The Dolphin

I suppose it is because I know so little of humans that I do not recognize before that Maggie is female. I see clearly that she and Jason are mates.

They do not do things with each other here in the way of mates. But I see it in how they speak to each other and how they look at each other. I would like to ask Maggie about this, I do not know the humans’ way of mating, but it is not a question that is right for me to ask. In the pod all know of Kitik and me, but it is not a thing to be spoken.

We play for the humans again. Now it is only one time in what the humans call a day. We try to do twice, but it is too tiring for Kitik. I tell this to Maggie and she says we will do one time until Kitik is well again.

Kitik is much weaker than before. He says that in the hos-pit-tall he is in a very small place where he could not swim or move about much. I think this may be good for his hurt. It heals well and he has only a small scar. In the sea it would be much longer to heal and he would have a bigger scar after. If he lives at all. He might go to the land with such a hurt.

I think perhaps the humans save his life.

When the light is above I spend much time with Maggie as she teaches me the humans’ speech. Jason comes too but only sometimes, he does other things on the land and he plays with Kitik. Kitik is with me some when I speak with Maggie but he still does not care to speak their shadow-talk. More of the time he swims in the place where we are and makes himself stronger. It will be long, I think, but he will be back to himself. Already he does not need to rest as frequently as when he is first back from the hos-pit-tall.

Maggie learns a small part of our speech. It is very little, and she does not speak right, but I see that she tries very hard. She asks do we all speak in the same way. I tell her that some is the same for all and some is not. She tells me humans speak in many ways and everything is different from this way to that. I ask how it is that this does not make confusion for them. She says some humans learn more than one way, and they are in the middle and pass the speech from one to another. I tell her I understand, but it is very difficult for me to know how such clumsiness can let the humans do things together.

One time Maggie has great excitement when she comes. I ask her about this and she tells that she receives the money that she wants. I am glad for her that she has what she has wants, though it seems strange to me if I think of money as food the way she tells me. She does not go hungry before and I do not think she eats any more well now.

I know money must be more than food but I am not sure what that more may be.

In many ways it is good here. I care for Maggie and Jason, I think of them as I do those in my pod in the sea, they are friends to Kitik and me. And the food they give us is good and we eat well. But I do not like to take all food from others like a calf from its mother. And it is dull except for the time that I spend with Maggie. I begin to think of the sea and hunting and going to many places.

Perhaps I will go there again in the brightness that is ahead. But in the now that seems far away.