a surprise like that.

I looked over at Isthia who had been watching the whole thing. She was smiling, too. It would've drove Spinner crazy if I'd left before she knew if I knew she loved me. I started to see what Isthia meant when she was talking about security in mates. With one final glance, we left a teary Spinner sitting, by herself, in the water behind us.

***

Ten was probably around the time we left. I don't know, I just remember the sun was fairly high.

Still, neither one of us said a word. What could we say? We couldn't say goodbye because it wasn't over yet. We couldn't say how much we'd miss each other because we already knew. So, we swam on, heading back to the island I hoped still had my home on it. Isthia carrying the mirror, me carrying the anemone. In the wispy lines of light that fell over us from above, I could see parts of my body changing even more. The blotches were increasing and growing, my dorsal fin was getting smaller, and I was swimming slower. I hoped I would be back at the island in time for the transformation.

No sharks this time around, and considering my shape was worse than before this was good news. Eventually, after silent swimming for two long hours, I saw Coney Island appear as a small speck in the distance. The closer we got the better we could see the bluff where my house sat above. The recent tropical storms had worn the bluff down but it wasn't looking too bad. And, from what I saw, the house had survived all of the weather just like the realtor had promised. We rounded Coney Island and immediately we could feel the churning currents pressing against us. The sun was at it's zenith, noon, 24 hours after Isthia bit me. I was going to turn back into a human.

We stopped by the shore. This way, I wouldn't be subject to the dangerous waters when I lost my swimming ability.

"I guess, this is goodbye, my love." Isthia cooed, imaginary tears forming in her eyes.

"We might be able to see each other, another time. I'll come down to the water as often as I can."

She shook no. "It won't do any good. I overheard Deryl, he's taking the pod around to the Atlantic, near Africa. I'll try to get myself out from going, but I don't think it will do much good."

"You can't just secede ?"

"It's not that easy. Deryl made sure I couldn't leave by decreeing that you have to have permission to leave the pod for good. I don't think he'll give it to me." She bowed her head.

We both noticed that a single blotch was growing along my underside. It was beginning. We had to sum it up.

"Gregory, I won't be here when you wake up, you know that? This is it. Here, take this."

She let go of the mirror. "Isthia, I can't take this. We have plenty on the land. Besides, think of it as something to remember me by."

She motioned to a swollen spot above her vaginal slit. "I have plenty to remember you by."

I hesitated, but couldn't think long as the pain began. "Goodbye Gregory. I love you so much, and I will miss you. I will tell our daughter about you." I struggled against the pain to listen to Isthia. "Before you eat the sedative, look at me. Look at me, Gregory!" Shaking in intense pain, I rose my head and looked to my love. "Tell me what you want to say, while you have the time."

"Isthia, I'm-" I let out a squeal as my bones started to ache. "I'm so sorry I have to go. I love you so much. Thank you for showing me the good life. I hope that in some chance, we can meet again." I stopped and struggled but somehow managed to rub the bulging spot on Isthia's underbelly. "And take good care of our daughter, okay?"

She pressed her beak to mine. "I will, Gregory." The pain continued to grow, horrendous before the real change had really begun. "Eat the anemone." I swallowed the smooth ropey strand, and as my vision darkened, Isthia continued to hold her rostrum to my melon.

"Goodbye, Gregory."

***

Sizzle....whoooooooooomCRASH sizzle.....whoooooooooomCRASH sizzle....whoooooooooomCRASH sizzle

I know the sound. It's the sound of the waves crashing. And around here, they crashed hard.

I was sore all over my body, but at the same I felt rejuvenated. The sun was beating down on my skin and warming me up.

Oh no! That must've meant I was above water! I was beached! Maybe I'd better see what's around me.

I opened my eyes and saw everything in front of me rather than slightly down and to each side. I lifted up my head and saw the ugly figure that lay before me. It was me, with my fins replaces for hands, my tail replaced with legs, and my once beautiful silver skin and blubber was now greasy pink flesh and no body fat. I was a human now.

Something was right in my eye. It was the reflection of the sun off of the little mirror Isthia left me. Well, there went the hopes that I had somehow dreamed the whole thing after I had fallen off the bluff.

Seagulls were watching me from above, clicking in curiosity, hopefully not noticing my penis and thinking it was food. If you ask me, that was really the only reason why I got up.

You'd think at that moment I'd be confused, high in emotions, weak, but I wasn't any of those. Unlike the last time, this time around I knew what was going on. Besides, those emotions were all in my head the first time. I was feeling pretty normal right then.

I reached down and picked up Isthia's mirror. Isthia. It hit me then that she really WAS gone. Out in the surf there was no dorsal fin, no seductive eye, no happy whistle. It was just waves. All I had left of her was the memories...and her mirror.

Call me crazy, but I was wondering what I looked like at that moment. I examined my head in reflection. All was normal except I was completely bald. I guess Claudio Sanchez really DID want his hairdo back when he called me.

Isthia was gone, and I had to accept that. She was no longer my lover, Aimee was now. I still loved her but it was no use. I didn't cry for her, I think I did all of my crying when I was unconscious.

But I did start to worry. How was I going to break this to Aimee? I show up a year after I left, bald and naked, and just knock on the door and expect her to let me in? 'Oh, hi honey, come on in dinner's almost ready'. Would she even recognize me? I didn't have much of a choice. I took one final look at the sea, and turned my back to it. I was a land mammal now.

There were still prickles on the way up the bluff to my house. The stinging was familiar, in a way. Finally, I reached the top, seeing my home in plain view. I waltzed right up to the front door and knocked. I couldn't wait to see Aimee!

I knocked again. No answer. Her bike was still here. "Aimee? It's me, Gregory. Please, let me in!"

Still no answer. I tried the knob. It was locked hard. Luckily the window was open and I could just climb right in.

This wasn't the home I left.

Our pictures still hung on the wall. Our TV still sat in it's old spot. The feeling of being 'at home' swarmed me, but I knew it wasn't our home. People lived here, but there were no signs of life. On the coffee table were various tabloid magazines. Everything was well kept, at least for the living room. I decided to check everything out. In the den everything WAS just how I had left it. My notepad still sat there, with year old material that was now useless. Perhaps even the chair was in the right place too.

In the bathroom everything was still neat. There were clean towels folded under the sink. The sink itself had no scum in it.

The bedroom had upgraded, but was otherwise the same as well. Our crude mattress had turned into a queen-sized bed, with only one set of pillows. The bed was made, making me question if Aimee had been here lately. Just looking at this bed, though, made me realize how exhausted I was, like coming home from vacation energized only to lose all amounts of strength when something soft came into view. I nestled down into 'my' bed and fell asleep before I even had the covers over me.

I was out for four hours. I thought I'd be tired after the usual ten minute nap of my dolphin hood. It could've been the dream I had had, too.

There I was, at the bottom of the bluff, with Aimee. Isthia was there too, playing in the surf. The sun was starting to set behind Coney Island, but none of us were paying attention. I was making out with Aimee, which Isthia was okay with, just like she said. She sat, spy-hopping, watching us as we kissed and rubbed each other, vocalizing our love for each other and saying how much we missed them during the last year. Isthia seemed to be studying us, learning more about how humans work.

Then, after Aimee and I were done, the roles seemed to switch. Isthia beckoned my into the water by doing a tail stand and showing off her pink belly to me. I was scared to do so with Aimee right there, but she merely said 'What are you waiting for? She's in the mood, go make love to her!'.

Never in a million years would I expect Aimee to say that. But I did. Neither of us seemed to mind that Aimee was watching us. 'That's interesting,' she'd say, 'I didn't know you could do that!'.

I felt lost in this great feeling. Here I was, with both of my loves, with the freedom to switch off between them without either having any sore feelings.

Then things got bad. I was cuddling with Isthia in the shallows when suddenly Coney Island collapsed. The sun shone dead on us now that nothing could block it's path. What happened next was even weirder. In my dream, the water was calm. Now, though, the collapsed island turned into a drain and the current began to pull me in. Aimee rushed behind me and lifted me up with my arms. We were both shaking but otherwise fine. Isthia, however, was stuck in the current and frantically trying to swim back to me and away from the island. I started to go after her but Aimee had me firmly by the arm. "No, Gregory, I can't lose you again! It's too dangerous!"

I watched in pure horror as Isthia lost the battle and began to shrink into the distance. "Aimee! I need her!"

"No, you don't. You have me now. You can only have one!"

She began to chant the last line, "You can only have one! You can only have one!"

Then I woke up.

What did this mean? I could have only one? I wouldn't be happy with Aimee? WHAT DID IT MEAN!

I wandered out into the living room and saw the tabloids on the coffee table. They were in a nice little stack, Aimee's touch. The top one talked about the new celebrity marriage. I quickly flipped through it to try to ease my way back into pop culture.

But, one article was cut out. I flipped through the next one, and there was an even bigger one cut out. The one after that had no cover. Neither did the one after that. They were all missing something!

Well, no use keeping these. I picked up the stack and went outside to the trash bin. A heavy smell overwhelmed me, and in the hot weather that's no joke. I remembered that we had to personally deliver our own garbage to the town, but by the looks of it we had old garbage in here. I noticed a bit of the mushy apple I had thrown away was still here from the moving day. Aimee didn't live here, it was merely a vacation house.

Then I saw there was a bag. It looked like it was filled with some type of paper scraps. No, it was newspaper clippings.

Why does someone clip things out and then throw them away? The coverless Enquirer caught my eye. Of course! Aimee wasn't saving these, she was getting rid of them! But why?

I dug out the bag and brought it back into the house. There were newspaper articles in the bag too, some from the island's paper. I read the first clipping I found. 'Local comedian goes missing'. Was there any other comic? I guess that was expected, since I had been gone for a year. The clippings went on, each with Aimee pleading with me to come back. Then I got to the tabloid clippings. The whole ordeal gradually shifted from a missing persons case to a con-act. I wasn't the subject, though, Aimee was. They said things like 'Wrong way to rise', 'Wife of "missing" husband', 'She did it for attention'.

This...this wasn't fair. Why was Aimee to blame for something she didn't do?

I dropped the articles in disgust. Maybe some TV would help. I turned it on right to a skit comedy show, feeling myself relax and preparing to laugh after all of this time. But then a new skit came on. It was a mock news segment which had an exaggerated woman (played by a man) sitting next to the anchor. 'Welcome back, with me is my guest, Aimee Shoemaker.' The man in drag began to cry and the crowd laughed. I stared in disbelief.

"So, Miss Shoemaker, how's the husband?"

The man who was supposed to be Aimee stopped crying. "Oh, he's doing fine. In fact, he took me out to Red Lobster the other- I mean, HE'S GONE!" The fake Aimee started to cry again, eliciting the crowd to roar with laughter. They did a few more questions until the anchor said he was going to ask one more question. "Miss Shoemaker, I'm guessing that you're husband's 'disappearance' is tragic for you. In order to cope, what do you spend you're free time doing?"

The fake Aimee seemed to get little dollar signs in his eyes. "Counting the cash from my last movie."

The crowd began to laugh and cheer. I just shut off the TV. I knew what was going on. When Aimee had reported me missing, she rose in popularity, much like the Ramsey family back in the 90's. Because she was an actress, though, most took the assumption it was a publicity stunt and that I wasn't missing, just laying low so that Aimee could rise to fame. She was hated because something tragic happened to her.

This was what I was going to return to? I begun to feel a little resentful to the human race, what we had become. I wanted even more to be a dolphin again.

I stood up and picked up the mirror from the counter. There I was, my eyes teary in disgust at what my wife was going through. Strange, how I was holding that mirror. On one side of me there was a portrait of Aimee. On the other side was the sliding glass door, with Coney Island easily in sight.

I could stay a human or try to become a dolphin again. But it was impossible. I wanted to see Aimee because I loved her. I wanted to be with Isthia because I loved her. Which could I choose?

"Choose? WHY DO I HAVE TO CHOOSE!?!" I roared in anger, turning around and throwing the mirror hard against the wall.

It was a miracle the mirror didn't break. Not because of the seven-year rule, but because that was all I had left of Isthia. The mirror, when it hit the wall, knocked the portrait of Aimee off of it's nail. Now it was on the floor, face down. Next to it was a clipping I had failed to notice. 'Shoemaker says "I don't want him back"'. It showed a picture of Aimee wiping away tears. All that was left, now, was the sliding glass door. The ocean was all that was left. Fate had chosen for me.

I picked up the mirror and walked through the hall to the den. I grabbed my notebook and tore out the worthless material until a fresh page lay underneath. I walked back into the living room and put the pad on the counter, grabbing a nearby pen. I wrote a letter for Aimee to see.

"Dear Aimee,

I'm sorry I missed you. It was probably my timing, not yours.

I've been gone for a year, but I am in good health. I wasn't kidnapped, and I didn't exactly disappear. Come to think about it, the only people who REALLY disappear are the dead, and I assure you I am alive.

Don't bother asking me what happened, though. It's no use worrying about it. All that matters is that I am okay and what I have done is my own decision.

The first time I left wasn't my fault or doing. This time, though, it is. I saw what the tabloids have said, and what you have said. I wish I could've seen you first, but oh well. This time I guess you could say I'm ceasing to exist. I will be legally dead, and I hope that my form will still live in your memories. But I won't be physically dead. I've gotten sick of how society can treat itself, so I've decided I want nothing of it.

I can't tell you what I've been doing this past year. I think you'd believe me, but everyone else would think I'm making it up. I'll miss you so much and I've never stopped loving you. You're still my wife.

Below is my PIN number and other valuable numbers. Whatever is in each of these accounts take it all out and devote it to you and our offspring. Remarry, I urge you. You still need love, it's the foundation of life and sanity. Just because I'm gone doesn't mean the only opportunity is, too.

Let yourself fade out. Don't keep becoming candy for the tabloids. I want you to be happy and to live the rest of your life normal.

And what will you tell them happened to me?"

I thought deep about what to say. Then I recalled what my human mind said on it's way out. "If you don't see me, I've been lost at sea."

"I was Lost At Sea. I was sucked out by a riptide. Anything. The fact that we could share one final moment in this note is our little secret, okay?

Don't forget about me, but forget about your life with me. I'll always love you.

Gregory Shoemaker, May 19th, 2007"

Stop crying, Gregory, stop crying. I shoved my fist in my mouth and clamped down my eyes so I wouldn't start bawling.

Without another glance, I took out through the glass door with the mirror in my hand. How was I going to turn dolphin again? Just jump in and swim to Isthia? I didn't know, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let that stop me.

I reached the beach and before thinking, dove into the warm sea water.

I had just made a fatal, fatal mistake.

Immediately an undertow dragged me under. The saltwater shot into my mouth and filled my lungs. I pushed myself up and broke the surface, taking in a gulp of air before being pulled down again. When I surfaced, the Island was a good 100 feet behind me, and the water was crashing over my head. A huge wave, the ones I used to ride along South Padre, mockingly pushed me under just in time to catch a riptide that dragged me out.

Damn my lung capacity! I tried to gasp for air but the saltwater merely welcomed itself in oxygen's place. I tried to cough it up but what good would that do? The riptide was dragging me fast through the water. My lungs hurt horribly, and I took in another gasp of sea. The water was blurring my vision and swelling my chest. If only I had just stayed up in the house! I knew there was no hope. I was going to die. Maybe, I thought in a macabre form of acceptance, I'll find Isthia in the next life.

Isthia?

A dark torpedo-like figure zoomed past me, circled a few times and drew close. Was this Isthia? I was sure it was a dolphin, but I couldn't see. Then the creature put it's rostrum under my chin and then to my chest, pushing me up for air.

Isthia? I-Isth-th-ia-ia?

I-I-I-I

I blacked out.

***

Pain, in my lungs. It was a horrible, pressing pain. I couldn't breathe but my mind was telling me too. Air was useless, there was no space for it.

Then, my eyes burst open. The sun burned my eyes much like how the water burned my inside. I knew I was on Coney Island by how the sun was shining. I was out of the water but it was no use. 'Just spit it all out,' a voice seemed to tell me. 'Free your lungs.' Right on schedule, too. I could feel it actually pushing its way out of my lungs. I turned over and got on all fours, coughing violently for the water to come up. I sat up and did a self Heimlich maneuver by pressing on my diaphragm. My head knocked downwards and up came all the water, with a bit of bile from the salt. My eyes got teary as I could feel the veins on my head popping out while I continued to hack up the salt water.

Finally it stopped and I breathed deep in the sweet humid ocean air. Gradually my heart rate and blood pressure decreased from the coughing and my breathing returned to normal. Now I was just light-headed.

I could feel something watching me. Slowly I turned around and it came as a surprise that the dolphin that had saved me was, in fact, Isthia. She was far enough out of the water for me to see the shark bite scar on her flank.

I smiled a bit, in my daze, and spoke to her. "Hello, aren't you happy to see me? I'm happy to see you."

She was probably feeling enough emotions right at that moment, but I'm sure she didn't want to be feeling any déjà vu. Already she didn't seem happy. She looked a bit disappointed in me, a slight bit of anger, maybe a mix of surprise.

"Look, Isthia. I know you aren't that happy to see me. I understand." Luckily she knew me well enough to understand me even when I was speaking English. "Deryl said we were to be apart. We had both gone through a tough separation and right before it seems over I have to come by again. I know I shouldn't be here, but just hear me out."

She spy hopped and looked at me in the eye. Maybe that wasn't the case. To Isthia it looked like she was more scolding me for running into the surf. Still, she sat and waited for me to speak again.

"Isthia, I can't be a human. I never met up with my human mind. I'm still a true dolphin and I can't feel any signs of trying to adapt. Please, you have to turn me back into a dolphin."

Isthia's eyes widened. Not because she didn't want me as a dolphin, just the things the transformation put me through.

"I know, I don't like it either, but if it means being with my love, I'll do it." She stared at me, thinking over the possibilities. "Come up here, Isthia," I said, scooting to the shallows, about ten feet from her. "I want to cuddle a bit."

It didn't take much to convince her. She seemed excited about being touched by hands again and eagerly moved up to where I was sitting. First I checked to make sure she was still floating, then I propped myself up on one arm and put my other one around her. I smiled as she put her fins around me before we had even done anything. I lifted my other arm up and let my head rest in the sand, using that arm to begin stroking her silky gorgeous body. She closed her eyes for a split second as the feeling suddenly came over her and the she opened them halfway again. All of the memories of our first time together began to drift back to us. I could've sworn that Isthia gave a content sigh. She followed this with a tender rub back with her flippers.

I had forgotten what I was going to say at that moment. Or maybe because the moment just called for silence. Who knows. All I do know is that when I finally got my train of thought I turned myself onto my back. This was a sign that it was over, and we needed to talk. Isthia, still in a dreamlike state, merely put her head on my chest. I could talk to her better this way and she'd be able to see me better. But I guess she didn't know how heavy her head was, since I had to put my hand under her so I could breathe a bit better!

"So, Isthia. I know you that this will cause a lot of problems if we return to the pod. But Aimee is in trouble because of my disappearance. Because I love her, I'm not going to show up so everyone will think I really did disappear. And because I love you, I will endure the transformation one more time."

She was silent. She had been silent the whole time. But her eyes were saying something, almost shouting it. They were almost, smug. "Isthia, why were you still here? You're not back with the pod?"

Isthia lifted her head and pressed it to mine. It was apparent what she wanted me to do. I leaned back and shut my eyes. There was a warm fuzzy feel that shook through my body and then I felt like I was floating. Soon I was back to that strange plane that I was at when my human mind left. There was a pod of dolphins swimming ahead of me, obviously Isthia's since Deryl and Spinner were there. Suddenly, I saw Isthia swimming to them, but in order to get there she'd have to swim through me, and she did. I guess that I didn't really exist there, I was just an audience. She swam up and touched beaks with all of the dolphins. I couldn't understand what they were saying, though. It just sounded like clicks and warbles to me. Deryl whistled something that grabbed the pods attention, followed by a long solo of chitters and clicks, none sounding exactly alike. My guess was he was giving a speech. Finally, he stopped his string of sounds and turned to leave, with the pod doing the same. That is, except Isthia. She sat still, remaining unnoticed until Spinner saw that she wasn't following. Curiously, she swam up to her big sister and nibbled a bit on her beak. They began to chatter and bob their heads while the rest of the dolphins began to notice this argument. Finally Deryl swam between them and began to give out a scolding squeal. Once again, there was a chorus of whistles and other sounds as the three talked. Isthia's mother came in too but left after only a few seconds. Isthia bowed her head and Spinner gave her a sisterly rub with her fin. Deryl, meanwhile, looked at Isthia with an angry stare. Finally Isthia looked to Deryl and he swam away from her without making a sound. Spinner had a sad look in her eye but lifted Isthia's head up with her rostrum, real human-like. Then they gave each other a lick on the melon, and Isthia went to each of the other dolphins and did the same. Deryl refused, but it didn't look like she was intent on giving him a lick. Finally, she swam off while the pod went the other way.

It hit me what I had just seen, but before I could interpret it I was sucked back to reality. Isthia had just removed her beak so it was no longer touching my forehead. My mouth hung open in complete surprise as my lover's eyes glimmered. In this position, more of Isthia's body was on mine, waiting to be wrapped up in my arms. "You-You seceded from the pod, you left your family, just to be with me?" She didn't give me time to feel guilty about it. She opened her mouth and licked the tip of my noise, letting out a happy sort of click. This was her choice, to be with me. It was also a way of saying she would respect my choice, too. We both had benefited by the other's winning.

"Look, if you don't want me to, I don't have to become a dolphin again. But I don't know if I'd be able to return to Aimee. I just need to know so I can figure thinks out from here. How about this: Two tails slaps for a dolphin, one for human."

As soon as I said this I could feel Isthia's powerful brain pondering over the question. Would she once again put me through some pain in order to be with her like normal? To raise our daughter the right way? Or would she keep me as a human to love her in an exotic way, leaving my life to be somewhat like my dream?

She lifted up her tail and held it, suspended, in the air. The mental radiation was gone. Any noise was gone, save the crashing waves that was now white noise. Everything was still as she gave one final thought over this situation. She let her tail fall into the water. I waited, she still didn't move it. Was this what she had decided?

I felt her muscles move throughout her body in a stream, right to her tail, which lifted up and splashed one more time. I was to leave my human life, spend it with Isthia, like Isthia. I was overjoyed. My hands couldn't rub her fast enough.

"That sounds fine with me." I grinned, as my love nibbled at my chest.

I turned myself over, my arms still around Isthia. She cocked her head a bit. "What, you don't want to start right now?"

She jabbed my chest, and as I put my hand up to stop her she began to rub her rostrum against it. "You want to be rubbed? We'll have a whole twenty four hours for rubbing. I won't need much sleep."

She looked at me a bit exasperated, pressing her rostrum against my hand hard. "Hey, cut that out!" I said through a surprised laugh. My lover's eyes began to get playful and mischievous gleam to them and she continued to press her smooth firm beak against my hand. "Stop it!" I shouted, laughing. What she did next caught me way off-guard. She somehow was able to turn herself around and swim a ways out before I realized what was going on. Naturally I let go of her and began to tread in the choppy water. Luckily, out about twenty feet from Coney, the water was a great deal calmer. But even without all of the ripples Isthia was hard to find. That is, until she popped her head out of the water and covered me in some chilly spray. Fast as she was going, I couldn't tell where she was going to pop up next. I was flying blind!

Eventually she stopped spraying me and resorted to bumping and nibbling me from underwater. Now, it's hard to stay afloat with a 400 pound muscular dolphin bumping you on the arms and chest. I was laughing mostly out of surprise but some in just how innocent she seemed while banging me around. When I thought it was over, she bit my foot and dragged me farther from the island. I felt her hold release from my foot (which was starting to hurt) and I just sat there. A dark beady eye appeared within a grey shimmer and I realized Isthia was taking a look at me. Before I had a chance to do anything she dove under and dragged me another way!

She repeated this and I saw that it was some sort of game. It was like I was a picture she was rearranging. If that's the case, I wondered what she would do when she found where I was supposed to go.

Now, I was laughing quite a bit but also I was getting pretty pissed off. I was aching all over and there was no stop! I couldn't touch Isthia and I never got the chance to talk to her before she did something else. I didn't want to yell at her to stop, that's not how I was. I couldn't firmly push her away to make my point across, I couldn't catch her. Didn't she know I was getting sick of this? After all, she should know when she scans me that I was getting angry. Ah, of course, I have to get her to scan me! Carefully, I watched the dark silhouette of the dolphin zoom through the water. I watched until she started to dive for my foot and pulled it away inches before she could bite. Now, it was her turn to be caught off guard. I started swimming the best I could from her, trying hard to still feel angry. Sure enough, Isthia had to scan me when she lost sight of me. I saw the dolphin's body shoot in front of me, then ease to the surface, eyes looking at me questioningly. "Yeah, I was getting sick of all the bumping and dragging. I'm starting to ache a bit."

Isthia didn't seem to acknowledge this. She merely swam up and gently touched her beak to my chest. She began to move her tail slowly and I saw that she was pushing me back to Coney Island. She was doing it so tenderly, though, like I would snap if moved too quickly after the past five minutes of nonstop dragging and butting. Finally we made it to the shore and she gave a little extra push so I would land right onto the sand. I was sitting, cross-legged, in the surf when Isthia swam right up and placed her head in my lap, on her side with one single eye looking up to me. The glossy skin of her melon felt good on my legs, I had to admit.

Her expression was the same as the first night, when I had gotten angry with her for spinning me and letting me sink. It broke my heart a bit to see her looking at me like this. She hadn't done anything wrong, this was how we played when we were dolphins and she had forgotten that as a human I was a bit more fragile. And she always made herself seem meek when she did this, and I didn't want that, there was no superiority in this relationship. "Don't worry, Isthia, you didn't hurt me much. It's okay." This wasn't working, maybe because I wasn't very convincing, so I decided to show I wasn't angry and still loved her. I started stroking my hand across her side, around her flipper, and up onto her dorsal fin. Instantly her mood changed from meek to pleasured. I moved my hand down her side until I had reached around her tail. Subtly I let my hand slide down by the pull of gravity, right past her vagina. This surprised her a bit and she jumped, her folds contracting as my hand drew past. I swooped my hand back up and this time as my hand passed I pressed gently against the folds. When my hand drew away this time Isthia gave a sort of sigh and her genital region began to pinken. I looked at her and she looked at me, both of us ready to begin.

While one hand moved up and down her underbelly, the other began to close in on her vulva. Once in a while I'd stop moving my hand and she'd thrust against it, getting pinker and warmer by the moment. Suddenly I felt something rough move across my penis. I looked over and saw that Isthia was actually licking my cock, her eyes seductive once again. The feeling made me shudder as she licked the entire length of me. I could feel my rod growing quickly, giving her more to lick. By the looks of it, she seemed to enjoy the taste of me. I let out a short moan from the tingling sensation as she licked the tip of my cock. I got my mind back and tried to concentrate over the amazing feeling, keeping my hand close to Isthia's vagina. I steadily began to rub her swelling slit with my middle and pointer finger. She responded by tossing her head back a bit and shuddering, and as she was making her way back to my cock I stopped her. "It's alright, girl. This is for YOU to enjoy." She hesitated before setting her head back onto the sand, rather than my lap.

I had forgotten what her pussy lips REALLY felt like. They were rough but smooth in a way, and seemed to ripple whenever you would go past them. I was starting to wish that my cock could erect more, like it used to, since the intense pressure was starting to cause quite an ache. My fingers stopped rubbing the warming slit and began to press. Isthia's breathing grew brisk and loud, interrupted occasionally by a low blissful trill sounding close to a moan. Surprisingly, though she seemed eager, her pussy muscles tightened like a clamp on my finger and stopped me in my tracks. Why would she be doing this? She loosened her muscles only after a few moments so I thought nothing of it. Besides, I had other things to think about anyway. Her warm vaginal secretions flowed thick over my finger and lubed it up as it went in deeper. My love's mouth sat gaping open, her tongue urging me to stroke it by rippling in her mouth. What was I supposed to do, refuse?

So now Isthia was getting a fingering and a tongue rub. It's hard to explain how it feels since I've never experienced either one of those, but I'm guessing from her delighted eyes, trembling flippers and string of loving sounds of contentment, I'm guessing she was in heaven right there. I felt guilty, for her and me, but it had to be done. I removed my finger from the fiery interior of the dolphin's vagina, feeling one last embrace on it as the finger left, and stopped rubbing her tongue. Isthia, reluctant but obedient, let me end the joyful foreplay so we could move on to the next step. But hey, it wasn't like she wasn't looking forward to it! I got up on my knees and unfolded my legs, all the while Isthia watching me with keenness in her tiny black seductive eye. I settled down belly-to-belly with her, one leg wrapped around her tail with my arms firmly holding her close to me. I had forgotten how a dolphin's warm underbelly felt- ah, I'm getting off track!

She was longer in length than me, at least by a few inches or so. Sex was clumsy, as I remember it, but somehow we were able to compromise our positions so that I'd be right at her slit and she could still hold me like she wanted. Finally, both of us sat silent as the waves washed over us. Through the foam of the loud crashing waves that enveloped us, we gave each other a gaze. This was it. Once we were done and the bite had been given, I would never again be a pure-blooded human. How the future could look even brighter was beyond me. I moved myself once or twice and Isthia did the same, enough for us to be in a comfortable position with Isthia getting the bulk of the waves to keep her skin moist and me staying dry. I pressed my erect cock to the swollen vagina of my mate, the tip brushing her clit. A spasm immediately rocked her , tightening her body up like it was in a giant tourniquet.

I began to push my cock into her, but something was blocking the way. Now, Isthia was tight but I never remembered her being THIS tight, and I couldn't get my dick any harder. Finally I broke past the lips and instead of entering full-force, I was stopped by her fixed muscles. The same thing she had done to my finger! What was she doing? That's when it occurred to me to look at her eyes. With each time I inched myself in her eyes would change expression, until they reverted and she let me in more.

"Am I doing something wrong? Am I hurting you, girl?" I couldn't understand what in the world was causing her to let me in so slow, so much different from our first time. Then it struck, she was SAVORING me. When would she ever feel a human cock again? It was heartwarming and guilt-ridden at the same time.

Finally, I was all the way in, my dick enclosed in her fiery insides, feeling the muscles of my mate expand and contract, all the while her juices lubed me up for what was ahead. I pulled myself halfway out and then thrust like a bullet into her again. Isthia's whole body shook with pleasure as she let out her low quiet trill. This was how it was so long ago! I began to thrust harder and harder as the electrifying waves of lust shot through my body, as if my heart was pumping it in my veins. My face was buried in Isthia's warm underbelly as I continued to thrust with passionate love and lust into her. Her muscles were squeezing incredibly tight on my member and before I knew it, I was reaching my climax. With one soft moan, I pushed myself into Isthia's readily tight vaginal walls and tipped my head back as I shot my load in. Isthia reached her orgasm after me and her pussy contracted suddenly, like a heartbeat, while she whistled in ecstasy.

It was over. No more sex as a human with a dolphin, no more exotic feelings, but I was going to get to spend the rest of my life as a dolphin with my lover! Eternal happiness and sudden misery was not a very good mix. Naturally, all of my current emotions and problems seemed to blend in too. Tears over all of the things I should've cried over earlier decided to show up now and once again, I buried my face into Isthia's underbelly, which by now turning white again. As I sobbed heavily, Isthia tightened her hold on my torso and bent her head down so it was touching mine. With tears rolling down my cheeks, I looked up through the blur in my eyes and met them with Isthia's. Her concerned expression asked the obvious but hard to answer question. 'Why are you crying?'

I smiled weakly, "I-just-love you-so much!" I sobbed, sounding like a hiccup. She sat silently squeezing my member, still in her, and watched me as more tears flowed from my eyes. Finally, she moved her rostrum right to my lips and gave me a long sort of understanding and loving kiss. Her flippers rubbed the sides of my body, her vagina contracted gently on my penis, she scooted closer to me and rubbed her body against mine, she nuzzled my lips, made a calming chirrup, the works. I just put my head against her smooth grey underbelly and let myself cry it all out.

I finally stopped when I realized how short on time we where. Had it been ten minutes? Hopefully not!

Well, this was it then. Goodbye, human world. Goodbye society, with your ways of turning grief into public entertainment, with the way some still abuse dolphins and other animals including other humans, the way of completely spoiling the world without looking a few years ahead. Goodbye all you people, with you're set ways of what is 'right' and persecuting those who don't follow it, the way you will think about yourself before what other people are in desperate need off. Goodbye, dry land. Ah, to hell with it. It's not like the world will miss me anyway. I'll be much happier with Isthia.

I let one hand go off my mate and put it right in front of her rostrum. Isthia looked from my hand back to me, then back to my hand again. This was the part she hated (I did too) the most, the part where she actually had to bite me. It was what we had to go through in order to get what we wanted, and I was willing to do anything for this. Isthia began to open up her mouth...then closed it and started to rub my hand.

"Please?" I begged her. She looked down to me, to make sure that I was going to take this path. There was no going back from here. "I love you, Isthia."

That was persuasion enough. Isthia opened her mouth, moved her teeth over my hand, and after giving one more second of hesitation, she-

***

-bit down hard on her lower lip. As soon as she had cleared through the overhanging vegetation of the pathway, Aimee Shoemaker knew that her house had been broken into. Inside, a picture lay on the floor and the couch was in disarray. All of her magazines were gone, and through the window facing the path, she saw that the bedroom had been used and moved in.

Good idea not to lock the windows, Aimee scolded herself. Hey, who ever comes up this way? This island is perfectly safe.

"I guess it's not," Aimee bitterly said aloud. Oh well, I guess there's no point in looking back. After all, this isn't really even my home.

She calmly walked up to the sliding door and found it was open. Funny, why would a robber go through a different way that he came in, and leave the door open? However, Aimee wasn't going to call the police, what good would that do? She merely stepped into the house, remembering long ago when she had stepped into an empty magnificent beach house with- the same lone tear swelled into her eye and she wiped it off on her sleeve.

The television was still there. So were the DVD player and the DVDs. "It must've been too much to carry." Aimee muttered to herself. As robbers go, she thought, they'd most likely go after the smaller, more valuable things.

Unless the robber knew where everything went, it didn't look like they had been any rummaging. There was no disarray except for the picture on the floor, a mark on the wall, her tabloid clippings, and a few things out of place. It seemed only normal that she go and check on her jewelry supply, since that was going to be what was stolen.

In her room, she saw that this thug had actually slept in her bed. Aimee made a mental note to sleep on the couch tonight until everything was washed. She peeked into her little trinket box and then opened it all the way up, her eyebrow raised in confusion. All of her jewelry, her earrings, necklaces, even that rare opal, were all still there. This had been, by far, the strangest robbery she'd ever experienced.

But maybe it wasn't a robbery. It could've been just some crazy fan from the island, maybe someone exploring the house.

Aimee went back into the kitchen and set her things down when suddenly she spied something on the table. Had this intruder actually left her a note?

"Dear Aimee, I'm sorry I missed you. It was probably my timing, not yours."

Huh? She read on until she reached the end, 'Gregory Shoemaker'.

Aimee stared at this note. Was this some sort of cruel, horrible joke? It had to be, her husband was presumed dead after no trace was found. She decided to read again. "Dear Aimee, I'm sorry I missed you. It was probably my timing, not yours" Then, 'Gregory Shoemaker May 19th, 2007'. May 19th? She was only a day off! She could've seen her love if only she hadn't waited! This...this....

She couldn't take it. The trauma she had gone through since her husband's disappearance struck her and she fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. She regretted ever saying that to the press, 'I don't want him back if he will be under the same stress I am.' How was she to know they were going to blow it out of proportion?

Because of that, her husband had officially left without a trace! Aimee was angry with herself, hated herself, and wanted to stop all of this! She was overcome by sadness and guilt too, and knew now there was only one thing left to do; leave like Gregory did. 'Just head down to the beach. Wait until a wave can catch you. Sure, there will be a struggle, but you'll be leaving this all behind.'

She swung open the door and left it just as it was. So what? Eventually someone would come by looking for her, news people most likely, and she wanted them to see what she was leaving. She was leaving the home she thought would be paradise. Of course, she knew that when they did find it they'd cook up some sort of story to only make her look even worse. She didn't care; Aimee was going to end it all.

Tears fell upon her shirt as she stumbled down the pathway, her head in her hands and sobbing heavily. Even as her feet shuffled in the gravel pathway as plants of different types cut into her skin, she continued to weep over her husband. The sound of crashing waves intensified and in no time, Aimee felt the scorching sand at her flip-flops. It was time. Aimee uncovered her eyes and saw the coned island out in the distance through the blur of her tears, and the choppy waves that created jagged lines on the horizon. It was here that she would finally end everything.

As she stepped into the tide line, she became aware of a flash in the water right ahead of her. After wiping away her standing tears Aimee spotted the dorsal fin of a dolphin about twenty feet out. It seemed to have just seen her too, for it spy-hopped and stared directly at her. Aimee ignored this and decided to switch her entrance spot away from the dolphin. Still sobbing softly, Aimee walked along the beach to find a place where she could enter the surf. Unfortunately, the dolphin was still right in front of her. Regardless, Aimee waded into the water and waited for a wave to drag her out. The dolphin, seeing this, submerged his head and swam until he was five feet away from her, spy hopping once again to look at her. Aimee recognized this dolphin; she saved this one last year. One of them, at least, dolphin strandings were tragically common in this area. Aimee continued to ignore this dolphin until she noticed his expression. Was he GRINNING at her? She had no idea, but she didn't want to be thinking about the dolphin right now.

"Go on, get out of here." She firmly pushed the dolphin by his rostrum and he drifted a few inches before swimming back and spy hopping again, now looking a little confused.

"I said, get out of here!" Aimee said through clenched teeth and tears, pointing to the horizon. He followed her finger and looked out before looking back to her with a puzzled look. Aimee tried to get him to understand by literally pushing him away from the spot. He just returned and put on a firm expression.

"Ok, if you don't want to move, I will!" Aimee shouted, irritated. She left the water and stormed off to find another spot. Something caught her eye, though. It was the dolphin following her, swimming parallel to the beach.

"STOP FOLLOWING ME!" Aimee screamed, hoping that the dolphin was at least able to understand that. Still, he continued to follow her. Annoyed, Aimee reached down and found a good-sized rock. "I said, LEAVE ME ALONE!" she shrieked as the rock hurdled from her hand. The dolphin's agility was better than Aimee had thought, and he was able to dodge it. The dolphin stared at where the rock landed and then back to Aimee, frightened. This is just what she had wanted, only to scare the dolphin off. Now it was Aimee's turn to stare as the dolphin actually moved CLOSER to her.

The anger slowly began to drain from Aimee and was replaced by more grief. It almost seemed like the dolphin was bent on helping her. But Aimee didn't want to be helped; she wanted it all too just stop. She fell to her knees as the foam from a wave washed by. "Please," she sobbed, "Just get out of here. You have no idea what I've been through. I want to end it all."

He sat there, silently watching her, the same sad look she had now on him. It was then that an extra large wave broke three feet from where Aimee was sitting and it easily knocked her onto her back. As it receded, she was dragged along the compacted sand and in the process scraped her back something fierce. At any other time, she would've fought back, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she would be sucked under or caught in a rip tide. Aimee heard the dolphin squealing in fright as she was caught in riptide and began to shoot out to the horizon. Slowly, Aimee took one final breath seconds before she went under and closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate.

That is, until she hit against something, hard yet slippery. Was it just an underwater rock? Aimee opened her eyes and saw a blur of grey poking at her chest, pushing her to the top. Merely out of shock was the only reason Aimee took a breath when they surfaced. The dolphin looked up at her, and obviously, by his expression he wasn't very happy with her. Aimee didn't care; in fact, she was much angrier with him.

"H-How could you do this?!? THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!" She shouted, hysterical. He wasn't about to take that for an answer and as quick as he could the dolphin started to push Aimee back to the shore, at top speed. "No! Stop it! Let me go!" Aimee shouted in a futile effort to stop him, but the dolphin kept at his breakneck speed, pushing Aimee with his rostrum. Finally, in a last ditch effort, Aimee swung her arm around and whacked the dolphin's rostrum from the side. He let out a loud squeal of pain and for a split second Aimee was free but right before she could be sucked under again, the dolphin spy hopped once again. This time, he looked even angrier. Still, he went right back to his spot and continued to push Aimee back to shore. She wasn't about to give in so quickly, though, and once again began to try to get the dolphin away from her. He wouldn't do such a thing, though. Finally, Aimee felt sand under her and the dolphin pushed her extra hard so that she was not only out of the water, but no big waves could reach her either. Aimee met eyes with the dolphin, who straightened out his body in the water in a dominant position. There wasn't a doubt that he was furious with her. His eyes burned with the question 'Are you crazy?!?', but overall he didn't look as scolding as he did aggressive. Aimee realized that this would be another way for her to end everything. The dolphin would hurt her and when the tide came in, she would be sucked out. Or he would kill her himself. Either way, Aimee still felt like the winner in a losing battle.

But the dolphin didn't attack. In fact, his eyes cooled down and he put himself horizontal again, his rostrum poking at Aimee's feet. Gently, he nibbled on her toes and quietly whistled for her to come into the water with him. When Aimee started to scoot in, though, the dolphin gave her a look that told her not to. By the look in his eyes, Aimee knew he wanted her to lie on her stomach. Aimee, still crushed and feeling dead inside, sheepishly did want the dolphin wanted. The deep, dark eye of the dolphin watched her as she got level with him. Immediately, as soon as Aimee stopped moving, the dolphin moved himself closer and pressed his rostrum to her nose lightly. Then he tilted his head downwards and put the curve of his melon against Aimee's forehead, a pseudo- Eskimo kiss.

Aimee's eyes widened. This dolphin was apologizing, but only one other person knew about the Eskimo kiss. "Gregory?" Aimee exhaled in utter disbelief. The dolphin put his head back down and he looked back up at her as she sat eyes wide and mouth nearly dropping to the sand. Was he smiling at her? No, this couldn't be Gregory, he's gone. Only in the dolphin's eyes did Aimee see the familiar gleam. This wasn't a dolphin, this was her husband.

She kept feeling she was imagining the whole thing. This couldn't be her husband! Still, her emotions were going haywire and at this point, she was willing to believe anything. So this is why he couldn't tell her, nobody would believe it as she did. Her husband....Aimee began to breath heavily out of her mouth, each breath skipping with oncoming sobs. The dolphin Gregory seemed to show a bit more compassion than the human Gregory did, and as Aimee started to sob, the dolphin raised his beak and started to rub it against Aimee's cheek. The emotions had built up so powerful in Aimee and she hadn't let it out. This moment seemed like a good chance to release them, though. Aimee wrapped both of her arms around the dolphin's head and swung her body parallel to his, letting all of her stress and suicidal thoughts melt off through her tears. Her dolphin husband wrapped his flippers around her and held her tight as Aimee began to weep loudly. As she cried, he started to rub his smooth fins up and down her sides the best he could, feeling her goose bumps over the obvious good feeling. Tenderly he started to exhale in a bit of a hiss, sounding like a soothing hush.

Aimee looked up and into his eyes. "Gregory, I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I-" she sobbed some more, "I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry." Aimee pressed her head into the dolphin's warm glossy underside and began to feel the anxiety subside. Now, another feeling came over her. "Gregory," she looked up at the dolphin, "You saved my life. I don't know why I even wanted to end it. Thank you, Gregory." Her dolphin husband looked at her and seemed to smile. Now Aimee understood why he didn't leave her when she was trying to scare him off. Or why, even after she had hit him, he continued to help her. That reminded her...

"Gregory, open your mouth. I want to see if I did any damage." She saw a small trickle of blood already coming out of his mouth. Gregory refused, though, and kept moving his head out of the way stubbornly whenever Aimee tried to open his mouth on her own. With enough struggle Gregory gave in and opened his mouth. Aimee ran her fingers over his sharp-coned teeth until she found there was a tooth loose. Before Aimee could ask Gregory bent down his head and she saw that, where she had hit there was a tooth that wiggled easily, blood still flowing out. "This is what I did? Oh, Gregory, I'm so sorry!" Aimee cooed to her dolphin husband. Gregory merely closed his mouth over Aimee's hand, but he made sure that he was merely holding her fingers, not biting them. Aimee gasped in surprise as she felt something rough rub against her pinky and knew right away it was his tongue. It tickled enough when he was licking her pinky, but when he coiled it around all of her fingers, she really couldn't help but giggle. And with that giggle, she suddenly knew all of the troubles she had been facing lately were over. It was almost as if she had been cured by love.

After two minutes of licking, Gregory finally opened his mouth and allowed Aimee to move her fingers as she pleased. Instead, Aimee moved her fingers lower and gingerly began to stroke her dolphin husband's tongue. She knew all dolphins, for some odd reason, loved this feeling and Gregory was no different. He chirruped in delight as she caressed his rough tongue, occasionally wrapping it around her fingers again. His tail began to move up and down as if he was swimming. She began to run her other hand across his melon and around his cape, then on the sides of his body. His eyes gently shut and he started to quiver with Aimee's feminine touch. Watching her dolphin husband like this, Aimee couldn't help but smile at him. Eventually her hand reached to a rough fold of skin and Aimee and Gregory both knew that she was rubbing his genital slit. When she did, the dolphin's mouth opened wider and he curved his into more of a curve.

Somehow, Aimee didn't seem hesitant. Though the physical features were different, this dolphin was still her husband, her Gregory. She had been praying for his return not only to have him back but also to feel his love once more. And as for Gregory, he didn't appear to have any objections. Yep, Aimee thought, that's Gregory in there.

Slowly, Aimee let go of Gregory and stood up. From below, the dolphin watched his wife with an increasingly pink underbelly. She removed her beach shirt, the same type she had the first time she came here, and dropped it into the dry sand to her left. Aimee slipped off her black pants and stood in the cool spring sea breeze in her black lingerie. Gregory began to flex his tail back and forth, triggering a grin from Aimee. She reached around and tied her hair back with a hair tie she had, undoing her bra during the same trip. She let her top fall to the ground and Gregory stared up at her firm breasts with erect nipples. Aimee could see that his genital area was swelling and turning a darker pink as she removed her panties.

Compassionately, Aimee squatted down right by Gregory and stroked his smooth yet scarred melon. After splashing some water onto him she situated herself so they were belly-to-belly. Gregory placed his flippers on her side and entwined his tail with her legs so she was as close as she could get. The warmth of his underbelly had increased with his arousal and it felt marvelous to Aimee. When he rose his tail between her legs she even moaned as she felt the glossy warmth against her cunt. With one arm still wrapped around him, Aimee began to rub at the dolphin's swelling genital slit. Gregory lowered his tail and began to gyrate it before thrusting a few times, causing his dolphin cock to spring out. The size nearly took Aimee's breath away! But she had no time to think about that. Tenderly Aimee began to move her hand up and down the dolphin's cock, feeling him thrust against her hand and his penis erect even more. They both were ready to begin. Slowly, Aimee guided his member to her vulva and in almost no time at all Gregory pushed himself on in.

Her dolphin husband's cock filled Aimee up easily, and very carefully Gregory started to push in and out of her. Aimee was too fragile for him to be as rough as he was with females of his species, and he was going to make sure that she felt no pain. Aimee, meanwhile, hugged the dolphin closer to her body and started to tremble with this intense feeling. She looked at Gregory and he looked at her, and it was apparent both were lost in deep, unfaltering love. Aimee moaned as she felt Gregory's penis swell to pre-climax size and both knew that this exotic experience was almost over. It was obvious in their body language that it was no use to fight it, and Gregory sped up his thrusting slightly more, just enough to be on the brink between ecstasy and pain for Aimee. With a loud moan and tensed muscles, Aimee climaxed at the same time as her love shot his load into her with a shrill whistle. Both gave an uncontrollable shudder as the experience ended. Reluctantly, Gregory pulled himself out of Aimee, and she began to pant with her head against her lover's underbelly. Before she rested, she looked up into his eyes and smiled. "I love you so much, Gregory", she sighed, kissing the tip of his beak. Gregory knew that she was sincere, and wished that he could speak and say the same thing to her. But, something told him that she knew already.

Aimee was asleep for close to three hours. For the whole period, Gregory sat with her in his arms, savoring each breath she took and feeling relieved that she was still alive. Eventually she began to stir and opened her eyes. Aimee looked up and saw that her lover was still there and she was still in the warmth of his love and grasp. Then Aimee saw the sky and realized they were in a shadow. She knew what time it was, but lifted her head just to check. "Gregory, look..." Aimee gasped as she saw the sight ahead of her. Gregory turned and saw it as well. Coney Island was blocking the sunlight but the sunset was still easily visible with it's shade of purple, red, orange, and yellow. Just like that romantic night, one year ago, where they spent their first night in their new house. As much as Aimee wanted to talk to Gregory, she was too breathless to make a sound. The view was spectacular, there was no other word for it.

Eventually, after watching sunset turn to dusk, Aimee finally started her soon-to-be-tearful speech.

"Gregory? You still can understand every word I'm saying, right?"

The dolphin nodded his rostrum 'yes'.

"That's good. Now, listen Gregory. I know you want what is best for our child, but I have bad news." She took a deep breath while Gregory cocked his head. "I miscarried, Gregory. I don't know what caused it to happen but it did happen. I'm sorry." The dolphin's eyes deepened. There was no doubt that he was feeling a great deal of sorrow, but when he saw that Aimee was feeling some too he started to rub her with his rostrum.

"Thanks. Anyway, you've given me a reason to live, now. I'm taking you advice, and I'm going to keep on living and try again. I will always love you too, Gregory, and I will never forget you, but I think it's safe if we move on. I want you to do the same, too. If you've found a mate, be happy with her. Live like a dolphin and enjoy it. Don't think that you have to keep seeing me, either. The press usually gives me a day here each visit before they come to bother me. If they see me with you, they'll think I'm crazy. I'm also taking your advice on not becoming eye candy and I'm not going to keep giving interviews. Like you said, I'll fade out and start to live normally again."

This news pleased Gregory and he gave a toothy dolphin grin and let out a happy whistle. "But if you ever are in the area, I will come down to see you. I will never stop loving you, and you will always be my true love in my eyes." The tears started to flow and Aimee knew that she was dragging this out.

"Gregory," she sobbed, "I hate long goodbyes, and I would be willing to make an exception, but I think both of us have said our goodbyes. I love you, Gregory, and please try to live the rest of your life normally, for both of our sakes."

The dolphin gave Aimee one more sad but understanding look, nibbled on her hand, and when she let go he scooted out into the surf. Aimee saw how bad he was struggling and helped him by pushing in with all of her strength into the water. In no time he was submerged and swam freely.

Aimee saw another dorsal fin pop out of the water and promptly Gregory swam over to it. Much to Aimee's surprise, when the dolphin spy hopped it was none other than the female she and Gregory had met on their first night on the island. Gregory swam up and touched his rostrum to hers, and Aimee immediately knew that they were mates. Even though they were far away, Aimee could make out the sounds of them communicating. To her surprise, both dolphins swam up to where Aimee was sitting. The female spy hopped again and seemed to give a little smile to Aimee. Remembering that the female allowed contact, Aimee reached out her hand and stroked her on the head. The female seemed to enjoy this but backed off after a few strokes. Meanwhile, Gregory continued to look at Aimee with sad eyes.

"Don't worry about me, Gregory. I've learned not to let all of the stress get to me. I'm just going to live my life. I hope you do the same." She picked up her dolphin husband's head and planted a kiss on the top of his rostrum. "Goodbye, Gregory. I love you."

Gregory tilted his head upwards and touched his beak to Aimee's lips. Then he backed off and he and the female started to swim off. Then, with a loud click, Gregory and the female stopped. Aimee, sitting on the shore, watched with confusion. Suddenly, she saw two dolphin tails pop out of the water and give a wave. Then the tails submerged and one dolphin head, Gregory's popped up grinning. Aimee nearly fell over in laughter. Just like the first night when Gregory talked about doing the same to her when the female had waved goodbye. With one final glance in the darkening sky, the dolphin's head submerged along with the other dorsal fin next to him. They were gone.

Aimee sat at the shore, amazed at how much her husband had seemingly changed in the past year since becoming a dolphin.

It was like...well, just like what the note had said, and what she would tell everyone else from then on out. It was like he was Lost at Sea.

THE END