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_ This was a story that was posted on the "Delphinophilia" blogspot a while back. Although the blog has since been gone for a while now. But thankfully, I saved the page on a flash drive and for those who have wanted to re-read it, now is your chance: Your welcome, and enjoy. _

_ Disclaimer: I did not write this. All credit goes to the author whom I don't know the name to. _

Susie

=====

"Arg!"

Dan McGregor tossed the sunday edition paper across the living room, where

it fluttered mockingly in the air before finally settling onto the clean,

dark carpet. "MIDDLE EAST ON BRINK OF WAR" proclaimed the headline, next

to the articles about increases in violent crime being attributed to

television and video games, and election debates in which the candidates

had reduced the campaigns to slander wars.

He stood up, running his hand idly through his short, neatly combed blonde

hair. At 6'1, and 170 lbs of muscle, he looked like the perfect college

'jock'. Yet he was a man of intelligence, and compassion. He'd graduated

university with several degrees, and was working a comfortable,

well-paying job with a legal firm. Yet he was not content.

"It seems to me that the whole world has just lost what little grasp of

reality it may ever have had. All everyone wants is a piece of the other

guy's life, or money, or whatever. Why can't anyone just be happy with

what they have, and love people for what they are? This world doesn't

work."

He wandered over to the window, where his eleventh story apartment

overlooked a crowded, dirty city, not yet beginning to stir under the warm

red glow of the rising sun. A faint hint of smog hovered in the air,

tinting the light even more as it reached the sidewalk, illuminating the

litter and dirt with filtered rays of light. Dan looked upwards, where, in

the distance, the sun was throwing the first rays of light onto the bay,

where it was reflected and refracted across the top of the city in all the

colours of the rainbow. The bay was several miles away, and from his

apartment Dan could see only a thin sliver of it, but he knew exactly

where his twenty foot 'relaxation boat', as he called it, was docked and

waiting for him. The "Pretty Lady", he knew, would be sitting peacefully

in her spot, rocking gently in the morning breeze, and waiting for him.

A smile tugged faintly at his lips, and without even consciously forming

the thought he decided to spend the day in his boat, listening to the

relaxing lap of the waves against her hull.

He removed his shirt and walked into the bathroom, where he began to run a

shower for himself. Stripping naked, he stepped into the warm water, and

washed himself, enjoying the splashing of the warm spray. The water felt

natural to him, and washed away some of the bad feelings he'd absorbed

from the newspaper.

"Maybe everyone just needs a nice warm shower," he told himself, jokingly.

Once done, he stepped out and turned off the water. Wrapping a thick brown

towel around his waist, he stepped in front of the mirror. He wiped the

steam from the shower off the mirror with a corner of the towel, and

picked up a can of shaving cream.

He sprayed the cream into his hand, and smothered his face, then picked up

a razor and began long, deliberate strokes with it. He was almost finished

one side of his face when the phone rang.

"Damn!" he uttered, half-smirking at the position he was caught in. He put

down the razor and left the bathroom, going into the kitchen. He picked up

the phone and, holding it away from the shaving cream, put it up against

the side of his head.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Dan? It's Kathy." Kathy was Dan's old girlfriend. They'd lived together

for six months, before mutually deciding that it wasn't for either of

them. They parted on good terms, and still spent time together.

"Do you want to meet me for lunch today?" she continued.

"Today?" asked Dan. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, nothing, really. I just thought you might want to."

Dan smiled slightly. "No, sorry, Kathy. I already planned to go spend the

day on my boat. Can I get a raincheck?"

"Oh, sure, Dan! No problem." Kathy still sounded cheerful, and not the

least put-off. She understood Dan's love of the sea, although she had at

times felt it was stronger than his love of her. That was before, though.

"So, another time, then!" she finished.

"Another time," replied Dan.

"Bye!"

"Talk to you later!" He made an exaggerated kissing noise, as he usually

did, and they both chuckled as he hung up.

He shook his head, smiling to himself. Kathy was a real nice girl, but she

had a bad habit of not showing up for planned meetings unless they were

absolutely essential to her. Dan had been stood up more than once, and

although she always had a good reason, the reasons really wore a little

thin after a while. Dan had decided to himself that he wouldn't put off

his plans for her offers of 'nothing special' any longer. But, of course,

he wouldn't tell her that. He didn't want to hurt her.

He headed back towards the bathroom to finish shaving.

An hour later he drove his jeep into the parking lot of the marina, and

turned off the ignition. He got out, locked the door, and starting walking

out towards the dock.

"Hey, Dan," waved Jack, the marina's owner. He waved. He was a large,

honest, and friendly man, and very familiar with Dan's days on the bay.

"Hi Jack," replied Dan. "How's it going?"

"Not bad," replied Jack, "business has been good." His face went serious

for a moment. "You won't want to spend more than a few hours out there

today, Dan. Bad storm coming in from offshore."

"Really? When's it due to hit?"

"Maybe four, or five this afternoon, but the coast guard is putting out

the warnings now to be out of the water by two at the absolute latest. So

you be careful to get back early."

"Ok, Jack. Thanks for the warning."

Jack waved off the thanks, and his good-natured smile returned. "And if

you find your mermaid today, ask her if she has a sister for me."

Dan laughed. Jack always pretended Dan spent all his time out on the

sealooking for mermaids. He'd once joked that Dan would be the man to

attract them, if he'd only stay on the fishing line long enough.

"See you, Jack," called Dan, stepping onto the dock and walking down it.

"Bye, Dan," called Jack back.

Dan soon reached his boat and climbed aboard. The engine started on the

first try, and the hum of the well-tuned inboard engine echoed throughout

the hull. Dan checked his watch before backing out. It was 11:00... he'd

only have three hours.

He sighed. For what it was worth, he might have well gone out with Kathy.

But then, if she was late, he doubted that he'd be very relaxed by the end

of the day.

Ten minutes later, free of the marina and out in the bay, he opened up the

engine and raced ahead at top speed. The water was as smooth as glass, and

he found it hard to imagine that a storm was on it's way. Everyone else

seemed to believe it, though. The bay, usually busy, was pretty empty.

He slowed the boat at the mouth of the bay and looked out into the open

ocean. Only a few small whitecaps were visible, and he wondered whether it

would be a good idea to go out into the sea.

He shrugged. "What the hell?" he thought. He turned the boat out of the

bay and gunned the motor again. The powerful craft lept forward, leaving

behind a foamy wake.

After a few minutes he felt far enough from the bay, and shut off the

engine. Taking careful note of the approximate distance to the shore, he

dropped anchor, then sat back under the canopy and put his feet up on the

rail at the side of the boat.

"Ahhh," he thought. "This is the life. No people. No civilization. Just me

and the peaceful sea."

He paused. "Well, and that storm. Oh well, maybe it'll be late."

He relaxed, casually looking at the sky, still too blue and pretty to be

threatening, and watched some light fluffy clouds drifting slowly across

the sun. They didn't look at all dangerous. He turned his gaze to the

water, which was lightly salted with small whitecaps as far as he

could see. His eyes began to grow heavy, and he relaxed and welcomed sleep

under the warm sun.

Time passed.

He woke up abruptly, as someone was rocking the boat. As he opened his

eyes, he realized it was darker than he expected it to be. The waves had

grown alarmingly large, several feet, and the boat was rocking and

bouncing. The fluffy light clouds had grown menacingly dark and covered

the entire sky.

Dan's eyes snapped fully open. "Damn," he muttered, glancing at his watch.

It was four-thirty, and it looked like the storm had actually hit. Dan

looked around himself, but couldn't see the mainland.

"Damn, damn, damn," he continued. He grabbed the anchor rope, and was

surprised to see how easily it pulled up. He realized why it was so easy

when he pulled up the frayed end of the broken rope.

"Oh, DAMN," he uttered, looking around himself. "Where the hell am I now?"

He ran to start the engine, noticing for the first time the amount of

water that had splashed into the boat and was sloshing around in the

bottom.

It seemed no amount of turning the key or cursing would start the engine,

and Dan ran to the back to lift the engine cover. The waves appeared to be

growing in size, and several times he was thrown off balance as water

tipped the boat over and splashed inside.

"SHIT," he uttered, as he saw the depth of the water in the engine

compartment. "That thing will NEVER start!"

Nevertheless, he had to try. He grabbed a bucket and began to bail from the

engine compartment. The boat rocked violently as a very large wave struck

the side, and he was thrown off balance and fell against the wall, striking

his head. Dazed, he tried to stand up, as a second wave struck the boat and

knocked him right over the side.

There was water all around, but somehow he made his way to the surface,

only to be pushed down by another wave. He gasped for breath, but couldn't

get his bearings. He thought he saw his boat, impossibly far, then it went

behind another wall of water, and was lost to sight.

There were no thoughts, his mind was too confused to register what was

going on. He repeatedly blanked out as he continuously tried to keep his

head above the increasingly hostile sea. Finally, exhausted, he accepted

that he was about to die. There were no lights in sight, no boat, and he

couldn't keep his head above water. He began to sink.

He felt someone scoop him up, lift him out of the water. He had the

sensation of being carried, and pushed, for a long distance. Then finally,

he was deposited onto something soft and wet. His mind registered nothing

more.

Minutes, maybe hours later, his eyes opened, and his mind slowly registered

that all was quiet, save the gentle lapping of waves on the shore. He was

laying on a sandy strip of beach, about five feet above the water line.

There was evidence scattered around that the water had been much higher,

and had only recently settled back to it's current position.

It was night, and the air was fresh and cool, with the scent of departing

rain. A few stars were showing through a thick cloud cover which was

beginning to break up, and a bright moon, nearly full, peeked through the

clouds to provide an erie pale light. Dan looked around himself, trying to

figure out where he was. His first thought was that he was too cold and

hungry to be dead. He next realized that it was night, that the storm must

have passed, and that he had no idea where he was or how he got there.

Thankfully, though drenched, he seemed unhurt.

About thirty feet in front of him the sand ended, and he dimly saw brush

and tall palm trees.

"I must be at a resort or something. I'll look around and see if I can find

some help."

Several hours later, he returned to the beach and sat down, dejected. He

didn't seem to be at a resort, he seemed to be on a small island, no more

than a half mile across by a quarter mile wide. It was well populated with

palm trees and grass, but little else. He'd climbed a small rocky hill, and

looked, but as far as he could see there was nothing but the dark ocean.

He sighed. "Maybe going with Kathy wouldn't have been such a bad idea after

all," he reflected whimsically, looking out into the water. "If I only knew

where I was."

After staring out at the ocean for some time, looking for ship lights, and

straining his ears to listen for the sounds of civilization, he began to

feel a little discouraged. He decided that there was not very much he could

find out at night - he needed the light of the sun. He went back into the

trees, and gathered up several of the large palm leaves which had fallen to

the ground. He then spread them out on the dry sand of the beach, to make a

mat he could lay on. Next he went back and got some very dry leaves and

small sticks, and carried them back. Carefully he arranged the leaves and

sticks into a small pyramid near the mat. Finally ready to light a fire, he

realized that he didn't have any matches or a lighter.

"Oh, damn," he said, again. "What was that trick with the two sticks?" He

went back into the trees, and managed to locate two fairly good sized

sticks, and brought them back. Holding one stick in each hand, he sat down

beside his intended fire, and began vigourously rubbing the sticks

together.

Nothing seemed to be happening, so after several minutes he stopped, and

felt the sticks with his fingers. They were warm, so he figured that he

must have been doing SOMETHING right. He started rubbing them again.

Many hours later he lay on his back, looking up at the stars. The sticks

lay idle and cold beside the pyramid of sticks, uncharred. Dan nursed a

nasty blister on his hands as he pondered the ridiculous notion of starting

a fire by rubbing sticks together.

Drowsy, a part of his mind wondered if, despite all else, this might be the

start of just the isolation from the real world that he wanted.

Then he slept.

He woke up to the sun blazing down on the sand, already high in the sky.

The water was lapping quietly against the shore, and he'd covered his body

and face awkwardly with the leaves as he slept, to protect himself from the

light and heat.

But something else had awakened him, some strange sound. He sat up abruptly

to look around. There was a splash from a few feet out in the water, and

Dan looked to see the ripples circling out from where something large had

landed in the water.

"Must've been some big fish," thought Dan. The thought made him rather

hungry, and he realized it had been some time since he'd eaten. At the same

time he suddenly found himself quite thirsty, and he wondered about where

he would find water. For the moment, however, food seemed easier to find,

so he approached the water to see if he could see the fish, and maybe,

somehow, catch it.

A glint in the wet sand caught his attention, and he looked down. Something

fairly new and shiny was glinting on the surface of the sand, and after a

brief moment he recognized it as a small lighter. Being beige, the case had

blended in with the sand, but the metal around the top had reflected the

light at him. He picked it up and looked at it with wonder.

"Just what I needed!" he thought. "But does it work?"

He carefully brushed all the sand he could off of it, and used his shirt to

dry off as much of the water as he could. In retrospect, he decided he

didn't really need to wear his shirt in the fine weather, and took it off,

dropping it on his mat of leaves.

He looked at the lighter, afraid to try it for fear it would not work.

Finally he flicked it. The flint, still wet, did nothing, but he heard the

slight hiss of escaping gas as he pressed the button. Encouraged, he tried

a few more times.

Finally, the flint dried enough to produce a spark, and he quickly had a

stable flame coming from the lighter. He held it down by the edges of some

of the smaller leaves on his pile of leaves and wood, and it quickly began

to burn. Blowing gently to encourage the flames, Dan finally breathed a

sigh of relief when the small sticks began to burn.

He ran to the edge of the trees again, and found some larger wood, and more

leaves. He made several trips, and made a small pile of spare fuel near the

fire, and added some of the larger pieces to the fire. It seemed he would

now have a decent fire after all.

He shook the lighter, and decided it was about half full. He reflected that

it was pretty amazing that it had washed up before being destroyed by the

water, and offered a silent thanks to whoever had dropped it overboard. He

placed it down on his shirt, so that it would not be lost. Then he picked

up one of the longer sticks, and a rock. He needed a spear to catch fish

with, and he began using the rock to sharpen an end of the stick.

It was a lot harder than he had expected it to be, and it took a very long

time. He wasn't really satisfied with the point on the stick, but he was

hungry, and he decided it would have to do. He dropped the rock, tossed

some more fuel onto the fire, and stood up. He removed his shoes and socks,

which were still soggy anyway, and rolled up his pant legs. He then walked

down to the water with the stick and waded in.

The water was warm, and not at all uncomfortable, and Dan waded in just

past his knees, and stopped. He stood as still as he could, hoping to see a

fish nearby. The large one which had jumped had not been much deeper than

where he stood now.

After fifteen minutes or so, he saw a small movement a foot or so away. He

turned and leapt towards it, driving his makeshift spear into the water. He

lifted the spear out, and found nothing on the end of it. He realized he

needed to be more patient, and wait till the shot was a little more

definite.

After several more minutes, he saw another small movement, and a glint of

scales. This time he stood very still, and waited. Soon the fish swam more

closely, and was fully in his field of view. It was a decent sized perch,

which he felt would make good eating. Dan licked his lips, but still did

not move. He turned the stick slightly above the water, preparing to make

his move.

The perch hovered in place, studying the two legs poking down into it's

world, apparently wondering whether they were dangerous or not. Eventually,

it seemed to decide they posed no threat, and moved more closely,

completely ignoring them.

Dan jabbed the spear again, and this time lifted up the perch skewered on

the end of it. Uttering a whoop of success and cheer, Dan splashed out of

the water towards his fire. He stuck the end of the spear in the sand, so

that the fish was over the fire, and let it cook that way. He was careful

to ensure that he cooked the whole fish, both sides, before he was ready to

eat it.

He decided that it was a good fish as he ate it, but forced himself to eat

only a little of it, as it made him thirstier. It was somewhat salty, and

Dan was concerned. Finally, in an effort to quench his thirst, he chewed

the juices out of some of the smaller plants. More or less satisfied for

the moment, he let the fire run a little low. He had decided to re-explore

the island in the daylight, and get a clear perspective on exactly where he

was, and it seemed like a good time to do that.

He found little that he had not seen in the night. The island appeared

completely devoid of human habitation, and seemed to have been so for a

long time, as far as he could tell. The underbrush was thick, the trees

tall, and the plants undamaged by human or animal life. There were a few

coconuts high up on the palms, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to try his

hand at climbing way up there just yet.

He decided to end his exploration with a circle around the island. He

walked quietly, feet in the water, considering his position. He found

himself stuck on an island somewhere in the ocean. Presumably not too far

from the mainland, but he had no idea what direction to go. For now, it

seemed he would be all right for food. He wasn't sure about water yet, he

didn't know how long chewing on plants would sustain him. He couldn't drink

the seawater, even he knew that was the way to dehydration and death. He

wondered about boiling the salt out of the water, but wasn't sure what he

could boil water in.

He suddenly stubbed his toe on a sharp rock under the water, and stumbled,

cursing the pain. He looked at the shore and realized that he had absently

walked right beside the cliff, and there was very little beach before the

rock rose almost straight up, jagged and ugly. He was about to turn back to

the beach when he noticed an opening in the rock.

He cautiously approached it, trying to ignore the small jagged rocks, that

had replaced the soft sand around the rest of the island, digging into his

feet, and the way that the water deepened near the mouth till it passed his

waist. He looked inside, and saw that it was a large cavern, going about

100 feet back. The water pooled inside in a large pool, and he heard the

trickle of water splashing. Curious, he entered the cave. At the entrance,

the water deepened still more, and he broke into a long swimming stroke to

proceed. He swam to about the center of the pool, and began to tread water.

He turned back to the entrance, to verify that it was still open, then

turned back around and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim light.

Finally he could see reasonably well, and noticed that the cave was

actually better lit than he'd expected it to be. There was a sandy beach on

one side of the pool, off to the right, and he swam towards it. Standing on

the beach, he attempted to locate the sound of the trickling water. He

quickly he found it, a small stream was coming out of the rock wall, and

trickling into the pool itself. He sniffed the water, then dipped his

finger into it and tasted it.

It was fresh water! However it got here, he'd found his source of drinking

water. Using his hands as a cup, he gathered handfuls of the water, and

drank quickly. He drank as much as he could, and suddenly felt a lot

stronger. He hadn't realized how dehydrated he had actually been getting.

He wandered around the beach some more. It was about fifty feet wide and

one hundred feet long. Dan figured from the sand colouration that the water

probably went about twenty feet more up the beach at high tide, so there

was about thirty feet of sand that was usable.

He nodded. This would, he felt, be a good place to set up his home and

firepit. The air was fresh, suggesting good ventilation, the sand was soft,

and the cave well sheltered against any storm.

Dan smiled to himself. He felt no desire to return to a hectic life filled

with worry and fear. Now he could make his best effort to leave peacefully

and freely on his own little retreat from the world. All he had to do now

was build a new firepit.

Dan waded back into the water, and swam out of the cave. He thought he saw

something under the water dart out ahead of him as he neared the mouth, but

he dismissed it as his imagination. He returned to the beach where he had

been set up, and began to prepare to move.

It took a while to move everything, because of Dan's efforts to keep his

leaf bed, lighter, and fire fuel dry, but eventually he was set up in the

cave.

"Just as nice as home," he thought, smiling. "Now to get some more food."

Over the next few days Dan found catching fish to be much more difficult

than his original attempt had been. Repeatedly he stabbed his spear into

the water, only to have the fish dart out of the way. He couldn't

understand why his first try had worked so well. Over the three days he'd

been trying he'd only caught two more fish.

Extremely hungry, he had tried eating the palm leaves and several other

plants, but found none of them very edible. He'd managed to get up a tree,

and collected several coconuts, but the coconut meat did not taste as good

as he'd hoped. He didn't really want to have to live on it, nor was he sure

he could.

Over the entire period he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being

watched. Yet whenever he turned to look, there was nothing but the gentle

waves, or, occasionally, a few ripples where a fish had jumped to mock him.

His dreams became unusual and disjointed, and he once dreamt of a giant

squid wrapping it's tentacles around him.

He sat up abruptly, suddenly awake. A loud splash sounded from the pool,

and he whipped his head over to look. Laying on the beach, at the edge of

the waterline, was a large perch, apparently dead.

Dan approached it, cautiously, expecting huge tentacles to leap out of the

water for him at any second. But he was hungry, and he wanted to see why

there was a fish on his beach.

He began to reach for the fish, muscles tensed, eyes on the cave's dark,

smooth pool. Suddenly something surfaced twenty feet or so out.

Dan leapt back, and rolled away from the water, before leaping to his feet

to face the monster. But there was no monster, only a few ripples where

whatever it was had surfaced. The perch was still on the beach. Dan looked

at it longingly, then carefully approached it again. This time he grabbed a

stick from the fire, bright embers still glowing on the end of it, and

approached it again.

He got right up to it again, and froze, waiting for movement from the

water. After a few moments, he decided to make his move. He grabbed the

fish with one hand, and simultaneously swung the stick with the other. Then

he leapt and rolled back again, and looked back at the water.

It remained still, so Dan examined his prize. It was about two pounds of

large perch, and seemed very fresh. There appeared to be nothing wrong with

it, and Dan decided that he was too hungry to pass up on it. He stirred up

the fire and added a few dry leaves to get the flames going, then placed

the fish on a stick over it.

He could only wait a few minutes as the smell of the fish filled his

nostrils, and he soon grabbed it from the stick. With the flesh tenderized,

he quickly removed the fish's entrails, and began to eat the flesh.

Halfway through the meal, he got the feeling that he was being watched

again. He slowly turned to face the pool again.

Head up in the middle of the pool, facing him, was a dolphin. He stared at

it, mouth open, and their eyes met.

The dolphin paused a moment, then dove under the water and was gone from

sight. Dan stared at the spot it had vanished for several minutes, unsure

as to what had just happened.

The dolphin was watching him, he was sure of this. But why? Did the dolphin

leave the fish for him? He'd heard of dolphins doing things like this, but

only on TV shows like 'Flipper'. Could it happen in real life?

He soon decided that whatever the dolphin's reason for watching him, it

wasn't coming back right away. He was still hungry, so he continued eating

the fish. All the while, he couldn't shake the feeling that the dolphin had

met his gaze with some kind of intelligence, an awareness of what was going

on. Maybe even a bit of concern.

He supposed that he would find out as time went on. Meanwhile, the food was

very good.

Over the next few days he saw the dolphin more often, always watching him

from a distance, and disappearing a few moments after being noticed. He'd

had more luck with catching fish, and he wondered if the dolphin was

helping him. At the same time he improved his bed a bit by weaving bits of

the leaves into a more solid mat, and managed to weave together a

reasonable pitcher to hold fresh water to drink. He'd also perfected his

technique for cooking the many types of fish that he had found suitable for

eating.

One day, as he finished cooking his day's catch, he looked into the pool to

see the dolphin looking at him again. This time it did not leave as soon as

he looked at it.

"My friend," he called to the dolphin. "We are meeting far too often to be

strangers. My name is Dan."

The dolphin remained unmoving, only bobbing slightly in the waves. Dan

admired the smooth lines of the dolphin's head and face, and the gentle,

intelligent look in the eyes.

"Your name," thought Dan aloud, "must be Susie. You look like a Susie to

me. What do you think?"

"Errreeee-oooo?" asked the dolphin.

"Yes, that's right. You are Susie, and I am Dan. Want some of my special

fish, Susie?"

Dan held out a large piece of the hot, freshly cooked fish towards Susie.

She remained in place, about fifteen feet away.

"Come on, it's really good!" encouraged Dan.

"Errrreeee?" asked Susie.

Dan smiled. "Here," he called, tossing the piece of fish into the water

towards Susie. As the fish piece flew towards her, she quickly dove and

swam out of the way. The fish splashed into the water and floated as Susie

surfaced a few feet away from it.

"Try it," called Dan. "It won't hurt!"

Susie slowly faced the fish. Dan heard her making creaking noises, and she

circled it a few times. Finally she took it in her mouth, and appeared to

swallow it.

Dan was elated. "Did you like that?" he asked.

Susie just studied him for a moment. Then she flipped up a foot or so into

the air and then landed on her side. There was a large splash, which arced

to the beach and soaked Dan. He stood there for a moment, startled and

dripping. Then Susie surfaced near the mouth of the cave.

"Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh!" she laughed. Then she dove and was lost to sight.

Dan paused, confused. Then he yelled after her. "FINE! See if I ever give

you my fish again!" Then he returned near his fire, which was far enough

from the water to avoid the spray, and removed his clothes to dry them. He

grumbled slightly as he finished his meal.

He realized that he had been looking forward to making friends with the

dolphin. As he thought about it, he realized that maybe Susie had only been

trying to make friends in her own way, too. He supposed his reaction to the

water might have looked pretty funny to a water animal, after all. He also

considered that maybe she wasn't really laughing, but dismissed that

thought. Laughter, he thought, is pretty universal.

With a good-humoured grin, he resolved to continue trying to make friends

with his neighbor, Susie the dolphin.

He awoke from a sound sleep that night, unsure as to why he woke up. Then

he heard a splash from the pool, and looked over.

"Su-SIE!" he yelled. "You woke me up again."

To his surprise, Susie surfaced again, about ten feet from the shore. He

couldn't clearly see her in the dark, but he could make out where she had

surfaced and was watching him, her head just out of the water.

"Just what do you find so interesting about me?" asked Dan, curious. Susie

didn't respond, but continued to watch him.

Dan stood up, slowly, and approached the water. Susie turned to keep

watching him, but remained in place. Dan hesitated at the shore, then

started to wade into the water.

"Want to meet me half-way?" he asked, stopping when the water was just past

his waist. Susie remained still, now only about five feet away. Dan could

now clearly see her face, and her bright, aware eyes. Faintly, through the

water, he could make out where her tail was slowly swishing back and forth,

holding her in place. He looked back up at her.

"Come on," he called. He reached towards her, and she backed off, quickly.

But she kept her head above the water, and her eyes on him. Dan sighed,

frustrated.

"Please," he pleaded, looking her in the eye. He suddenly realized an

incredible lonliness, and he desperately wanted to make contact.

He took a few steps towards her, and she remained in place. He lifted his

feet off the bottom and started to tread water. As soon as he started to

swim towards her, she flipped over and jumped into the water. He caught a

glimpse of her tail re-entering the water, and she swam off towards the

exit.

"Ohh," he sighed, disappointed. As he was about to turn back to the beach,

he saw her resurface at the exit of the cave.

"Eeee-ooooo," she whistled. Then she was gone.

Dan went back to the beach and laid down, very discouraged. The loneliness

of his situation had hit him with a sudden force that he was wholly

unprepared for, and he badly wanted someone to hold. But despite how he

felt, he soon managed to sleep.

She came back again the next day, as Dan was sharpening a new stick into a

fishing spear. Dan heard her surface, and looked to see her toss a large

fish onto the shore from several feet out. She chattered rapidly, and

nodded her head towards him. He walked over and picked up the fish. It was

another perch, and weighed close to four pounds, far more than he had ever

caught.

"Thanks, Susie," he called. "How are you today?"

"Oooo-eeooo!" replied Susie. She nodded her head rapidly, and backed off a

few feet. Then she chattered some more.

"You're pretty excited today, Susie. What's up? You want to meet up close

today?"

Susie swam straight up out of the water, and stood in place for a few

seconds with powerful strokes of her tail, chattering at Dan. Dan was able

to admire almost her entire body. He could see her smooth, flowing lines,

and the powerful muscles running three-quarters of the length of her body,

flexing as she used her tail to balance. Then she turned to the side, and

gracefully fell back into the water. Almost instantly she surfaced again,

and continued to face him and chatter.

Dan smiled, and a warm feeling ran through his body. He entered the water

and began to wade towards Susie. Suddenly Susie became very quiet, and

backed away from him a bit.

Dan stopped, the water around his waist. "Please, Susie, don't do this

again." He took a few slow steps towards her, and the water rapidly

deepened to his chest. He didn't start to swim, not wanting to scare her

away again.

Susie stayed where she was, looking at him. She was trembling slightly, and

Dan suddenly realized how nervous she was.

"Oh, Susie, it's ok. I won't hurt you."

She suddenly submerged, but Dan could see she was still in the same place,

just under the surface. He heard the odd creaking sound he'd heard her make

when he threw the fish in, and felt a weird sensation covering his body, as

if he were standing in a mild sandstorm. He stood absolutely still, unsure

what to make of it.

Suddenly, it stopped, and Susie surfaced again.

"K-k-k-kree," sounded Susie, almost stuttering. She began to swim slowly

towards him.

Dan smiled broadly, and held his arms out to receive her. She stopped, and

looked him over again. Then, still shaking, she continued swimming

forward.

She stopped in front of him, and looked him in the eye. Dan sensed that she

was asking him not to hurt her, not to betray to trust she was placing in

his good-nature. He saw what he felt must be the same hope that he expected

was in his own eyes.

Dan slowly moved his hand forward, and, hesitating, reached to stroke her

beak. She swam back a few inches, then, seemed to change her mind. She very

slowly swam forward again, until Dan was able to run his fingers lightly

over her beak. Her skin was incredibly soft, and he gently stroked her

mouth, and ran his hand up onto her rounded melon.

After a few moments she seemed a lot more at ease, and Dan was thrilled.

She swam small, slow circles around him, allowing him to run his hand down

her entire body. She moved closer and closer until her body was rubbing

against his as she circled him. On impulse, Dan wrapped his arms around

her, and hugged her.

She wrapped her flippers around his sides, and rubbed his skin lightly. He

rubbed her back as he held her.

"Oh, Susie! You were just as lonely as I was! It's okay now, we're both

okay now."

He ran his hand down her back a bit, feeling her firm dorsal fin. Then he

ran his hand a little lower, and the soft smooth skin gave way to a

rougher, tough area.

"What's this?" asked Dan, releasing Susie. She stayed close to him, and he

walked a few steps to get a look at her back. An evil-looking oval of teeth

marks several inches across marred her otherwise near-perfect skin. It

appeared to be a fairly old scar, now healed, but Dan could see it would

mark her for life.

"Ohh, you poor thing," cooed Dan. "Nasty shark bite."

"Ooooreee!" agreed Susie, turning to face him again. Dan resumed stroking

her face and back.

"Where are all your friends?" he pondered aloud. "Why are you here giving

comfort to a silly creature like myself, anyway?"

"Aaaeee-ooo," replied Susie, rubbing close to Dan.

"You're right," answered Dan. "What does it matter? As long as we are both

happy."

Over the next few days Susie stayed with Dan almost continuously, and

proved to be very demanding of his time. Dan often found sleeping

difficult, as Susie didn't ever seem to do more than nap occasionally. But

after much insistance on his part, Susie seemed to accept that Dan required

more continuous sleep than she did. She still revealed an almost child-like

impatience, never letting him sleep more than a few hours before waking him

with a loud, continuous chatter.

Susie more than made up for the inconvenience by helping Dan immensely with

his fishing. At first she provided the fish for Dan complete, and Dan had a

hard time understanding how she got the fish without any kind of obvious

damage, like tooth marks. But after a while she showed him. She found the

fish, and pointed her beak at one. Dan would hear a sudden loud sound, sort

of a crack, from the water, and the fish would suddenly flex, and then

remain stunned for Dan to spear it. Susie would then catch and eat one for

herself. Dan had found that she didn't really like his cooked fish as much

as the fresh ones she caught for herself. Dan was very happy with her, and

she seemed happy with him. He'd forgotten all about his old life in the

city, and was always looking forward to the time he would spend with Susie

the next day.

Dan admired Susie for her good points. She had an offbeat sense of humour,

and yet, she seemed to be very honest. She never judged him, she never

seemed to be moody. She kept inventing new games to try with Dan, and also

ways to catch him off-guard, like stealing his fishing spear from his hand

as he was about to spear a fish, or leaping into the air and knocking him

into the water. She only did that once, as the impact of her four hundred

fifty pound body knocked the wind out of Dan, and he spent a few minutes

getting his breath back while she circled him nervously, crying out.

She also had a quiet side which Dan appreciated. She would lie next to Dan

in the shallow water, and cuddle up against him while he stroked her body,

and lay content, occasionally uttering what sounded like a sigh of

satisfaction.

All in all, Dan loved Susie, and he felt that she was coming to love him.

Dan wondered what she might think of him. Next to her grace and beauty he

felt awkward, and sometimes ugly. Yet if Susie thought this, she never let

on. She always seemed happy to be with him.

About a week or so later, as Dan and Susie were laying in the shallows,

enjoying each other's company, Susie seemed a little restless. She kept

moving, pressing her entire body against Dan, and wriggling around. She

nibbled lightly on his fingers when he rubbed them by her mouth.

"What is it, Susie?" asked Dan. "Why are you so restless."

"ooo-OO!" replied Susie. She wriggled around, pressing her body against him

so they were belly-to-belly. Dan looked at her curiously.

Susie began gently flexing herself against his body, and shifting her

position against him, slowly working her way down his body.

"What are you..oh!" Dan stopped in mid-sentence, as Susie flexed against

his groin. She seemed to realize what she had found, and began to press

more urgently, and gently rub against the area.

"SUSIE!" called Dan. "This.. isn't right." Yet something, deep inside of

him, wouldn't provide the energy to make her stop.

Susie turned her head to look directly at him, a seductive spark in her

eyes. Dan could see a pinkish flush all along Susie's underside, and felt

himself beginning to respond to her caress. Having been alone for so long,

he found himself getting very aroused.

"Susie?" he asked again, but there was no longer any conflict in his voice,

he was too aroused to want to fight the feeling. Susie appeared to sense

this, and she wriggled back a bit till her face was beside Dan's.

Overcome with lust, Dan kissed her on the end of her beak. Her soft skin

against his lips excited him, and he placed his tongue in her mouth. She

responded, apparently knowing what to do, as her own tongue met his, and

wrapped around it. Dan could feel her teeth around the tip of his tongue,

and taste the salt water in her mouth, and he loved it. He reached down and

removed his weather-worn jeans, leaving him naked in the shallow water with

her. He threw them onto the beach.

She pressed against his body again, and the silken feel of her warm skin

against his own thrilled him, and he rubbed himself against her skin. Susie

made a sound that sounded very much like a moan, and she rolled her body to

allow him access to her.

Dan reached down with his hand, and felt her vaginal opening. It was very

slick, lubricated with Susie's own juices, and he moved his fingers to

enter her. Her powerful muscles quickly seized them, squeezing and pulling

and Dan moved his fingers back and forth to stimulate her. Dan reached up

with his thumb, and found her clitoris, a small, firm lump at the top of

her slit. He began to rub it lightly, and Susie responded by pressing her

body more firmly against him, and his fingers.

Very excited at this point, Dan removed his fingers, and slowly inserted

his penis into her. Instantly her muscles clamped down on him, and began to

massage and stimulate him. Susie pressed hard against him, forcing him all

the way in quickly, and he moaned in pleasure.

He had felt nothing like this anywhere else, the powerful and automatic

massage was better than anything else he had ever felt. He began to move

back and forth, slowly and rhythmically, and Susie moved slightly in rhythm

with him. She rubbed the sides of his body with her flippers, and he

wrapped his legs around her tail, and could even better feel her smooth

muscles through her silky-soft skin.

Dan soon realized that he could only hold back for a few more seconds, and

suddenly Susie stiffened her body, and the contractions in her vagina

increased in intensity. Dan came at the same time, and then relaxed,

letting himself lay on her body. After a few seconds he pulled out and

rolled off her, allowing her to roll herself upright again. Dan wrapped his

arms around her and soon fell asleep.

He awoke in the morning on the beach, with his legs dangling in the warm

water. He sat up and looked around. Susie was nowhere to be seen. Dan saw

his pants laying a few feet away on the sand, where he had thrown them, and

the details of what he had done the night before suddenly hit him. He felt

a confused mixture of disgust and anger at himself. He felt very dirty, and

waded into the water. He began to scrub his entire body, trying to wash the

memory away. But he felt no better when he was finished.

What had he done? He'd had intercourse with an animal! That was disgusting!

Dan couldn't understand his own motives. Nothing could make him that

desperate, so why had he done it? What bothered him the most what that he

had actually enjoyed it. But she was just a dumb animal, she probably

didn't even realize that he was a different species. Acting purely on

instinct, and he'd reacted. Anger rose up inside of him.

Suddenly he heard a splash, and the familiar chirping of Susie popping up

to greet him. She began swimming straight for him, but he couldn't handle

the thought of touching her. He quickly waded out of the water, and stood

on the beach, facing her. She surfaced at the point where he had been

standing, and looked at him.

"Get away!" he shouted. Susie half rose from the water, and chattered

teasingly, apparently trying to understand the rules of this new game.

"I said 'LEAVE!'," Dan yelled, making shooing noises, and pointing towards

the mouth of the cave. Dan allowed his confusion-driven anger to funnel out

at Susie, and he felt it growing. Susie glanced towards the mouth of the

cave, and apparently seeing nothing of interest, turned back to Dan. After

a moment's thought, she dove under the water and splashed a large quantity

of water at him with her tail flukes. He dodged it angrily as she surfaced

again.

"Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh!" she laughed.

Normally Susie's laugh would bring a smile to Dan's face, but today it

ground against his anger and guilt. He was annoyed and insulted, and fumed

at her. Susie looked at him again, measuring him up. Then, with a seductive

gleam in her eye, she rolled over to expose her underside to him, flexing

her tail in a teasing manner.

Dan's guilty feelings multiplied and exploded, and he snapped. He quickly

bent down and picked up a fist-sized rock.

"I said 'Go away', you whore!" Dan screamed. He threw the rock at her with

all his force.

The rock struck her on the side as she was rolling upright again, and she

recoiled away from it. A small stream of blood began to flow into the water

as she righted herself, and swam away from him a few feet before rising up

to face him. Her eyes were large and hurt, and Dan felt new guilt added on

to what he already felt.

"Brr-eeee?" asked Susie, looking Dan in the eye. Dan couldn't handle the

feelings anymore, and he turned away from her, silent.

"Brr-EEEE?" she asked again, more insistantly. Dan ignored her as best he

could.

After a few moments he heard her splash back into the water. Out of the

corner of his eye he saw her surface near the mouth of the cave, quietly,

and look at him again. He did not acknowledge her, and she soon turned away

and was gone.

Dan was alone with his feelings, and the anger faded quickly, leaving only

the true feelings of guilt he was experiencing. He fell to his knees, and

fought back the tears that were trying to take over his body. He finally

succumbed to them, and he fell into the sand.

Eventually the tears stopped, and Dan sat up, away from the pool. The guilt

was still there, but the pain had been dried out by the tears. He tried to

sort out his feelings, what he had done, and why.

He'd met a dolphin.. just an animal. In his loneliness he'd made friends

with her. He thought he loved her, and he'd thought she loved him. But that

was just silly, animals work on instincts, not love. He'd used her to

satisfy his lust, and that was where the problem was.

An animal! Not a loving woman, but a dumb animal! And yet, she had

responded just as intelligently as any woman he'd ever been with. She'd

been undemanding and honest with him. Was she really a dumb animal? In his

heart, he knew she was as intelligent as he was. She was creative,

friendly, and always cheerful. So why was what he had done so wrong?

The only reason he could come up with was that she was an animal. But was

that really wrong? It was not as if he'd forced her, and they'd both been

happy, or so he thought. Why had it bothered him so much?

Because it was wrong, his mind answered.

Why was it wrong?

He didn't know why. Somewhere, somehow, that's what he had been taught. But

wasn't it all about love? Sex was just about two people who loved each

other, and wanted to share each other. Susie was closer to human than some

people Dan knew. She was intelligent, and what's more, Dan knew he really

DID love her. He was sure, too, that in her own way, she loved him too.

He'd chased her off. He'd hurt her physically with a rock, and mentally

with his actions. He'd seen that in her eyes before he turned away. She

didn't understand why he had chased her off, after she'd extended so much

trust to get close to him. Truth was, Dan wasn't really sure either. He

felt a lot of shame from his actions, and wondered if being human really

meant the shutting out of all love. Was that not the problem he'd been

complaining about only a short time ago? That people didn't just accept and

love each other for what they were? He was doing it himself, rejecting

Susie's unconditional love simply because she was not human.

To some, he reflected, that might be reason enough. But where should the

line be drawn? Love is love, whatever it's source.

Dan began to feel a lot of pain for his actions, for throwing a rock at

Susie. The flow of blood he'd caused brought anguish when he thought about

it, and he began to believe that he was no better than any other human he'd

previously de-cried.

He stood up, and approached the pool. The water was still, and he put his

hand in it and splashed a bit.

"Susie?" he called. "Susie, come back! I'm sorry."

The pool remained still, and Dan continued for twenty minutes before

finally deciding that she wasn't coming back. He went to the spring, and

used the fresh water to wash off his face.

The next few days were quiet and lonely for Dan, and he realized just how

big a difference Susie had made in his life. Fishing was not only more

difficult, he just didn't feel like trying. It just didn't feel right

anymore, since Susie had actually made getting his daily meal enjoyable.

Dan spent a lot of his time moping around, wondering why he had been so

cruel to her, or splashing the water, calling for her. He even tried

sticking his face under the water and calling her name, but it all seemed

to be for nothing. Susie never answered. More than once Dan awoke from a

sound sleep, sure that he heard her, but he never saw her, nor even a

ripple in the pond to indicate that she had been there. He felt she was

gone forever.

An odd rising, then falling, wailing sound woke Dan up one night, and he

looked around in the dark for the source. His eyes, quickly adjusted to the

dim light of the night, quickly picked up a shape on the beach, and he

recognized it as a dolphin.

"Susie?" he whispered, getting up to run over to it. The wail sounded

again, coming right from the dolphin.

As he approached her, he saw a shaft, roughly a foot long with a ragged

end, sticking out of her back. Dan carefully ran his hand down her back,

around the shaft. He soon felt the roughness of the healed shark bite, and

knew it was indeed Susie.

"Oh, Susie! What happened to you? Just a moment, I've got to stoke the

fire. I need light!"

He splashed some water onto her back, and rubbed her lightly. Then he ran

to the dying fire and threw a few dry leaves on it. Blowing gently on it,

he quickly had a flame going, and added to it with more dry leaves, and

then some sticks. Quickly, he ran back to Susie, and examined the shaft in

the flickering light.

It had been a hand-thrown wooden-shafted spear, and the shaft had broken

off. The point penetrated into her skin, he wasn't sure how far. The blood

around the wound had already largely dried, and yet, a small flow

continued. Susie moved in discomfort as he felt the shaft.

"It's ok, Susie. I'm going to help you. I don't know how, but God knows,

I'm going to help you."

Susie's voice was weak, and yet, somehow urgent as she vocalized a question

in reply.

"brr-e-ee?" she asked.

Dan recognized the question that she'd asked before, and it seemed so long

ago. All his anguish and guilt came out, and he wrapped his arms around

her, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

"Yes, Susie, yes! I love you, and I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I'm

so sorry! Please, you have to get better, I couldn't forgive myself if you

died!"

"ee-eooo," replied Susie, weakly. Her eyes closed, briefly, and then opened

again, and she tried to move, but she was obviously very weak.

"Don't try to move," Dan told her, standing up. He wiped his eyes dry, and

took another look at the spear.

"We have to get that out," he said. "I don't know how deep it is.." He

turned to look Susie in the eye. "It's going to hurt, and it's going to

bleed. Please know that I'm trying to help you. I don't want to hurt you,

but I have to."

Susie replied with a weakly rising whistle. Dan hoped that it was a sign of

understanding. He walked over to the fire and took a stick, about the same

size as the spear, which was burning well on one end. He walked back to

Susie. She didn't move.

"I'm going to try to use this to cauterize the wound, Susie. I'm hoping it

will stop the bleeding, okay?"

Susie only blinked. Her eyes were cloudy with pain, and Dan realized that

he had to act quickly.

"Okay." He went over to the side where the spear was, and wiggled it

slightly to try to determine it's depth and how securely it was lodged.

Susie whistled her rising-falling tone again, weakly.

"Susie, I'm sorry, I'm not trying to hurt you. Please, I'm doing the best I

can."

The spear wasn't as deep as he'd previously feared, just over an inch into

her flesh. He saw that the point was metal, and had short barbs on it. He

also saw that his movement had started the blood flowing more freely. Dan

ran back to his bed and grabbed the remains of his shirt, which he had been

using as a pillow. He soaked the shirt quickly in the spring, and ran back

to Susie.

"I'm trying, Susie, I really am. Please hang on."

Susie uttered a weak moan. Dan rubbed her back lightly.

"I'm going to try to remove the spear now."

He turned to her, and began to tilt the spear to free one of the barbs,

hoping not to make the wound much worse than it was. Susie flinched, and

Dan let go quickly, trying not to drive the spear in.

"Susie, please try to stay still!"

He continued working on the spear, trying not to cause Susie much pain.

Sweat began to bead on his forehead with his concentration, and his heart

pounded as he saw the increased flow of blood.

Finally, he had to spear ready to remove. He glanced at the stick, which

had burned out. It was too late to get another now, he'd have to make do

with a bandage.

"Here goes," he whispered. He pulled the spear free from Susie's side. She

flinched again, and he quickly slammed the shirt against the wound and

folded it into a pad.

The flow of blood was not as much as he'd expected, but he was somewhat

concerned by it anyway. He held the pad firmly against the wound, hoping to

slow or stop the bleeding quickly. He rubbed her side and spoke quietly to

her, and she remained quiet. He thought that she seemed to be in less pain,

though.

After a few minutes, he cautiously removed the shirt. The blood flow had

slowed to a small trickle. Dan washed the shirt in the spring, and lightly

rubbed the cool water all over Susie's body. He almost thought she smiled

at him as he rubbed down her face, and he felt that everything would be all

right. After he rubbed her down so she was sufficiently damp, he returned

his pressure to the wound.

He kept up this pattern for about an hour, until he felt the wound had

stopped bleeding enough to be safe. It was much smaller a wound than he had

thought it would be, but still, he realized that if he hadn't removed the

spear that Susie would likely have died from it.

"Why would anyone try to hurt someone as beautiful as you?" asked Dan.

Susie moved her head up towards him, looking for more personal attention,

and Dan obliged by rubbing her beak and melon. "Susie, I'm sorry I chased

you away, please don't leave me again. I really thought about it, and I

couldn't think of any sensible reason why we can't be friends...and lovers.

I really need you in my life."

Susie replied with a light whistle, and Dan was content. "Let's get you

back into the water, you can't stay on the beach with me."

Susie was soon enough back in the water, and resting in the shallows. The

water and the movement had opened the wound up a bit, but there was very

little new blood, and Dan felt that she would actually be all right now. He

was glad, and he hugged her.

Dan slept in the shallows, as near to Susie as he could, for a short while.

He woke up, and looked over at Susie, still resting. She was sitting on the

bottom, though there was enough water for her to move.

"Susie?" asked Dan. "Are you all right?"

Susie replied with a weak whistle. Dan realized that she would need a few

days to get her strength back, if she moved too much now she might rip the

wound wide open again. He'd have to get food for her.

He gathered up his spear. He considered using the spear that he had pulled

out of Susie, but he couldn't bring himself to touch it. The thought of

using it himself disgusted him. He made a mental note to bury it somewhere

later.

"Susie, stay here and rest. I have to get some food for both of us."

She looked up at him. He saw a depth in her eyes that he hadn't realized

before, and something that implied love and trust, and most of all,

understanding. He shook his head, unsure as to whether what he saw was real

or not. He gave Susie another hug, and a kiss on the melon.

"I'll be back soon," he promised. Then he waded into the water and swam out

of the cave.

He began his fishing with a renewed vigour and purpose that he hadn't

experienced in anything he'd ever really done before. Someone was counting

on him, and he couldn't let her down. He wouldn't let her down.

He reached the best fishing spot, off a point of the island. Susie had

brought him to this spot before, but now he would have to catch the fish

himself. He moved slowly, and smoothly, so as to not alert the fish that

were in the area.

Then he saw one, a big one. It was moving slowly nearby, almost ignoring

him. Dan stopped, watching it. He'd let fish like this escape him in the

past, but not this one. It was a start.

The fish paused, testing the waters. Dan tensed up, readying himself for a

lunge if the fish should take off.

The fish seemed to decide that all was well, and continued meandering

around, looking for food.

Dan struck, jabbing his spear smoothly and skillfully into the water. He

raised it up, hoping beyond hope.

He had it!

Things went well for Dan. He caught three fish in total, then decided he

had better get back and check on Susie.

She was roughly where he had left her, but she had turned around to watch

the mouth of the cave. He felt the sandstorm effect on his body when he

swam in, then heard a slightly weak whistle of greeting.

"Hi Susie," he called, "I have dinner!"

She whistled back, and started to wriggle out of the shallows to swim

towards him.

"Stay there," called Dan, stopping. "Don't hurt yourself, I'll bring it to

you."

She seemed to understand, and stopped moving. Dan swam up to her, and laid

out the fish on the beach. Susie was trying to turn around again, and Dan

picked up the biggest fish and waded into the water in front of her, so she

could see him.

"This one is for you, Susie. It's my turn to give you a present."

He offered it to her, and she opened her mouth. He carefully placed the

fish in her mouth, and she seemed to taste it for a moment before closing

her mouth and swallowing it.

"Good.. good. You're eating! Wait! I'll get you another one."

Dan waded back to the shore and grabbed the other two fish. He brought them

back in front of Susie, and offered her another. She hesitated, then took

it.

"You must really be hungry, Susie. How long since you ate? Do you want the

last one?"

Susie did not open her mouth for the third fish, turning her head away from

it.

"What's wrong, Susie? Are you full?"

Susie replied by lifting her head towards him, a movement Dan had come to

realize meant that she wanted him to pet her, and he happily obliged.

"Susie, I'm so glad you'll be all right."

The wound healed quickly over the next few days, and a week later only a

small scar showed where the spear had penetrated. Dan had also noticed a

small scar where he had struck her with the rock, and it served as a

constant reminder to him. He apologized to Susie for it countless times,

and she always responded by lifting her head, asking him to pet her. She

seemed to forgive him, but Dan was unsure if he'd ever fully forgive

himself.

Most times with her were very happy, however. They quickly got back into

their old routine - him trying to sleep, and her waking him after a few

hours. When awake, they spent most of their time together. Susie

occasionally went off on her own, but she never seemed to be gone for more

than an hour or so. Dan did wonder what she did when he was sleeping, but

he suspected that she tried to amuse herself, and woke him up when she ran

out of ideas.

One day, while they were in the shallows, Susie began trying to arouse him

again. Dan pulled back, and stopped rubbing her body. She looked at him,

curiously, and wriggled towards him again, and again Dan pulled back.

"Beeeeeeee?" asked Susie. She didn't seem to understand.

Dan thought hard, and was silent for several minutes. He wasn't sure if he

was ready for this again. Even though he'd convinced himself that it was

merely an act of love, somehow it still didn't seem right.

"Susie, I don't know if you can understand this, but I'm not ready yet."

She looked at him, and the question in her eyes dissolved. She moved her

flipper lightly up the side of his chest, and then drew it away from his

body. She then moved back so that she was laying nearly face-to-face with

him again, and looked him close up in the eye. From a slight distance she

could look straight at him, but close up she had to use only one eye to

look at him, and she did so now. Dan had realized that whether she used one

eye or two, she was still looking with the same intensity, still trying to

convey to him what she was feeling in her mind and in her heart.

Somehow, looking into her eye, he realized that she understood, and

accepted him. He thought that she was telling him that she would wait as

long as it took for him to be ready. Dan laughed and hugged her, rolling

her over in the shallow water.

She squealed with happy surprise, and started to rub herself against him,

but he drew away.

"No, Susie, I'm not ready."

She stopped, and uttered a lower falling tone whistle, and a few clicks.

She sounded very disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Susie. I have to be ready for this. I wasn't ready last time."

He got off her, and helped her roll upright again. Then he did not touch

her.

"Brr-eee?" asked Susie, quietly.

Dan turned to her, wishing he knew exactly how to tell her why he wasn't

ready, wishing he knew himself. The language Susie understood best was the

language of his touch, and his caresses. Body contact was important to her,

and he could understand how such a custom might lead to frequent sexual

acts. But he'd only really accepted the touching for now, he felt that he

couldn't go further yet... and accept it.

"Susie, yes, you know I love you." He ran his fingers lightly down her

back, away from the rough tissue of the shark bite, down to her flukes,

then back up to the top of her melon again. Then, on impulse, he started to

massage the muscles of her back and tail.

She seemed to love it, and she arched her back into his hands, as he rubbed

and massaged her. Her skin was soft, and her muscles were firm as he

stretched and squeezed them. Susie uttered a few warbling tones of

pleasure, and Dan smiled. He continued massaging her, slowly working his

way down towards her flukes, and across her entire body. When he reached

her flukes, he reached underneath and began to massage her underside. She

rolled over a bit to make it easier for him.

Dan hesitated a moment when she rolled over, then continued massaging,

avoiding her vagina. He looked up at her face, and thought for a moment

there was a playful gleam in her eye, one that said "Next time I'll get

you!"

Dan chuckled. "Maybe next time you will," he replied.

The next few weeks were pretty routine. Susie didn't try to push herself on

him anymore, she just lay next to him in the shallows and cuddled with him,

like she usually did. Dan appreciated that she was so patient, and vowed

silently to himself that he would make her happy one day soon.

Dan gradually felt his acceptance of Susie, and his love for her, growing

stronger and more certain. Her gentle and unconditional acceptance of him

fed the flames of his love. Not once was she ever angry with him, and she

was never away from him for more than a few hours. At the same time Dan

began to subconsciously recognize more and more of Susie's gestures and

movements, and he could almost always tell what was on her mind, or what

she wanted to tell him. He still spoke to her, but he knew that she

understood by his tone, his gestures, and his touch, far more than by the

words he spoke. In much the same way, this was how he understood her.

One night, Dan had a dream. He'd been on the island with Susie for five or

six months, and it caught him off-guard, because he dreamt of Kathy. In the

dream she was married to him, and they were cuddling on the couch in his

living room. They began kissing heavily, and he removed her top. She was

not wearing a bra, and her large breasts fell out, and he kissed and

massaged them. He removed her pants, and kissed her while she removed his

shirt and pants. Then he drew close to her, and wrapped his arms around

her, holding her tight against his body as he kissed her. He lightly ran

his hand down her back, and suddenly felt the rough tissue of Susie's

healed shark bite. It didn't bother him in the dream, that Kathy had

suddenly become Susie, and he continued kissing and rubbing her as he had

been.

Suddenly they were on the beach, and he was making love to her. Susie was

uttering her half-squeal and half-moan of pleasure, and Dan could almost

feel her skin against his.

He felt that he'd finally crossed the boundary in his mind that had held

him back for so long. Finally he felt he could accept her love in all it's

forms... that it didn't matter if Susie was human or dolphin, because they

loved each other.

He woke up, erect and sweating. He knew now that he was ready to be a

complete partner with Susie. But he would wait until later to show her, he

didn't want lust to be his drive as much as his love. He closed his eyes

again, ignoring the throbbing in his loins, and was soon asleep again.

Naturally, he didn't sleep much longer before Susie's impatient chatter

woke him up. He rubbed his eyes and sat up wearily.

"I don't believe it, Susie. You let me sleep in today by what, ten, fifteen

minutes?"

"REEEE-oo!" replied Susie happily. Dan chuckled and went into the water.

She swam up to him, and he hugged her tightly against his body. He gave her

a quick kiss on the end of her beak. Susie backed off, and keeping her head

above the water, spun around a few times, then fell into the water in a

mock swoon. Instantly she was poking her head up again, looking at him for

approval.

"Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh!" she laughed.

Dan chuckled, too. "Where did you learn that one?" he asked. Susie merely

swam back up to him, and wrapped her flippers around his body in another

embrace. Dan hugged her back.

"So, Susie," he began. "You ready for breakfast now?"

Later that night, Dan and Susie lay cuddling in the shallows again. Dan

never tired of her soft, smooth skin against his, and it seemed that she

never tired of his company, either. Dan remembered his dream, and the

memory aroused him slightly. He began massaging Susie's body again. Susie

sighed, happily, and relaxed, and Dan looked up at her face. She looked

content and happy, and Dan wondered how best to communicate his intent.

Slowly, he worked his hands down to her underside, and began massaging her

stomach area. Susie rolled onto her side a bit to give him better access,

and as he rubbed he looked down at her vaginal slit. He watched as the lips

parted slightly, then closed while she waved her tail slowly in the warm

water, and he felt himself becoming more aroused.

He began to work his hands down towards it, slowly, massaging fully along

the way. When he reached it, he began to massage the area around the slit,

staying a few inches back at first, and gradually moving his fingers

closer. Making small circles on her skin, he began to allow himself to

brush past the lips, and slowly, to close in on them. Susie made a small,

happy sounding squeak, and rolled over a little more. In the shallow water,

her vagina was almost fully out of the water, and Dan slowly inserted a

finger, and used his thumb to rub against her clitoris.

Susie closed her eyes and opened her mouth in a silent sigh as Dan felt her

vaginal muscles begin to pull and massage his finger, and he moved it

around inside her, feeling her become more and more lubricated. The area

around her slit took on a bright pinkish color, which spread slowly up her

belly.

He bent down towards her, and began kissing her skin above the slit,

kissing his way down towards it. Lightly at first, he licked the outside of

her pussy lips, tasting the salt from the water and the slight tang of her

juices. He removed his finger and allowed his tongue to probe more deeply

for a few moments, before finding her clitoris with it, and licking and

sucking on it.

Susie was writhing and squealing in pleasure at the treatment, and Dan

placed his finger back inside her pussy, while continuing to tease her

clitoris with his tongue. Suddenly Susie's body stiffened slightly, and Dan

felt her orgasm, a long, powerful contraction of her vaginal muscles

pulling hard at his finger.

He backed off, and slowly removed his finger. Susie was looking at him with

a combination of love and lust in her eyes, and he stood up and removed his

well-worn jeans. He laid down again next to Susie, and looked her in the

eye a moment before kissing her again. Again their tongues met, and Dan

felt more aroused and in love than he could ever remember being. He reached

down, and slowly guided himself into her.

They both reacted with a gasp and a sigh as he entered her, and she began

to work on him. The sensations were even more powerful and felt even better

than before, as her pussy stroked, squeezed and sucked on his penis. He

thrust, slowly, letting her muscles do most of the work.

He wrapped his arms around her body, feeling the love flow between them as

their souls themselves merged into one being. Susie turned a bit, and

wrapped her flippers around him as best she could. She then moved her tail

up between his legs, and wrapped her flukes around one of his feet.

Dan felt enveloped in love and warmth, and he let himself go, coming deep

inside of her. Before he was done he felt her stiffen and contract more

forcefully again, and they rested together. Dan left his penis inside of

her as long as he could, but, finally, he lost his erection and rolled

back, allowing Susie to pull herself upright again. She made her way over

to him, before he had time to sit up and face her, and he stroked her face

in his hands, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"I love you, Susie. I'm going to stay with you forever."

For once, Susie was quiet, apparently content to be held and pet.

Days passed, and Dan and Susie were closer than they had ever been. Dan had

found perfect happiness and all the love he had ever wanted with Susie, and

he felt that she loved him just as much as he loved her. They spent all

their time together, playing games, sharing quiet moments, and making love.

Making love didn't bother Dan anymore, though Susie could be a demanding

partner on occasion. But Dan didn't mind, he loved her so much he was

willing to show her any way he could.

Occasionally Susie would bring him things she had found, too. She seemed to

recognize that they had come from the human world. Over time, Dan collected

a large number of items, including a portable radio (not working, Dan

didn't know if it was just the battery or if the water had destroyed it),

several sets of swim fins, a snorkle, three masks, two watches, a couple

more lighters, a jacknife, and even a few pieces of jewelery. He often used

the fins while playing with Susie, but was uncomfortable with the snorkle

and found the masks awkward. The knife proved very useful for cleaning fish

and cutting spears.

Over time, Dan also got better at making things out of the plants that

populated the island, and spent many evenings building a net out of twisted

vines, to help him catch fish more easily. He also diverted the flow of the

fresh water, and dug a small pit high on the beach to hold the fresh water

before it ran into the sea. Life was good. Simple, fun, and full of love.

One day he and Susie had abandonded their fishing to play tag. Dan found

that Susie was far more maneuverable and quick in the water than he was,

and as such, he was almost always 'it'. But she stayed in a fairly small

area to make it easier for him. It no longer amazed him how quickly she

could pick up on new games. He was used to it, and expected it.

Suddenly, she stopped, and faced away from the beach.

"Susie, what is it?" ased Dan. She swam out a few feet, where the water

dropped deeper, and Dan saw her drop her tail and point her flukes out in

the direction she was facing. She was making the creaking noise, that Dan

knew meant she was examining something.

He looked, but saw nothing above or below the surface. He swam out to her.

Susie turned quickly towards him, and uttered a single high-pitched

whistle. She began pushing him, butting lightly against his chest.

"What is it?" he asked again, urgently. Susie stopped, suddenly, and

chattered at him, even more quickly than usual. Dan saw a look of fear in

her eyes, and a plead that he hurry.

Slightly shaken, Dan turned for the beach and began to swim. Susie came up

behind him and started pushing on his rear. It was only a short distance to

the shore, and with Susie's help he was on it in seconds.

"Susie? ..." Dan stopped when he stood up and looked at the water. Susie

turned too. In the distance Dan saw three triangular dorsal fins slashing

through the surface of the water, heading roughly towards them.

"Sharks!" cried Dan in recognition. Panicked, he ran back to Susie and

leapt on her.

"Come on," he cried, tugging at her. "We have to get you out of the

water!"

Susie struggled against him, whistling and chattering. She was too heavy

for Dan to lift, and he grabbed her flukes and tried dragging her. All he

could think was to get her onto the beach where she would be safe.

The sharks had apparently detected the struggle, and had turned slightly to

be bearing directly towards them. They were fairly close when Susie

suddenly took action. She flicked her tail, causing Dan to lose his grip

and fall backwards into the water. With a quick turn, she charged hard at

Dan, and struck him. He was knocked back several feet, and landed at the

edge of the water. The wind knocked out of him, he lay there trying

desperately to catch his breath, as he watched.

Susie then tried to flee into the ocean, but the sharks were already upon

her, and were circling. Susie turned this way and that, but was unable to

find an opening. Every so often the sharks darted in towards her, and she

snapped at them, driving them back.

Suddenly she charged at one, and struck it in the gills with her beak.

Blood flowed, and the shark swam wobbily off a bit. Susie charged and

struck again, and the shark began to sink, leaving two. The two remaining

sharks quickened their motions, and, excited by the blood, grew more daring

in their attacks.

Susie's movements also became quicker, and more agitated, as the sharks

still blocked her every escape attempt. She charged again, and a second

shark sank, oozing blood from it's broken gills.

The last shark took advantage of Susie's turning away from him, and

attacked as Susie backed off from her charge. It bit down solidly on her

flukes, and Susie screamed a loud, rising whistle. The shark shook

violently, tearing the fins, but released her, finding no meat there.

She tried to manuever for another charge, but the pain and the physical

damage to her tail was making it difficult. Dan saw that he had to help.

Panting, still trying to get his breath back, he grabbed his fishing spear

off the beach, where he had tossed it to play, and leapt into the water.

The shark, sensing a victory, charged again, and latched onto Susie's lower

flank with it's huge jaws. Susie screamed again, with a loud rising then

falling whistle of pain. The shark held on tightly as Susie shook hard,

trying to free herself from it's grip.

Dan reached them quickly, and threw his entire body into driving the spear

into the shark's body. He struck, and the shark released it's hold, and

began thrashing violently. It's teeth slashed Dan's chest and arms, and he

began to bleed, but he held on. Soon the shark's thrashing slowed, then

ceased. Dan sighed, panting, and looked around. The water was cloudy with

blood, and he couldn't see Susie.

"Susie?" he called, splashing the water. She surfaced, weakly, near him,

then almost immediately began to sink again. Dan ran over and grabbed her,

trying to hold her up. She whistled her pain cry again, and Dan looked at

her side. A large chunk of her flesh had been torn off, and she was

bleeding badly. Through the water it was hard to tell, but Dan feared it

was even worse than first glance.

"Susie! Susie!" he cried, hugging her. "I'm so sorry! This is my fault.. I

should have left the water when you told me to! I should have trusted you!"

Susie whistled weakly. Dan moved back, and tried to get a better position

to hold her at the surface.

"Come on," he said. "We have to get back to the cave. We'll be safe

there."

They finally got back into the cave. Dan found all the way that he had to

help Susie stay near the surface, and she seemed to be in a great deal of

pain. He felt extremely guilty, feeling that it was his fault she was hurt.

He was also very afraid that she was going to die.

He led her over to the shallow water, and then faced her. Her eyes were

cloudy with pain, and yet, he saw a spark of love in them, too. He smiled

for a moment, then he ran his eyes down her body and saw the blood.

"Rest for a moment, Susie. I have to block the entrance, so that more

sharks can't get in here."

He took the net he had made, and strung it as best he could across the

mouth of the cave, catching it on rocks on either side. When he was

satisfied that it would stay, he swam quickly back to Susie, laying half in

and half out of the water. She was laying very still.

"Susie!" he yelled, frightened.

She moved slightly, and opened her eyes to look at him. He saw pain, and a

plead for help. The water around her was already red with her blood, and

Dan felt very sick with fear. The wound was very bad, and quite large, and

Susie was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

Dan looked wildly around the beach, and spied the remains of his shirt,

still slightly stained from the spear, despite his efforts to clean it. He

ran for it, and washed it off in the spring. He then grabbed a few extra

vines, and ran back to Susie.

She whistled weakly in pain as he spread the shirt over her wound, and

began tying it on tightly with the vines.

"Susie, Susie," he kept repeating. "Please be all right. PLEASE! I need

you! I'm sorry!"

She moaned slightly, and opened her eyes. She raised her head, giving him

the 'I need attention' pose, only much more slowly and weakly than usual.

"I have to finish tying this, Susie! Please!"

"err--oo," she replied, very quietly. Again she raised her head, pleading

with him with her eyes.

Dan shook his head, fighting the tears and the anger.

"No," he cried, "no! Susie, no! You're going to be all right!"

She looked at him again, and her eyes were very sad. The cloudiness of her

pain was in the background, and Dan could see right into her soul.

"Brr-eee," she sounded, weakly. 'You love me,' read Dan. A statement, this

time, and not a question.

"Err...err-ooo," she finished. 'I love you.'

In his heart, Dan knew she was dying. He could see that she knew as well.

She was telling him goodbye. His pain surfaced with surprising force, and

he wrapped his arms around her, laying over her. Tears poured from his

eyes, and he called her name over and over.

"Susie, no!" he sobbed. "Please don't leave me! Susie!"

Susie watched him, sadness in her eyes. He felt closer to her than he ever

had, and he heard her thoughts as if they were his own.

'I'm sorry, my time is done. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being

my mate. I loved you, always remember that. I will always be with you, in

your heart.'

Susie closed her eyes one last time. She shuddered slightly, and then

exhaled one final sigh. Her flukes stopped moving, and she was gone.

Dan's sobbing began again, with new force, and he lay with her for a long

time, holding her, and sobbing at his loss.

Dan buried Susie on the opposite beach from the attack, far from the

sharks. In another way it felt like the best place, because Dan and Susie

had spent evenings here, watching the sun set. Dan hadn't been sure, at the

time, if Susie appreciated the sunsets the way he had. Now, however, he was

sure that she had, if only because it was important to him.

It took him a long time, and he cried a lot. But he was eventually

finished. No more would he hear her happy chirp, nor feel the soft warmth

of her caress. He looked up into the sky, tears streaming down his face,

and prayed that she was in a good place.

He looked a long time for a suitable marker, and finally found a large,

flat rock. He struggled to drag it over to the grave, but finally got it

there. Using the knife, he chipped an inscription.

"Susie - My love, I will remember."

He stood by the grave, head down, and cried some more.

He spent the next few days sitting on the top of the cliff, over his cave,

staring out at the sea. Several times, well off in the distance, he noticed

boats speeding around. But he did not care.

Once, he saw a pod of dolphins swimming past the island, a mile or two out.

He watched them, but they did not come towards the island, and he was

saddened.

During this time, Dan did not eat, and he drank very little. His health was

getting poor, but he did not notice, or care to notice. All he cared was

that Susie was gone.

One day he heard an odd chopping noise above the island, and he looked up,

weakly. He watched with amazement as a helicopter approached the island,

and stopped over the beach, lowering itself behind the trees so that Dan

could not see what was happening.

He realized with a start that it was the beach where he had buried Susie,

and he got up, and began a weak, stumbling run towards it, to see what was

happening.

He reached the beach to see the helicopter floating on the quiet sea, on

pontoons, and two men standing in the sand. One was just standing up in

front of the marker when the other noticed Dan, and pointed at him. They

were both wearing t-shirts and new blue-jeans, and the first one was

wearing a cap. The second wore no hat, but had neatly trimmed dark hair.

The man with the cap looked over, and saw Dan as he stepped out onto the

beach. He was long unshaven, and wearing only his badly worn and faded

jeans. He was also rather thin and pale from lack of eating over the last

few days.

"Good lord!" called the man. He ran up to Dan. "Are you alright?"

Dan blinked in confusion. "Wh.. what are you doing here?" he asked. His

voice was dry from lack of food and water.

"We were flying around, out by the mainland there," the man pointed out

over the water, "and my partner was looking around with his binoculars."

The man with the dark hair held up a pair of binoculars. "He saw a couple

of flashes of light from here, and we came to check it out."

He handed a knife to Dan. It was the one he had used to carve the grave

marker. "Found this in the sand. Lucky for you we came, I guess!"

He grew serious for a moment. "But, I'm... sorry about your wife."

"My wife?" asked Dan, absently taking the knife.

"'Susie'," replied the man, pointing at the marker.

"Susie," repeated Dan slowly, turning his head downward and squeezing his

eyes to shut off the tears that were starting to flow already.

"Poor guy," muttered the man with the dark hair. "Least we can do is take

him back to the mainland."

"Yup," replied the man in the cap. "Hey, buddy," he said to Dan. "Come on,

it'll be all right. Get in the helicopter, and we'll take you home."

Dan obediantly waded into the water, and the man with the dark hair helped

him into the helicopter, seating him in the back. The other two men climbed

into the front seats, and closed the door.

They began to warm up the engine, and the machine began to make it's

chopping sounds. The man with the cap turned back.

"What's your name, buddy?" he asked.

Dan paused, thinking slowly, weakly. His thoughts were still muddled with

the pain of his loss.

"My.. name," he replied. It came to him, slowly. "Dan," he stated.

The helicopter lifted off the water, and began to fly across it.

"Well, Dan," said the man with the cap, "my name is Doug, and that there is

Steve."

"How long were you on that island?" asked Steve.

"I.. don't know," replied Dan.

"Well, don't you worry," Doug told him. "We're going to have you back in

civilization in no time!"

Civilization. The word struck a chord in Dan's mind. It echoed in his head,

looking for a place to seat itself, where it's meaning would finally be

recognized.

Finally, it found a place. Civilization. War. Suffering. Violence. Crime.

Civilization. Guilt. Blame. Threats. Punishment. Civilization. Hatred.

Greed. Loneliness.

Dan looked up, suddenly. "NO!" he yelled. Doug and Steve looked back at

him, startled, as he jumped up and grabbed the door handle. Dan could not

go back to a life without love. He would not go back to a world more

interested in making money than having love. He would take his chances in

the ocean, where, when love happens, it's not crushed in pursuit of the

perfect ideal or greatest profit. He opened the door, and jumped.