What is happening to my home?

I live under the deep emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. I have so many friends here! Swimming with the dolphins, seals and manatees has been a daily thrill for me ever since I was old enough to swim!! One of the biggest thrills for me though, has been to swim to the surface to see the world above my deep sea home. Oh how I love the sunshine on my face! I watch the beautiful seagulls as they soar way above me, flying so high; so high in the sky that it seems as if they could fly into the clouds if they choose to do so.

I remember looking in the distance, towards the ocean's shore and being able to see small fishing boats bobbing around in the water. I always said a prayer for my friends, the pelicans, because sometimes, they would get hooked by the fishermen's fish hooks, or sometimes, even become entangled in the fishermen's lines.
My pelican friends would talk to me about these horrible experiences, whether it happened to them or one of the other pelicans. Sadly, some did not survive. I remember how my heart would break hearing those horrible stories of these awful accidents.

I often have to be careful of these great big ships that would often pass way above my deep sea home. When I would swim up towards the ocean's surface and see the waters churning, I made sure to steer very clear of those churning waters. When I did see them, I would flip my fish tail and qucikly swim down towards the ocean floor!

Today, as I swim towards the ocean's surface, I cannot see the sun. Ok, maybe it's just cloudy, or maybe it's raining.... I don't know. I swim a little closer; I am beginning to smell a very pungent peculiar bad odor. I make sure to stay back, away from the black, smelly foreign matter. I thought about my pelican friends and the rest of my sea life buddies. I swim further and further away from the black mass of smelly goo.

I keep making frequent trips towards the surface to see if I can spot the sunshine peering through the water, or even for a hint of light shimmering above.
I am beginning to feel weary of these trips towards the surface. I think I'll take a rest now. Thank God for this Coral Reef!
Oh, hear comes Janson! Hi Janson What's that? Are you sure? Could you take me near an area where the surface is safe?

I hold on to my dolphin friend's strong fin. He swims rapidly a few miles away from my resting place. Boy can he swim! Janson suddenly starts swimming towards the ocean's surface! Janson, be careful! I can't get to close to the ocean's shore!

What about and Pete and Brady? I don't understand! Janson!

He's starting to slow down. I start to smell that firmilar foul odor that I smelled way out in the ocean, miles away from here. Janson is going closer to the shore. I'm getting worried, but I am not going to let go of his fin!

Janson turns to look at me. I know what that means. You can let go of my fin now. I let go of his pwoerful fin. We both inch a little further towards the seashore.

Oh my God!! Oh no!! Brady, Pete!! What in the world happened to the two of them? The tears are stinging my eyes. Oh my God! So many of my friends are lying on the shore, lifeless, with that nasty black, foul smelling goo all over them!

Janson look, Pete and Brady are moving! They look like they are trying to stand up! Why do they have that black stuff on them? What is going on?
I hug my dear Janson as he cries, tears filling his beautiful black Dolphin eyes.

Brady, Pete! Are you two ok? Brady, Pete! Oh my God! Janson, who are those people? They are taking Brady and Pete away!
Oh please God, what is happening to my friends? What is happening to my home?


Melody Dempsey
The Forest Portal
www.authormelodydempsey.com